2016 Trivia, Fun Facts and Pop Culture History
Quick Facts from 2016
- World Changing Event: Pokémon Go brought game-playing to the outside world for millions of children, teens, and plugged-in adults — and also to hospital emergency rooms, as people walked into traffic while staring at their phones.
- Top Song: “Closer” by The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey — the longest-running #1 of the year at 12 weeks, though “Love Yourself” by Justin Bieber topped the Billboard Year-End Hot 100.
- Must-See Movies: Zootopia, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, The Magnificent Seven, La La Land, Florence Foster Jenkins, Sing, Finding Dory, and Deadpool
- Most Famous American: Donald Trump
- The Fad: Playing Pokémon Go
- Notable Book: Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow (also the basis for the Broadway smash Hamilton)
- People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
- The Crazy Conspiracy: Katy Perry is actually a grown-up JonBenét Ramsey.
- The Record: Yahoo! suffered the largest data breach in history — one billion user records stolen.
- The Challenge: The Mannequin Challenge — a viral video trend where people freeze in place while “Black Beatles” by Rae Sremmurd plays in the background.
- The Conversation: Why were so many people spotting clowns lurking in wooded areas across the country?
- Super Bowl 50 ad cost: $5 million for 30 seconds.
Top Ten Baby Names of 2016
Girls: Emma, Olivia, Ava, Sophia, Isabella Boys: Noah, Liam, William, Mason, James
Fashion Icons and Sex Symbols
Erin Andrews, Hayley Atwell, Morena Baccarin, Kate Beckinsale, Melissa Benoist, Ashley Benson, Jordana Brewster, Alison Brie, Rose Byrne, Priyanka Chopra, Emilia Clarke, Lauren Cohan, Alexandra Daddario, Brooklyn Decker, Kara Del Toro, Cara Delevingne, Kat Dennings, Natalie Dormer, Hilary Duff, Lena Headey, Gal Gadot, Selena Gomez, Ellie Goulding, Ashley Graham, Ariana Grande, Ashley Greene, Gigi Hadid, Holly Holm, Samantha Hoopes, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Sarah Hyland, Kendall Jenner, Scarlett Johansson, Dakota Johnson, Victoria Justice, Ellie Kemper, Jennifer Lawrence, Blake Lively, Caity Lotz, Tatiana Maslany, Rose McIver, Katherine McNamara, Maria Menounos, Kate Middleton, Chloë Grace Moretz, Olivia Munn, Elizabeth Olsen, Rita Ora, Katy Perry, Emily Ratajkowski, Alexis Ren, Daisy Ridley, Rihanna, Krysten Ritter, Margot Robbie, Ronda Rousey, Nicole Scherzinger, Taylor Swift, Bella Thorne, Ivanka Trump, Melania Trump, Sophie Turner, Sofia Vergara, Olivia Wilde, Emma Watson, Ariel Winter, Deborah Ann Woll
The Quotes
“I will build a great wall — and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me.” — Donald Trump, campaign rally, 2016
“I’m not going to be ignored.” — Hillary Clinton, Democratic National Convention, 2016
“We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.” — President Barack Obama, farewell address, 2016
Time Magazine Person of the Year
Donald Trump
Miss America and Miss USA
Miss America: Betty Cantrell, Georgia Miss USA: Deshauna Barber, Washington, D.C.
We Lost in 2016
2016 was one of the most devastating years in recent memory for cultural losses.
David Bowie, musician — died January 10, age 69, two days after releasing his final album Blackstar
Alan Rickman, actor (Die Hard, Harry Potter) — died January 14, age 69
Glenn Frey, co-founder of The Eagles — died January 18, age 67
Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird — died February 19, age 89
Nancy Reagan, former First Lady — died March 6, age 94
George Martin, producer of The Beatles — died March 8, age 90
Merle Haggard, country music legend — died April 6, age 79, on his birthday
Prince, musician — died April 21, age 57, from an accidental fentanyl overdose
Muhammad Ali, boxing legend — died June 3, age 74
Gene Wilder, actor (Willy Wonka, Young Frankenstein) — died August 29, age 83
Arnold Palmer, golf legend — died September 25, age 87
Leonard Cohen, singer-songwriter — died November 7, age 82
John Glenn, first American to orbit Earth — died December 8, age 95
Alan Thicke, actor (Growing Pains) — died December 13, age 69
George Michael, musician — died December 25, age 53
Carrie Fisher, actress (Star Wars) — died December 27, age 60
Debbie Reynolds, actress — died December 28, age 84, one day after her daughter Carrie Fisher
The Scandals
An underground meth lab was discovered beneath the parking lot of a Walmart in Amherst, New York.
Researchers spent 29 hours searching for Nigeria’s last lions using recordings of a distressed buffalo calf through a national wildlife park. No lions or tracks were found.
A total of 6,755 postal workers were attacked by dogs in 2016.
The Australian women’s national soccer team was defeated 7–0 by a Newcastle under-15 boys team.
