Can You Pass This General Knowledge Quiz From the Year 2000?

Jonnathan Chadwick

Image: Francesco Carta fotografo / Moment / Getty Images

About This Quiz

The year 2000 can best be described as the year that we — humanity as a whole — realized we had no idea how the world was about to change. One of the first omens was the fate of the website,, which was launched in 1998. It was the perfect website at a time when everybody wanted a website. It had big-name backers. It had a mascot. It had a float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. It had a commercial in the 2000 Super Bowl. It had millions and millions in funding and in February of 2000, it went public with an IPO price of $11 a share. The main problem was that it didn't have a business plan, and in November of that same year, the company's stock price fell to $0.19 a share. The company liquidated everything and nobody had a clue where it all went wrong. 

Everything changed once 2000 hit. The years sped up, the globe got hotter, the Internet got cooler, populations increased and attention spans dwindled. It was supposed to be the year of flying cars and moving sidewalks, but we settled for clunky cell phones and free music. Tiger Woods was at the peak of his career. Britney Spears was up and coming. Michael Jordan finally stopped playing basketball. Beyonce was in a girl group. The dot-com bubble was about to burst.  The country held the tightest presidential election in history. And we were in for a world of change. What do you know about the year 2000?

Tom Hanks grew a beard and befriended a volleyball in what blockbuster film from 2000?

Tom Hanks played a FedEx employee who landed on deserted island after his plane crashed during a storm. He spent four years on the island and became best friends with his volleyball, Wilson, before finally being rescued.

Actress Julia Roberts won the Best Actress award at every major award show for her 2000 portrayal of what California legal clerk?

Julia Roberts won a bunch of awards for her portrayal of California legal clerk Erin Brokovich in the movie "Erin Brokovich." The movie was based on a true story about a legal battle against an energy company in California. The real Brokovich made a cameo in the film.

The U.S. would soon be at war with Iraq. Who was the President of Iraq in 2000?

Saddam Hussein was President of Iraq from 1979 until his capture in Operation Red Dawn in 2003. President George W. Bush had earlier given Hussein and his sons 48 hours to leave Iraq and threatened military action if they didn't.

Charlie Brown is the main character of what comic strip that ran from 1950 to 2000?

Legendary cartoonist Charles M. Schultz passed away on February 12, 2000 and the final Peanuts strip appeared in print the next day. The Peanuts strip ran for 50 years and followed Charlie Brown and his group of friends.

Ben Stiller starred as a boyfriend meeting his girlfriend's family for the first time in what comedy hit of the year?

Meet the Parents was a comedy classic that spawned two sequels and countless pop culture references. Ben Stiller teamed up with Owen Wilson for the first time, and Robert De Niro showed off his comedic chops in a classic role.

What computer bug threatened to flip the entire universe on its head on January 1, 2000?

The Y2K Bug was supposed to cause mass chaos around the world on the notion that computer systems everywhere — from banking accounts to elevators — would misread the year 2000 as 1900 by reading just the last two digits. More than $300 billion was spent on updates to prevent the issue.

No golfer won three major championships in the same year since 1953 until who did it in the year 2000?

Tiger Woods left Stanford University and turned pro in 1996. He won his first major — The Masters — in 1997, and by 2000 he had achieved the career Grand Slam. That year he also won six consecutive tournaments on the PGA Tour, which was the longest streak since 1948.

Who was hired to coach the New England Patriots on January 4, 2000?

Pete Carroll was fired by the Patriots after the 1999 season but Bill Belichick wasn't available. He was actually the head coach of the New York Jets in 2000, but he resigned just one day into his job and was hired by the New England Patriots shortly after.

The Playstation 2 is the best-selling video game console of all time. Where was it first released?

The Playstation 2 console was released in America just before Halloween in 2000 and went on to sell close to 160 million units and more than 1.5 billion video games worldwide. Japan was the first place it was released.

The American Dialect Society's word of the year was this word that defined a scrap piece of paper punched from a voting card.

The biggest story of 2000 was the presidential election and the controversy of the "hanging chad," which was the scrap piece of paper that was supposed to fall off a voting card after being punched out, but instead hung on by a thread and created a multitude of issues when it came time to count votes.

In 2000 Hilary Clinton became the first First Lady of the United States to win public office. What position was she elected to?

In the November 2000 elections, Hillary Clinton was elected as the first female Senator of New York. She defeated Republican candidate Rick Lazio with 55% of the vote, although she was criticized for never having lived in New York. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio was her campaign manager.

Blockbuster turned down a chance to buy what digital company for $50 million?

In 2000 Netflix was a company that mailed DVDs to people. According to Blockbuster, it was too niche, and Blockbuster management turned down an offer to buy the company in 2000 for $50 million. Today, Netflix is flourishing and Blockbuster is defunct.

George W. Bush officially became president in 2001. Who was president in 2000?

Bill Clinton was the 42nd President of the United States and served from 1993 to 2001. In 1998 he became just the second president to ever be impeached, and in 1999 he was acquitted.

The 2000 NBA Finals went six games. Who were NBA Champions in 2000?

The Los Angeles Lakers — led by Shaq (MVP) and Kobe — defeated the Indiana Pacers 4-2 in the 2000 NBA Finals. The Lakers would go on to beat the Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Nets in the next two championships to complete the three-peat.

Which of these athletes once again returned to the NBA, this time as a part-time owner of the Washington Wizards?

Michael Jordan played 15 seasons in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards. He retired in 1993 and returned in 1995 for the Chicago Bulls. In 1999 he retired a second time, and in 2000 he returned a second time, but this time as a part-owner of the Wizards.

What is the name of the Cuban citizen who was famously seized by U.S. officials in Miami as a little boy and returned to his father in Cuba?

