#AtoZChallenge - Z is for New Zealand

January 1, 2023 - New Zealand banned the sale of tobacco for those born after 2009.

January 19, 2023 – New Zealand leader Jacinda Ardern announces her resignation.

Jan 25 Chris Hipkins is sworn in as new Prime Minister of New Zealand.

February 14, 2023 – New Zealand declared a national state of emergency after Cyclone Gabrielle causes widespread flooding and devastation across the North Island.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/13/asia/new-zealand-tobacco-ban-intl-hnk/index.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resignation_of_Jacinda_Ardern

https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/cyclone-gabrielle-causes-havoc-new-zealand-firefighter-missing-2023-02-13/

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/20/cyclone-gabrielle-new-zealand-extends-state-of-emergency

Did you get it right?

A to Z Reflections coming on Monday May 1! This Week in History coming on Tuesday May 2.

How did you do for this A to Z Challenge? Did you get at least half of them right? Tell us in the comments!

#AtoZChallenge - Y is for Great Yarmouth

February 10, 2023 - World War II bomb found in Great Yarmouth, England explodes in "unplanned" detonation as experts attempted to disarm it.

[Not the actual bomb that exploded]

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-64604115

https://www.great-yarmouth.gov.uk/article/9321/Communities-thanked-after-WWII-bomb-blast

Did you get it right?

Here’s the teaser for letter Z. Remember, it’s an event from 2022 or the first 3 months of 2023. Comment on something related to the answer without giving the exact answer. Let’s play!

#AtoZChallenge - X is for eXplosion

February 3, 2023 - Train carrying toxic chemicals derails in East Palestine, Ohio. First responders intentionally burned toxic chemicals to prevent an uncontrolled explosion.

March 24, 2023 - Chocolate factory explosion in West Reading, Pennsylvania kills seven people. One woman survived by falling into a vat of liquid chocolate.

https://www.npr.org/2023/03/14/1163580338/east-palestine-train-derailment-ohio-norfolk-southern-lawsuit

https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/Documents/RRD23MR005%20East%20Palestine%20OH%20Prelim.pdf

https://apnews.com/article/pennsylvania-chocolate-factory-explosion-survivor-c1c8e8cb8ee585db9cc9277fbb0b88e3

https://nypost.com/2023/04/01/pennsylvania-factory-explosion-survivor-on-fire-fell-into-chocolate-vat/

Did you get it right?

Here’s the teaser for letter Y. Remember, it’s an event from 2022 or the first 3 months of 2023. Comment on something related to the answer without giving the exact answer. Let’s play!

#AtoZChallenge - W is for Wordle

January 31, 2022 - Online word puzzle Wordle bought for “low seven figure sum” by The New York Times.

Words of the Year:
OED – goblin mode
Merriam-Webster – gaslighting
Dictionary.com – woman
Collins – permacrisis

Did you get it right?

Here’s the teaser for letter X. Remember, it’s an event from 2022 or the first 3 months of 2023. Comment on something related to the answer without giving the exact answer. Let’s play!

#AtoZChallenge - V is for Volcano

January 15, 2022 - Underwater volcano Hunga-Tonga Hunga-Ha'apai violently erupts near Tonga, sending a tsunami over Tonga and shock waves heard in New Zealand.

December 5, 2022 - Indonesia’s highest volcano, Mt Semeru, erupts releasing gas clouds and rivers of lava on the island of Java.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/08/weather/tonga-volcano-lightning-buffalo-snow-climate-scn/index.html

https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=243040

https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/04/asia/indonesia-semeru-volcano-erupts-intl/index.html

https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/150695/a-burst-of-activity-at-mount-semeru

Did you get it right?

Here’s the teaser for letter W. Remember, it’s an event from 2022 or the first 3 months of 2023. Comment on something related to the answer without giving the exact answer. Let’s play!

#AtoZChallenge - U is for Ukraine

February 24, 2022 - Vladimir Putin of Russia launched a full-scale pre-dawn invasion of Ukraine, bombing several cities.

https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/ukraine-russia-crisis/

https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Did you get it right?

