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The 21st Century

Can you name these notable people, places, and things from the 21st century?
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Quizmaster
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Last updated: December 3, 2024
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First submittedNovember 9, 2019
Times taken105,623
Average score75.0%
Rating4.48
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Year
Description
Answer
2022
Russia invades this country
Ukraine
2019
The Covid-19 pandemic starts in this city
Wuhan
2015
195 nations meet in this city and agree to lower carbon emissions,
but generally fail to meet their commitments
Paris
2015
A record 1.3 million people request asylum in the EU, with
the largest number coming from this wartorn nation
Syria
2014–15
An outbreak of this disease kills more than 10,000 people in West Africa
Ebola
2012
This leader ascends to power in China, marking an era of increased
state surveillance and abuse of ethnic minorities
Xi Jinping
2011
This African nation becomes the 193rd member of the UN
South Sudan
2011
This international protest movement leads to the overthrow of the governments
of Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Yemen, and Libya
The Arab Spring
2009
This sprinter sets a new record for the 100m dash: 9.58 seconds
Usain Bolt
2008
This person is elected as the first African-American President of the U.S.
Barack Obama
2008
This swimmer wins 8 gold medals at the Summer Olympics
Michael Phelps
2008
The world enters a sharp economic downturn which is commonly known as this
The Great
Recession
2005
This dwarf planet, 27% larger than Pluto, is discovered and named for
the Greek goddess of discord
Eris
2005
This person is elected as the first female chancellor of Germany
Angela Merkel
2004
This website is started in a Harvard dorm room
Facebook
2004
This type of natural disaster kills over 200,000 people in 14 countries
Tsunami
2003
The U.S. invades this country, looking for weapons of mass destruction,
but doesn't find any
Iraq
2003
Scientists announce the completion of a project to sequence this
The Human
Genome
2001
This terrorist organization launches the 9/11 attacks against the United States
Al-Qaeda
2001
This country becomes the first in the world to legalize same-sex marriage
Netherlands
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107 Comments
KoljiVriVoda
+14
Level 81
Nov 12, 2019
Poor Germany and Iraq...
camus
+20
Level 80
Nov 12, 2019
I'd still say that Germany is rather well off if so many people want to go there...
roleybob
+109
Level 73
Nov 13, 2019
Poor Germany? Do you mean because they took in refugees?

So not a thought for the people who lost their homes in the first place then?

Or was it a dig at Angela Merkel?

BlackpilledAnglo
+18
Level 68
Feb 27, 2020
Most people migrating to Germany aren't refugees. They have no right to be there.
dunkinggandalf2
+19
Level 72
Dec 10, 2024
They have every right to be there, and were welcomed in Germany because Germany has learned its lessons from History. I wish everybody else had too.
GulfOfAmerica
+4
Level 51
May 7, 2025
Germany has an obligation to take in Syrian refugees, because of… history, can’t they go to neighboring countries?, why do Germany and other EU countries have to be the ones to take them in?
InterAlia
+12
Level 83
May 7, 2025
Did it occur to you to find out how many did go to neighboring countries? Nearly 2/3 of Syrian refugees were taken in by Turkey. In the end, they're just people looking for an opportunity to live their lives in physical and financial security, same as you. Some of them thought their best option was to request asylum in the EU. They basically just asked. Is that so wrong?
AverageLondoner
+1
Level 57
May 9, 2025
It is wrong that we accept so many. it is fine for them to try and do what's best for them and what's best for us is to not let them in. Especially if Germany and France will take a huge proportion whereas Poland and Hungary take basically none
In2restingFacts
+2
Level 27
May 9, 2025
name checks out @AverageLondoner
JulioBarks
+29
Level 43
Mar 14, 2022
the name lmao
IStoleYourBagel
+24
Level 71
Dec 9, 2024
jetpunkers have empathy and compassion for human beings challenge (they're on the other side of the world so it doesn't matter)
trebek
+25
Level 68
Nov 13, 2019
I keep putting the correct answer CIA and it doesn’t accept. Maybe they are looking for Mossad
burtviile
+28
Level 94
Nov 17, 2019
Also... the Earth is flat, Elvis lives in Jacksonville, and Epstein killed himself.
JWatson24
+1
Level 71
Dec 16, 2019
No, Epstein didn't kill himself.

