Q 01/05

Which Steven Spielberg film overtook Star Wars to become the highest-grossing film of its time?

A) E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

B) Raiders of the Lost Ark

C) Jaws

D) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Answer · why

A) E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial took the box-office record from Star Wars in 1983 and held it until 1993, when Spielberg beat himself with Jurassic Park.

Q 02/05

Which horror-film star delivers the spoken rap that closes Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'?

A) Christopher Lee

B) Vincent Price

C) Peter Cushing

D) Donald Pleasence

Answer · why

B) Vincent Price

Vincent Price nailed the rap in two takes, reading lines that songwriter Rod Temperton had scribbled in a taxi on his way to the studio that day.

Q 03/05

A bungled press conference on 9 November 1989 opened the wall that divided which European city?

A) Vienna

B) Berlin

C) Prague

D) Budapest

Answer · why

B) Berlin

Berlin. Asked when new travel rules would begin, an East German spokesman said 'immediately'; crowds massed at the crossings and the guards gave way t...

Q 04/05

Which handheld music device, introduced by Sony in 1979, became a 1980s phenomenon?

A) Walkman

B) Discman

C) Boombox

D) Watchman

Answer · why

A) Walkman

The Walkman began as a favour: Sony co-founder Masaru Ibuka wanted music on long flights, so engineers turned a Pressman reporter's recorder into a pl...

Q 05/05

In 'Back to the Future' (1985), what speed must the DeLorean reach to travel through time?

A) 22 mph

B) 44 mph

C) 88 mph

D) 176 mph

Answer · why

C) 88 mph

88 mph was picked because it was easy to remember and looked good on the dash; real DeLorean speedometers stopped at 85 mph under a 1979 rule, so the ...