1910's
On its maiden voyage in April 1912, this British luxury ocean liner struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic and sank, killing over 1,500 people.
What is the RMS Titanic?
Born in New Orleans, this legendary trumpet player and singer nicknamed "Satchmo" became one of the most influential figures in 1920s jazz.
Who is Louis Armstrong?
Swirling his hips on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1956, this "King of Rock and Roll" sent teenagers wild with hits like "Heartbreak Hotel" and "Hound Dog".
Who is Elvis Presley?
Released in 1982, this Michael Jackson album features iconic tracks like "Billie Jean" and "Beat It" and remains the best-selling album of all time.
What is Thriller?
Released in Japan in 1996 as Pocket Monsters, this gaming franchise launched a global phenomenon under this shortened English title.
What is Pokémon?
Patented in 1913 by Gideon Sundback, this common fastener replaced buttons on boots and pouches before becoming a worldwide everyday staple.
What is the zipper?
On October 29, 1929—known as "Black Tuesday"—a massive crash on this US stock exchange triggered the start of the Great Depression worldwide.
What is Wall Street (or the New York Stock Exchange)?
In 1953, New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay became the first verified climbers to reach the summit of this highest mountain on Earth.
What is Mount Everest?
In November 1989, peaceful crowds began tearing down this iconic cold-war barrier, signaling the collapse of Soviet power in Eastern Europe.
What is the Berlin Wall?
Imported from Japan by Bandai in 1997, millions of kids carried these egg-shaped keychain devices around to feed and care for digital creatures.
What are Tamagotchis?
Created by Charlie Chaplin in 1914, this beloved recurring character wore a bowler hat, oversized trousers, a tight coat, and carried a bamboo cane.
Who is The Tramp (or The Little Tramp)?
This notorious Chicago mob boss, nicknamed "Scarface," built a bootlegging empire during American Prohibition before finally being jailed for tax evasion.
Who is Al Capone?
Created by Ruth Handler and launched at the American International Toy Fair in New York in March 1959, this iconic doll was inspired by a German adult fashion doll named Bild Lilli.
Who is Barbie?
Released worldwide in 1989 by Nintendo, this handheld 8-bit gaming console came bundled with Tetris and dominated pop culture throughout the decade.
What is the Game Boy?
Co-founded by Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker in 1999, this peer-to-peer file-sharing service revolutionized how people shared digital MP3 audio files.
What is Napster?
Introduced to the public in 1910 by William Fuld, this mystical talking board game became a massive pop-culture craze during the anxieties of World War I.
What is the Ouija board?
Along with Charles Best, this Canadian doctor was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1923 for discovering insulin.
Who is Frederick Banting?
Premiering in 1950, The Hank McCune Show became the first television program in history to utilize this synthetic production tool, developed by sound engineer Charley Douglass to compensate for live audience reactions.
What is the laugh track (or canned laughter)?
Driven by intense competition from Pepsi, the Coca-Cola Company introduced this notorious reformulation in April 1985, provoking massive consumer outrage and a quick reversal.
What is New Coke?
Released on August 24, 1995, Microsoft Windows 95 famously launched with a massive multimillion-dollar advertising campaign featuring this iconic Rolling Stones song.
What is "Start Me Up"?
Founded in Zurich in 1916 at the Cabaret Voltaire by artists like Tristan Tzara and Jean Arp, this avant-garde movement embraced absurdity and anti-art in reaction to the horrors of WWI.
What is Dada (or Dadaism)?
Released by Disney in 1928, this animated short featuring Mickey Mouse was one of the very first cartoons to synchronized sound.
What is Steamboat Willie?
Launched by the Soviet Union in 1957, this beach-ball-sized artificial satellite shocked the world and officially kicked off the Space Race.
What is Sputnik 1?
In the original production design for the 1985 movie Back to the Future, Doc Brown's time machine wasn't a DeLorean—it was built out of this household appliance.
What is a refrigerator?
Born in July 1996 at the Roslin Institute in Scotland, a Finn-Dorset sheep named Dolly made global headlines for being the first mammal produced using this process.
What is somatic cell nuclear transfer cloning (or adult cell cloning)?