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Medium 80s Trivia Questions
The medium questions from our 80s set, 14 of them, each with the answer and an explanation below the game.
Keys 1-4 pick an answer, Enter moves on. Nothing is saved to an account.
The middle band asks for years and specifics rather than just names, covering Chernobyl, the first Macintosh, the Los Angeles Olympics and where Cheers was set. Players tend to know the event but hesitate over the date, which is exactly where the arguments start.
14 medium 80s trivia questions with answers
MTV launched in 1981 with a video by which act?
Answer: The Buggles Video Killed the Radio Star had already been a hit two years earlier.
Apple introduced the first Macintosh computer in which year?
Answer: 1984 Its launch advert ran during the Super Bowl and was directed by Ridley Scott.
Which city hosted the 1984 Summer Olympics?
Answer: Los Angeles The Soviet Union and most of its allies boycotted those Games.
The Chernobyl nuclear accident happened in which year?
Answer: 1986 Reactor number four failed during a safety test in April 1986.
John Lennon was killed in New York in which year?
Answer: 1980 He died in December, weeks after releasing the album Double Fantasy.
Which film starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise won the Best Picture Oscar at the 1989 ceremony?
Answer: Rain Man Hoffman also took the Best Actor award for the same film.
The sitcom Cheers was set in a bar in which American city?
Answer: Boston The exterior shots used a real Beacon Hill bar that still trades on the fame.
Prince released which 1984 album alongside a film of the same name?
Answer: Purple Rain The soundtrack won an Academy Award for original song score.
Which Space Shuttle broke apart shortly after launch in January 1986?
Answer: Challenger A failed O-ring seal in a solid rocket booster caused the accident.
A 1980 cliffhanger asking who shot J.R. came from which television drama?
Answer: Dallas The resolution episode drew one of the largest US television audiences ever recorded.
The 1982 Falklands War was fought between the United Kingdom and which country?
Answer: Argentina The conflict lasted roughly ten weeks over islands in the South Atlantic.
Nintendo released its first Game Boy handheld in which year?
Answer: 1989 Its monochrome screen and low power draw gave it far better battery life than rivals.
Tetris was created by a programmer working in which country?
Answer: The Soviet Union Alexey Pajitnov wrote it in Moscow in 1984 while working at a computing centre.
Sandra Day O'Connor became the first woman appointed to which body in 1981?
Answer: The US Supreme Court She was nominated by Ronald Reagan and confirmed unanimously.
Answer key
- The Buggles
- 1984
- Los Angeles
- 1986
- 1980
- Rain Man
- Boston
- Purple Rain
- Challenger
- Dallas
- Argentina
- 1989
- The Soviet Union
- The US Supreme Court
How to play
- Pick a mode: multiple choice, true or false, a 60-second sprint, or the daily quiz.
- Answer with a tap, or press 1 to 4 on a keyboard. The right answer appears straight away with a line explaining it.
- Finish the round to see your score, copy the result grid, and step up a difficulty.
- Hosting a night? The full 80s list and a separate answer key are printed below, and the print layout drops the game and keeps the paper.
Not in a quiz mood?
The question games are a different kind of round: no right answers, just prompts you read out and argue about. Would You RatherNever Have I EverTruth or DareThis or That