From the fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad through the highs and lows of the Paris Olympics to Donald Trump pulling off an electoral upset for the history books, 2024 was a rollercoaster of triumph and tragedy alike. But how closely were you following current events?
With questions covering every month of 2024 on politics, sport, entertainment and more, it makes a perfect quickfire family quiz to see which of your loved ones has been paying most attention to the headlines. Answers at the end.
In January…
1. Which top football manager said he couldn’t do his job “on three wheels” as he announced his shock resignation?
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- Pep Guardiola
- Jürgen Klopp
- Carlo Ancelotti
- Xavi
2. Who became the youngest prime minister in French history, and the first openly gay person to occupy the post?
- Jordan Bardella
- Gabriel Attal
- Anne Hidalgo
- Élisabeth Borne
3. Which company’s nine-month, around-the-world cruise went viral, quickly becoming social media’s favourite “reality show”?
- Virgin Voyages
- Princess Cruises
- Fred Olsen
- Royal Caribbean
In February…
4. Which country became the first Orthodox Christian nation to legalise same-sex marriage?
- Romania
- Serbia
- Greece
- Bulgaria
5. Which streaming service signed a 10-year deal with WWE to broadcast its wrestling shows?
- Prime
- Disney+
- Netflix
- Apple TV
6. A 1988 hit by which singer-songwriter shot to No. 1 in the iTunes charts after it was performed live at the Grammy Awards?
- Tracy Chapman
- Billy Joel
- Annie Lennox
- Bruce Springsteen
In March…
7. The prime minister of which country resigned after gang violence prevented their return from a trip abroad?
- El Salvador
- Honduras
- Guatemala
- Haiti
8. The uncle of which royal entered the “Celebrity Big Brother” house?
- Meghan, Duchess of Sussex
- Sarah, Duchess of York
- Catherine, Princess of Wales
- Peter Phillips
9. Vladimir Putin was declared victor of the Russian presidential election with what official percentage of the vote?
In April…
10. Rishi Sunak was accused of ruining which brand of trainers, by revealing his fondness for them?
- Nike Air Jordan
- Adidas Stan Smith
- Converse All Star
- Adidas Samba
11. Plans were announced for a $12 billion high-speed rail line linking which US cities?
- San Diego and San Francisco
- Los Angeles and Las Vegas
- Houston and Nashville
- Atlanta and Miami
12. A contentious VAR call for offside cost which English football team a place in the FA Cup final?
- Wolves
- Coventry City
- Newcastle United
- Chelsea
In May…
13. The prime minister of which country survived being shot several times by a would-be assassin?
- Slovakia
- Albania
- Slovenia
- Montenegro
14. Critics described a polarising portrait of whom as “demonic” and a “monstrosity”?
- Pope Francis
- King Charles
- Donald Trump
- Taylor Swift
15. Thousands of spectators gathered in Gloucestershire to watch what traditional annual contest, a fixture since 1826?
- Bun throwing
- Wife carrying
- Cheese rolling
- Bog snorkelling
In June…
16. Which country elected Claudia Sheinbaum as its first ever female president?
- South Africa
- Mexico
- Belgium
- Lithuania
17. The Boston Celtics beat which team in the NBA Finals, securing their 18th championship triumph?
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Golden State Warriors
- Dallas Mavericks
- Miami Heat
18. The mayor of Barcelona announced plans to ban what from the city centre by 2028?
- Airbnb
- E-scooters
- Uber
- Vapes
In July…
19. US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was forced to deny he had eaten which animal?
20. Which Italian volcanoes erupted within a day of each other?
- Stromboli and Vesuvius
- Vesuvius and Nuovo
- Etna and Barbaro
- Etna and Stromboli
21. Which British equestrian star was dropped from the Olympic squad after footage emerged of them whipping a horse?
- Carl Hester
- Charlotte Fry
- Laura Collett
- Charlotte Dujardin
In August…
22. The prime minister of which country fled by helicopter as protesters surrounded their official residence?
- Sri Lanka
- Bangladesh
- Bhutan
- Nepal
23. Skies across the Northern Hemisphere lit up with shooting stars as a result of what meteor shower?
24. Which celebrity couple filed for divorce on their wedding anniversary?
- Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Jackman
- Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez
- Isla Fisher and Sacha Baron Cohen
- Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millepied
In September…
25. Which show won a record-breaking 18 Emmy awards?
- “Shogun”
- “The Bear”
- “Only Murders in the Building”
- “The Crown”
26. Anthony Joshua faced calls to retire after a shock defeat at the hands of which rival heavyweight?
- Tyson Fury
- Andy Ruiz Jr.
