On which river did Captain "Sully" Sullenberger ditch his Airbus in January 2009 (with all 155 aboard surviving)?
Show answer
Hudson
Both engines had failed after a bird strike.
💡 Did you know? Tom Hanks later played Sully on the big screen.
All questions with answers
Who took the oath of office as US president before about two million people in January 2009?
Show answer
Barack Obama
It was the largest crowd Washington had ever seen.
💡 Did you know? The oath was re-administered the next day after a slip of the tongue.
Which prize did Obama receive in autumn 2009 (surprisingly early for many)?
Show answer
Nobel Peace Prize
The committee cited his vision of a world without nuclear weapons.
💡 Did you know? Even Obama himself seemed surprised by the award.
Under which nickname did the US run its 2009 car-scrappage programme?
Show answer
Cash for Clunkers
Germany ran its own version, the "Abwrackprämie".
💡 Did you know? The three-billion-dollar pot was empty within weeks.
Which flu did the WHO declare the 21st century's first pandemic in 2009?
Show answer
swine flu
It ultimately proved milder than initially feared.
💡 Did you know? Millions of ordered vaccine doses were later destroyed unused.
Foto: Zoran Veselinovic · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Which "King of Pop" died in June 2009 at the age of 50?
Show answer
Michael Jackson
His personal physician was later convicted of involuntary manslaughter.
💡 Did you know? About a billion people watched the Staples Center memorial worldwide.
Which fabled world records did Usain Bolt set at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin?
Show answer
9.58 and 19.19
He improved his Beijing records by over a tenth each.
💡 Did you know? Berlin gifted Bolt a piece of the Berlin Wall.
Which Spanish club won an unprecedented six trophies in 2009 (the "sextuple")?
Show answer
Barcelona
League, cup, Champions League, two Super Cups and the Club World Cup.
💡 Did you know? No men's team had ever swept all six in one calendar year.
Which German chancellor was re-elected in September 2009, switching to a coalition with the liberal FDP?
Show answer
Angela Merkel
The FDP scored its best-ever result at 14.6 percent.
💡 Did you know? Merkel would go on to serve 16 years in total.
Which EU reform treaty came into force in December 2009?
Show answer
Treaty of Lisbon
Herman Van Rompuy became the first permanent Council president.
💡 Did you know? Ireland had to vote twice before the treaty passed.
Which cryptocurrency began with the mining of its first block in January 2009?
Show answer
Bitcoin
Hidden in the block: a newspaper headline about bank bailouts.
💡 Did you know? The first documented bitcoin purchase: 10,000 BTC for two pizzas.
Which messaging service was founded in 2009 by two ex-Yahoo employees?
Show answer
Facebook bought it in 2014 for around 19 billion dollars.
💡 Did you know? The name puns on the phrase "What's up?"
Which James Cameron 3D film became the highest-grossing movie of all time from December 2009?
Show answer
Avatar
It dethroned "Titanic": also by Cameron.
💡 Did you know? "Avatar" made 3D cinema the standard for several years.
Which US car giant filed for bankruptcy in June 2009 (then the biggest industrial insolvency in history)?
Show answer
General Motors
Its German subsidiary Opel spent months fearing for its future.
💡 Did you know? GM had been the world's largest carmaker for 77 straight years.
In which Danish capital did the great UN climate summit fail in December 2009?
Show answer
Copenhagen
The breakthrough only came in Paris in 2015.
💡 Did you know? Over 100 heads of state and government had travelled there in vain.
Foto: Craig ONeal · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
With his 15th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon 2009, Roger Federer broke which American's record?
Show answer
Pete Sampras
The final against Roddick ended 16 to 14 in the fifth set.
💡 Did you know? Sampras watched the record match from the stands.
In which Italian city did an earthquake kill more than 300 people in April 2009?
Show answer
L'Aquila
Tens of thousands lost their homes.
💡 Did you know? The 2009 G8 summit was pointedly moved to L'Aquila.
Which film swept the 2009 Oscars with eight wins (the story of a chai seller in a quiz studio)?
Show answer
Slumdog Millionaire
Director Danny Boyle shot largely in Mumbai.
💡 Did you know? The theme song "Jai Ho" became a global hit.
Which Air France flight crashed into the Atlantic en route from Rio to Paris in June 2009?
Show answer
AF 447
The flight recorders were only recovered from the deep sea two years later.
💡 Did you know? Iced-up sensors and pilot error caused the crash.
Which anniversary did Germany celebrate on 9 November 2009 with giant dominoes at the Brandenburg Gate?
Show answer
20 years since the fall of the Wall
State guests from around the world came to Berlin.
💡 Did you know? Poland's Solidarity legend Lech Wałęsa tipped the first domino.
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