Chi-Town Chronicles
This devastating 1871 event, legendarily started by Mrs. O'Leary's cow kicking over a lantern, destroyed over 17,000 buildings and left 100,000 people homeless.
**What is the Great Chicago Fire?**
This Seattle grunge band’s 1991 album *Nevermind* knocked Michael Jackson off the top of the Billboard charts and featured a naked baby on its cover.
**What is Nirvana?**
This 1997 epic romance about a doomed ocean liner became the first film to gross over $1 billion worldwide and won 11 Oscars, tying the all-time record.
**What is Titanic?**
This largest continent by land area is home to over 60% of the world's population and includes countries like China and India.
**What is Asia?**
This social media app skyrocketed in popularity in the early 2020s, becoming a hub for short, viral videos.
Answer: What is TikTok?
This 1893 event, officially the World's Columbian Exposition, drew 27 million visitors to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus's arrival and introduced the Ferris Wheel.
**What is the Chicago World's Fair?**
This British girl group, the best-selling female group of all time, told us what they really really wanted in their 1996 debut single "Wannabe."
**What are the Spice Girls?**
This 2009 war drama directed by Kathryn Bigelow made her the first woman to win Best Director and beat out her ex-husband's sci-fi blockbuster *Avatar*.
**What is The Hurt Locker?**
This South American river, the longest in the world at about 4,345 miles, carries more water than any other and flows through the Amazon rainforest.
**What is the Amazon River?**
In fashion, this oversized, casual style—often including baggy pants, hoodies, and chunky sneakers—became a defining trend of the early 2020s.
Answer: What is “streetwear”?
This iconic 110-story tower, completed in 1973 and originally named after its largest tenant, was the world's tallest building until 1998 and is now officially called Willis Tower.
**What is the Sears Tower (or Willis Tower)?**
This Los Angeles rapper’s 1992 album *The Chronic* introduced the world to Snoop Dogg and popularized G-funk with hits like "Nothin' but a 'G' Thang."
**Who is Dr. Dre?**
This 2020 South Korean dark comedy-thriller made history as the first non-English-language film to win Best Picture and took home four Oscars total.
**What is Parasite?**
This African desert, the largest hot desert on Earth, covers most of northern Africa and is roughly the size of the United States.
**What is the Sahara?**
This technology trend has seen rapid growth in the 2020s, allowing users to interact with virtual worlds using headsets or glasses.
Answer: What is virtual reality (VR) or the metaverse?
Chicago became the birthplace of this tall building form in the 1880s when William LeBaron Jenney designed the first metal-framed skyscraper, the Home Insurance Building, in 1885.
**What is the skyscraper?**
This 1997 ballad by Céline Dion, the theme to *Titanic*, became one of the best-selling singles ever and won the Oscar for Best Original Song.
**What is "My Heart Will Go On"?**
In 1951, this Technicolor musical starring Gene Kelly won Best Picture and is famous for its title song sung in a downpour and the iconic line "Gotta dance!"
**What is An American in Paris?**
This archipelago nation in Southeast Asia consists of more than 17,000 islands, with Java being the most populous, and its capital is Jakarta.
**What is Indonesia?**
This type of content, often short, catchy, and highly shareable, became the preferred form of entertainment on social media in the 2020s.
Answer: What are short-form videos?
This notorious gangster, known as "Scarface," rose to power during Prohibition, orchestrated the 1929 St. Valentine's Day Massacre, and was eventually convicted of tax evasion in 1931.
**Who is Al Capone?**
This alternative rock band's 1994 album *Dookie* brought punk revival to the mainstream, selling over 20 million copies with tracks like "Basket Case" and "When I Come Around."
**What is Green Day?**
This 1983 Best Picture winner, based on a true story, follows an Indian independence leader's 21-day fast and stars Ben Kingsley in his Oscar-winning role.
**What is Gandhi?**
This mountain range, the longest continental one on Earth at over 4,300 miles, runs along the western edge of South America and includes Aconcagua, the highest peak outside Asia.
**What are the Andes?**
During the 2020s, this movement toward environmentally-friendly products, sustainable brands, and climate awareness became a major influence in consumer behavior.
Answer: What is sustainability?