Big Quiz of the Year: 2020

Questions

1. Which Spanish male tennis player equalled Roger Federer's record of 20 Grand Slam titles with victory at a postponed French Open?

2. Which South American president was diagnosed with Covid-19 in early July – a disease he had formerly dismissed as "just a little flu"?

3. Which major Istanbul museum was ordered by President Erdogan to be reverted to its former role as an active mosque?

4. The accounts of prominent celebrities and politicians were compromised on which social media site by hackers trying to promote a Bitcoin scam?

5. An explosion of stored ammonium nitrate exploded in the port of which Middle Eastern capital city, causing the deaths of 220 people and widespread devastation?

6. Major protests broke out against the disputed reelection of President Lukashenko in which Eastern European nation?

7. In August, who became the third Arab nation to normalise relations with the state of Israel?

8. Who won the delayed final of the UEFA Champions League in Lisbon, defeating Paris Saint-Germain 1-0?

9. Which virus became the second, after smallpox, to be eradicated across the continent of Africa?

10. Also in August, which retail magnate was announced by Forbes magazine to have become the first person to have exceeded a net worth of $200 billion?

11. Which Japanese president – the longest-serving in the country's history – resigned his office, citing health reasons?

12. On August 16th, which place in California recorded a temperature of 54.4 degrees centigrade, believed to be the hottest surface temperature ever observed on Earth?

13. Over 200 skeletons of which extinct ice age mammal were unearthed under Mexico City's Santa Lucia Airport, the largest find of their kind?

14. In September, the Royal Astronomical Society announced the detection of phosphine (believed in many situations to be an indicator of life) in which planet's atmosphere?

15. Also late in the month, a conflict broke out between the forces of which two Central Asian nations over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh?

16. A referendum in which major nation backed a constitutional change which would allow their president to hypothetically remain in power until 2036?

17. Similarly, which Polish women's player won a surprise victory at the event, having come into the tournament ranked no. 54 in the world?

18. Which politician's Labor Party won a landslide victory and parliamentary majority in New Zealand, following international recognition for her strong handling of the pandemic?

19. NASA's OSIRIS-REx probe touched down on the surface of Bennu, the first of which interstellar objects to be sampled directly?

20. In October, which British Overseas Territory and former warzone was declared free of land mines, some 38 years following a ceasefire?

21. Which former James Bond actor passed away on 31st October 2020, at the age of 91?

22. In early November, the United States officially exited which international climate accord, a long-standing promise of Donald Trump?

23. On the subject of US politics, many Electoral College votes were received by former Vice President, and incoming President, Joe Biden, en-route to his election victory?

24. Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech and AstraZeneca announced successes in trials of what type of product, a landmark in the battle against the pandemic?

25. The mystery of folding in what biological building blocks was solved in November by AlphaFold, an artificial intelligence project from DeepMind?

26. Which substance was removed from a list of 'dangerous drugs' by the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs, in recognition of its medical qualities?

27. The height of which mountain was agreed officially by Nepal and China to be 8,848.86m above sea level?

28. What major international organisation agreed in mid-December to reduce its carbon emissions by 55% over the next decade?

29. Which continent became the last to be reached by Covid-19, after infections were recorded at the Chilean Base General Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme?

30. Who finally reached number 1 in the UK Official Singles Chart at Christmas with her hit All I Want For Christmas Is You, some 26 years after its release?

31. In April, what type of creature became the first known case of COVID-transmission into zoo animals?

32. Which 18-year-old singer clean swept the main awards at the 2020 Grammy's ceremony in January?

33. An American airstrike at Baghdad International Airport killed a leading general from which other Middle Eastern nation?

34. Which celebrity couple agreed to drop their official titles as they stepped back from 'family' duties?

35. Which legendary basketball player, formerly of the Los Angeles Lakers, sadly passed away alongside his daughter and seven others in a California helicopter crash?

36. SARS-CoV-2 – the virus causing the disease known as Covid-19 (declared a pandemic by the WHO in March) – was first identified in which Chinese city during January 2020?

37. The Diamond Princess, quarantined off the shore of Japan during the early stages of the pandemic, was what specific type of sailing vessel?

38. Following a 2016 vote, which nation seceded from the European Union on January 31st, beginning an 11-month transition period?

39. In March it was announced that which musical competition would not take place this year, the first cancellation in its 60-year history?

40. Which small western European country became the first in the world to make all public transport free to use?

41. Bong Joon-ho made history as he won Best Director and Best Picture for which film, the first non-English language feature to take the award?

42. Which inductee of the Country Music Hall of Fame, known for his legendary hit The Gambler alongside many others, passed away in March, aged 81?

43. After altering its official name in an effort to appease its Greek neighbours, which country became the 30th admitted to NATO?

44. As part of a 'price war', which commodity fell in March to its lowest price since November 2002?

45. Jim Carrey and James Marsden starred in a live-action film based around a famously quick SEGA video game character?

46. The national Air Force and Navy are deployed in which country's southeast to tackle unprecedented bushfires?

47. Which organisation did Donald Trump announce he was suspending funding to over its perceived handling of the pandemic?

48. Which major social media website removed 'conspiracy theory' and 'pseudoscience' as interest categories for targeted advertisements?

49. The US Defense Department released three videos of what 'objects', as sighted and captured on camera by US Navy pilots?

50. In which country did President Nicolás Maduro survive an attempted coup orchestrated by dissidents and a US-based private security company, Silvercorp?

51. Which major western leader contracted coronavirus and was moved to hospital in April after his condition worsened?

52. Around 150 troops from China and which other nation were involved in a border-crossing skirmish during May of 2020, with many fearing the conflict may escalate?

53. A fossilised relative of which arthropods, known for their many pairs of legs, was discovered in the Outer Hebrides, pushing back the oldest-known land animals to at least 425 million years ago?

54. On May 16th, which European sports league became the first major competition to resume since pausing in early March?

55. Protests broke out across the United States following the killing of the unarmed George Floyd by police in which major city?

56. Canadian musician Grimes and which South African tech entrepreneur announced they had named their child X Æ A-Xii?

57. What country in Central America became the first in the region to legalise same-sex marriage?

58. New legislation, seen by many observers to be limiting to civil liberties and democracy, was introduced in which Chinese Special Administrative Region, removing its existing 'one country, two systems' rule?

59. An annular type of which event was observed in the sky above much of the world on June 21st?

60. Micheál Martin succeeded Leo Varadkar as Taoiseach of which European nation as part of a three-party power-sharing government?