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Class Reunion Trivia by Decade

Twenty trivia questions for each of the 1970s, 80s, 90s, 2000s, and 2010s — with answers, sources, and the historical events your classmates lived through. Pick your decade or run a multi-decade round for combined reunions.

How to use these questions

Each decade below has 20 questions ranging from easy (everyone in the room will get this) to challenging (only true trivia heads will land it). For a one-decade reunion, pull 10 questions from the relevant decade and 10 supporting questions from the adjacent decade — most classes lived through both. For a multi-class reunion spanning a decade or more, run separate rounds named for each year span.

Verify every answer against two sources before printing. Trivia answers drift on the internet — release dates get fudged, chart positions get inflated, and famous quotes get misattributed constantly. Billboard.com, IMDb.com, Wikipedia's annual review pages, and the Nielsen archives are your best primary sources. For prices, the Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI database is gold.

Mix multiple choice (three plausible options) with open answer. Use multiple choice for hard questions — exact prices, exact dates — and open answer for songs, shows, and famous moments. All-multiple-choice rounds get tedious; all-open-answer rounds frustrate when teams are close but wrong.

20 questions per decade — with answers

🕺

The 1970s

Best for classes of 1970–1979

  1. 1.What song did Don McLean release in 1971 that is over 8 minutes long?

    Answer: American Pie

  2. 2.What sitcom about a Korean War MASH unit debuted in 1972?

    Answer: M*A*S*H

  3. 3.Who starred as Vito Corleone in 'The Godfather' (1972)?

    Answer: Marlon Brando

  4. 4.What was the name of the disco from the film 'Saturday Night Fever' (1977)?

    Answer: 2001 Odyssey

  5. 5.Which Apple computer model launched in 1977?

    Answer: Apple II

  6. 6.What space-station program launched its first crewed mission in 1973?

    Answer: Skylab

  7. 7.What was the average price of a gallon of regular gas in 1978?

    Answer: About 65 cents

  8. 8.Who was the first woman to host SNL solo in 1977?

    Answer: Candice Bergen (technically hosted earlier but iconic in '77); accept Lily Tomlin (1976)

  9. 9.What 1975 movie features the line 'You're gonna need a bigger boat'?

    Answer: Jaws

  10. 10.What band's 1976 album 'Hotel California' won Record of the Year?

    Answer: Eagles

  11. 11.What year did the US celebrate its bicentennial?

    Answer: 1976

  12. 12.Who painted the cover for Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon' (1973)?

    Answer: Storm Thorgerson / Hipgnosis design team

  13. 13.What was the top-selling toy of Christmas 1975 — a clear plastic novelty?

    Answer: The Pet Rock

  14. 14.What sitcom set in 1950s Milwaukee debuted in 1974?

    Answer: Happy Days

  15. 15.Who was elected US President in November 1976?

    Answer: Jimmy Carter

  16. 16.What 1979 Sony device let you take music with you?

    Answer: The Walkman

  17. 17.What dance craze took over after the 'Hustle' by Van McCoy (1975)?

    Answer: The Hustle / disco line dancing

  18. 18.What movie won Best Picture in 1972 (released 1971)?

    Answer: The French Connection

  19. 19.What band did Freddie Mercury front, releasing 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in 1975?

    Answer: Queen

  20. 20.What was the original cost of a McDonald's Big Mac in 1970?

    Answer: 65 cents

🎸

The 1980s

Best for classes of 1980–1989

  1. 1.What 1982 album by Michael Jackson became the best-selling of all time?

    Answer: Thriller

  2. 2.What was the name of the AI computer in the 1983 movie 'WarGames'?

    Answer: WOPR (or Joshua)

  3. 3.Who played Marty McFly in 'Back to the Future' (1985)?

    Answer: Michael J. Fox

  4. 4.What MTV VJ was known for her wild outfits and braces?

    Answer: Martha Quinn (accept Nina Blackwood for the era)

  5. 5.What 1981 song by Journey is now the most-streamed song of the 80s?

    Answer: Don't Stop Believin'

  6. 6.Who was the first British PM to serve three consecutive terms in the 20th century?

    Answer: Margaret Thatcher (elected 1979, served until 1990)

  7. 7.What videogame did Nintendo release in North America in 1985?

    Answer: Super Mario Bros / NES (accept either)

  8. 8.What Soviet leader introduced 'glasnost' and 'perestroika'?

    Answer: Mikhail Gorbachev

  9. 9.What 1984 film features a giant marshmallow man as the villain?

    Answer: Ghostbusters

  10. 10.What was the price of a McDonald's Big Mac in 1985?

    Answer: About $1.60

  11. 11.What Madonna song hit #1 in 1984 and shares its name with a colored fabric?

    Answer: Like a Virgin (trick — none of the above; correct: 'Like a Virgin' was #1, but for the colored answer, 'True Blue' — 1986)

  12. 12.What word did Valley Girls use for 'totally awesome'?