The average human attention span dropped from 12 seconds in 2000 to approximately 8 seconds in 2016 — about the same amount of time it takes to read this sentence.
Pop Culture Facts and History
Prince Harry took an HIV test live on July 14, 2016, to demonstrate how simple the process is. HIV awareness group THT reported a fivefold increase in self-test kit orders following the broadcast.
The Happy Birthday song had been under copyright for decades, making it technically illegal to perform in public without paying royalties. That ended in 2016 when Warner Music paid $14 million to settle the lawsuit and release the song into the public domain.
A Long Island woman accidentally threw away an envelope containing $5,000 in cash intended for her mortgage payment. Sanitation workers sifted through tons of trash until they found it. They refused a reward.
Game of Thrones was the most pirated TV show of 2016. Shocking to absolutely no one.
The Zomba Prison Project was a music recording made by inmates of a maximum-security prison in Malawi — known as the “waiting room of hell.” The completed album featured 20 songs by 16 prisoners and was nominated for Best World Music Album at the Grammy Awards.
Celine Dion stood near the open casket of her late husband René Angélil for seven hours to greet and comfort strangers who came to pay their respects. She had only been expected to stay for 30 minutes.
Metallica’s lawyers sent a cease-and-desist letter to Sandman, a Metallica tribute band. Metallica later said they had no idea the letter had been sent, apologized publicly, and reminded fans they had started out as a cover band themselves.
New Jersey jumped from 49th to 6th in highest state gas tax in the U.S. in 2016.
Twin boys Samuel and Ronan were born on November 6, 2016 — the night daylight saving time ended. Samuel was born at 1:39 a.m. His brother Ronan arrived 31 minutes later, but because clocks fell back one hour at 2:00 a.m., Ronan was technically born 29 minutes before his older brother.
Rapper Lil Wayne personally thanked a group of U.S. Marines stranded on a tarmac in Indiana while his plane was delayed alongside theirs.
Simon Smith legally changed his name to Bacon Double Cheeseburger.
Boeing took 42 years and one month to deliver its 10,000th commercial aircraft (1958–2000). Airbus reached the same milestone in 42 years and five months (1974–2016).
The most common password in 2016 was “123456.” It was also the most common password in 2015. And 2014.
The 2016 Canadian Census achieved a 98.4% response rate — the highest since the 1666 New France Census, 350 years earlier.
Abraham Muñoz ran a marathon in 5 hours, 41 minutes, and 52 seconds while juggling a soccer ball without letting it touch the ground.
In 2016, McDonald’s operated 36,525 locations worldwide. Subway operated 44,805.
Isaac Newton predicted the world would end in 2060 and was reportedly obsessed with the number 2,060. He would have been very interested in 2016 election coverage.
The 118th and final element in the periodic table was officially named Oganesson (Og) in 2016. It had been known as Ununoctium since 1979.
Streaming accounted for more than 50% of U.S. recorded music revenue for the first time in 2016.
Rihanna’s “Work” featuring Drake gave her her 14th #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, surpassing Michael Jackson’s total of 13.
Zayn’s “Pillowtalk” debuted at #1 — the first song by a former boy band member to debut at the top as a solo artist.
The Doomsday Clock
3 minutes to midnight, according to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists — unchanged from 2015. The board noted: “The probability of global catastrophe is very high, and the actions needed to reduce the risks of disaster must be taken very soon.”
National Toy Hall of Fame — 2016 Inductees
Dungeons and Dragons Little People Swing
2016 Entries to the National Film Registry
The Atomic Café (1982)
Ball of Fire (1941)
The Beau Brummels (1928)
The Birds (1963)
Blackboard Jungle (1955)
The Breakfast Club (1985)
The Decline of Western Civilization (1981)
East of Eden (1955) Funny Girl (1968)
Life of an American Fireman (1903)
The Lion King (1994) Lost Horizon (1937)
Musketeers of Pig Alley (1912)
Paris Is Burning (1990)
Point Blank (1967)
The Princess Bride (1987)
Putney Swope (1969)
Reverend Solomon Sir Jones Films (1924/1928)
Rushmore (1998)
Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928)
Suzanne, Suzanne (1982)
Thelma & Louise (1991)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1916)
A Walk in the Sun (1945)
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)
Christmas Gifts, Toys, and First Appearances of 2016
Xbox One, S PlayStation 4, Slim PlayStation 4, Pro Pokémon, Sun and Moon video game
Popular and Best-Selling Books of 2016
The Girl on the Train — Paula Hawkins
Me Before You — Jojo Moyes
When Breath Becomes Air — Paul Kalanithi
The Underground Railroad — Colson Whitehead
Commonwealth — Ann Patchett
The Nest — Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney
All the Light We Cannot See — Anthony Doerr
The Association of Small Bombs — Karan Mahajan
Between the World and Me — Ta-Nehisi Coates
Hamilton: The Revolution — Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter
Alexander Hamilton — Ron Chernow
Hillbilly Elegy — J.D. Vance
Born to Run — Bruce Springsteen
Shrill — Lindy West
Broadway in 2016
Hamilton, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, won 11 Tony Awards in 2016 — the most wins in a single night since The Producers in 2001. It became the most culturally dominant Broadway production in a generation and was nearly impossible to get tickets for at any price.
