1960s Nostalgia Trivia Quiz

Answer: Singapore

After the separation from Malaysia on August 9, 1965, Singapore was in a very vulnerable position. The armed forces based in Singapore were mainly from Malaysia. As part of Malaysia, Singapore also faced the Indonesia confrontation from 1963 to 1966. It was military hostility driven by Indonesia's opposition to the formation of Malaysia.

In 1967, Singapore implemented mandatory National Service (NS) as a response to geopolitical threats and security challenges facing the newly independent nation. The other reason was Singapore had to prepare ahead for the official withdrawal of the British forces on October 1971. As the voluntary recruitment was not enough to build a sizeable force, making compulsory conscription was necessary. The first batch of the NS men was those born in the year 1949.

Answer: Car

Quant named the fashion after her favorite car, the Mini Cooper. The miniskirt became a symbol of youth, liberation, and rock 'n' roll. The skirt was worn by famous models like Twiggy and Pattie Boyd.

The 1960s Mini, aka as the classic Mini or Mark 1 Mini (1959-1967), was an iconic British car that popularized small cars with its space-saving front-wheel drive. The car became a cultural icon during that decade. The more powerful Mini Cooper S won many rallies like the Monte Carlo Rally, earning its legendary status in the sport.

Answer: "I Want to Hold Your Hand"

During that year, the Beatles had six songs topping the US "Billboard Hot 100" chart. "I Want to Hold Your Hold" was the first to hit number one on February 1. It remained as number one for seven weeks until March 14.

"She Loves You" took over top spot for two weeks from March 21 to 28. This was followed by "Can't Buy Me Love" for five weeks from March April 4 to May 2.
"Love Me Do" topped the chart for one week on May 30. "A Hard Day's Night" hit number one for two weeks from August 1 to 8. "I Feel Fine" was the sixth song to top the chart for one week on December 26. The band achieved a total of 18 number one hits in the 1960s.

Answer: "Jungle Book"

The Disney animated musical "Jungle Book" was a massive success in 1967, earning over $378 million globally. The film was highly successful due to its upbeat musical numbers, such as "The Bare Necessities" and "I Wanna Be Like You", which were catchy and memorable. It was simple, yet entertaining.

"101 Dalmatians" in 1961 grossed $303 million. In 1965, "The Sound of Music" achieved $286 million and "Doctor Zhivago" grossed 248 million.

Answer: Third

5,137 athletes from 93 countries participated in the Games. There was a total of 163 events in 19 sports (25 disciplines). The host nation finished third on the medal tally with 16 golds, 5 silvers, and 8 bronzes. U.S.A topped the table with 36-26-28, followed by Soviet Union with 30-31-35. Unified Germany finished fourth with 10-22-18.

The 16 gold medals for Japan were: five each from gymnastics, and wrestling, three from judo, one each from weightlifting, women's volleyball, and boxing.
Yukio Endo, born in 1937, was a world-class artistic gymnast, considered one of the most successful male Japanese gymnasts of all time. In the 1964 Games, he became the first Japanese to win an individual all-round Olympic gold medal. In his entire career, he won a total of 17 Olympic and World Championships medals.

Answer: Monkey

On January 30, 1968, in the Year of the Monkey, the Tet Offensive started during the early hours of the Lunar New Year holiday. The full-scale assault was launched on the following day, targeting over 100 cities, towns, and military sites in South Vietnam, including the former capital, Saigon.

Although the Tet Offensive resulted in a final defeat for the aggressors, the campaign was a stunning and psychological victory, becoming the turning point of the Vietnam War. It left a profound and lasting impact on American public and the U.S. government.

Answer: Cameroon

17 African countries declared independence in that year. Most of the countries were former French colonies. Cameroon was the first to do so on the first day of 1960.

After Cameroon, Togo was next on April 27, Madagascar on June 26, DR Congo on June 30, Somalia on July 1, Benin on August 1, Niger on August 3, Burkina Faso on August 5, Ivory Coast on August 7, Chad on August 11, Central African Republic on August 13, Republic of Congo in August 15, Gabon on August 17, Senegal on August 20, Mali on September 22, Nigeria on October 1, and Mauritania on November 28.

Answer: Great Leap Forward

The Great Leap Forward from 1958 to 1962 caused the Great Chinese Famine (1959-1961) resulting in the immerse suffering of the common people. Mao was sidelined within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) after the catastrophic failure of this campaign.

CCP leaders such as Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping began to implement moderate economic reforms, however Mao detested these policies. He viewed them as a betrayal of true revolutionary communism.

In 1966, Mao initiated the Cultural Revolution by mobilizing China's youth to form the paramilitary Red Guard groups, aiming to remove his rivals and consolidate his power. He wanted to prevent what he saw as the rise of capitalist and traditional elements in Chinese society. Revered by the Red Guards, his personality soared and his image was seen throughout the country.

In 1976, the campaign ended after his death resulting the estimated loss of life of between 500,000 to 2 million people. The economy was devastated by widespread upheaval and destruction, leaving behind deep scars on the society and the reshaping of its social fabric.

Answer: Seattle

Seattle was the host of the World Fair from April 21 to October 21. The focus was on science, technology, and the future during the Space Race era.

More than 10 million people visited the fair. The permanent complex Seattle Center still exists today, along with the iconic Space Needle. The monorail built for the fair also remains in operation. The fair boosted Seattle's economic and cultural life, making it a major city in the U.S.

Elvis "Presley filmed a movie, "It Happened at the World's Fair", on the fairgrounds during its run.

Answer: Volkswagen Beetle

Volkswagen Beetle with its rear-engine became a global sensation, appealing to young buyers for its practicality, fuel efficiency, and simplicity. In 1961, the production of the Beetle reached 5 million units. In 1965, the annual production surpassed 1 million units. In 1967, the ten millionth unit was produced, and by the end of the decade an estimated 21 million VWs were sold globally.

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