BRAINROT & MEME LORE
In 2014, millions of people dumped buckets of freezing water on their heads to raise over $115 million for research into this neurological disease.
What is ALS (or the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge)?
Kendrick Lamar's historic 2024 diss track "Not Like Us" targeted this Canadian superstar, bringing their long-running hip-hop feud to a global peak.
Who is Drake?
This country hosted the most recent World Cup.
The United States
Youtubers Logan Paul and KSI launched this mega-popular hydration drink line in 2022, causing massive shortages and high resale prices in schools nationwide.
What is PRIME?
In 1932, the Australian military fought a literal war against 20,000 of these large, flightless native birds and the birds actually won.
What are Emus (The Great Emu War)?
Before TikTok took over, this 6-second video app introduced the internet to creators like Shawn Mendes, Danny Gonzalez, and Liza Koshy before shutting down in 2017.
What is Vine?
Charli XCX sparked a massive summer 2024 culture wave, fashion trend, and political meme aesthetic named after this neon-green album.
What is Brat? ("Brat Summer")
In 2022, football star Lionel Messi officially "completed football" by leading this South American nation to a World Cup victory in Qatar.
What is Argentina?
Before streaming existed, movie lovers had to physically go to this blue-and-yellow rental store to pick out VHS tapes and DVDs before it went bankrupt in 2010.
What is Blockbuster?
In 1773, a group called the Sons of Liberty dressed up, boarded British ships in Boston Harbor, and dumped 342 chests of this product into the ocean to protest taxes.
What is Tea (The Boston Tea Party)?
In 2023, the internet went wild over a purple, berry-flavored birthday milkshake from this fast-food chain that allegedly caused bizarre horror-movie transformations in TikTok videos.
What is the Grimace Shake (McDonald's)?
In 1964, this English rock band appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, officially kicking off the cultural phenomenon known as the "British Invasion."
What are The Beatles?
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, this American gymnastics superstar made history by winning 4 medals, solidifying her status as the GOAT after stepping back in Tokyo to focus on mental health.
Who is Simone Biles?
During World War II, due to trade trade embargoes on Coca-Cola syrup, the German branch invented this popular orange soda using leftover fruit scraps.
What is Fanta?
In 1919, a massive tank holding 2.3 million gallons of this syrupy liquid ruptured in Massachusetts, creating a 35 mph wave that flooded the streets of Boston.
What is Molasses (The Great Molasses Flood)?
In 2015 the internet blew up into a raging debate over the color of this clothing item. (Bonus points if you can tell me the colors)
The Dress (Black and Blue vs. Gold and White)
In 1985, long before modern charity livestreams, over 40 top music stars recorded "We Are the World" to raise millions for famine relief in this African nation.
What is Ethiopia?
In 2020, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes signed a 10-year contract worth over $500 million, breaking records in this professional sports league.
What is the NFL?
Originally patented as a carpet cleaner in the 1930s, this squishy, colorful compound was rebranded in the 1950s after teachers realized kids loved making sculptures out of it.
What is Play-Doh?
Before becoming a trillion-dollar tech giant, this company started in 1997 as an online DVD-by-mail rental service that repeatedly tried to sell itself to Blockbuster.
What is Netflix?
In 2007, an early YouTube video of two young brothers in England went viral for the line, "____ bit my finger, and it really hurt!"
What is Charlie? ("Charlie Bit My Finger")
Born in the Bronx in 1973, this global music genre recently celebrated its 50th anniversary after starting at a back-to-school block party hosted by DJ Kool Herc.
What is Hip-Hop?
At the 1972 Munich Olympics, American swimmer Mark Spitz won a record-breaking 7 gold medals in a single Games, a record that stood until this American swimmer broke it in 2008 with 8 gold medals.
Who is Michael Phelps?
In 2017, this luxury music festival in the Bahamas promoted by Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid turned into a massive disaster where attendees were given cold cheese sandwiches and wet tents.
What is Fyre Festival?
In 1518, hundreds of citizens in France compulsively danced in the streets for weeks straight until collapsing in a strange medical event known as this.
What is the Dancing Plague?