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2020 Year in Review - The United States

Can you name these people, places, and things that made news in the United States in 2020?
Quiz by Quizmaster
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Last updated: December 26, 2020
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First submittedDecember 26, 2020
Times taken12,918
Average score75.0%
Rating3.60
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Hint
Answer
Winner of the 2020 Presidential election
Joe Biden
City in which George Floyd was killed by a police officer
Minneapolis
U.S. effort which developed Covid-19 vaccines in record time
Operation Warp Speed
Bipolar rapper who kinda sorta ran for President
Kanye West
State that had the most coronavirus deaths
New York
Terrifying insects that were discovered in Washington state
Murder Hornets
Tycoon who became the first person ever with a net worth over $200 billion
Jeff Bezos
Doctor who was the face of the Coronavirus Task Force
Anthony Fauci
What the CDC told people not to wear, before telling them they should
Masks
Supreme Court justice who died
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
City where a police-free "autonomous zone" was established, which was then
dismantled after two teenagers were murdered
Seattle
Former basketball star who died in a helicopter accident
Kobe Bryant
Annoying children's song which became the most-viewed video in Youtube history
Baby Shark
Couple who named their newborn baby X Æ A-12
Elon Musk and Grimes
State that changed its flag to remove a Confederate emblem
Mississippi
State that voted to remove the words "Providence Plantations" from its official name
Rhode Island
City which hosted the "bubble" in which all NBA playoff games were held
Orlando
TV show whose host, Alex Trebek, died of pancreatic cancer
Jeopardy
Companies whose Covid vaccines were approved (name either)
Pfizer / Moderna
City that, once again, led the nation with the highest number of murders
Chicago
107 Comments
+69
Level 96
Dec 27, 2020
So we're not allowed to make political comments, but hints like these are allowed: "City that, once again, led the nation with the highest number of murders" "City in which anarchists established which quickly descended into murder and chaos"

Remove, the "once again" from the first clue and I suppose it can be salvaged. However, the Seattle hint isn't even a remotely accurate description of what happened in that city. I have a close family member who lived within a couple of miles of the single city block that was affected, and her life went on as normal throughout the entire incident. The entire city did not in any way shape or form descend into "murder and chaos".

If you're going to allow hits like this in featured quizzes, at least allow us to respond in the comments.

+29
Level ∞
Dec 27, 2020
Good points. I did not view the Chicago statement as political, just a statement of fact.

I agree that the Seattle one is somewhat political. That said, I live even closer than your relative to the affected area. Seattle did not descend into murder and chaos. The CHAZ/CHOP absolutely did. The mayor finally dismantled it when Antifa "security" murdered two black teenagers. So sorry about the editorializing. The national media did a large disservice to the city by not telling the true story of what happened there. I witnessed some of it with my own eyes.

+36
Level 74
Dec 27, 2020
I am not from Seattle, I read about the situation from several people in Seattle, some of which are seasoned journalists, in and outside national media. The situation was described with different perspectives and nuances by everyone - to a point, where I, as an outsider, can reasonably assume that this issue is way more complicated than a short sentence on a quiz can give justice. And with complex situation, less aggressive phrasing might not be a bad idea.

Saying "descended into murder and chaos" is not really complete, if the context is people trying to get away from the chaos and murder brought by other actors. Not much descending to do to get to that point at that time.

Also, maybe a pet peeve, but using the word "Anarchist" here needs some citation. That people tried for an Autonomous Zone does not make them anarchist.

