Science Headlines You Should Know
Which part of the cell is often called the “powerhouse”?
Mitochondria
Which fast-food chain uses the slogan “I’m Lovin’ It”?
McDonald’s
Which company’s 2001 collapse became synonymous with corporate fraud?
Enron
Which 1997 James Cameron film became the first movie to gross over $1 billion worldwide?
Titanic
Colonists dump tea into a harbor during which 1773 protest?
Boston Tea Party
Which U.S. state has a real town called Boring?
A) Oregon
B) Texas
C) Ohio
D) Idaho
A. Oregon
Water boils at what temperature on the Celsius scale at sea level?
A) 90 °C
B) 100 °C
C) 110 °C
D) 212 °C
B. 100 °C
What brand launched the three-word slogan “Just Do It” in 1988?
Nike
What was the name of Elizabeth Holmes’s failed blood-testing startup?
Theranos
Which Tom Hanks film won Oscars and dominated box office in 1994?
Forrest Gump
Whose assassination triggered World War I?
Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Which country operates an airport in a place literally called Christmas Island?
A) UK
B) Australia
C) Indonesia
D) Fiji
B. Australia
What scientist is credited with formulating the theory of evolution by natural selection?
Charles Darwin
“Maybe she’s born with it…” is the tagline of which makeup brand?
Maybelline
Lululemon faced backlash after its founder blamed which product for “not working on some women’s bodies”?
Yoga pants
Which Marvel film first broke $2 billion globally?
A) Avengers
B) Endgame
C) Black Panther
D) Infinity War
B. Endgame
Which Viking explorer briefly landed in America around 1000 AD?
Leif Erikson
Which U.S. state has a town named Truth or Consequences?
A) Arizona
B) New Mexico
C) Nevada
D) Colorado
B. New Mexico
Which U.S. agency handles disease outbreak responses?
A) NIH
B) CDC
C) HHS
D) WHO
B. CDC
Which candy uses the slogan “Melts in your mouth, not in your hands”?
M&M’s
Volkswagen admitted cheating emissions tests on which engines?
Diesel engines
Which director has the most films in the all-time top-ten box office list?
A) Christopher Nolan
B) James Cameron
C) Russo Brothers
D) Steven Spielberg
B. James Cameron
Which Russian mystic survived poisoning, shooting, and drowning attempts?
Rasputin
Which country is home to a town officially named Hell?
A) Norway
B) Iceland
C) Sweden
D) Finland
A. Norway
What protein‐folding disease caused panic in British cattle in the 1990s?
Mad Cow Disease (BSE)
Tony the Tiger says Frosted Flakes are what?
“Great!”
Which firm caused Facebook’s 2018 data scandal?
A) Palantir
B) McKinsey
C) Cambridge Analytica
D) Gartner
C. Cambridge Analytica
What 2015 dinosaur sequel smashed opening weekend records globally?
Jurassic World
What document was forced on King John in a field in 1215?
Magna Carta
This oddly named African country is completely surrounded by South Africa.
A) Botswana
B) Lesotho
C) Eswatini
D) Namibia
B. Lesotho
What is the name of the 2021 space telescope expected to look back to the early universe?
A) Chandra
B) Hubble
C) James Webb
D) Kepler
C. James Webb
“Think Different” was Apple’s 1997 campaign taking aim at which rival?
IBM
Which investment bank filed the largest bankruptcy in 2008?
A) Bear Stearns
B) Lehman Brothers
C) Morgan Stanley
D) Salomon Brothers
B. Lehman Brothers
Who famously turned down the role of Neo in The Matrix?
A) Brad Pitt
B) Nicolas Cage
C) Tom Cruise
D) Will Smith
D. Will Smith
Which pandemic killed ~25 million Europeans in the 14th century?
Black Death
Which Southeast Asian nation has the capital Naypyidaw?
A) Cambodia
B) Laos
C) Myanmar
D) Brunei
C. Myanmar
Which branch of physics deals with subatomic particles and quantum properties?
Quantum mechanics
Which razor brand uses the line “The best a man can get”?
Gillette
Which South Korean conglomerate’s heir, Lee Jae-yong, was jailed in 2017 over a political bribery scandal linked to then-President Park Geun-hye?
A) LG
B) Hyundai
C) Samsung
D) SK Group
C. Samsung
Which Bond film was first in the series to gross $1 billion?
Skyfall
Who refused to give up her bus seat in 1955?
Rosa Parks
Which British overseas territory contains a town called Monkey Hill?
A) Bermuda
B) Gibraltar
C) Montserrat
D) Falkland Islands
C. Montserrat
What Mars rover landed in 2021 with a helicopter called Ingenuity on board?
A) Spirit
B) Perseverance
C) Curiosity
D) Opportunity
B. Perseverance
Which company asked “Can you hear me now?” in ads?
Verizon
Which Japanese company hid over $1 billion in losses until 2011?
A) Toshiba
B) Sony
C) Olympus
D) Panasonic
C. Olympus
What is the highest-grossing animated film ever (unadjusted)?
A) Frozen
B) Frozen II
C) Minions
D) Toy Story 4
B. Frozen II
Revolutionaries stormed which Paris prison in 1789?
A) Conciergerie
B) Bastille
C) La Santé
D) Reims
B. Bastille
On which Caribbean island would you find the town Bloody Bay?
A) Barbados
B) Jamaica
C) Aruba
D) St. Lucia
B. Jamaica
Which element has the highest electrical conductivity?
A) Gold
B) Silver
C) Copper
D) Platinum
B. Silver
“Red Bull gives you wings” landed the company in trouble for what?
A) False advertising
B) Trademark fraud
C) Offensive messaging
D) Safety violations
A. False advertising
Which UK retail giant collapsed in 2018 after admitting it had overstated profits by £250 million due to aggressive supplier accounting?
A) Tesco
B) Marks & Spencer
C) Sainsbury’s
D) Asda
A. Tesco
Which 2011 Melissa McCarthy comedy became one of the most successful R-rated comedies ever?
Bridesmaids
Which 1692 panic involved witchcraft accusations in Massachusetts?
Salem Witch Trials
Which Pacific country consists of 33 atolls, including one named Christmas Island?
A) Kiribati
B) Tonga
C) Samoa
D) Tuvalu
A. Kiribati
Which British mathematician solved Fermat’s Last Theorem in 1994 after 358 years?
A) Terence Tao
B) Andrew Wiles
C) Roger Penrose
D) Paul Erdős
B. Andrew Wiles
“Betcha can’t eat just one” promoted which salty snack?
A) Cheetos
B) Pringles
C) Lay’s
D) Doritos
C. Lay’s
Which CEO earned infamy raising the price of Daraprim by 5,000%?
A) Martin Shkreli
B) Vivek Ramaswamy
C) Michael Pearson
D) Fred Eshelman
A. Martin Shkreli
Which Fast & Furious movie was the first from the franchise to cross the $1 billion mark?
A) Furious 7
B) Fast Five
C) Hobbs & Shaw
D) The Fate of the Furious
A. Furious 7
Which wars began because Britain smuggled opium into China?
A) Opium Wars
B) Taiping Rebellion
C) Boxer Rebellion
D) Anglo-Boer War
A. Opium Wars
Which U.S. state has a town officially named Intercourse?
A) Pennsylvania
B) Utah
C) Indiana
D) Tennessee
A. Pennsylvania