Season 240

The following events all took place in which year?
Shinzo Abe is assassinated in Nara, Japan.
The defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard reaches a verdict.
Mahsa Amini’s death sparks the "Woman, Life, Freedom" protests in Iran.
NASA releases the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope.
Tom Cruise returns in the massive box-office hit Top Gun: Maverick.

Heavily backed by Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, which decentralized service uses blockchain technology to allow users to trade on real-world outcomes such as elections, scientific breakthroughs, and court rulings?
Often cited as being more accurate than traditional polling institutes, the platform has nonetheless faced significant controversy and fines from U.S. regulators.

Which bestselling novel is told in the first person from the perspective of a teenage boy with autism who investigates the death of a neighbor’s dog, uncovering complex truths about his family in the process?
Written by Mark Haddon and first published in 2003, its title comes from a Sherlock Holmes remark about a clue that lies in what didn’t happen.

Which optical phenomenon occurs when layers of air at different temperatures bend light rays, often creating the illusion of a pool of water on a hot road?
Its name comes from the French for 'to look at' and is shared by a famous line of Dassault fighter jets.

Which 1968 Beatles single was written to comfort a young boy during his parents’ separation and became the band's longest-running number-one hit in the US?
Its emotional build-up and iconic singalong coda helped cement it as one of the band’s most beloved anthems.

Marking a historic first, the 2026 Winter Olympics are officially hosted by two distinct cities: Milan and which ski resort town?
Known as the Pearl of the Dolomites and famous for the ski chase in the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only, this co-host previously staged the Winter Games in 1956.

Which ancient city-state, founded by Phoenician settlers near modern-day Tunis, grew into a powerful maritime trading empire across the western Mediterranean?
A key rival of Rome, it was ultimately destroyed in the Third Punic War after a series of legendary conflicts including Hannibal's campaign through Italy.

Starring Omar Sharif as a physician-poet caught in the turmoil of the Russian Revolution, which 1965 epic was directed by David Lean?
Based on Boris Pasternak’s banned novel, the film won five Oscars and is immortalized by Maurice Jarre’s haunting Lara’s Theme.

Coined in the 1990s by a U.S. policy think tank, which two-word term describes the dynamic range of ideas considered acceptable in public discourse, often referenced in political strategy to explain how policies like school vouchers can shift from unthinkable to mainstream through gradual reframing?

Which traditional winter ritual, performed primarily during the Twelve Days of Christmas or Epiphany, features elaborately costumed figures ringing bells to drive out winter spirits?
Distinct from the Krampus tradition, these ‘Schön’ and ‘Schiach’ figures roam the Alpine regions of Austria and Bavaria.

Which ship became the first to circumnavigate the globe when it returned to Spain in 1522, completing a voyage originally led by Ferdinand Magellan and proving the roundness of the Earth in practice?
The only survivor of a five-vessel fleet, it carried just 18 of the original crew after nearly three years at sea.

Which traditional British cap, originally worn for countryside pursuits, features dual brims and side flaps that can be tied over the crown or beneath the chin?
It became famously associated with Sherlock Holmes after illustrator Sidney Paget gave the detective this distinctive headgear, despite it never appearing in Conan Doyle’s original stories.

Which landmark trade agreement seeks to eliminate tariffs between the European Union and the South American nations of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay?
Despite a narrow vote in January 2026 sending the deal to the EU Court of Justice for review, officials are still targeting provisional application by March.

Which winter team sport, played on a large ice field about the size of a football pitch, uses a ball instead of a puck and curved sticks to score goals?
Popular in Russia and Scandinavia, it features 11 players per side, two 45-minute halves, and a penalty system utilizing blue and white cards to send players to a "sin bin".