+9
Level ∞
Dec 27, 2020
I also realize now that the clue had some words missing. This has now been fixed. The zone was absolutely chaotic and there were at least 3 murders there in a short amount of time. The city as a whole did not descend into murder and chaos. Thankfully!
+3
Level 54
Dec 27, 2020
Didn't Portland establish an Autonomous Zone too?
+3
Level 69
Dec 28, 2020
We have no idea whether the killings in the CHAZ/CHOP were murders. Murder is an *intentional* killing. The CHAZ/CHOP shootings might have been manslaughter. To assume otherwise is disingenuous.
+6
Level 49
Dec 28, 2020
How about this

"City where an 'autonomous zone' was established, which was then dismantled after two murders took place within it"

+1
Level ∞
Dec 28, 2020
Good suggestion @Karamchand.
+1
Level 69
Dec 28, 2020
I'll say it again: we have no idea whether the killings in the CHAZ/CHOP were murders. Murder is an *intentional* killing.

The CHAZ/CHOP shootings might've been manslaughter and they should be referred to only as "killings" unless new evidence emerges.

+7
Level ∞
Dec 28, 2020
Are we working from the same info? Two teenagers were joyriding a stolen car. Someone (or multiple people) fired a hail of bullets into the car, killing the unarmed occupants. As far as I know, these facts are not disputed.
+1
Level 53
Dec 28, 2020
I have not read any source that claims that the younger teen was killed, only that he was hospitalized. Where did you read that he died?
+22
Level ∞
Dec 27, 2020
That said, you are absolutely allowed to talk about politics. However, the informational content of your comments should be higher than the emotional content.
+5
Level 81
Dec 28, 2020
Every comment I ever made that could possibly be construed as political had more information than emotion in it, yet a ton were still deleted. I'm sorry. A couple comments recently have made me pissed off again, some even directed at me. I'm going to go back to self-quarantine now....
+2
Level 83
Dec 28, 2020
Sometimes whole threads are deleted when they degenerate.
+10
Level 71
Dec 28, 2020
This isn't a comment on the Seattle stuff, nor am I necessarily saying the quiz should be changed, but it seems somewhat odd to include the Chicago and Baby Shark clues. The former isn't really anything special to 2020 (as the clue itself points out) and the latter isn't solely an American thing (created by a S. Korean company and views of it were pretty much global).
+2
Level 71
Dec 28, 2020
In other news, please check out my own (somewhat) related COVID pandemic quiz!
+3
Level 71
Dec 28, 2020
That all being said, it's very odd that there's no question about the killing of Qasem Soleimani on here, one of the defining foreign policy events of the year. Or, for that matter, a question about attempts at troop withdrawals from Afghanistan, which might be the beginning of the end of American involvement in the country. Or a clue about the CARES Act, the largest economic stimulus package in US history. I feel like all of these clues would be much more appropriate on this quiz than "Chicago" or "Baby Shark."
+3
Level ∞
Dec 28, 2020
Qasem Soleimani appears in a different 2020 year in review quiz. Also, no one CARES (get it) about the name of government stimulus programs, so long as the checks arrive on time.
+1
Level 47
Dec 28, 2020
Well considering multiple people were murdered on one city block over a week or two, with people violently attacking police officers, with burned down and looted businesses, I think it's pretty accurate to call it chaos.
+2
Level 82
Jan 8, 2021
Only issue I see with the Chicago clue is that it is often used by some for ill-informed political claims about the effect of gun laws that were repealed years ago on murder levels - the same people who don't understand rate vs. level.

In other words, I'd rather live in a city of 10 million with 500 murders a year than in a city of 1 million with 400 murders a year.

Too many people in my town attack Chicago over their murder rate, not even having a clue how much worse ours is.

+2
Level 89
Jan 8, 2021
The Baby Shark clue is political. It insults an entire important demographic. Fortunately they can't read, so like many unpopular political statements we put on false smiles and endure hearing it for the 80th time that day.

Then we vote thumbs down and it overrules the popular view count.

+16
Level 77
Dec 27, 2020
Expect Jetpunk to get a very angry tweet for declaring Biden as President-elect!
+12
Level 75
Dec 27, 2020
That isn't actually very controversial. Whether or not Biden won fairly is a whole different topic. The fact of the matter is that he will be inaugurated on January 20th, and is President-Elect.
+15
Level 89
Dec 27, 2020
Funny with the 100s of 1,000s of people in on the alleged conspiaracy all across the country (sitting right beside people of opposing political views) that they didn't take the Senate too.