- Daniel Dubois
- Oleksandr Usyk
27. “Normal People” author Sally Rooney released a new novel with what chess-inspired title?
- “Endgame”
- “Intermezzo”
- “Stalemate”
- “Gambit”
In October…
28. Which major tennis tournament announced it will switch from human line judges to an all-electronic system?
- French Open
- Wimbledon
- US Open
- Australian Open
29. Canada expelled which country’s ambassador as part of a diplomatic feud between the two nations?
30. Nasa’s Europa Clipper spacecraft launched, headed towards which planet?
In November…
31. The first round of which country’s presidential election returned a shock result as a far-right outsider surged into first place?
- Moldova
- Romania
- Latvia
- Serbia
32. Which beloved automobile brand unveiled a controversial rebranding?
- Rolls-Royce
- Mini
- Jaguar
- Bentley
33. Which fruit duct-taped to a gallery wall sold for $6.2 million?
In December…
34. Spotify Wrapped offered each user a personalised what, based on their listening habits?
- Podcast
- Album cover
- Band T-shirt
- Fancam
35. Journalists at which UK newspaper went on strike?
- The Telegraph
- Daily Mail
- The Times
- The Guardian
36. Google unveiled an ultra-powerful new quantum computer chip with what name?
- Magnolia
- Willow
- Cypress
- Hazel
Answers
1. Jürgen Klopp
In a shock announcement, the Liverpool manager said he was stepping down from the role because he no longer had the “energy” to continue. Klopp recently announced he is to take up a new role as head of global soccer for Red Bull.
2. Gabriel Attal
Fittingly, Attal was serving as France’s Minister for Youth when he was selected by Emmanuel Macron to lead the government at the age of 34. His premiership was derailed by Macron’s decision to call a snap election in July and in September he was succeeded by Michel Barnier, who would himself only cling to the post for three months.
3. Royal Caribbean
Serenade of the Seas had set sail from Miami on 10 December 2023 on an “Ultimate World Cruise”, and TikTok was flooded with posts tracking life on the ship and potential dramas unfolding on board. The hashtag #ultimateworldcruise has now had hundreds of millions of views on the social media platform.
4. Greece
Lawmakers in the Orthodox Christian country voted by 176 to 76 in favour of legalising same-sex marriage. Under the new legislation, same-sex couples are also now legally allowed to adopt children.
5. Netflix
From January 2025, the streaming service will be the exclusive home of the WWE’s weekly live show “Raw”. The 10-year rights contract is said to be worth at least $5 billion.
6. Tracy Chapman
The four-time Grammy winner’s song “Fast Car” topped the charts after she performed the hit as a duet with country singer Luke Combs at the Grammys ceremony in Los Angeles.
7. Haiti
Prime Minister Ariel Henry agreed to step aside to make way for a new interim governing council after gangs demanding his resignation attacked the airport and National Palace.
8. Catherine, Princess of Wales
The Princess of Wales’ uncle, Gary Goldsmith, courted controversy on the ITV reality show by telling the other contestants that Meghan had put a “stick in the spokes” of the relationship between the Duke of Sussex and the Prince of Wales.
9. 88%
In an election considered a formality by many pundits across the globe, Putin was re-elected for a fifth term. In 2020, Russia amended its constitution to remove a prohibition on a president serving more than two consecutive terms, paving the way for Putin’s third back-to-back incumbency.
10. Adidas Samba
When the claim was put to him, Sunak told LBC’s Nick Ferrari: “I issue a fulsome apology to the Samba community. But, in my defence, I would say I have been wearing Adidas trainers including Sambas – and others, in fact – for many, many years.”
11. Los Angeles and Las Vegas
The electric-powered trains will travel at more than 185mph and shuttle passengers through the Mojave Desert in two hours and 10 minutes, cutting the driving time by half. Brightline, the company building the railway, aims to have the trains running by the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
12. Coventry City
Keir Starmer was among the football fans in disbelief after the video refereeing technology ruled Victor Torp’s last-minute goal offside over what the Labour leader called “a toenail of difference”.
13. Slovakia
Robert Fico was shot five times as he chatted with locals in the town of Handlova. The shooter, a 71-year-old man, was supposedly motivated by the Slovakian government’s lack of support for Ukraine.
14. King Charles
The first official portrait of the King since his coronation was a vivid red tableau by artist Jonathan Yeo. The abstract take on the monarch wasn’t to all tastes, with one journalist saying it resembled “a disembodied spectre of death floating between violent brushstrokes”.
