2525 - Fortnight 5 - Annum 9
Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2026 9:30 pm
2525 - Fortnight 5 - Annum 9
April 9, 2026
In the year...
Follow the instructions after each event listed below. Two points for each correct answer:
E1 - Space probes are launched 16 days apart, beginning humanity’s exploration of the outer solar system.
Name the probes (____ 1 and 2)
E2 - Many notable folks were born this year. Identify these four from a short clue.
- QB in 10 Super Bowls
- Buffy
- "Waiting on the World to Change" singer
- AKA Ye
- Undefeated boxing champion
E3 - Many landmark movies were released this year. Identify these five based on a short summary:
- A young man from a desert planet joins a group of rebels, including a roguish smuggler and a wise old warrior, to rescue a princess and destroy a massive super weapon controlled by an evil galactic empire.
- An ordinary man becomes obsessed with a mysterious vision after a strange experience, eventually joining a group of believers who make first contact with alien visitors at a remote mountain landmark.
- A young man from a working-class Brooklyn neighborhood escapes his dead-end life by becoming the king of the local disco dance floor, but eventually must confront the emptiness of that world and his own future.
- A neurotic New York comedian reflects on the rise and fall of his relationship with a quirky, free-spirited woman, exploring why love so often fails to last.
- A divorced dancer and her young daughter are forced to share their New York apartment with an eccentric actor, and despite a rocky start, romance slowly blossoms between them.
Which of these movies eventually went onto win the Best Picture Oscar?
E4 - A Southern governor is inaugurated as president.
Name this new commander in chief.
Name his Vice President.
Name the candidate he defeated a few months earlier.
Identify all candidates as Dem or Rep.
Identify all candidates as Dead or Alive.
E5 - Many memorable TV shows premiered this year. Identify these five each from an AI-generated haiku:
- "Your name is Toby"
he answered with silence first—
Kunta, still Kunta
- One man, two women
landlord knocks, eyebrow raised high—
innocence denied
- Confused? You won't be
the announcer lied to us—
we were always lost
- Lab accident glows
gamma rays rewrite the man
green grief has no cure
- Two cops, one highway
America needed this—
simple, fast, and warm
Provide the network for each show.
E6 - We are on to books, next. Identify these five releases from a short summary:
- A struggling writer and recovering alcoholic takes a job as the off-season caretaker of an isolated hotel, where supernatural forces slowly drive him to madness and violence while his young psychic son fights to survive.
- A sweeping mythological account of the creation of the world and the epic struggles between gods, elves, and dark powers across the ancient ages of a fantasy universe, forming the foundational lore behind a beloved fantasy trilogy.
- A sweeping multi-generational family saga set in the Australian Outback, following a woman's lifelong forbidden passion for an ambitious Catholic priest against a backdrop of hardship, sacrifice, and tragedy.
- A collection of thousands of fascinating, quirky, and surprising ranked groupings covering history, science, entertainment, and human behavior, compiled as an endlessly browsable reference and trivia book.
- A self-help guide arguing that people can take control of their emotional well-being by identifying and changing self-defeating thought patterns and beliefs that hold them back from happiness and fulfillment.
Bonus: Name the author(s) of each book
E7 - This year was filled with awesome rock groups and equally awesome releases. Identify these bands from a word salad summary:
- This band had transformed from a British blues outfit into one of the biggest rock acts in the world, with a newer American lineup whose tangled personal relationships and romantic tensions among the members fueled the creation of their most celebrated and best-selling album.
- This American jazz-rock group had established themselves as meticulous studio perfectionists, assembling the finest session musicians to craft their most sophisticated and critically acclaimed album, a sleek and elegantly produced masterpiece that blended rock, jazz, and pop into something entirely their own.
- This flamboyant British rock band had evolved into one of the world's most electrifying and theatrical live acts, balancing hard rock, prog, and pop with remarkable versatility, and their album this year delivered two of the most iconic crowd-participation anthems in rock history while also showcasing the band's signature blend of operatic vocals, layered harmonies, and arena-filling guitar work.
