2021 World Events Trivia Quiz

On 6 January 2021, supporters of former President Donald Trump attacked the US Capitol Hill in an attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 presidential election results. The US Congress was forced to evacuate the building. During the chaos, five people were killed which was classified as domestic terrorist attack.

On 1 February 2021, Myanmar military seized power and detained State Councillor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint. The military claimed that Aung San Suu Kyi's victory in the general election held in November 2020 were riddled with frauds. Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy Party won 135 out of 224 in the House of Nationalities.

On 6 March 2021, Pope Francis met Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani at Najaf, Iraq. Najaf is located at about 160 km south of Baghdad, 30 km from ancient Babylon, and 400 km north of the biblical city of Ur. This was historical first meeting between a pope and a grand ayatollah.

On 19 April 2021, Raul Castro was succeeded by Miguel Diaz-Canel as the First Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party. This ended more than 62 years of rule by the Castro brothers in Cuba. Miguel Diaz-Canel also became the 25th Cuban president.

On 14 May 2021, the China National Space Administration landed its rover named Zhurong on Mars. China was the third country to land a spacecraft on Mars (after the USSR and USA) and the second country to land a rover and travel on Mars (behind the USA).

On 28 June 2021, the rebel armies from the Tigray Defense Force (TDF) aka Tigray army captured the Tigrayan capital Mekelle, shortly after the Ethiopian government declared a ceasefire. TDF was founded on 4 November 2020 by former generals of Ethiopia to fight against the government mandate and the federal forces which enforced the mandate in Tingray state. Tingray is the northern most state in Ethiopia.

After a delay of one year due to COVID-19 pandemics, Tokyo hosted the XXXII Olympiad from 23 July to 8 August 2021. A total of 11,420 athletes from 206 nations participated in the Games. United States finished first on the medal tally with 39 golds, 41 silvers, 33 bronzes. China was second with 38 golds, 32 silvers, 19 bronzes. Host nation finished third with 27 golds, 14 silvers, 17 bronzes.

On 15 August 2021 the Taliban captured Kabul, which marked their victory; and Afghanistan collapsed. As the Taliban fighters entered the capital, the Afghan president fled the country. The evacuation from the U.S. Embassy was speeded up. Many Afghans who worked for the Americans were stranded in the country. This ended the 21 years of war in Afghanistan from 2000 to 2021. The war began when the USA and its allies invaded the country and drove the Taliban out.

On 26 September 2021, Social Democratic Party (SDP) won the federal election, defeating the Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) alliance. SPD won 206 seats out of 735 seats, CDU/CSU alliance won 196. Olaf Scholz of SDP succeeded Angela Merkel as the Chancellor of Germany, who had served in this position from 2005 to 2021.

Dubai hosted World Expo from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022. The Expo originally scheduled on to start on 22 October 2020 was delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic. There were 192 country pavilions in the Expo. More than 24 million people from 178 countries attended the Expo.

197 nations participated in the COP26 hosted by Glasgow from 31 October to 12 November 2021. Donald Trump withdrew from the Paris Agreement in 2015. Joe Biden gave the approval for the United States to participate in Glasgow. The EU, China and Japan pledged for zero carbon emissions by 2050/2060.

On 6 December 2021, the United States government announced a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics hosted by China, in response to China's human rights issue. This was followed by Canada, UK and Australia. XXIV Olympic Winter Games was hosted in Beijing from 4 to 20 February 2022. Athletes from United States, UK and Australia participated in the Games.