In 1999, Elian Gonzalez's mother drowned while escaping to America. Gonzalez made it and authorities placed him with relatives in Miami, but his father in Cuba wanted him back. Federal agents raided the home where he was staying and returned him to Cuba by June of 2000.

In 2018 the Oxford English Dictionary added the word "stan," meaning an obsessive fan. What rapper released the hit song "Stan" about a crazed fan in the year 2000?

The word "stan" is sometimes retroactively defined as a portmanteau of stalker and fan, but it originated from Eminem's hit song "Stan," which is about a crazed and obsessed fan named Stan. The song appeared on the Eminem's third album, The Marshall Mathers LP.

What was the population of the United States in the year 2000?

The 22nd U.S. Census was taken on April 1, 2000 and revealed the U.S. population to be 281,421,906. California, Texas and New York were the three most populous states in the country, and California became the first state to have more than 30 million residents

George W. Bush defeated Al Gore in the closest U.S. Presidential Election in history. How long did it take to finally tally the votes?

The election was held on November 7th and recounting continued for a month until the U.S. Supreme Court ended the recount and a few days later ruled to completely end the recount, giving the state of Florida, and the election, to George W. Bush.

The average price for a gallon of gas in 2018 was $2.72. How much did a gallon of gas cost in the year 2000?

A gallon of gas in 2000 cost about $1.50 on average. The average cost per gallon first crack $3.00 in 2008 and it peaked at $3.64 in 2012. It gradually fell since then, but began approaching the three-dollar mark again in 2019.

"Outwit. Outplay. Outlast" is the slogan for what TV show that premiered in the year 2000?

Survivor has been going strong since 2000, airing more than 500 episodes over 38 seasons with a 39th season scheduled for 2019. The show follows a group of strangers trapped on a deserted island who get voted out one by one by castmates.

Which of these movies premiered in May of 2000 and went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2001?

Ridley Scott's epic about a Roman gladiator starred Russell Crowe in the lead role and earned him the Oscar for Best Actor. The film debuted in Los Angeles in May of 2000 and won the Best Picture Oscar as well as many other awards.

The 2000 MLB World Series was known as the Subway Series. What team did the New York Yankees defeat?

Derek Jeter won MVP of the series and the Yankees defeated the Mets in five games. It was the first Subway Series since the New York Yankees defeated the Brooklyn Dodgers (4-3) in 1956. The Dodgers had beat the Yankees for the title the year before.

The 26th season of Saturday Night Live began in October of 2000. Which of these stars joined the cast that season?

Tina Fey began writing sketches for SNL in 1997 and when Cheri Oteri, Colin Quinn and Tim Meadows left the show in 2000, she joined the cast. She appeared in sketches and sat alongside Jimmy Fallon as co-anchor of Weekend Update.

Where were the last Olympic Games of the 20th century held?

The 2000 Summer Games were known as the Millennium Olympics and were the last games of the 20th century. The Games were held in Sydney and it was the first appearance for Michael Phelps, who qualified at age 15.

Heavy metal band Metallica filed a lawsuit against what music-sharing company for sharing their music?

Napster was released in 1999 and by 2000 it was revolutionizing the music industry. When rock band Metallic saw an unreleased song of theirs being shared on the network, they decided to take legal action. Napster shut down in 2001 and then was revived in various ways years later.

What NFL quarterback played his last NFL game in 2000?

Dan Marino joined the NFL in 1983 and played his last game on January 16, 2000, when the Dolphins lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars 62 - 7 in the second round of the playoffs. Marino never won a Super Bowl but held 40 records when he retired and is considered one of the best quarterbacks ever.

From 1997 to 2007, seven Harry Potter books were released. Which book was released in 2000?

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was the fourth book in the Harry Potter series and was released in 2000. The book went on to win several awards and earn rave reviews, and its movie adaptation earned close to $1 billion worldwide.

Who won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist?

Christina Aguilera beat Britney Spears, Macy Gray and Kid Rock to take home the Best New Artist Award at the 2000 Grammy Awards. She had released two studio albums up until that point and released her third later that year.

Which of these countries officially reached a population of 1 billion citizens in the year 2000?

The government of India designated May 11, 2000 as the day the country reached 1 billion citizens. India was, and still is, the second most populous country in the world, behind China, which counted 1.2 billion citizens that year.

With legal issues mounting from the U.S. government, what tech titan stepped down from his position as CEO?

Bill Gates stepped down as CEO of Microsoft at the beginning of 2000 and Steve Balmer took over the postion. Gates said the move had nothing to do with the company's legal issues, but within a year the company was found guilty of unlawful monopolization.

What was the best-selling cell phone of 2000?

Nokia made the most popular cell phones for several years and the 3310 sold 126 million units worldwide in the year 2000, making it one the best selling cell phones ever. The first Blackberry device was released in 1999 and became the dominant smartphone the first decade of the 21st century.

Time Warner was sold to what popular online service provider, completing one of the largest corporate mergers ever?

America Online was at the center of the Internet universe during the 1990s, and by 2000 it was part of one of largest corporate mergers ever when it purchased Time Warner for $164 billion. Time Warner got out of the deal by 2009.

What U.S. state became the first in the country to legalize same-sex civil unions?

In 2000 Vermont became the first state in the country to introduce same-sex civil unions and the state legalized same-sex marriage in 2009. Massachusetts and Connecticut were the first states to legalize same-sex marriage.

The NFL held its 34th Super Bowl on January 30, 2000. What team won?

Super Bowl XXXIV took place on January 30, 2000 in Atlanta and the St. Louis Rams defeated the Tennessee Titans 23-16. Kurt Warner was the MVP and it was the first Super Bowl victory in Rams history. It was the first Super Bowl appearance for the Titans.

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