How Well Do You Know the 90’s?
Back in August, I asked Are You a Child of the 80’s? and included a quiz to see how well you remembered that decade. M.E. Anders, suspense novelist, asked whether I might have a pre-2000 quiz for those a bit younger than I. So here goes nothing! I give you the 90’s Quiz:
1. Who was Lorena Bobbitt? And why should you not send her a set of knives for her birthday?
2. Did you watch the live feed of the police chasing O.J. Simpson on the Los Angeles freeway? What kind of vehicle was he in?
3. Do you recall where you were when you heard that Princess Diana had died in a car crash?
4. President Bill Clinton’s indiscretions with which White House intern led to his impeachment by the House of Representatives in 1998?
5. Did your family stockpile food and water or update their computers to handle Y2K?
6. What dance craze was spawned by a Spanish song recorded by Los Del Río?
7. To which family do the following members belong: Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie?
8. Why on earth do we care about a sheep named Dolly?
9. Backstreet Boys, New Kids on the Block, or NSync?
10. Did you ever log onto the internet from Netscape?
11. Complete the following song lyrics: “I feel stupid and . Here we are now, us.”
12. Who is this?
13. Who lived at 4 PrivetDrive, Little Whingling, Surrey, England?
14. Whose knees were attacked at the 1994 Figure Skating Championships? Which fellow ice skater was involved in covering up for the attackers?
15. Best sitcom: Seinfeld, Friends, or Married with Children?
Bonus question: What movie is this scene from?
1. In 1993, Lorena Bobbitt severed her husband John’s man-part while he was intoxicated. Lorena was found not guilty of assault by reason of insanity brought on by her husband’s extensive domestic abuse and marital infidelities. It only took 9½ hours for doctors to surgically reattach John’s missing manhood.
2. O.J. Simpson was riding in a white Ford Bronco, driven by fellow teammate Al Cowlings, while police followed for 1¼ hours. The low-speed (35 mph) police chase attracted 95 million TV viewers and disrupted coverage of Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
3. Princess Diana was fatally wounded in an automobile crash in August 1997. Millions around the world watched her funeral on television. Wouldn’t she have been a proud mom at William and Kate’s wedding?
4. Monica Lewinsky was a White House intern who took her admiration for the POTUS too far. As for the president’s role of using his position to score with someone young enough to be his daughter, I think a lot of fathers out there would have punched him.
5. You stockpiled for Y2K? Didn’t you know that the Aztecs said all would be okay until 2012?
6. Raise your hand if you’ve done the Macarena, inspired by the song of the same name by Los Del Rio. I have!
[youtube=http://youtu.be/NHd_FLlvE2U&w=400]
7. The Simpsons debuted in December 1989 and is in its 23rd season. Father Homer, Mom Marge, and their three kids – Bart, Lisa, and Maggie – have been an extremely popular family. I have yet to watch an episode.
8. In 1996, Dolly was the first mammal to be cloned from an adult somatic cell. She was called the “world’s most famous sheep” by Scientific American. Dolly got her name because the donor cell came from a mammary gland, and um, well, Dolly Parton. (Really, that’s the reason; you can look it up!)
9. Oddly enough, Backstreet Boys just came up on the MP3 player I’m listening to. In case you want a reminder, here you go:
[youtube=http://youtu.be/haNjOXeuOv0&w=400]
10. Netscape Web Browser was popular in the 1990’s. In fact, courts later ruled that Microsoft used monopolistic practices in pushing Internet Explorer and causing the demise of Netscape. Too late, though.
11. Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit topped charts in 1991 and 1992 and helped usher alternative rock into the mainstream. The song included the following lyrics: I feel stupid and contagious. Here we are now, entertain us.
[youtube=http://youtu.be/hTWKbfoikeg&w=400]
12. The Soup Nazi was the nickname of a soup diner’s owner from Seinfeld who demanded a specific regimen when ordering. But since his soup was delicious, everyone obliged. Well, maybe not everyone. The episode aired in 1995.
[youtube=http://youtu.be/WZ3AOmZ2fps&w=400]
13. Harry Potter lived with the Dursleys – his aunt Petunia, uncle Vernon, and cousin Dudley – at 4 Privet Drive. Until one day, an owl delivered a letter . . .
14. Nancy Kerrigan was clubbed in the right knee in January 1994 by the ex-husband and bodyguard of fellow ice skater Tonya Harding. Nancy went on to recover and win a silver medal at the 1994 Winter Olympics. For her role in covering up the identity of the attackers, Tonya served probation, paid a fine, and was banned from future USFSA-run events.
15. I have seen Seinfeld, Friends, and Married with Children. I can think of more classic moments with Seinfeld than the other two. Here’s one:
[youtube=http://youtu.be/4T2GmGSNvaM&w=400]
Bonus: Those dinosaurs are from Jurassic Park (1993) based on Michael Crichton’s book of the same name.
So how did you do? What questions would you have added to this 90’s quiz? (Or taken away?) What do you most remember about the 1990’s?