Here’s the teaser for letter V. Remember, it’s an event from 2022 or the first 3 months of 2023. Comment on something related to the answer without giving the exact answer. Let’s play!

 

#AtoZChallenge - T is for Taliban

April 2022 - The Taliban government bans cultivation of opium in Afghanistan, which produces 80% of the world’s supply.

November 2022 – The Taliban ban women from using public parks and funfairs.

December 2022 – The Taliban ban women from university education.

https://www.npr.org/2022/06/02/1102586941/afghanistan-opium-heroin-taliban-poppy-farmers-ban

https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-taliban-women-banned-parks-bathhouses-prison/32124374.html

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2022/12/20/1144502320/the-taliban-took-our-last-hope-college-education-is-banned-for-women-in-afghanis

Did you get it right?

Here’s the teaser for letter U. Remember, it’s an event from 2022 or the first 3 months of 2023. Comment on something related to the answer without giving the exact answer. Let’s play!

This week in history #17

Last week's photos:
1906 San Francisco earthquake
1995 Oklahoma bombing
1999 Columbine school shooting
1864 "In God We Trust" on coins

Last year we looked at obscure holidays. This year, let’s look at major world events that occurred each week.  Make your best guess in the comments as to the years of each event.  No googling!

Week #17

April 24, ____ - The Library of Congress, the world’s largest library, was established in Washington, DC. Among the 145 million items in its collections are more than 33 million books, 3 million recordings, 12.5 million photographs, 5.3 million maps, 6 million pieces of sheet music and 63 million manuscripts. About 10,000 new items are added each day.

April 26, ____ – An explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine caused a meltdown of the nuclear fuel and spread a radioactive cloud into the atmosphere, eventually covering most of Europe. The plant was then encased in a solid concrete tomb to prevent the release of further radiation.

April 28, ____ - On board the British ship Bounty, Fletcher Christian led a mutiny against Captain William Bligh.

April 28, ____ - Italian partisans shot dictator Benito Mussolini, ending 23 years of Fascist rule in Italy.

#AtoZChallenge - S is for US Supreme Court

May 2, 2022 - US Supreme Court draft opinion leaks, suggesting Roe v. Wade about to be overturned.

June 23, 2022 - US Supreme Court declares a constitutional right to carry a handgun in public for self defense.

June 24, 2022 - US Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, eliminating constitutional right to choose abortion.

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/02/read-justice-alito-initial-abortion-opinion-overturn-roe-v-wade-pdf-00029504

https://abc7.com/supreme-court-concealed-handgun-ruling-california-gun-laws-new-york/11991485/

https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0

https://www.npr.org/2022/06/24/1102305878/supreme-court-abortion-roe-v-wade-decision-overturn

Did you get it right?

Here’s the teaser for letter T. Remember, it’s an event from 2022 or the first 3 months of 2023. Comment on something related to the answer without giving the exact answer. Let’s play!

#AtoZChallenge - R is for Chris Rock

March 27, 2022 – At the 94th Academy Awards: best film "CODA", best director Jane Campion, best actress Jessica Chastain, best actor Will Smith who also slaps host Chris Rock live on stage.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Smith%E2%80%93Chris_Rock_slapping_incident

https://www.insider.com/oscars-everything-chris-rock-has-said-about-will-smith-slap-2023-3

https://www.vox.com/culture/23628949/chris-rock-will-smith-oscars-slap-netflix-selective-outrage-comedy-special

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2023/mar/05/it-still-hurts-chris-rock-speaks-about-will-smith-slap-for-first-time

https://apnews.com/article/chris-rock-netflix-oscars-slap-b13e372ea8f01bacb39da49fd1bd0415

Did you get it right?

Here’s the teaser for letter S. Remember, it’s an event from 2022 or the first 3 months of 2023. Comment on something related to the answer without giving the exact answer. Let’s play!

#AtoZChallenge - Q is for Queen Elizabeth II

September 8, 2022 - Queen Elizabeth II dies at Balmoral Castle at age 96 after ruling for 70 years, the UK's longest-serving monarch. Her eldest son inherits the throne as King Charles III. While she lied in state, queues of people paying their respects extended 2.4 miles.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-61585886

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_and_state_funeral_of_Elizabeth_II

https://www.npr.org/2022/09/08/507798969/queen-elizabeth-ii-dead-balmoral

Did you get it right?