Funny that if it's so easy for one side to cheat then it is just as easy for the other.

Funny that never in the history of rigged elections did the people NOT in power rig the election.

+2
Level 67
Dec 28, 2020
I believe the comment was referring to a Tweet from Trump himself. I don't think it was saying the outcome itself is controversial.
+1
Level 89
Jan 8, 2021
My apologies if Duncan thought it was contradicting what he said. It was just an add on thought to the whole situation.
+3
Level 51
Dec 27, 2020
-in 24 days. The Republicans 100% won't be able to do anything and Biden will become president.
+1
Level 43
Dec 30, 2020
I don't think most Republicans are trying, just one and the ones still (somehow) loyal to him.
+1
Level 51
May 5, 2021
Well, I think the word 'most' can be used. Polls are showing that.
+9
Level 56
Dec 27, 2020
I don't think that the "Annoying Baby Song" is majorly US related, as it became the most watched video on YouTube and YouTube is an international platform and website. People not from US also use it and several parents play this song for children outside US.
+1
Level 79
Dec 28, 2020
Funny you say that because I don't I've ever heard of 'Baby Shark' before. Kept trying 'Johnny Johnny Yes Papa' though (which I have unfortunately heard thanks to Instagram).
+1
Level 67
Dec 28, 2020
Baby Shark went viral in the UK back in 2018 so maybe the 2020 part is relevant to USA
+1
Level 52
Dec 28, 2020
Baby shark was also popular in the US before 2020
+1
Level 85
Dec 27, 2020
The Seattle clue doesn't parse. "Establish" is a transitive verb.
+1
Level ∞
Dec 27, 2020
Fixed
+2
Level 85
Dec 27, 2020
The final Trebek episodes won't air until 2021. (And there's no "c" in "Trebek".)
+2
Level ∞
Dec 27, 2020
Fixed
+15
Level 54
Dec 28, 2020
Why is the answer not in the form of a question?
+3
Level 66
Dec 28, 2020
Haha good one ;)
+2
Level 87
Dec 27, 2020
If a Congressman and a Senator object, would Jetpunk have to change the answer to the first question? :)
+24
Level ∞
Dec 27, 2020
No
+10
Level 54
Dec 27, 2020
Even if the 0.000000001 percent chance that congress flipped the election happens, Biden still won the election. It would just be that trump flipped congress and was inaugurated cuz of it.
+4
Level 79
Dec 28, 2020
It wouldn't matter because Biden still objectively did win the election 😊
+13
Level 73
Dec 27, 2020
Might be nitpicking, but the official name of the show is "Jeopardy!" with the exclamation point.
+4
Level 89
Jan 8, 2021
What is pedantry?
+3
Level 85
Dec 27, 2020
I was surprised to see the question about Musk and Grimes since Musk is South African and Canadian and Grimes is Canadian. It turns out that Musk got triple citizenship and has also been American since 2002.
+5
Level 55
Dec 27, 2020
R.I.P. Kobe 😞
+3
Level 68
Dec 28, 2020
I can't believe that was this year, felt like forever ago
+10
Level 58
Dec 28, 2020
BioNTech should be also accepted since they developed the vaccine together with Pfizer.
+3
Level 47
Dec 28, 2020
BioNTech is a German company though.
+1
Level 60
Dec 28, 2020
should accept Face Mask or Mask as a valid answer!
+1
Level 66
Dec 28, 2020
should try mask if face mask doesnt work!!
+2
Level ∞
Dec 28, 2020
Face mask will work now
+5
Level 68
Dec 29, 2020
So, first you tell us it doesn't work, and now, suddenly, you say it does? How very appropriate!
+13
Level 71
Dec 28, 2020
Yikes. Reading “President” instead of “Presidential” in the first line was a bad omen here. Overall I felt like I was doing a crossword in Newsmax more than a quiz on Jetpunk. The “Seattle” and “Operation Warp Speed” entries are questionable and doubtful, respectively (and in the case of the former, I’m writing this after the edit). And the “Chicago” entry reads a bit gleefully, perhaps because it’s the kind of phrasing I hear right-wing pundits use.