    Answer: Bitchin' / radical / tubular (accept any)

  13. 13.What 1986 disaster happened to the Space Shuttle Challenger?

    Answer: It exploded shortly after launch on January 28, 1986

  14. 14.What was the 'Rubik's Cube' originally called when invented in 1974?

    Answer: The Magic Cube

  15. 15.Who hosted 'The Tonight Show' in the 80s?

    Answer: Johnny Carson

  16. 16.What 1989 protest in China happened at Tiananmen Square?

    Answer: The pro-democracy student protests

  17. 17.What was the name of the breakdance crew in 'Beat Street' (1984)?

    Answer: The New York City Breakers / Rock Steady Crew (accept either)

  18. 18.What was the average cost of a gallon of gas in 1985?

    Answer: About $1.20

  19. 19.What computer did IBM introduce in 1981 that defined the 'PC'?

    Answer: The IBM PC (Model 5150)

  20. 20.What John Hughes movie features five teens in Saturday detention?

    Answer: The Breakfast Club (1985)

💿

The 1990s

Best for classes of 1990–1999

  1. 1.What sitcom about 'nothing' aired its finale on May 14, 1998?

    Answer: Seinfeld

  2. 2.What grunge band's lead singer was Kurt Cobain?

    Answer: Nirvana

  3. 3.What was the name of Ross's pet monkey on Friends?

    Answer: Marcel

  4. 4.What was the cheat code for unlimited lives in Sonic the Hedgehog 2?

    Answer: Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right + A on Genesis

  5. 5.What was Tickle Me Elmo's release year and price?

    Answer: 1996, around $30 retail (selling for hundreds on the secondary market)

  6. 6.What 1994 movie features the line 'Life is like a box of chocolates'?

    Answer: Forrest Gump

  7. 7.Who won the 1994 World Cup hosted by the US?

    Answer: Brazil (defeated Italy on penalties)

  8. 8.What did the acronym 'AOL' stand for?

    Answer: America Online

  9. 9.What was the price of a CD at peak in 1996?

    Answer: $15–$18

  10. 10.What chemical element is the title of a 1996 song by The Wallflowers? Trick — what is the title?

    Answer: 'One Headlight' (no element; trick question)

  11. 11.What boy band sang 'I Want It That Way' in 1999?

    Answer: Backstreet Boys

  12. 12.Who became the youngest world #1 in pro tennis in 1990 (age 16)?

    Answer: Monica Seles

  13. 13.What Tamagotchi predecessor toy did Bandai release in 1996?

    Answer: The Tamagotchi itself

  14. 14.What 1999 movie features Brad Pitt in a fight club?

    Answer: Fight Club

  15. 15.What word was Time Magazine's 'Person of the Year' in 1995 — referring to a network?

    Answer: Newt Gingrich was Person of the Year. (Trick — the World Wide Web was a separate cover; verify before using.)

  16. 16.What was the 1996 hit by Macarena's Los Del Rio's most-played at proms?

    Answer: Macarena

  17. 17.What candy brand discontinued Crystal Pepsi was launched as a clear cola in what year?

    Answer: 1992

  18. 18.What was the median home price in the US in 1995?

    Answer: About $113,000

  19. 19.What song by Whitney Houston topped charts in 1992 from a Bodyguard?

    Answer: I Will Always Love You

  20. 20.What was the first DVD released in the US (1997)?

    Answer: Twister

📱

The 2000s

Best for classes of 2000–2009

  1. 1.What year did the original iPhone launch?

    Answer: 2007

  2. 2.Who won American Idol Season 1 in 2002?

    Answer: Kelly Clarkson

  3. 3.What 2001 film won Best Picture (released March 2002 ceremony)?

    Answer: A Beautiful Mind

  4. 4.What was Facebook called when it launched in 2004?

    Answer: TheFacebook

  5. 5.What boy wizard novel debuted in the US in 1998 but defined the 2000s?

    Answer: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

  6. 6.What dance was associated with the 2005 song 'Crank That'?

    Answer: Soulja Boy

  7. 7.What 2003 reality show featured Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie on a farm?

    Answer: The Simple Life

  8. 8.What was the top-grossing film of the decade?

    Answer: Avatar (2009)

  9. 9.What energy drink with 'wings' boomed in popularity in the 2000s?

    Answer: Red Bull

  10. 10.What 2008 housing event triggered the global financial crisis?

    Answer: Lehman Brothers bankruptcy / subprime mortgage crisis

  11. 11.What was the name of the iPod model launched in 2005 with a video screen?

    Answer: iPod with video / 5th generation iPod

  12. 12.Who won the 2008 US Presidential election?

    Answer: Barack Obama

  13. 13.What was the average gas price in 2008's summer peak?

