50 Fun Facts About 2016

Which drug lord was recaptured in January 2016 after escaping a Mexican maximum-security prison?

He had slipped out through a tunnel under his cell's shower in July 2015.

Tsai Ing-wen was elected the first female president of which country in January 2016?

Her Democratic Progressive Party also won its first-ever legislative majority; she was sworn in on May 20.

The WHO announced an outbreak of which mosquito-borne virus in January 2016?

The CDC confirmed in April that it causes birth defects, and it shadowed the Rio Olympics that summer.

Pope Francis's 2016 meeting with Patriarch Kirill was the first since a schism of which year?

The leaders of the Catholic and Russian Orthodox churches signed a joint declaration in Havana.

Barack Obama's March 2016 trip to Cuba was the first by a sitting US president since whom?

The previous presidential visit was in 1928; Obama met Raúl Castro in Havana.

The March 2016 suicide bombings at Zaventem airport and a metro station struck which city?

The attacks killed 35 people and injured some 300 more.

The 11.5 million leaked documents published in April 2016 became known as what?

They came from the law firm Mossack Fonseca and detailed more than 214,000 offshore companies.

Which Beyoncé album was released in April 2016, premiering as an hour-long HBO film?

It streamed exclusively on Tidal for 24 hours before going wide and debuting at No. 1.

Which club won the 2015–16 Premier League after starting the season at 5000–1 odds?

Claudio Ranieri's side was confirmed champion on May 2, one of the great upsets in sport.

Who was elected President of the Philippines in May 2016?

Later that year his government allowed Ferdinand Marcos to be buried in the Heroes' Cemetery, sparking protests.

Ukraine's Jamala won the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest with which song?

The contest was held in Stockholm after Sweden's win the previous year.

Harambe, the gorilla shot in May 2016 after a boy entered his enclosure, lived at which zoo?

The 17-year-old western lowland gorilla became one of the year's most enduring internet memes.

The world's longest and deepest railway tunnel opened in June 2016 in which country?

The Gotthard Base Tunnel took two decades to build and runs about 57 km beneath the Alps.

Which team won UEFA Euro 2016, hosted by France?

The winners beat the hosts in extra time in the final, despite losing Cristiano Ronaldo to injury early on.

The June 2016 referendum in which the UK voted to leave the EU came to be known as what?

The vote on June 23 triggered David Cameron's resignation and years of withdrawal negotiations.

NASA's Juno spacecraft entered orbit around which planet on July 5, 2016?

It began a planned 20-month survey of the gas giant's interior and magnetic field.

Which augmented-reality mobile game, released July 6, 2016, broke sales and revenue records?

Players roamed parks and streets catching creatures through their phone cameras within days of launch.

A truck attack during Bastille Day celebrations in July 2016 killed 86 people in which French city?

The attack on the Promenade des Anglais came eight months after the Paris attacks.

A faction of which country's armed forces staged a failed coup on July 15–16, 2016?

At least 240 people died and the government launched sweeping purges afterward.

Which Japanese company made the world's last videocassette recorder in July 2016?

Four days later Solar Impulse 2 completed the first solar-powered flight around the world.

The 2016 Summer Olympics were the first held on which continent?

Rio de Janeiro hosted from August 5 to 21; the US led the medal table with 46 golds.

Which Brazilian president was impeached and removed by the Senate in August 2016?

The vote was 61–20; Vice President Michel Temer served out the rest of her term.

OSIRIS-REx, launched in September 2016, was NASA's first mission to return samples from what?

It reached Bennu in 2018 and dropped its samples back on Earth in September 2023.

Two Van Gogh paintings found in 2016 had been stolen in 2002 from a museum in which city?

Seascape at Scheveningen and Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen were worth a combined $100 million.

Hurricane Matthew killed 842 people in October 2016 when it hit which country as a Category 4?

Damage was estimated at $2.8 billion before the storm moved up the US southeast coast.

The Chicago Cubs' 2016 World Series win ended a drought dating back to which year?

They beat Cleveland 8–7 in 10 innings in Game 7, the longest title drought in North American sports.

Which country abruptly demonetised its high-value banknotes in November 2016?

The announcement came on November 8, the same day as the US presidential election.

The November 2016 LaMia Flight 2933 crash killed most of which Brazilian football squad?

The plane went down near Medellín, Colombia, on the way to a cup final; 71 of 77 aboard died.

Who formally became King of Thailand on December 1, 2016?

He succeeded his father after a seven-week mourning period following a 70-year reign.

Which four chemical elements were officially named on December 28, 2016?

They are elements 113, 115, 117 and 118, completing the seventh row of the periodic table.

Who won the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature, the first songwriter to do so?

The Peace Prize that year went to Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos for the FARC peace deal.

A study in December 2016 found the first proven vaccine against which disease?

The VSV-EBOV vaccine proved between 70 and 100 percent effective.

Which team won Super Bowl 50, beating the Carolina Panthers 24–10?

Played at Levi's Stadium, it was Peyton Manning's final game; Coldplay, Beyoncé and Bruno Mars played halftime.

Which film won Best Picture at the 88th Academy Awards in February 2016?

Leonardo DiCaprio finally won Best Actor that night for The Revenant on his fifth acting nomination.

Which Supreme Court justice died in February 2016, leaving a seat open through the election?

President Obama nominated Merrick Garland in March, but the Senate never held a hearing.

How many points did Kobe Bryant score in his final NBA game in April 2016?

It set a record for a farewell game, against the Utah Jazz, after 20 seasons with the Lakers.

The 2015–16 Golden State Warriors set a regular-season record with how many wins?

They passed the 1995–96 Bulls' mark, then lost the Finals to Cleveland in seven games.

Which musical won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama?

Lin-Manuel Miranda's show went on to win 11 Tony Awards from a record 16 nominations that June.

Cities lit buildings in which color after Prince died in April 2016?

He died at 57 at his Paisley Park studio in Minnesota.

Which boxing legend died in Scottsdale, Arizona, in June 2016 at the age of 74?

Born Cassius Clay, the three-time heavyweight champion died of septic shock.

Which NHL team beat the San Jose Sharks in six games to win the 2016 Stanley Cup?

It was the franchise's fourth Cup; they would repeat in 2017.

The 2016 NBA title was the first major pro championship for a Cleveland team since which year?

The Cavaliers came back from 3–1 down to beat Golden State in seven games.

How many gold medals did the United States win at the 2016 Rio Olympics?

The haul of 46 gold, 37 silver and 38 bronze topped the medal table comfortably.

Which smartphone did Samsung discontinue in October 2016 after reports of it catching fire?

Airlines banned the device from flights before the recall was made permanent.

How many electoral votes did Donald Trump receive when the Electoral College met in December 2016?

Hillary Clinton received 227; at 70 he was then the oldest person elected president.

Which actress died on December 27, 2016, one day before her mother Debbie Reynolds?

The Star Wars star suffered a cardiac arrest on a transatlantic flight four days earlier.

Which 2016 release became the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time worldwide?

It passed The Matrix Reloaded with $783.1 million and was the top superhero film without Batman, Spider-Man or Iron Man.

Which two animated films each grossed over $1 billion in 2016, a first for a single year?

Zootopia also became the highest-grossing original animated film ever, passing Finding Nemo.

Which song spent 12 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2016, the year's longest run?

The Chainsmokers and Halsey edged Drake's 'One Dance', which managed 10 weeks.

David Bowie's final album, released two days before his death in January 2016, was titled what?

It became his first album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.