How Well Do You Remember The Past? Try To Guess The Year With Just Three Images
When we were in history class, one of the hardest things to remember was the dates and even the years when certain major events took place. Unless they were super boring, the events themselves tended to be fairly memorable. But it was often harder to pin things down more precisely than a certain decade.
And sure, we know that can be tough when we’re looking at a past we didn’t experience. But is any easier to do it when you did actually live through those years? For instance, was 2004 really that much different from 2005? Let’s find out!
What year gave us these iconic moments?
A. 1993
B. 1989
C. 1992
D. 1995
Answer: 1992
1992 was a banner year for American culture as gangster rap broke into the mainstream and the Dream Team — staffed by the day’s biggest NBA all-stars — dominated the Barcelona Olympics. And on a lighter note, Wayne and Garth showed us how to party in Wayne’s World.
Going back further, when did these things happen?
A. 1965
B. 1963
C. 1960
D. 1961
Answer: 1963
Even for the tumultuous and incredibly culturally significant 1960s, 1963 was a whirlwind of a year. President John F. Kennedy’s ill-fated tour through Dallas remains infamous a half-century later, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have A Dream” speech inspires us just as strongly today. If all that wasn’t enough, the legendary career of Bob Dylan truly picked up speed with the acclaimed album The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan.
To make things a little lighter, when did these things happen?
A. 1984
B. 1986
C. 1983
D. 1985
Answer: 1985
Although The Breakfast Club remains a beloved teen movie today, it was far from the only thing going on in 1985. Not only did Nintendo take the world by storm with the NES, but that year also gave us Queen’s unforgettable performance at the Live Aid charity event. In particular, that moment solidified the late Freddie Mercury’s legacy as a legendary performer.
A lot happened in this year, but can you guess what it is?
A. 1996
B. 1999
C. 2000
D. 1998
Answer: 1998
Whether we realized it at the time or not, 1998 was a year that gave us a lot. Not only was that when Google first launched, but it also marked the first time we ever met Carrie Bradshaw and her iconic friends. And while it didn’t make much of an impact at the time, we also have to recognize 1998 for introducing us to a little movie called The Big Lebowski. You may have heard of it.
What was this truly iconic year?
A. 1978
B. 1976
C. 1977
D. 1979
E.
Answer: 1977
It’s hard not to see 1977 as the year of Star Wars in retrospect, but it was far from the only cultural phenomenon to explode at the time. Not only was punk music emerging with a vengeance in the U.K., but disco was king in the U.S., and Saturday Night Fever only solidified its reign.
You may know them, but do you know their big year?
A. 1994
B. 1993
C. 1996
D. 1995
Answer: 1994
Most years have a lot going on, but 1994 was particularly big in the U.S. and abroad. While Jim Carrey was ruling the box office with movies like Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber, the alternative nation was angrily rocking to Nine Inch Nails’ The Downward Spiral and Nirvana’s final album, In Utero. Elsewhere, Nelson Mandela was elected president of South Africa after decades of apartheid.
Does this year look familiar to you?
A. 1986
B. 1983
C. 1982
D. 1984
Answer: 1984
Audiences in 1984 were treated to a true comedy, and adventure classic with the landmark Ghostbusters and consumers also found they could have their very own personal computers with the release of the Apple Macintosh. And while it would unfortunately turn out to be less helpful than those involved intended, Bob Geldof’s Band Aid project also produced the famous charity single “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” that year.
This year wasn’t the happiest; do you know it?
A. 1998
B. 1996
C. 1995
D. 1997
Answer: 1997
For those who were alive at the time, 1997 was a year marked by tragedy. After all, it was then that the sudden passing of Princess Diana occurred, and the same would be true for legendary rapper The Notorious B.I.G. when he was at the height of his success. Indeed, even that year’s massive world-shattering blockbuster Titanic harkened audiences back to history’s most infamous maritime disaster.
What year did these photos step out of?
A. 1988
B. 1989
C. 1987
D. 1990
Answer: 1989
In Germany, 1989 was a year of hope and celebration as the Berlin Wall finally came down after 28 years of splitting the nation in half. In the U.S., however, both the music world and the film world saw their own controversies as Milli Vanilli was revealed to be a fraudulent act, and Spike Lee’s breakout film Do The Right Thing would prove to be the most polarizing movie of the year.
What year brought us these famous images?
A. 1977
B. 1980
C. 1978
D. 1979
Answer: 1979
1979 saw Egypt reach a peace agreement with Israel after years of war as U.S. President Jimmy Carter moderated discussions between the two nations. That same year was a hotbed for creative and provocative imagery as both the ambitious war movie Apocalypse Now and Pink Floyd’s sprawling rock opera The Wall saw their releases.
So much changed during this year, but what is it?