The usual content here - featured quizzes especially - is impressively neutral. This was jarring

+8
Level 70
Dec 28, 2020
Chicago is and has been the city with the highest number of murders. Why does it imply a political stance to state that?
+2
Level 67
Dec 28, 2020
I believe Texan was referring specifically to "once again," as though that implies the right wing is right to depict Chicago is a liberal hellscape. I'll add only that as a proud and protective of Chicagoan, I didn't particularly mind the clue. I will add context though (see my comment below for more!).
+15
Level ∞
Dec 28, 2020
I am thinking about your comment. Here's the deal. We live in a very annoying world right now. One where simply stating who won the Presidential election is controversial to some. Likewise, there are a lot of people who want to pretend that the riots never happened this summer, or downplay them, or blame them on Republicans, or whatever. To me, both sides are playing a dangerous game where party allegiance is placed ahead of truth. Unfortunately, it may not be possible to create a quiz like this in the future because passions run too high.

Personally, I'd appreciate it if you, and other commenters (I've deleted the most unhinged ones) would assume good faith. Saying things like "Yikes" or "this is like Newsmax" is not doing that. We're doing our best to provide a balanced quiz.

+6
Level 50
Dec 28, 2020
Providing a balanced quiz would mean removing terms like "anarchists" - there is a clear political slant to these prompts, which is undeniable given how many people are reacting.
+12
Level 67
Dec 28, 2020
"Anarchy" is a defined political stance though. I know some self-professed anarchists. I don't know whether the term is fairly applied to the people in Seattle because I didn't follow the issue that closely, but merely calling people anarchists isn't controversial if they are in fact anarchists.
+4
Level 71
Dec 29, 2020
QM, appreciate your sincere response. Hope you can appreciate that mine was, too. Said Newsmax not to rib you, but because that’s what I picked up: flat/serious presentation, 90% inarguable hard facts, 10% right-wing-friendly interpretations of hard news blended in. Not saying you’re right-wing, or anything-else wing! Just that it came off that way to me, and since I’ve been reading that junk since 1998 (yikes!), it jumps out wherever I see it.

Since 2017 or so however, I’ve been absorbed in Jetpunk, and that mainly is why all this stuff is so jarring to me. The site is impressively, at times C-SPANishly neutral on many political topics, especially on various thorny geopolitical things. So this quiz stuck out in a big way. I mean, are you getting the kind of discussions you’re been in on this page, on many other comment pages?

In any case, thanks for doing what you do, and big thanks for staying engaged and slugging it out with us in the comments here. For real, no matter the result.

+1
Level 83
Dec 31, 2020
If someone self identifies as an anarchist, I tend to take them at their word.
+1
Level 83
Dec 31, 2020
What is political about the Warp Speed question? (Maybe it's changed since you commented, but I can't tell)
+4
Level 70
Dec 28, 2020
George Floyd was not killed by a police officer. He died of cardiac arrest and was under the influence of heavy drugs at the time. And no this is not a political statement at all, it's merely a statement on what actually happened since apparently we have to clarify that to keep our accounts.
+23
Level 76
Dec 28, 2020
An autopsy found that Floyd's cardiopulmonary arrest was caused by the police officer (Chauvin) and declared it a homicide (source). Chauvin is, as of now, charged with second degree murder.
+3
Level 85
Dec 28, 2020
The Medical Examiner's report listed the "Cause of Death" as "cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint and neck compression.” It did not say that the officers caused the cardiopulmonary arrest. On a subject this sensitive, it is very important to be accurate.
+1
Level 76
Dec 28, 2020
Thanks for your comment. Does 'complicating' not mean that it was a factor causing death, even if not the primary factor?
+10
Level 54
Dec 28, 2020
There is a difference between cause of death and mechanism of death. Cardiopulmonary arrest would be the mechanism of death, i.e. the ultimate reason for the cessation of biological functions. The cause of death is the precipitating factors resulting in death. In this case the actions of the police officer led directly to George Floyd's death. Without these actions having occurred George Floyd would still be alive.