Here’s the teaser for letter R. Remember, it’s an event from 2022 or the first 3 months of 2023. Comment on something related to the answer without giving the exact answer. Let’s play!

 

#AtoZChallenge - P is for World Population

November 15, 2022 - World's population reaches 8 billion, just 11 years after passing 7 billion, though now slowing down (9 billion expected in about 2037), according to the UN.

https://www.un.org/en/dayof8billion

https://www.un.org/en/desa/world-population-reach-8-billion-15-november-2022

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/11/world-population-passes-8-billion-what-you-need-to-know/

Did you get it right?

Here’s the teaser for letter Q. Remember, it’s an event from 2022 or the first 3 months of 2023. Comment on something related to the answer without giving the exact answer. Let’s play!

#AtoZChallenge - O is for Olympics

February 4, 2022 - XXIV Olympic Winter Games open in Beijing, China, making it the first city ever to host both the Summer Olympics and Winter Olympics.

https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/beijing-2022

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Winter_Olympics

Did you get it right?

Here’s the teaser for letter P. Remember, it’s an event from 2022 or the first 3 months of 2023. Comment on something related to the answer without giving the exact answer. Let’s play!

#AtoZChallenge - N is for Nocticola pheromosa

On March 10, 2023, researchers in Singapore name newly discovered cockroach Nocticola pheromosa after the Pokemon character Pheromosa.

http://novataxa.blogspot.com/2023/03/nocticola.html

https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/nocticola-pheromosa-cockroach-named-after-pokemon-a00203-20230309

Did you get it right?

Here’s the teaser for letter O. Remember, it’s an event from 2022 or the first 3 months of 2023. Comment on something related to the answer without giving the exact answer. Let’s play!

This week in history #16

Last week's photos:
1961 Gagarin in space
1828 Webster dictionary
1865 Lincoln shot
1912 Titanic sank

Last year we looked at obscure holidays. This year, let’s look at major world events that occurred each week.  Make your best guess in the comments as to the years of each event.  No googling!

Week #16

April 18, ____ - The San Francisco Earthquake struck at 5:13am, followed by a massive fire which raged uncontrollably for three days.

April 19, ____ - At 9:02am, a massive car-bomb explosion destroyed the Alfred Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 persons, including 19 children inside a day care center.

April 20, ____ - The deadliest school shooting in US history occurred in Littleton, Colorado, when two students with guns and explosives stormed into Columbine High School, killed 12 classmates and a teacher, and wounded more than 20 others before killing themselves.

April 22, ____ - "In God We Trust" was included on all newly minted US coins by an Act of Congress.

#AtoZChallenge - M is for Elon Musk Buys Twitter

October 27, 2022 - Elon Musk buys Twitter for $44 billion.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acquisition_of_Twitter_by_Elon_Musk

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-63402338

https://abcnews.go.com/Business/timeline-elon-musks-tumultuous-twitter-acquisition-attempt/story?id=86611191

Did you get it right?

Here’s the teaser for letter N. Remember, it’s an event from 2022 or the first 3 months of 2023. Comment on something related to the answer without giving the exact answer. Let’s play!

#AtoZChallenge - L is for Los Angeles

Los Angeles becomes the first city to celebrate NBA [2020], MLB [2020], NFL [2022], and MLS [2022] championships within two years. The Super Bowl victory [2/13/22] and MLS Cup [11/5/22] are from 2022.

https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/hollywood-ending-lafc-win-legendary-mls-cup-2022-over-philadelphia-union

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/super-bowl-2022-live-score-rams-bengals-results-highlights/mfd3rzncw1p0zadw6q3qudfs 

https://www.npr.org/2022/02/13/1080509152/super-bowl-2022-winners-los-angeles-rams

Did you get it right?

Here’s the teaser for letter M. Remember, it’s an event from 2022 or the first 3 months of 2023. Comment on something related to the answer without giving the exact answer. Let’s play!