Twenty questions about the decade of MTV, arcade games, Live Aid and the space shuttle. Each answer comes with the date and a detail people tend to forget.
MTV launched on August 1, 1981. Its first words were "Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll."
Question 2
What was the first music video played on MTV?
Show answer
"Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles
The choice was a nod to the channel's own idea that music videos would change the music business.
Question 3
Which arcade game, released in 1980, starred a yellow character eating dots in a maze?
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Pac-Man
Namco released it in Japan in 1980. Space Invaders, from 1978, came first.
Question 4
Who invented the Rubik's Cube, a craze of the early 1980s?
Show answer
Ernő Rubik, a Hungarian architect
Rubik made the first one in 1974 to teach spatial thinking. It went on sale worldwide in 1980.
Question 5
In which year did the space shuttle Challenger break apart shortly after launch?
Show answer
1986
All seven crew members died on January 28, 1986, including teacher Christa McAuliffe.
Question 6
Who was president of the United States for most of the 1980s?
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Ronald Reagan
Reagan served from 1981 to 1989. George H. W. Bush, his vice president, followed.
Question 7
The 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster happened in which present-day country?
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Ukraine
It was part of the Soviet Union at the time. The exclusion zone around the plant remains largely closed.
Question 8
Who wrote the 1985 charity single "We Are the World"?
Show answer
Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie
Quincy Jones produced it. Bob Geldof and Midge Ure wrote the British charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?"
Question 9
Which 1985 concert was held in London and Philadelphia on the same day?
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Live Aid
Bob Geldof and Midge Ure organized it for famine relief in Ethiopia. Queen's set is often called one of the greatest live performances.
Question 10
In which year was the Nintendo Entertainment System released in North America?
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1985
It arrived in October 1985 with Super Mario Bros. and helped revive the US video game market.
Question 11
In which year did Prince Charles marry Lady Diana Spencer?
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1981
They married at St Paul's Cathedral on July 29, 1981, watched by an estimated 750 million people.
Question 12
On which 1983 TV special did Michael Jackson first perform the moonwalk?
Show answer
Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever
He moonwalked during "Billie Jean" in front of a live audience in Pasadena.
Question 13
Which computer did Apple introduce in 1984 with a famous Super Bowl ad?
Show answer
The Macintosh
The ad, directed by Ridley Scott, aired nationally only once, during Super Bowl XVIII.
Question 14
Which 1984 comedy asked "Who you gonna call?"
Show answer
Ghostbusters
Ray Parker Jr.'s theme song reached number one. The film starred Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis.
Question 15
Which TV drama had viewers asking "Who shot J.R.?" in 1980?
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Dallas
The answer episode in November 1980 drew one of the largest audiences in US TV history.
Question 16
Which soft dolls caused shopping-mall scuffles in the 1983 holiday season?
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Cabbage Patch Kids
Each doll came with its own name and "adoption papers."
Question 17
Which singer released the album Like a Virgin in 1984?
Show answer
Madonna
It was her second album and her first to reach number one in the US.
Question 18
What is the call sign of Tom Cruise's character in Top Gun (1986)?
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Maverick
Goose is his radar officer, Iceman his rival and Viper his instructor. A sequel followed in 2022.
Question 19
Who became the first American woman in space, in 1983?
Show answer
Sally Ride
Ride flew on the space shuttle Challenger. Mae Jemison became the first Black woman in space in 1992.
Question 20
Which handheld game console did Nintendo release in 1989?
Show answer
Game Boy
It came bundled with Tetris in North America and sold more than 100 million units with its successor, the Game Boy Color.
Key numbers
Questions
20
Format
Multiple choice, 4 options
Explanations
Every question
Answers
Hidden until you open them
Pop culture and big events
The 1980s questions mix the fun (Pac-Man, Cabbage Patch Kids, "Who shot J.R.?") with the events that defined the decade: the Challenger disaster, Chernobyl and the royal wedding of 1981. Music gets its own share, from the first video on MTV to Madonna, Michael Jackson's moonwalk and the charity songs of 1985.
Who it's for
If you grew up in the 80s, most of these will feel familiar; if you didn't, you've probably met them through remakes, reboots and a certain sequel about fighter pilots. That makes 80s trivia one of the best mixed-age rounds there is.
Theming the round
Play a few seconds of a song from the decade before each music question, or ask everyone to come dressed in 80s style. Ask the year questions without options for a tiebreaker.
Dates worth remembering
A few dates anchor the whole decade: MTV in 1981, the Macintosh in 1984, Live Aid in 1985 and the Challenger accident in 1986. If you know those four, you can place most other 80s questions before or after them, which is often enough to choose between two options.