If we were to only focus on the mechanism of death in all circumstances then the only reason for any death would wind up being cardiopulmonary arrest. Victim of a car accident? Nope. You died of cardiac arrest. Lung cancer? Nope. You died from respiratory arrest. See, the events directly preceding death provide nuance and are what's really important when determining cause.

+2
Level 68
Dec 29, 2020
Everyone always dies of cardiac arrest. I'm not aware of anyone dying without their heart stopping. The question is: what caused it?
+1
Level 59
Dec 29, 2020
that could be true but the officer was still the cause of his death
+1
Level 56
Dec 28, 2020
There is a 'U.S.' missing in the description. At the moment it goes: things that made the news in the ' ' in 2020.
+2
Level ∞
Dec 28, 2020
Fixed, thank you.
+7
Level 76
Dec 28, 2020
I think that Operation Warp Speed gets too much credit in the question. First, OWS was launched in May, while the vaccines were already being developed in January. Second, the first vaccine that was approved ("record time") is the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine (called the 'Pfizer vaccine' in the US for obvious reasons), which was not funded by OWS (and in my few minutes of research, not funded with US money at all).
+5
Level ∞
Dec 28, 2020
What Warp Speed did was to guarantee funding for companies that were not first to market, or failed testing. It also greatly increased distribution abilities. Without this, companies would not have been as incentivized to make vaccines, and the vaccines would not have reached people as quickly.

The name is kind of funny though because the Moderna vaccine was designed in 2 days. With a more efficient government, it could have reached patients much, much earlier. That said, by FDA standards, the vaccine rollout was extremely fast.

+4
Level 68
Dec 29, 2020
I agree. The development of the vaccine was a scientific effort, by plurinational teams, and the funding was guaranteed by several government programs. I'm more than willing to agree that Operation Warp Speed probably played a role, but it most certainly did not "develop the vaccines"!
+1
Level 79
Dec 28, 2020
Granted, Covid changed 2020 immensely, but I would have enjoyed this quiz more if 6/20 questions weren't dedicated to Covid. There was a lot more going on that went "unnoticed" due to Covid.

Also, even though I'm not a fan of the Baby Shark song, I would lose the leading adjective entirely, because not everyone thinks it's annoying. The quiz is about events of 2020, not the quiz-maker's opinion on said events.

+2
Level 67
Dec 28, 2020
I will again add the context that Chicago is, on the whole, a safe and beautiful city. The murders are overwhelmingly concentrated in a handful of distressed neighborhoods on the far south and west sides. That is not to belittle their significance or the gravity of the problem. Those neighborhoods are war zones, and the people there suffer immensely in terms of both safety and emotional well-being. But people unfamiliar with the city see "Chicago murders" and think the whole city is peppered with violence. That is not so. Most of the city is safe, especially in the areas where visitors sleep and explore. We also lead the nation in cased meat consumption, but nobody ever wants to talk about that.
+5
Level 67
Dec 28, 2020
And just to clarify, I am not objecting to the clue, which is fair and accurate. Just giving that fact its proper dimension.
+5
Level ∞
Dec 28, 2020
Some people talk about it. In 2003, the Onion had a hard-hitting story entitled: "Dozens Dead In Chicago-Area Meatwave".
+3
Level 68
Dec 29, 2020
Ah, Chicago! Come for the architecture, stay because you got murdered there! ;-)
+1
Level 59
Dec 29, 2020
Unless you join a gang, you probably wont get murdered actually
+2
Level 68
Dec 30, 2020
Oh, really? Thank you for your informative reply to my very clearly serious comment!
+1
Level 89
Jan 8, 2021
There were parts of Stalingrad that were safe in late 1942. It just had a bad overall reputation.
+4
Level 86
Dec 28, 2020
Not even an American, but "once again" does carry some connotations that Chicago actually doesn't deserve. Although they may have the largest number of homicides, on a per capita basis they rank 10th. In terms of states, Illinois also rates as 10th. St Louis and Baltimore by far lead the US in homicide rates and as a state Louisiana is far ahead of the rest.
+2
Level 79
Dec 28, 2020
I got all answers except for 'Baby Shark', which I don't think I've heard of (probably thankfully). One wonders how it could accumulate so many views.