(I'm joking, please don't label me a conspiracy theorist)

kalbahamut
+34
Level 79
Dec 16, 2019
You're insinuating that believing Epstein committed suicide is as ridiculous as believing in a flat Earth or that the Mossad planned 9/11? More than a bit of a stretch.
gjcsarris
+9
Level 69
Nov 14, 2019
Please accept "DNA", "humangenom" etc....
hirsutebodkin
+30
Level 57
Dec 5, 2019
Please accept my sympathy for your ignorance
rleitne
+3
Level 89
Dec 16, 2019
Yeah...I think there should be some latitude here. Something akin to DNA, gene, chromosone, etc. should be acceptable here.
tom88
+6
Level 77
Dec 16, 2019
chromosomes and genes are parts of DNA, but the human genome is the entire set of all genes expressed in human DNA, this number is in the billions and that's why it was a scientific achievement to sequence it. So gene and chromosome are not really correct answers.
MarcellDAvis
+8
Level 80
Dec 29, 2022
As an analogy: if the human genome is a book, then a chromosome is a chapter, a gene is a sentence and DNA is ink and paper. These are not the same things.
Dontforget
+4
Level 76
Dec 6, 2024
To be honest, I think accepting DNA is reasonable. So would be "genes" (but only plural).

It's specific enough that they obviously knew what the question was referring to. It's not perfectly accurate, but if someone said "they sequenced the all the human genes" or "they sequenced all the human DNA" people would clearly understand what they're talking about.

"Genom" on the other hand, should not be accepted.

WillemLAif
+17
Level 81
Nov 19, 2019
Funniest part of the disease was that a known football/soccer player Dele Adebola had to actually release a brief statement that he did not 'ave it. ;)
tom88
+4
Level 77
Dec 16, 2019
why is that funny?
RobNobody
+20
Level 80
Feb 9, 2021
Because "Dele Adebola" sounds like "Dele (h)ad Ebola."
Alexquiz17
+1
Level 95
Dec 9, 2024
American by any chance?
Zupity
+38
Level 67
Nov 21, 2019
Never heard the Global Financial Crisis referred to as the Great Recession before.
jmellor13
+7
Level 68
Dec 16, 2019
In the US, it's always called that.
cuotak
+19
Level 70
Dec 16, 2019
Everyone else in the world call it the GFC
TjizzleDizzle
+15
Level 69
Dec 16, 2019
The U.S. is a bit stubborn in calling (and doing) things different than the rest of the world. :P

(don't get me wrong, i'm not critisizing, just find it hilarious at times).

blizzrd33
+16
Level 81
Jan 2, 2023
Global financial crisis would be a much better answer than the US-centric term which before just looking it up I had never before heard used in my country (Australia).
Zefyrinus
+7
Level 74
Jan 23, 2023
I've only heard it called "the financial crisis (of 2008)".
Algernon
+4
Level 74
Dec 9, 2024
Another who has never heard it called the “Great Recession.”

If QM wants to go with what appears to be a predominately, if not exclusively, US term please allow types-ins along the lines of those listed above.

QuizKoa
+1
Level 52
Dec 10, 2024
Same and I'm from America.
pellam
+1
Level 74
Dec 16, 2019
So, the 2004 was the year of disasters.
jmellor13
+21
Level 68
Dec 16, 2019
9/11 and the development of Facebook are two tragedies the scale and impact of which will not be readily comprehensible for decades.
InterAlia
+1
Level 83
May 7, 2025
Hard to separate the impact of Facebook from other social media. I agree that social media as a whole is a net negative for humanity - I say, as I write this on a minor social media platform. (Yes, any online comment section qualifies as social media.)
Rimpak
+12
Level 36
Dec 16, 2019
I'm sorry but Michael Phelps shouldn't be in this list.
twocolt
+1
Level 56
Dec 16, 2019
4y
Arp2600
+5
Level 89
Dec 16, 2019
One or two lighter questions don't hurt.
kalbahamut
+10
Level 79
Dec 16, 2019
why? His achievements at the Olympics were unprecedented and historic.
kalbahamut
+4
Level 79
Sep 12, 2020
and, of course, nobody is complaining about the inclusion of Usain Bolt because he's not American.
tahkuegyt
+8
Level 44
Nov 3, 2020
He is American tho. Jamaica is in America
RobNobody
+19
Level 80
Feb 9, 2021
tahkuegyt - Question: What word do you use to specifically refer to someone from the United States of America?
Neodymium
+1
Level 63
Sep 14, 2024
America can mean either.

