40 trivia questions from the 90s with answers

Questions for a 90s party or a quiz night: the Spice Girls and the Macarena, Toy Story and Jurassic Park, Tamagotchi, Beanie Babies and the first Pokémon games, the World Wide Web, Y2K and Mandela's release. Each of the five sections makes a round, and every answer links to its source.

40 questions · Trivia questions from the 90s with answers · answers included

Music

1
What was the Spice Girls' first single, in 1996?

easy

Answer
"Wannabe".
It reached number one in 37 countries.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spice_Girls?oldid=1381928754
2
Which Spice Girl was known as Posh Spice?

medium

Answer
Victoria Beckham.
Geri Halliwell was Ginger Spice.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spice_Girls?oldid=1381928754
3
Which two-word slogan did the Spice Girls make famous?

easy

Answer
Girl power.
They aimed their music at young girls.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spice_Girls?oldid=1381928754
4
Which Spanish duo recorded the Macarena?

medium

Answer
Los del Río.
A remix by the Bayside Boys added English lyrics.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macarena?oldid=1381856545
5
For how many weeks was the Macarena number one in the United States in 1996?

hard

Answer
14 weeks.
A dance craze helped it climb back up the chart.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macarena?oldid=1381856545
6
What was Britney Spears' first single, in 1998?

easy

Answer
"...Baby One More Time".
It topped the charts in over 20 countries.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...Baby_One_More_Time?oldid=1379635172
7
Which Christmas song did Mariah Carey release in 1994?

easy

Answer
"All I Want for Christmas Is You".
It rises up the charts again every December.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_I_Want_for_Christmas_Is_You?oldid=1380472556

Films and TV

8
Which 1994 Disney film follows a young lion prince named Simba?

easy

Answer
The Lion King.
Simba's uncle Scar seizes the throne.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lion_King?oldid=1381457002
9
Toy Story, in 1995, was the first feature film made in which way?

medium

Answer
Entirely computer-animated, by Pixar.
It was also Pixar's first feature film.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toy_Story?oldid=1381980977
10
On which made-up island is the dinosaur park in Jurassic Park?

medium

Answer
Isla Nublar.
Steven Spielberg directed the 1993 film.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jurassic_Park?oldid=1381833571
11
Who wrote the novel Jurassic Park?

hard

Answer
Michael Crichton.
He also co-wrote the film's screenplay.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jurassic_Park?oldid=1381833571
12
Who plays Kevin in Home Alone?

easy

Answer
Macaulay Culkin.
Kevin is eight years old in the film.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_Alone?oldid=1381556616
13
In Home Alone, where is Kevin's family going for Christmas when they leave him behind?

medium

Answer
Paris.
He is left in the family's house near Chicago.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_Alone?oldid=1381556616
14
Which sitcom was called "a show about nothing"?

medium

Answer
Seinfeld.
It ran on NBC from 1989 to 1998.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seinfeld?oldid=1381335621
15
In Seinfeld, what is the first name of Jerry's neighbor Kramer?

hard

Answer
Cosmo.
Michael Richards played him.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seinfeld?oldid=1381335621
16
In The Matrix, what is the computer hacker hero called?

easy

Answer
Neo.
Keanu Reeves plays him.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Matrix?oldid=1382005491
17
The Matrix made which slow-motion camera effect famous?

hard

Answer
Bullet time.
The camera seems to move around the action while it slows down.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Matrix?oldid=1382005491

Games, toys and gadgets

18
Which Japanese toy company brought out the Tamagotchi digital pet in 1996?

medium

Answer
Bandai.
Most Tamagotchi live in a small egg-shaped case with three buttons.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamagotchi?oldid=1381444570
19
What are Beanie Babies filled with?

medium

Answer
Plastic pellets, called beans.
That is where the name comes from.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beanie_Babies?oldid=1380557346
20
Beanie Babies have been called the world's first what?

hard

Answer
Internet sensation.
People collected them as an investment too.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beanie_Babies?oldid=1380557346
21
What is the made-up language a new Furby speaks?

medium

Answer
Furbish.
Over time it swaps in English words.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furby?oldid=1380481848
22
For which handheld console were the first Pokémon games made?

easy

Answer
The Game Boy.
They came out in Japan in 1996.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Red,_Blue,_and_Yellow?oldid=1382020206
23
Under which names did the first Pokémon games come out in Japan?

hard

Answer
Pocket Monsters Red and Pocket Monsters Green.
They reached other countries as Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Red,_Blue,_and_Yellow?oldid=1382020206
24
Which company made the PlayStation, first sold in 1994?

easy

Answer
Sony.
It played games from compact discs, not cartridges.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_(console)?oldid=1381677692
25
The PlayStation was the first console to ship more than how many units?

hard

Answer
100 million.
It did so in less than a decade.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_(console)?oldid=1381677692

News, science and the web

26
Who invented the World Wide Web?

medium

Answer
Tim Berners-Lee, at CERN.
It opened to the public in 1993.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Wide_Web?oldid=1379635447
27
Which two computer scientists founded Google in 1998?

medium

Answer
Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
They still control most of the company's voting power.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google?oldid=1381647376
28
What was the Y2K problem about?

easy

Answer
The year 2000, and computer errors with its date.
Y2K is short for year 2000.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_2000_problem?oldid=1381405137
29
Why could old computer programs mix up the year 2000 with 1900?

medium

Answer
Many programs kept only the last two digits of a year.
So 1985 was stored as 85, and 2000 as 00.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_2000_problem?oldid=1381405137
30
In which year was Nelson Mandela released from prison?

medium

Answer
1990.
He had spent 27 years in prison.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela?oldid=1381404561
31
Which office did Nelson Mandela hold from 1994 to 1999?

medium

Answer
President of South Africa.
He was the country's first black head of state.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela?oldid=1381404561
32
In which year was the Hubble Space Telescope launched?

medium

Answer
1990.
It is named after the astronomer Edwin Hubble.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubble_Space_Telescope?oldid=1380818691
33
The Channel Tunnel, opened in 1994, links Britain with which country?

easy

Answer
France.
It runs under the English Channel from Folkestone to Coquelles.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel_Tunnel?oldid=1381923055
34
What is the Channel Tunnel's nickname?

medium

Answer
The Chunnel.
Channel plus tunnel.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel_Tunnel?oldid=1381923055
35
On which date in 1990 were East and West Germany reunited?

medium

Answer
October 3, now German Unity Day.
Germany keeps the day as a national holiday.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_reunification?oldid=1375585175
36
In 1997, the United Kingdom handed Hong Kong over to which country?

easy

Answer
China.
British rule had lasted 156 years.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handover_of_Hong_Kong?oldid=1377773024
37
In which year was the euro introduced, at first only for banking and transfers?

medium

Answer
1999.
Euro coins and notes came later.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euro?oldid=1381188744

Sport

38
Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls won the NBA title in 1991, 1992 and 1993. What is three titles in a row called?

medium

Answer
A three-peat.
They won three more from 1996 to 1998.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jordan?oldid=1381731633
39
Who scored the winning penalty for the United States in the 1999 Women's World Cup final?

hard

Answer
Brandi Chastain.
The final against China ended in a 5–4 shootout.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_FIFA_Women%27s_World_Cup?oldid=1381285570
40
In which year did Tiger Woods win his first major, the Masters?

medium

Answer
1997.
He had turned professional the year before.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_Woods?oldid=1381894289

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