But still pretty good for a Malaysian who lives in China and who has been never been to the U.S. before, and has spent the whole year within China, except for a few days in January back in Malaysia to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

+1
Level 79
Dec 28, 2020
Following the news (mainly CNN and BBC) daily as a hobby really did help with this quiz.
+1
Level 59
Dec 28, 2020
My main is Fox and CNN
+1
Level 51
May 5, 2021
CNN
+1
Level 60
Dec 28, 2020
Wonderful quiz! Love how you added a reference to YouTube (Baby Shark) to this quiz and Elon's son :)
+3
Level 71
Dec 28, 2020
The question for 2025 will be, by what nickname will the Musk kid be called when he gets to school?
+8
Level ∞
Dec 28, 2020
Elon will use the new Tesla death ray technology to zap anyone who teases his son.
+1
Level 51
Dec 28, 2020
Alvin
+2
Level 67
Dec 28, 2020
$200 billion is such an insane number that it's hard to even conceptualize. Here's one: if you made a million dollars every single year since the year 1 AD, you'd have....$200 billion. (And yes, I know about compound interest. Hush up. It's just a thought experiment.)
+2
Level ∞
Dec 28, 2020
The biggest stadium in the world holds 114,000 people. Jeff Bezos could afford to give everyone in that stadium $1 million dollars each and still be one of the world's 10 richest people.
+1
Level 54
Dec 30, 2020
Jeff Bezos will be humanity's first Trillionare in 29 years. Also since Amazon has invented an electric car, expect is growth rate to go even further.
+1
Level 89
Jan 8, 2021
You'd have $2 billion.

200 billion is 200,000 million, in the U.S. style of counting.

Hono sapiens were just barely evolving away from other hominids 200,000 years ago. That's twice as long as they've been beyond the continent of Africa.

That is rather long term investment though.

+1
Level 59
Dec 28, 2020
There were literally 7 questions about death. No questions about the Chinese trade war? Israel's deal with the Arab Nations? And these have plenty to do with the US.
+1
Level 54
Dec 28, 2020
nothing about Qasem Solemani , which surprised me
+2
Level ∞
Dec 28, 2020
It's on a different year in review quiz.
+2
Level 57
Dec 28, 2020
One of the questions should have been, Place where Cuomo, Newsom and Whitmer put covid patients. Answer, Nursing homes.
+2
Level 59
Dec 29, 2020
no
+1
Level 45
Dec 29, 2020
I'm so ready for this year to be over.
+2
Level 78
Dec 29, 2020
German version of this quiz. Most questions are quite tough for foreigners, but I would find it great to see spin-offs for other countries, too :)
+1
Level 29
Dec 29, 2020
Yeah I made a quiz very similar to this before QM so yk check my page and you’ll see
+1
Level 27
Dec 31, 2020
had no idea Rhode Island had "Providence Plantations" in the state motto.

I've been to Newport. Drove through the state in less than a half hour.

+1
Level 56
Mar 19, 2021
"Annoying children's song" is right.
+1
Level 68
Dec 12, 2022
Kanye has legally changed his name to “Ye”, I believe. Allow as a type in?