- A scrappy New York singer-songwriter-pianist spent years struggling for commercial success despite critical praise, and his fifth album marked a major turning point as he teamed with a new producer to craft a polished yet soulful record that ranged from sweeping romantic ballads to driving rock to jazz-influenced storytelling, finally earning him the wide audience his talent had long deserved and launching him into the upper tier of American rock stardom.
- These British prog-rock legends had already spent a decade pushing rock music into bold new conceptual and sonic territory, and their latest album represented a leaner, angrier departure from their more expansive earlier work, stripping away some of the lush orchestration in favor of lengthy, brooding guitar-driven pieces that served as a sharp and cynical commentary on greed, corruption, and the dehumanizing forces of modern society, hinting at the even more ambitious and personal work that would follow in the years ahead.
Identify the album each act released this annum.
E8 - Two plays were popular this year, one opening and the other closing after 936 performances. Identify each from a short summary and indicate which one was opening and which was closing.
- A plucky, red-haired orphan girl living in a harsh Depression-era orphanage captures the heart of a wealthy industrialist, moves into his mansion, searches for her missing parents, and ultimately finds a permanent home and family, all while delivering an irresistibly optimistic message that better days are always just around the corner.
- A sharp, cynical musical satire set in the Jazz Age that follows two women who become celebrity criminals after committing murder, skewering the American justice system, media sensationalism, and the public's obsession with fame through dazzling Bob Fosse choreography and a wickedly entertaining vaudeville-style staging.
E9 - The MLB World Series featured a west coast team versus an east coast team. The highlight of the series came in game six when the slugger from the winning team hit three home runs in three consecutive at bats off of three different pitchers on three consecutive pitches.
Name the series winning team.
Name the losing team.
Name the 3-3-3-3 guy.
Name the oft-fired manager who got his only WS win.
What year did events E1 thru E9 take place? (Five points)
Total points: 69
April 9, 2026
In the year...
Follow the instructions after each event listed below. Two points for each correct answer:
E1 - Space probes are launched 16 days apart, beginning humanity’s exploration of the outer solar system.
Name the probes (____ 1 and 2)
E2 - Many notable folks were born this year. Identify these four from a short clue.
- QB in 10 Super Bowls
- Buffy
- "Waiting on the World to Change" singer
- AKA Ye
- Undefeated boxing champion
E3 - Many landmark movies were released this year. Identify these five based on a short summary:
- A young man from a desert planet joins a group of rebels, including a roguish smuggler and a wise old warrior, to rescue a princess and destroy a massive super weapon controlled by an evil galactic empire.
- An ordinary man becomes obsessed with a mysterious vision after a strange experience, eventually joining a group of believers who make first contact with alien visitors at a remote mountain landmark.
- A young man from a working-class Brooklyn neighborhood escapes his dead-end life by becoming the king of the local disco dance floor, but eventually must confront the emptiness of that world and his own future.
- A neurotic New York comedian reflects on the rise and fall of his relationship with a quirky, free-spirited woman, exploring why love so often fails to last.
- A divorced dancer and her young daughter are forced to share their New York apartment with an eccentric actor, and despite a rocky start, romance slowly blossoms between them.
Which of these movies eventually went onto win the Best Picture Oscar?
E4 - A Southern governor is inaugurated as president.
Name this new commander in chief.
Name his Vice President.
Name the candidate he defeated a few months earlier.
Identify all candidates as Dem or Rep.
Identify all candidates as Dead or Alive.
E5 - Many memorable TV shows premiered this year. Identify these five each from an AI-generated haiku:
- "Your name is Toby"
he answered with silence first—
Kunta, still Kunta
- One man, two women
landlord knocks, eyebrow raised high—
innocence denied
- Confused? You won't be
the announcer lied to us—
we were always lost
- Lab accident glows
gamma rays rewrite the man
green grief has no cure
- Two cops, one highway
America needed this—
simple, fast, and warm
Provide the network for each show.
