"Popular" Culture
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The Universe is HUGE
SOO Inventive
Location, Location, Location
400
This 2023 movie about a doll’s existential crisis became one of the highest-grossing films of the year.
What is Barbie?
400
This element, the lightest of the noble gases, is often used in balloons to make them float.
What is helium?
400
This theory describes the origin of the universe as a massive expansion approximately 13.8 billion years ago.
What is the Big Bang Theory?
400
Approved the FDA 2008, this treatment was first developed in the late 20th century by scientists exploring non-invasive brain stimulation techniques.
What is Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)?
400
This city, known as the "Live Music Capital of the World," hosts the annual South by Southwest (SXSW) festival.
What is Austin, Texas?
800
This online media outlet is famous for its celebrity scandals and has been a frequent source of viral stories.
What is TMZ?
800
This was the first permanent English settlement in America, established in 1607.
What is Jamestown (VA)?
800
Discovered in 1930 and reclassified in 2006, this celestial object lost it's designation as a "planet".
What is Pluto?
800
In 1903, these two brothers invented the first successful powered aircraft, achieving the first controlled, sustained flight.
Who are the Wright brothers?
800
Located near Atlanta, this Georgia city played a significant role in the Civil War and has a historic square.
What is Marietta, Georgia?
1200
Known for her fusion of Latin, pop, and cumbia styles, this artist was posthumously awarded a Grammy for Best Mexican-American Album in 1995, months after her death.
Who is Selena Quintanilla-Pérez?
1200
He wrote 1984 and Animal Farm, both critiques of totalitarianism
Who is George Orwell?
1200
Known for its comedic take on extraterrestrial life, this Emmy-winning series shares its name with Earth’s nickname based on its place in orbit around the Sun.
What is 3rd Rock from the Sun?
1200
In 1973, this invention by Martin Cooper of Motorola changed personal communication forever.
What is the cell phone?
1200
Nicknamed the "Apple Capital of the World," this Washington city is renowned for its fruit orchards.
What is Wenatchee, Washington?
1600
This 1980s toy craze featured tiny creatures with colorful hair, and parents were scrambling to get their hands on them.
What are Cabbage Patch Kids?
1600
This U.S. state has the most active volcanoes.
What is Alaska?
1600
This boundary around a black hole marks the point beyond which nothing can escape its gravitational pull.
What is the event horizon?
1600
This ancient Chinese invention, dating back to the Han Dynasty (2nd century BC), revolutionized navigation and is still used in modern times.
What is the compass?
1600
Located in the Bay Area, this California city is home to Travis Air Force Base and Jelly Belly’s factory.
What is Fairfield, California?
2000
This animated series, which originally aired from 1997 to 2004 and featured an alien family known for its absurd humor and pop culture references, made a return in 2023 with new episodes on a popular streaming platform.
What is Futurama?
2000
This is the highest point in the continental United States, with an elevation of 14,494 feet (4,418 meters) above sea level.
What is Mount Whitney in California?
2000
This is the hypothetical form of matter that makes up about 27% of the universe, though it cannot be observed directly
What is dark matter?
2000
This 1960s invention by Charles Geschke and John Warnock allowed documents to be converted to a universal format, leading to the creation of this.
What is Adobe Acrobat (or the PDF format)?
2000
Due to a devastating disaster this city led in the creation of one of the earliest urban renewal plans in the United States.
What is San Francisco, California?