15. Cheese rolling
Every year hardy daredevils gather at the top of Cooper’s Hill to chase a 7lb wheel of Double Gloucester down the steep bank – sometimes incurring hair-raising injuries in the melee. This year, the winners of the quintessentially English novelty event were German Tom Kopke and American Abby Lampe.
16. Mexico
A former mayor of Mexico City and trained climate scientist, 61-year-old left-winger Sheinbaum scooped 61% of the vote to secure a comfortable victory over her conservative rival. She was inaugurated in October.
17. Dallas Mavericks
The Celtics scored 106 points to the Mavericks’ 88 in Game 5 of the NBA finals, landing them a record 18th NBA title and a first championship since 2008.
18. Airbnb
Mayor Jaume Collboni said he would refuse to renew licences for the 10,100 properties in Barcelona currently approved for listing on Airbnb, as part of a wider push to reduce over-tourism and prevent locals from being priced out of housing.
19. Dog
Kennedy railed against a Vanity Fair profile, which, among other allegations, included the claim he had been photographed posing with a barbecued dog. He said the image showed him with a roasted goat during a trip to Patagonia.
20. Etna and Stromboli
Two of the world’s most active volcanoes erupted within a day of each other. Italy is home to 12 volcanoes in total, with nine still considered active.
21. Charlotte Dujardin
The dressage star, who has won six Olympic medals and was hoping to add to her tally in Paris, said she was “deeply ashamed” of video footage from 2020 that shows her repeatedly whipping a horse during a training session.
22. Bangladesh
The autocratic government of Sheikh Hasina, who has ruled the country since 2009, came to an abrupt end as she was whisked out of the capital, Dhaka, by helicopter following weeks of protests.
23. Perseid
The Perseid meteor shower is a celestial event caused by debris from the comet Swift–Tuttle, and can be seen for around a month every year, peaking in mid-August when dozens of shooting stars can be seen racing across the night sky.
24. Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez
It has been a bumpy road for the couple, who first dated in 2003 before separating, marrying other people, divorcing them, and reuniting in 2021 for “Bennifer 2.0”. However, after two years of marriage, the pair once again called it quits.
25. “Shogun”
FX’s adaptation of James Clavell’s epic tale of feudal Japan swept the boards, picking up the award for best drama and best actor awards for Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai.
26. Daniel Dubois
Joshua lost his IBF world heavyweight title to underdog and fellow Briton Dubois in a bout at Wembley Stadium. Joshua shrugged off retirement speculation, insisting he will continue to fight and believes he can regain the title.
27. “Intermezzo”
Reviews were positive for the novel, which centres on the lives and relationships of brothers Peter and Ivan, the latter of whom is a chess prodigy.
28. Wimbledon
The All England Lawn Tennis Club’s announcement that Wimbledon is to introduce electronic line-calling ended 147 years of human judging. The French Open is now the only Grand Slam tournament still relying on the human eye.
29. India
Ottawa announced it was expelling six Indian diplomats after the fatal shooting of a Sikh separatist in British Columbia last year was linked to Indian intelligence services. India, which denies the allegations, responded by expelling Canadian officials.
30. Jupiter
Nasa’s largest extraplanetary spacecraft launched from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on a 1.8 billion miles, five-year-long voyage to Jupiter. It will study an ocean believed to lie 10 to 15 miles beneath the icy surface of Jupiter’s moon, Europa.
31. Romania
Calin Georgescu, 62, came from nowhere to leap-frog more well-known figures from the left and right to win 22% of the vote. The country’s Supreme Court overturned the result in December, setting the stage for a rerun of the first round in the new year.
32. Jaguar
The British carmaker’s shift to electric-only vehicles was overshadowed by an electric pink makeover and the decision to bring “visual harmony” to its name by referring to itself as “JaGUar”.
33. Banana
Maurizio Cattelan’s duct-taped artwork, called “Comedian”, had been estimated to sell for $1.5 million. The piece was purchased by Chinese cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun, who chose to eat the banana as part of a “unique artistic experience”.
34. Podcast
Spotify users could tune into eerily human-like AI podcast hosts dissecting their 2024 listening trends. It is one of a host of AI-powered features to be incorporated into Spotify – to the dismay of some users, who say the lack of human curation is making the platform more boring.
35. The Guardian
Journalists from The Guardian and its sister publication, The Observer, walked out twice to protest the sale of the latter to digital news start-up Tortoise Media. Strikers said staff were not adequately consulted, and that the sale could jeopardise both jobs and brand integrity.
36. Willow
Google says their new quantum computer chip only needs five minutes to solve a problem that would keep the world’s fastest supercomputers busy for 10 septillion years – more time than the universe has existed.
