1982 Trivia
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48 free 1982 trivia questions with answers — history quiz, new questions added Sep 2026.
1982 was the year of E.T., Tootsie and Tron, the first compact discs, the first computer virus and the first emoticon. It was also the year of the Falklands War, the Sabra and Shatila massacre, Brezhnev's death and Canada bringing home its constitution. These 1982 trivia questions cover the news, sport, music and film of the year, from Italy's World Cup to Ozzy and the bat. Every answer is sourced, with a short explanation so you learn something even when you miss.
30 of 48 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Into which river did Air Florida Flight 90 fall after hitting a Washington bridge?
The Potomac
The Potomac swallowed the jet, and bystander Lenny Skutnik dove into the icy river to pull a survivor to shore.
Q 02Which rocker bit the head off a bat on stage in Des Moines in January 1982?
Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne thought the bat was a rubber toy, and afterward he needed medical care over the risk of rabies.
Q 03Who won Super Bowl XVI in January 1982?
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers won 26–21, helped by a third-quarter goal-line stand that kept the Bengals out of the end zone.
Q 04Elk Cloner, one of the first computer viruses to spread in the wild, infected which machines?
Apple II
High school student Rich Skrenta wrote Elk Cloner for the Apple II as a prank, slipping it onto game disks to trick his friends.
Q 05Which country formed a confederation with Senegal in February 1982?
The Gambia
The Gambia's President Dawda Jawara had called in Senegalese troops to crush a 1981 coup attempt, and the confederation followed months later.
Q 06Which British airline collapsed in February 1982?
Laker Airways
Freddie Laker sued rival airlines, accusing them of a price war to drive Laker Airways out of business, and they paid millions to settle.
Q 07Which oil platform sank off Newfoundland in February 1982, killing all 84 aboard?
Ocean Ranger
A giant wave smashed a porthole in the Ocean Ranger's ballast control room, and seawater crippled the controls before the rig toppled.
Q 08Which Walt Disney World theme park opened in Florida on October 1, 1982?
Epcot
Walt Disney had imagined Epcot as a real city of the future, but after his death the company built a theme park inspired by his ideas instead.
Q 09Who was found guilty in 1982 of trying to murder his wife Sunny?
Claus von Bülow
Claus von Bülow's conviction was overturned on appeal, and a second jury acquitted him.
Q 10Which film won Best Picture at the Oscars held in March 1982?
Chariots of Fire
Chariots of Fire's screenwriter, Colin Welland, collected his own Oscar that night by declaring, 'The British are coming!'
Q 11Which freshman hit the winning jumper for North Carolina in the 1982 NCAA final?
Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan hit the winner, but it was teammate James Worthy who was named the Final Four's most outstanding player.
Q 12Where did Space Shuttle Columbia land in March 1982, the only shuttle landing ever made there?
White Sands, New Mexico
Rain flooded Columbia's planned runway at Edwards Air Force Base, so STS-3 touched down at White Sands, New Mexico, instead.
Q 13Which painkiller brand was laced with cyanide in the 1982 Chicago-area poisonings that killed seven people?
Tylenol
Tylenol bottles were pulled from shelves across the US, and the murders led to tamper-evident packaging and federal anti-tampering laws.
Q 21Which Formula One driver was killed in qualifying for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix?
Gilles Villeneuve
Gilles Villeneuve died two weeks after feeling betrayed by teammate Didier Pironi, who snatched a last-lap win from him at the San Marino Grand Prix.
Q 22Which English club won the 1982 European Cup, beating Bayern Munich 1–0?
Aston Villa
Aston Villa lost goalkeeper Jimmy Rimmer to injury in the opening minutes, and his barely used replacement, Nigel Spink, kept a clean sheet.
Q 23Which country became NATO's 16th member in 1982?
Spain
Four years later, Spain held a referendum on whether to remain in NATO, and voters chose to stay in.
Q 14What did Canada gain on April 17, 1982, by proclamation on Parliament Hill?
A patriated constitution
Queen Elizabeth II proclaimed Canada's patriated constitution in Ottawa, though Quebec's government refused to endorse it.
Q 15Which 17-year-old German singer won the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest?
Nicole
Nicole won her country's first Eurovision, then sang her winning reprise in German, English, French and Dutch.
Q 16From which territory did Israel complete its withdrawal in April 1982?
The Sinai Peninsula
Israel returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt under their 1979 peace treaty, bulldozing its settlement town of Yamit on the way out.
Q 17Which US city hosted the 1982 World's Fair?
Knoxville, Tennessee
A 1980 Wall Street Journal story had called Knoxville, Tennessee, a 'scruffy little city', and locals later turned 'Scruffy City' into a proud nickname.
Q 18Which Argentine cruiser was sunk by HMS Conqueror on May 2, 1982?
General Belgrano
The General Belgrano was outside Britain's exclusion zone when it was torpedoed, so critics disputed whether sinking it was justified.
Q 19Which 24-hour cable network launched on May 2, 1982?
The Weather Channel
The Weather Channel's co-founder, TV weatherman John Coleman, later insisted that global warming was a scam.
Q 20Which British destroyer was hit by an Exocet missile on May 4, 1982?
HMS Sheffield
HMS Sheffield never went to action stations or fired chaff as the missiles closed in, a board of inquiry later found.
Q 24Which sitcom premiered on NBC in September 1982 and ran for 11 seasons?
Cheers
Cheers ranked near the bottom of the ratings after its premiere, but NBC entertainment chief Brandon Tartikoff saved it from cancellation.
Q 25Which Israeli defense minister led the June 1982 invasion of Lebanon?
Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon was forced out as defense minister in 1983 after an Israeli inquiry found him personally responsible for failing to prevent the Sabra and Shatila massacre.
Q 26Who won the 1982 NBA Finals?
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers won under Pat Riley, promoted in November 1981 after Magic Johnson's complaints helped get coach Paul Westhead fired.
Q 27Which Spielberg film of June 1982 was the biggest box-office hit for the next 11 years?
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Steven Spielberg called E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial a very personal story about how he felt when his parents broke up.
Q 28Which tech pioneer bankrolled the US Festival rock concerts in Southern California over Labor Day weekend 1982?
Steve Wozniak
Steve Wozniak lost millions on the US Festival, yet he staged a second one in 1983.
Q 29Who won the 1982 World Cup final 3–1?
Italy
Italy's Paolo Rossi finished as the tournament's top scorer with six goals, soon after returning from a ban over a betting scandal.
Q 30Who became King of Saudi Arabia in June 1982 on the death of his brother Khalid?
Fahd
After Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, Fahd invited American-led troops into Saudi Arabia to defend it, drawing sharp criticism at home.