Dem
47
GOP
53
As we reminded readers yesterday, we put together a quiz on the occasion of our 20th anniversary last year, and then never got around to revealing the answers and scores. We are going to rectify that right now, on the occasion of our 21st anniversary (+3 days). First, the answers:
1. Which statement about politics is true?
A. On May 24, 2004, the Republicans had the federal trifecta
B. On May 24, 2004, Alberto Gonzales was Attorney General
The Answer: A. Gonzales did not commence his term as AG until nearly a year later, replacing John Ashcroft for George W. Bush's second term. (54.4% of readers got it right).
2. Which statement about the Supreme Court is true?
A. On May 24, 2004, three current justices were already on the Supreme Court (Thomas, Roberts, Alito)
B. On May 24, 2004, only one current justice was already on the Supreme Court (Thomas)
The Answer: B. John Roberts and Samuel Alito were both nominated to the court in 2005. (70.2% of readers got it right).
3. Which statement about international affairs is true?
A. On May 24, 2004, Kim Jong-il was still leading North Korea
B. On May 24, 2004, Kim Jong-il was dead, and had been succeeded by Kim Jong-un
The Answer: A. Kim Jong-il remained alive, and thus the leader of North Korea, until 2011. (87.7% of readers got it right).
4. Which statement about the news is true?
A. On May 24, 2004, The Washington Post's 1A headline was "Bush Seeks to Reassure Nation on Iraq"
B. On May 24, 2004, The Washington Post's 1A headline was "Lehman Brothers File for Bankruptcy"
The Answer: A. Our wording was a little clumsy; we intended to ask about the news FOR May 24, 2004 (in other words, the news published in the Post on May 25, 2004):
In any event, Lehman Brothers did not file for bankruptcy until 2008, so that could not possibly have been the answer. (89.1% of readers got it right).
5. Which statement about the economy is true?
A. On May 24, 2004, the average gallon of milk cost $3.16
B. On May 24, 2004, the average gallon of gas cost $3.16
The Answer: A. At that time, gas was selling for a little over $2.00/gallon. (49.2% of readers got it right).
6. Which statement about tech is true?
A. On May 24, 2004, Facebook was just a few months old
B. On May 24, 2004, the iPhone was just a few months old
The Answer: A. Facebook was launched on February 4, 2004. The first iPhone was released in 2007. (74.6% of readers got it right).
7. Which statement about television is true?
A. On May 24, 2004, the highest-rated program in the U.S. was American Idol
B. On May 24, 2004, the highest-rated program in the U.S. was Seinfeld
The Answer: A. Seinfeld left the air in 1998. (80.2% of readers got it right).
8. Which statement about film is true?
A. On May 24, 2004, The Passion of the Christ crossed the $350 million mark at the box office
B. On May 24, 2004, Gladiator crossed the $200 million mark at the box office
The Answer: A. Gladiator was released, and crossed the $200-million mark, in 2000. (58.8% of readers got it right).
9. Which statement about music is true?
A. On May 24, 2004, Britney Spears, Madonna and Paul McCartney were all on tour
B. On May 24, 2004, Michael Jackson, The Presidents of the United States of America and Johnny Cash were all on tour
The Answer: A. Britney Spears was on the The Onyx Hotel Tour, Madonna was on the Re-Invention World Tour, and Paul McCartney was doing tune-up shows in anticipation of the '04 Summer Tour, which commenced on May 25. (79.4% of readers got it right).
10. Which statement about sports is true?
A. On May 24, 2004, Oriole Cal Ripken's consecutive games streak was still underway
B. On May 24, 2004, Oriole Cal Ripken had concluded his streak at 2,632 games
The Answer: B. The streak ended on September 19, 1998. (66.7% of readers got it right).
11. Which statement about books is true?
A. On May 24, 2004, the #1 book in the country was The Da Vinci Code
B. On May 24, 2004, the #1 book in the country was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
The Answer: A. The Da Vinci Code was the #1 book in 28 out of 52 weeks that year, including the week beginning May 24. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was #1 in 1999, under its British title, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (72% of readers got it right).
12. Which statement about Electoral-Vote.com is true?
A. On May 24, 2004, our map had Michigan going for George W. Bush and Iowa going for John Kerry
B. On May 24, 2004, our map had Minnesota going for George W. Bush and Missouri going for John Kerry
The Answer: A. Michigan was "barely Bush" and Iowa was "barely Kerry," but nonetheless that is who we had winning those states on our first day of publication. Fun fact: Back then, we colored the map in by hand, using Photoshop. (70.3% of readers got it right).
Tiebreaker: How many bills had George W. Bush vetoed as of May 24, 2004?
The Answer: Zero. Bush ultimately vetoed 12 bills, but the first of those was not until July 19, 2006. (21.2% of readers got it right; the average guess was 8.8, the median was 15, and the high guess was 100).
We tried to pick questions that were doable, and... it would seem we succeeded. The average score was 8.51/12, and there were a remarkable 54 readers who got every question right AND hit the tiebreaker on the bullseye. Here they are:
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And there you have it. The world is a different place than it was in 2004... and yet, not so different. (Z)