A. 1990
B. 1993
C. 1991
D. 1992
Answer: 1991
1991 was a year that brought a whirlwind of change. While the Soviet Union collapsed, the public started getting online for the first time as the World Wide Web was born. Major changes also hit the entertainment world as The Simpsons grew into a cultural phenomenon while Nirvana led a movement of alternative rock that would become one of the defining sounds of the ’90s.
These familiar sights suggest a big year, but which year?
A. 1983
B. 1980
C. 1981
D. 1982
Answer: 1982
Those who were around in 1982 will likely either remember it as the year their family fell in love with E.T. or the year Michael Jackson released an instant classic with Thriller. But that year brought some other big news that would affect the world for decades because that was also when the world’s first compact discs were manufactured in Germany.
These photos scream one year loud and clear. But which one?
A. 1995
B. 1996
C. 1994
D. 1997
Answer: 1996
1996 saw rap fans captivated by the brash, provocative music Tupac Shakur would make for Death Row Records, but it would sadly end with them mourning his sudden passing. On a lighter note, the year also saw the Coen brothers strike gold with their quirky masterpiece Fargo and kids everywhere delighted at the release of the Nintendo 64.
What year was known for its small steps and giant leaps?
A. 1970
B. 1968
C. 1967
D. 1969
Answer: 1969
1969 was a time of significant new beginnings, the biggest of which was the famous Apollo 11 mission that saw people walk on the Moon for the first time. But a similar transformation happened in Hollywood as films like Easy Rider ushered the movie industry into a gritty new age that would carry on into the ’70s. But 1969 also heralded a major ending as the Beatles would record their final album together, Abbey Road.
What year had these highs and lows?
A. 1985
B. 1988
C. 1987
D. 1986
Answer: 1986
1986 sadly began on a tragic note with the sudden and catastrophic destruction of the Challenger space shuttle that claimed the lives of all seven on board. But it was also a year that gave us classics people still enjoy today, such as the beloved John Hughes film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and the still-infectious song “Word Up!” by a one-hit wonder called Cameo.
What year brought us all of these landmark moments?
A. 1974
B. 1976
C. 1975
D. 1977
Answer: 1976
1976 was America’s bicentennial, and as we can see, there was a lot to celebrate that year. Not only did Stevie Wonder release a certified masterpiece with Songs in The Key of Life, but delighted audiences of all ages found they could tune in to The Muppet Show for the first time. And there was big news in Canada, too, as the Toronto Blue Jays would enter the major leagues and construction completed on the CN Tower, which was once the world’s tallest tower.
Can you figure out what year brought us these touchstones?
A. 1997
B. 1990
C. 1993
D. 1994
Answer: 1993
1993 was the year that saw big ideas come out of nowhere and take everything over. After all, that’s the year when Beanie Babies were first sold and they developed into a worldwide crazy over the course of the decade. And while Jurassic Park was exciting our imaginations and giving us a blockbuster for the ages, the newly-formed Wu-Tang Clan showed the hip hop world what a force to be reckoned with they were.
What year do these photos bring to mind?
A. 1978
B. 1981
C. 1980
D. 1979
Answer: 1980
1980 would prove to be quite an interesting time for pop culture as Stanley Kubrick’s horror masterpiece The Shining and the self-titled debut of heavy metal legends Iron Maiden would see their respective releases. Meanwhile, the 1980 Winter Olympics would give us this historical moment of the U.S. hockey team beating the team representing the Soviet Union in what would come to be known as the Miracle on Ice.
What year could these photos represent in a time capsule?
A. 1994
B. 1996
C. 1995
D. 1993
Answer: 1995
1995 was full of big news, and part of its buzz came when Michael Jordan ended his retirement from basketball for the first time and returned to the Chicago Bulls amid immense fanfare. Months later, the highly-publicized trial of disgraced football star O.J. Simpson would draw to its conclusion with a controversial not guilty verdict. Meanwhile, Adam Sandler’s comedy empire was beginning to take shape with the release of the mega-successful Billy Madison.
Can you pin down the year these classics first appeared?
A. 1988
B. 1989
C. 1990
D. 1987
Answer: 1988
From all appearances, 1988 was a pretty entertaining year. Not only were animation techniques and live-action filmmaking blended together like never before with the beloved Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, but action movies changed forever with the release of the enduring Die Hard. Meanwhile, gangster rap steadily gained ground in hip hop thanks to the controversial yet influential N.W.A. album Straight Outta Compton.
Finally, what year brought us these sensations?
A. 1989
B. 1992
C. 1990
D. 1991
Answer: 1990
1990 was a landmark year for Russian westernization amid the impending collapse of the Soviet Union as both McDonald’s and Pizza Hut established their first locations in the nation. As for American audiences, they witnessed not only the birth of a crime classic with Martin Scorsese’s seminal Goodfellas but the song that put Sinead O’Connor on everyone’s radar: the Prince composition “Nothing Compares 2 U.”
