Internationally Renowned Trivia Quiz

Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau passed away on September 28th, 2000 (80 yrs old), suffering from Parkinson's disease and prostate cancer at the time of his death.

Trudeau was first elected to office in 1965, eventually taking over the leadership of Canada's governing Liberal Party in 1968 and becoming Canada's 15th prime minister. Over his 15+ years of service, Trudeau made some significant changes to Canada, including the repatriation of the Constitution (from the UK) and the establishment of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982), while also making Canada officially bilingual (English and French) and establishing the Canadian Multiculturalism Act of 1988. He retired from politics in 1984, stepping down while still in office.

Ronald Wilson Reagan passed away on June 5th, 2004 (93 yrs old) from pneumonia, complicated with Alzheimer's disease.

The 40th President of the United States, Ronald Reagan entered politics after a successful career as an actor, becoming the Governor of California in 1967. In 1975, Reagan battled Gerald Ford for the Republican nomination for the presidential election that year, with Ford winning out (and ultimately losing to Jimmy Carter for the job). Reagan redeemed himself by winning the 1980 election, followed by another mandate in 1984. During his presidency, Reagan's economic reforms became known as 'Reaganomics,' with a view to lower taxes and reduce government spending. His term(s) in office were also know for his strong stance against communism, leading to the end of the Cold War.

Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin passed away on April 27th, 2007 (76 yrs old) from congestive heart failure.

With the dissolution of the Soviet Union (USSR), Boris Yeltsin was elected as the first President of the Russian Federation (and the first popularly-elected head of state in Russian history). He was a member of the Communist Party from 1961 to 1990, then became a political independent, bringing liberal views into his presidency, transforming Russia to a market economy. The upheaval surrounding that change, coupled with increased political unrest during his tenure resulted in conflicts in Chechnya and Dagestan, and Yeltsin was eventually pressured to resign, paving the way for Vladimir Putin to win the presidency.

María Corazón "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino passed away on August 1st, 2009 (76 yrs old) from cardiorespiratory arrest after a year-and-a-half battle with colorectal cancer.

Corazón Aquino was thrust into the political spotlight after her husband, longtime political opponent of President Ferdinand Marcos, was assassinated in 1983. Aquino took over the leadership of the opposition, and ran against Marcos in the 1986 election. When Marcos was declared the winner, claims of electoral fraud were made, and the People Power Revolution led to his ousting, with Aquino becoming the Philippines' 11th president, and first female to fill the role. During her tenure, Aquino drafted a new constitution, and established democratic reform while facing numerous coup attempts.

Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías passed away on March 5th, 2013 (58 yrs old) after battling cancer for two years. Having just won his fourth election, Chávez died in office, which triggered a new presidential election.

Chávez's political career was born out of his military career, when his unrest within the Venezuelan army led to an attempted coup d'état (Operation Zamora) against Carlos Andrés Pérez. Although unsuccessful, Chávez's political star was on the rise, and in 1998 he won his first election, becoming Venezuela's 52nd president. Identifying as a Marxist, Chávez implemented the 'Bolivarian Revolution,' redistributing wealth and increasing social spending. He also made political reforms designed to keep himself in power.

John Malcolm Fraser passed away on March 20th, 2015 (84 yrs old), after a brief, undisclosed illness.

Malcolm Fraser entered political life in 1955 as a member of Australia's Liberal Party, winning his riding as the youngest sitting Member of Parliament by four years. After a decade as a backbencher, Fraser filled various ministerial roles before winning the leadership of his party in 1975. With the fall of the Gough Whitlam government that same year, Fraser was sworn in as interim prime minister until winning a landslide election in December. During his tenure, Fraser focused on economic reforms, reducing inflation, and supporting Australia's defense commitments.

Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz passed away on November 25th, 2016 (90 yrs old) of natural (undisclosed) causes.

Fidel Castro became politically active as a university student in the mid 1940s, soon involving himself with rebellions against right-wing governments in the Dominican Republic and Colombia. After Fulgencio Batista seized power of Cuba in 1952, Castro actively worked against the government, first by legal means, then in an aborted attempt to incite a revolution, where he was captured, jailed, and then exiled. While in exile in Mexico, Castro met Che Guevara, and together they succeeded in ousting Batista from power in 1959 after three years of guerilla warfare. A brief transitional government was established, but Castro was the true power behind provisional leadership, and he was named Cuba's 15th prime minister on February 16th. In 1976, a revamped constitution changed Cuba's top job into a presidency, with Castro continuing in the role.

Castro held power in Cuba until stepping down in 2008, becoming one of the longest-serving non-royal head of state in history. During his tenure, he held complete power, and established the first Communist nation in the Western hemisphere, which resulted in high levels of tension with the neighbouring United States during the Cold War (which peaked with the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962).

Kofi Atta Annan passed away on August 18th, 2018 (80 yrs old), after a short, undisclosed illness.

Annan began his diplomatic career with the United Nations after completing undergraduate studies in economics and a master's degree in international relations. Starting out as a budget officer with the World Health Organization (WHO), Annan garnered experience in many aspects of the United Nations, including under-secretary-general (USG) positions in Program Planning, Budget and Finance, and Control (1990) and the Department of Peacekeeping (1993) before being selected by the UN Security Council as the 7th Secretary-General of the United Nations, beginning January 1st, 1997. Annan filled the role for ten years (two terms), and was succeeded by Ban Ki-moon in 2007. Afterwards, Annan remained active with the UN until his death in 2018.

Frederik Willem de Klerk passed away on November 11th, 2021 (85 yrs old), after an eight-month battle with mesothelioma.

After establishing himself as a lawyer, F.W. de Klerk was recruited by the National Party to run for office, and was elected to the House of Assembly in 1972 at the age of 36. After filling a number of ministerial positions over the next 17 years, de Klerk vied for and won the National Party leadership after P.W. Botha's resignation. After a brief interim period, de Klerk was confirmed as South Africa's 7th State President on September 20th, 1989. Even though de Klerk had been a proponent of the Apartheid system during his political career, he ended up being one half of a non-violent process that ended the oppressive regime and ushered in a new era, with Nelson Mandela succeeding de Klerk as the first black President of the Republic of South Africa under a new constitution. The two men both received the Nobel Peace Prize for their accomplishment. F.W. de Klerk retired from his political career in 1997.

Silvio Berlusconi passed away on June 12th, 2023 (86 yrs old) while still serving as a senator due to complications of chronic leukaemia.

Berlusconi established himself as a wealthy media tycoon before entering politics in Italy in 1994, announcing on January 26th that he would run for office as leader of his own, newly-created party, Forza Italia. With his media prowess, Berlusconi won the election and became Prime Minister, but was forced to resign after less than a year after his coalition fell apart. After serving in the European Parliament from 1999 to 2001, he returned for two more terms as prime minister (2001-06 & 2008-11), after which Berlusconi stepped down, amidst a number of trials for corruption, fraud and sex offences. Nevertheless, he continued his political efforts, continuing to run in subsequent elections, none of which were successful. From March to November of 2013, Berlusconi was elected to the Senate of the Republic, then in 2019, he returned to the European Parliament until 2022, after which he regained his place as a senator until his death in 2023.