Best Film Oscar Winner
Spotlight, directed by Tom McCarthy, won Best Picture at the 2016 Academy Awards, presented for the 2015 film year.
The Bomb?
Movie: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice — a film that somehow managed to make both Batman and Superman boring at the same time. TV: Fuller House premiered on Netflix, proving that nostalgia and quality are not the same thing.
Top Movies of 2016
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
- Finding Dory
- Captain America: Civil War
- The Secret Life of Pets
- The Jungle Book
- Deadpool
- Zootopia
- Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
- Suicide Squad
- Sing
Most Popular TV Shows of 2016
- The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
- NCIS (CBS)
- This Is Us (NBC)
- The Walking Dead (AMC)
- Stranger Things (Netflix)
- Game of Thrones (HBO)
- Empire (Fox)
- Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)
- The Voice (NBC)
- Westworld (HBO)
2016 Billboard Number One Songs
January 2 – January 22: “Hello” — Adele (carrying over from November 2015)
January 23 – February 12: “Sorry” — Justin Bieber
February 13 – February 19: “Love Yourself” — Justin Bieber
February 20 – February 26 “Pillowtalk” — Zayn
February 27 – April 30: “Work” — Rihanna featuring Drake (9 weeks) May 7 – May 20: “Panda” — Desiigner
May 21 – May 27: “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” — Justin Timberlake
May 28 – August 5: “One Dance” — Drake featuring Wizkid and Kyla (10 weeks)
August 6 – September 2: “Cheap Thrills” — Sia featuring Sean Paul (4 weeks)
September 3 – November 25: “Closer” — The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey (12 weeks — longest run of the year)
November 26 – December 31: “Black Beatles” — Rae Sremmurd featuring Gucci Mane (6 weeks — boosted by the Mannequin Challenge)
Sports Champions of 2016
World Series: Chicago Cubs (ending a 108-year championship drought)
Super Bowl 50: Denver Broncos
NBA Champions: Cleveland Cavaliers (defeating the Golden State Warriors after trailing 3–1 — the greatest comeback in Finals history)
Stanley Cup: Pittsburgh Penguins
U.S. Open Golf: Dustin Johnson
U.S. Open Tennis — Men: Stan Wawrinka | Women: Angelique Kerber
Wimbledon — Men: Andy Murray | Women: Serena Williams
NCAA Football: Clemson
NCAA Basketball: Villanova
Kentucky Derby: Nyquist
FAQ — 2016 Trivia, Fun Facts and Pop Culture History
Q: What was the biggest news event of 2016?
A: The U.S. presidential election, in which Republican Donald Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton in one of the most unexpected upsets in American political history.
Q: What was the #1 song of 2016?
A: “Love Yourself” by Justin Bieber topped the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 for 2016, though “Closer” by The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey spent the most weeks at #1 during the year at 12.
Q: What was the biggest movie of 2016?
A: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was the top-grossing film of 2016, followed by Finding Dory and Captain America: Civil War.
Q: What was Pokémon Go?
A: Pokémon Go was a free augmented-reality mobile game released in July 2016 that used GPS to make players physically walk to real-world locations to catch virtual Pokémon. It became a global phenomenon almost overnight.
Q: Who won the Super Bowl in 2016?
A: The Denver Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers 24–10 in Super Bowl 50. Peyton Manning won his second Super Bowl title before retiring shortly after.
Q: What major celebrities died in 2016?
A: 2016 was one of the most devastating years for celebrity deaths, including David Bowie, Alan Rickman, Prince, Muhammad Ali, Gene Wilder, Leonard Cohen, George Michael, Carrie Fisher, and Debbie Reynolds — who died just one day after her daughter.
Q: What Broadway show dominated 2016?
A: Hamilton, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, swept the 2016 Tony Awards with 11 wins and became the most culturally talked-about Broadway production in decades.
Q: Who was Time Magazine’s Person of the Year in 2016?
A: Donald Trump, President-elect of the United States.
Q: What was the Mannequin Challenge?
A: The Mannequin Challenge was a viral video trend that began in October 2016 in which groups of people froze completely still while a camera moved through them, usually with “Black Beatles” by Rae Sremmurd playing in the background.
Q: What sports milestone happened in 2016?
A: The Chicago Cubs won the World Series, ending a 108-year championship drought — the longest in major American professional sports history.
Q: What was the biggest data breach in 2016?
A: Yahoo! disclosed that one billion user accounts had been compromised — the largest data breach ever recorded at that time.
Q: What element completed the periodic table in 2016?
A: Oganesson (Og), element 118, was officially named in 2016, completing the periodic table’s seventh row.