Though, other languages can use unitedstatesian

martay
+2
Level 69
Dec 11, 2024
America/American are two words that mean different places or people depending on where you are and who you're asking. It's very much a regionalism.

It tends to be Spanish speakers from south of the United States --- ie Latin America --- that would use the term "America" or "American" as a catch all for anyone from the Western Hemisphere. Meanwhile, people from Canada or the US or even much of Europe would reserve the term "America" or "American" as associated with the United States and its people.Canadians often don't like being confused for Americans.

Like any cross cultural dialogue, you have to be cognizant of who you're talking to. Some regionalisms can be taken quite offensively, while others aren't all that serious --- just silly debate. With language, it's best to give someone the benefit of the doubt and learn a new perspective than stomp one's foot down in insistent protest.

AverageLondoner
+1
Level 57
May 9, 2025
Yeah but we aren't speaking in Spanish. We are speaking English and in English it is almost always used to refer to those people from the USA
kalbahamut
+8
Level 79
Jun 26, 2022
Jamaica Plain is a neighborhood in Boston. Let's give tah the benefit of the doubt and assume he thought Bolt was from Massachusetts.
ddddan
+2
Level 85
May 26, 2023
I thought it was Jamaica, Queens
IsleAuHaulte
+1
Level 92
Dec 8, 2024
That's where Trump is from. So you can insist he was born in Jamaica and be correct.
Djilas
+1
Level 86
Dec 9, 2024
and incidentally, the NYC place has no relation to the country name.
TheCrusher
+3
Level 70
Dec 16, 2019
Didn't find anything worth mentioning in six of the 19 years since the beginning of the decade? (Loved the quiz. It's just that my OCD brain would have preferred one event for each year...)
Nazim
+1
Level 31
Dec 17, 2019
Algeria did not have an uprising on 2011, not until this last year, when they overthrew their leader.
AverageLondoner
+1
Level 57
May 9, 2025
They had related protests
KingEureka
+6
Level 63
Jul 24, 2020
I already know the question for 2020.
pufferfish
+3
Level 47
Nov 14, 2020
The dwarf planet mentioned is no longer thought to be larger than Pluto
Kalleanon
+2
Level 66
Sep 8, 2021
It's smaller by volume but larger by mass. You could argue the question needs rephrasing but it's still pretty clear.
PenguinTorpedo
+18
Level 49
Dec 21, 2020
pls accept winnie the pooh as an answer
Alexquiz17
+2
Level 95
Dec 9, 2024
😀
PenguinTorpedo
+4
Level 49
Dec 21, 2020
I would say that the Japan tsunami should be included
QuizKoa
+2
Level 52
Dec 3, 2024
The tsunami in question took place in Indonesia and probably barely had affects on Japan.
Djilas
+3
Level 86
Dec 9, 2024
I think they meant Fukushima case
In2restingFacts
+1
Level 27
May 9, 2025
March 11 2011
GrammarBeane1
+2
Level 83
Dec 26, 2021
very weird to think about how I'm the same age as same-sex marriage
FreeStater
+1
Level 81
Dec 26, 2022
I don't think it came into existence when it was legalized.
PoetsCorner
+2
Level 87
Dec 26, 2022
Is there such a thing as illegal marriage?
Alexquiz17
+2
Level 95
Dec 9, 2024
Bigamy
Bainbo
+2
Level 68
Dec 26, 2022
2022 – I’m sure there was more than one Russian involved.
Quizmaster
+3
Level ∞
Dec 26, 2022
Typo fixed
buck1017
+1
Level 78
Dec 27, 2022
Grrrrr. Eris...not Iris. Should have been 100%
MassLumpBlockClod
+4
Level 87
Dec 28, 2022
That statement about F-book is the official story but not the real one. Anyone who's done any coding can appreciate that the likelihood of a single person writing hundreds of thousands of lines of code in a single weekend in their dorm room is essentially nil.
Vlaho
+1
Level 60
Jan 30, 2023
Exactly, same as claiming that DaVinci invented and made all the things by himself, that would normally take humanity a millenia.
Djilas
+1
Level 86
Dec 9, 2024
most of the stuff he never made, just doodled
Xtrordinary
+2
Level 75
Dec 8, 2024
Whats the real one
avrilfan69420
+9
Level 65
Dec 29, 2022
Wildest comment section on jetpunk right here and jeez there are some shocking ones
gccwang24
+3
Level 52
Jan 23, 2023
I'm just gonna tell myself that many of those comments were jokes. Yeah that's it.
rich75
+8
Level 51
Jan 5, 2023
Can 'The Facebook' be accepted as an answer for those of us that are massive pedants?
mrlengthy
+4
Level 56
Jan 24, 2023
i actually started typing facebook and deleted it so i could see if thefacebook was accepted. imagine my disappointment.
QuizApe
+8
Level 72
Jan 23, 2023
Can you accept “Winnie the Pooh” for the 2012 question?
SpartanLlama
+2
Level 79
Jan 25, 2023
Facts
Pharley
+3
Level 75
Jan 25, 2023
This dwarf planet, 27% larger than Pluto, is diScovered
SpartanLlama
+1
Level 79
Jan 25, 2023
Just forgot Netherlands
Vlaho
+9
Level 60
Jan 30, 2023
This quiz name should be changed into "21st century, as viewed by USA"
14Falke
+1
Level 68
Jul 8, 2023
The US did find chemical weapons, included under the definition of WMDs, in Iraq
Alexquiz17
+1
Level 95
Dec 9, 2024
Yes, they even used chemical weapons against Iran. On the paperwork it says “Made in the USA”
GuerillaGorilla
+1
Level 65
Apr 25, 2024
Thanks for the 5 points.
Neodymium
+3
Level 63
Sep 14, 2024
how did such an innocous quiz garner such bad comments?
Pontiac
+1
Level 62
Dec 3, 2024
Updated!!
JohnnyYeet
+5
Level 66
Dec 8, 2024
Might as well add Syria to the Arab Spring list
Alexquiz17
+4
Level 95
Dec 9, 2024
Which government lifted a billion citizens out of poverty in a single generation? No credit for that at all?
Emeralia
+2
Level 29
Dec 11, 2024
barack obama isn't african american...

