Holiday Happenings
In 2023, this specific day in November was dubbed "the busiest travel day in history" by the TSA, following the post-pandemic return to family gatherings.
Answer: What is the Sunday after Thanksgiving?
This 2011 HBO fantasy series based on George R.R. Martin’s books became a decade-defining phenomenon before its controversial finale in 2019.
Answer: What is Game of Thrones?
In 2022, billionaire Elon Musk officially acquired this social media platform for $44 billion before eventually rebranding it to "X."
Answer: What is Twitter?
In 2019, a massive fire devastated this historic 800-year-old cathedral in Paris, leading to a global fundraising effort for its reconstruction.
Answer: What is Notre-Dame?
This Olympic swimmer retired after the 2016 Rio Games as the most decorated Olympian of all time with 28 medals.
Answer: Who is Michael Phelps?
In 2024, the "Holiday of the Dragon" was celebrated globally as this specific lunisolar event began on February 10th.
Answer: What is Lunar New Year?
In 2023, this video game adaptation on HBO starring Pedro Pascal became a critical hit, focusing on a fungal pandemic.
Answer: What is The Last of Us?
This "Virtual Assistant" was first introduced by Apple in 2011 with the iPhone 4S, changing how people interact with their phones.
Answer: Who is Siri?
This British monarch celebrated her Platinum Jubilee in 2022, marking 70 years on the throne, shortly before her passing later that year.
Answer: Who is Queen Elizabeth II?
In 2014, this 17-year-old Pakistani activist became the youngest person ever to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
Answer: Who is Malala Yousafzai?
This 2010s phenomenon, occurring the day after Thanksgiving, saw a massive shift in 2020 as major retailers like Walmart and Target closed their physical doors for the first time in decades on the actual holiday.
Answer: What is Black Friday?
This 2019 film made history by becoming the first non-English language movie to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Answer: What is Parasite?
This cryptocurrency reached an all-time high of over $100,000 for the first time in late 2024 following a major market surge.
Answer: What is Bitcoin?
In 2016, the United Kingdom voted in a historic referendum to leave this political and economic union.
Answer: What is the European Union (or Brexit)?
This theoretical physicist and author of A Brief History of Time, who lived with ALS for over 50 years, passed away in 2018.
Answer: Who is Stephen Hawking?
In 2021, President Joe Biden signed legislation making this June 19th celebration the first new federal holiday created since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983.
Answer: What is Juneteenth?
In 2024, this historical drama set in feudal Japan broke the record for the most Emmy wins for a single season of television
Answer: What is Shōgun?
In 2016, this augmented reality mobile game caused a global craze, leading millions of people to walk into parks and streets to catch virtual creatures.
Answer: What is Pokémon GO?
This Egyptian landmark, the Grand Egyptian Museum, finally opened its main galleries to the public in late 2024 near the Giza Pyramids.
Answer: What is the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM)?
In 2024, this legendary tennis player, winner of 22 Grand Slam titles, officially retired after playing his final match at the Davis Cup.
Answer: Who is Rafael Nadal?
In 2025, the Vatican celebrated a "Jubilee Year," a special religious holiday that occurs only every 25 years, under the theme "Pilgrims of Hope."
Answer: What is a Holy Year?
This "King of Streaming" reached a milestone in 2025 by exclusively airing the live boxing match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul, testing its live sports capabilities.
Answer: Who is Netflix?
This 2021 tech term refers to a "one-of-a-kind" digital asset on the blockchain, famously exemplified by Beeple's $69 million digital art sale.
Answer: What is an NFT (Non-Fungible Token)?
In 2021, a massive container ship named the Ever Given became wedged across this vital global shipping lane for six days.
Answer: What is the Suez Canal?
This fashion icon and longtime creative director of Chanel, known for his signature white hair and sunglasses, passed away in 2019.
Answer: Who is Karl Lagerfeld?