    Answer: Around $4.11/gallon

  14. 14.What 2004 reality show debuted with Donald Trump as host?

    Answer: The Apprentice

  15. 15.What instant messaging service did teens use most in the early 2000s?

    Answer: AIM (AOL Instant Messenger)

  16. 16.What 2003 Sofia Coppola film set in Tokyo won Best Original Screenplay?

    Answer: Lost in Translation

  17. 17.What was MySpace's claim to fame compared to Facebook?

    Answer: Top 8 friends / customizable profiles

  18. 18.What 2007 song by Rihanna features the lyric 'under my umbrella, ella, ella'?

    Answer: Umbrella

  19. 19.What was the name of the iPhone OS in its first version (2007)?

    Answer: iPhone OS 1 (later renamed iOS)

  20. 20.What 2006 film features Will Smith as Chris Gardner?

    Answer: The Pursuit of Happyness

🎬

The 2010s

Best for classes of 2010–2019

  1. 1.What HBO show ended in 2019 after 8 seasons of dragons and politics?

    Answer: Game of Thrones

  2. 2.What 2015 movie made over $2 billion at the global box office?

    Answer: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

  3. 3.What dance challenge took over in 2012?

    Answer: Gangnam Style / Harlem Shake (accept either)

  4. 4.What app launched in 2010 with photo filters and squares?

    Answer: Instagram

  5. 5.What was the 'Ice Bucket Challenge' raising money for in 2014?

    Answer: ALS research

  6. 6.What 2013 Disney film made 'Let It Go' impossible to escape?

    Answer: Frozen

  7. 7.What political event happened in the UK on June 23, 2016?

    Answer: The Brexit referendum

  8. 8.What was the most-followed person on Instagram by end of 2019?

    Answer: Cristiano Ronaldo (with Selena Gomez competing for the spot through the decade)

  9. 9.What 2014 selfie at the Oscars broke Twitter?

    Answer: Ellen DeGeneres's group selfie at the 86th Academy Awards

  10. 10.What 2011 royal wedding had over 2 billion global viewers?

    Answer: Prince William and Kate Middleton

  11. 11.What boy band formed on X Factor UK in 2010?

    Answer: One Direction

  12. 12.What 2013 song by Pharrell from Despicable Me 2 hit #1 worldwide?

    Answer: Happy

  13. 13.What 2018 Marvel film grossed over $2 billion?

    Answer: Avengers: Infinity War (later Endgame in 2019 also $2B+)

  14. 14.What was Snapchat's defining feature when it launched in 2011?

    Answer: Disappearing photos / messages

  15. 15.What 2019 K-pop group became the first to hit #1 on Billboard 200 in Korean?

    Answer: BTS (Map of the Soul: Persona)

  16. 16.What was the most popular Halloween costume in 2014 thanks to Frozen?

    Answer: Elsa

  17. 17.Who won the 2016 US Presidential election?

    Answer: Donald Trump

  18. 18.What 2017 song by Luis Fonsi (with Daddy Yankee) was the most-streamed of the decade?

    Answer: Despacito

  19. 19.What new social platform popularized 60-second videos in 2017?

    Answer: TikTok (launched outside China as Musical.ly successor)

  20. 20.What 2019 Best Picture winner was a South Korean film?

    Answer: Parasite

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Frequently Asked Questions

What decade should our trivia cover?

Use the decade you graduated in as the anchor, but pull a few questions from the previous decade if your class was born then. A 1990 graduate class lived through both the 80s and 90s — questions from both decades land. For a 25-year reunion, the era you graduated owns the trivia. For a 50-year reunion, leaning into the decade you came of age in matters more than the year of the actual diploma.

Should we use multiple choice or open answer?

Mix both. Use multiple choice (three options) for harder questions like exact prices, song lyrics, or first-aired-on dates. Use open answer for easier questions where the team's first guess will usually be right. All-multiple-choice gets boring fast; all-open-answer makes the harder rounds frustrating.

How do you handle teams that mix decades?

If your reunion combines multiple classes (e.g., a joint 1989/1990/1991 reunion), run one round per decade — late 80s, early 90s, mid 90s — and let each class shine in their primary years. Or assign teams across years intentionally so older grads provide context for younger ones. The mixing itself becomes part of the entertainment.

Where can I verify decade trivia answers?

Billboard.com for music chart positions, IMDb.com for movie release dates and box office, Wikipedia's 'Year in [Topic]' pages for general events, the Nielsen TV ratings archives for show rankings, the EIA for historical gas prices, and the USPS history pages for postage. Always verify two sources before printing — internet trivia gets dates wrong constantly.

How long should a decade-themed trivia round take?

Plan for 12 to 15 minutes per decade round of 10 questions. Reading, discussion, and scoring add 30 to 45 seconds per question. For a full reunion, run two decade rounds with a break between — about 30 minutes of trivia total, which is the sweet spot before energy fades.

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