african american refers to the ethnic group of american descendants of slavery, barack obama is half white & half kenyan which makes him the first president of african descent but not african american as that refers to a specific ethnic group

brandybuck96
+4
Level 82
Mar 16, 2025
that statement seems to be controversial at best
SirPhilippines
+6
Level 73
Apr 22, 2025
I didn't think we'd reach a point of gatekeeping African-Americans.

Come on. He's African-American. There's virtually no debate against it.

HyddenRizz
+1
Level 67
May 7, 2025
Would be a lot simpler if the quiz just used the word "Black" like most people do
Snoflakes
+4
Level 73
May 7, 2025
AFRICAN-American refers to Americans of (partial) African descent. It's that simple. Nothing to do with slavery
TheSinnohman
+2
Level 67
Apr 26, 2025
The 2003 science project feels like it could use a few more type-ins. "DNA", "genes"...
Snoflakes
+2
Level 73
May 7, 2025
Except those terms mean different things that what's accepted. Sequencing the entirety of DNA implies a far larger accomplishment and sequencing genes implies a smaller one
komorebi6371
+5
Level 34
May 7, 2025
There is no such a state of surveillance and abuse of ethnic minorities in China
Snoflakes
+7
Level 73
May 7, 2025
There is no war in Ba Sing Se
In2restingFacts
+1
Level 27
May 9, 2025
*coughs in Uyghur*
pprtrl
+3
Level 57
Sep 25, 2025
you mean the people whose unrest is being fomented by the cia to bog down and weaken china? be for real.
Asyr
+2
Level 72
May 7, 2025
One of the very few Jetpunk quizzes that asks about events for which all of them I haven been alive and remember them. Now I feel old...
BingchengMC
+2
Level 15
May 7, 2025
First understand the system of people's congresses, then comment.
superfasticarus
+1
Level 37
May 7, 2025
this one was so cute and fun! love it
In2restingFacts
+1
Level 27
May 9, 2025
QM should shut the comments off on this one
GeneralKim
+2
Level 27
May 9, 2025
没有证据可以表明习虐待少数民族
In2restingFacts
+1
Level 27
May 11, 2025
你不聪明。中国的政府谎言。
MovieQuizGuy
+2
Level 64
Jul 5, 2025
These comments are all so fun and educational.
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