Fact files

Years

When books, inventions, companies and events happened.

Year questions ask when something was published, founded, invented or completed. The note gives the specific event the year refers to. Our guide to guessing years explains how to date things you only half remember.

Below are 24 questions from this category of the Catamount question bank, with the answer and the note that explains it. Figures are rounded, commonly cited values. Try guessing before you read the answer.

In what year did the Salem witch trials take place?

1692 · Massachusetts Bay Colony trials

In what year was the Alaska Purchase from Russia completed?

1867 · Bought for 7.2 million dollars

In what year did the Meiji Restoration begin in Japan?

1868 · Imperial rule restored

In what year did Amazon.com open for business online?

1995 · Started as an online bookstore

In what year did the Chicago Cubs end their 108-year World Series drought?

2016 · Beat Cleveland in seven

In what year did the Cuban Missile Crisis occur?

1962 · Superpower standoff in October

In what year did the Chernobyl nuclear disaster occur?

1986 · Reactor explosion in Ukraine

In what year was Hong Kong handed over to China?

1997 · Handover on July 1

In what year did SpaceX Crew Dragon first carry astronauts to orbit?

2020 · Demo-2 mission in May

In what year was smallpox declared eradicated?

1980 · WHO announcement

In what year was WhatsApp founded?

2009 · Messaging app

In what year did Lost premiere on ABC?

2004 · Premiered September 2004

In what year was Rolling Stone magazine founded?

1967 · Founded in San Francisco

In what year was the Beatles' first single, Love Me Do, released?

1962 · Released October 1962

In what year did Spain win its first World Cup?

2010 · Beat the Netherlands

In what year was Orson Welles' Citizen Kane released?

1941 · Often ranked among the best films

In what year was the first Super Bowl played?

1967 · January 15.

In what year did Super Mario Bros. come out?

1985 · Japan, September 1985.

In what year was the Ford Mustang introduced?

1964 · Unveiled April 1964

In what year did Eli Whitney patent the cotton gin?

1793 · Revolutionized cotton processing

In what year did the Curiosity rover land on Mars?

2012 · Landed in Gale Crater

In what year was the first Sonic the Hedgehog game released?

1991 · Sega Genesis

In what year did James Chadwick discover the neutron?

1932 · Cambridge physicist

In what year was Back to the Future released?

1985 · Released July 1985