E6 - We are on to books, next. Identify these five releases from a short summary:
- A struggling writer and recovering alcoholic takes a job as the off-season caretaker of an isolated hotel, where supernatural forces slowly drive him to madness and violence while his young psychic son fights to survive.
- A sweeping mythological account of the creation of the world and the epic struggles between gods, elves, and dark powers across the ancient ages of a fantasy universe, forming the foundational lore behind a beloved fantasy trilogy.
- A sweeping multi-generational family saga set in the Australian Outback, following a woman's lifelong forbidden passion for an ambitious Catholic priest against a backdrop of hardship, sacrifice, and tragedy.
- A collection of thousands of fascinating, quirky, and surprising ranked groupings covering history, science, entertainment, and human behavior, compiled as an endlessly browsable reference and trivia book.
- A self-help guide arguing that people can take control of their emotional well-being by identifying and changing self-defeating thought patterns and beliefs that hold them back from happiness and fulfillment.
Bonus: Name the author(s) of each book
E7 - This year was filled with awesome rock groups and equally awesome releases. Identify these bands from a word salad summary:
- This band had transformed from a British blues outfit into one of the biggest rock acts in the world, with a newer American lineup whose tangled personal relationships and romantic tensions among the members fueled the creation of their most celebrated and best-selling album.
- This American jazz-rock group had established themselves as meticulous studio perfectionists, assembling the finest session musicians to craft their most sophisticated and critically acclaimed album, a sleek and elegantly produced masterpiece that blended rock, jazz, and pop into something entirely their own.
- This flamboyant British rock band had evolved into one of the world's most electrifying and theatrical live acts, balancing hard rock, prog, and pop with remarkable versatility, and their album this year delivered two of the most iconic crowd-participation anthems in rock history while also showcasing the band's signature blend of operatic vocals, layered harmonies, and arena-filling guitar work.
- A scrappy New York singer-songwriter-pianist spent years struggling for commercial success despite critical praise, and his fifth album marked a major turning point as he teamed with a new producer to craft a polished yet soulful record that ranged from sweeping romantic ballads to driving rock to jazz-influenced storytelling, finally earning him the wide audience his talent had long deserved and launching him into the upper tier of American rock stardom.
- These British prog-rock legends had already spent a decade pushing rock music into bold new conceptual and sonic territory, and their latest album represented a leaner, angrier departure from their more expansive earlier work, stripping away some of the lush orchestration in favor of lengthy, brooding guitar-driven pieces that served as a sharp and cynical commentary on greed, corruption, and the dehumanizing forces of modern society, hinting at the even more ambitious and personal work that would follow in the years ahead.
Identify the album each act released this annum.
E8 - Two plays were popular this year, one opening and the other closing after 936 performances. Identify each from a short summary and indicate which one was opening and which was closing.
- A plucky, red-haired orphan girl living in a harsh Depression-era orphanage captures the heart of a wealthy industrialist, moves into his mansion, searches for her missing parents, and ultimately finds a permanent home and family, all while delivering an irresistibly optimistic message that better days are always just around the corner.
- A sharp, cynical musical satire set in the Jazz Age that follows two women who become celebrity criminals after committing murder, skewering the American justice system, media sensationalism, and the public's obsession with fame through dazzling Bob Fosse choreography and a wickedly entertaining vaudeville-style staging.
E9 - The MLB World Series featured a west coast team versus an east coast team. The highlight of the series came in game six when the slugger from the winning team hit three home runs in three consecutive at bats off of three different pitchers on three consecutive pitches.
Name the series winning team.
Name the losing team.
Name the 3-3-3-3 guy.
Name the oft-fired manager who got his only WS win.
What year did events E1 thru E9 take place? (Five points)
Total points: 69