About This Quiz
As soon as World War II ended, the United States saw a boom of babies. Babies were being born everywhere at a faster rate than ever before. In 1940, there were about 19 births for every 1,000 Americans. The war ended in 1945, and in 1948, there was an average of 26 births for every 1,000 Americans. By 1950, the population had grown by at least 2.3 million. The term "baby boomer" wasn't publicly printed until 1963 when all those babies starting enrolling in college in massive numbers. The baby boomer population peaked close to 79 million, and today it is the largest generation on the planet. Millennials are set to take the crown in the 2020s, but as of now, baby boomers are king.
So what did all these baby boomers do? Well, for one, their parents were the Greatest Generation, so they came from excellent pedigree. After that, they've had their hands in almost every significant advancement of the past half-century. The World Wide Web? A baby boomer invented it. The iPhone? A baby boomer also invented it. The MLB home run record? A baby boomer holds it. The NFL touchdowns record? It's also held by a baby boomer. The USB port, free shipping, DNA fingerprinting, artificial hearts, Segways and synthetic skin? They were all created by baby boomers. Baby boomers are everywhere. But can you name the most influential baby boomers based on a screenshot? Let's find out.
Only Oprah Winfrey has made more money than Ellen DeGeneres with her talk show duties. Ellen starred in her own sitcom for four years and has been hosting her daytime talk show since 2003. At one time, she also held the record for most re-tweeted Tweet.
Meryl Streep has been nominated for 21 Academy Awards and 30 Golden Globes, both of which are records. She has won three Oscars, eight Golden Globes and the Cecil B. DeMille Award. Katharine Hepburn and Jack Nicholson are tied for second with 12 Oscar nominations.
Howard Stern began working in radio while still a student at Boston University. Today he is considered one of the most successful radio show hosts of all time. He has been at the center of controversy for years but has never stopped doing radio.
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Hillary Clinton became the first female senator from New York in 2000. She was re-elected in 2006 and today is one of the most famous politicians in the world. She was also the first woman to win the presidential nomination for a major political party.
Eddie Murphy is one of the most famous comedians in the world, and he has been working in Hollywood for decades. His voice is iconic and can be identified almost instantly. He has portrayed a wide variety of comedic roles in his career and is still going strong.
Cher's career started when she dropped out of high school, moved to Los Angeles and met Sony Bono. She was 16. He was 27. Three years later, they recorded the hit "I Got You Babe," and the rest is history.
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Whoopi Goldberg has hosted the Oscars four times. In 1994, she became the first solo woman and first solo African American to host the ceremony. She most recently hosted in 2002. Only three women and three African Americans have ever hosted the award show by themselves.
Madonna rose to fame in the 1980s with her edgy pop performances and lyrics. She became the Queen of Pop while at the top of her game and claims upwards of 300 million unit sales worldwide. Only a few artists have sold more.
Stephen King has published more than 60 books and more than 200 short stories since he began writing in the '70s. He's a master of horror and can write ghost stories like "The Shining," or realistic horror stories like "The Shawshank Redemption" equally well.
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Between 1991 and 1996, Michael Jordan didn't lose three games in a row. He three-peated twice in the NBA Finals, was named NBA MVP five times, was selected to the All-Star team 14 times, and won Defensive Player of the Year in 1988. His influence on pop culture is unmatched.
Katie Couric co-hosted NBC's "Today" show for nearly 20 years. She became the first solo female news anchor to host a major nightly broadcast when she accepted a role with CBS in 2006. She had been inducted into the Television Hall of Fame two years earlier.
Oprah Winfrey has made much more money than any other talk show host in American history. She first appeared on the Forbes list of billionaires in 2003 and today is worth more than $2.5 billion. The second wealthiest TV host has made about $450 million.
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Arianna Huffington founded the Huffington Post in the early 2000s with the help of some internet experts. The publication sold for more than $300 million just six years after it debuted. Huffington is considered one of the most powerful voices in media.
With close to 200 acting credits to his name, it seems like Samuel L. Jackson has been in every movie. His movies have made more than $16 billion worldwide and more than $7 billion in the United States.
The sheep that was cloned in 1996 was named Dolly after Dolly Parton. According the the scientist who named the sheep, Dolly was born from cells found in the mammary gland, and that made him think of Dolly Parton.
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Very few people in Hollywood can be funny for decade after decade without talking about sex or swearing in their material. In addition to the hit show, "Seinfeld," Jerry Seinfeld is known for his extensive collection of rare cars.
John Stewart hosted Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" for more than 15 years. The show went on to find tremendous success and win dozens of awards under Stewart's leadership. He retired in 2015 to focus on himself and issues close to him.
Steven Spielberg has created too many classics to list a best one. Many of his movies go on to shatter box office expectations and gross worldwide record numbers. He's the highest-grossing director in history and is worth more than $3 billion.
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Dale Earnhardt got into a fatal crash at the 2001 Daytona 500. It was the last lap of the race. His son, Dale Earnhardt Jr., finished in second place. Earnhardt Sr. was fighting for third. The crash didn't look graphic, but Earnhardt died instantly due to brain injuries.
Tom Hanks is one of the most beloved celebrities in America. He won back-to-back Oscars for his roles in "Philadelphia" and "Forrest Gump." In 2019, he took on the role of possibly the only other celebrity more beloved than him, Mister Rogers.
Condoleezza Rice was the National Security Advisor under George W. Bush and during the 9/11 attacks. She was also the first female, first African American and youngest provost of Stanford University when she accepted the position in 1993.
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Sarah Palin went from governor of the country's third least-populous state to one of the most famous politicians in the world overnight. She shot to fame after John McCain selected her as his running mate in the 2008 election.
Meredith Vieira is widely known for taking over Katie Couric's role when Couric left the "Today" show in 2006. Before that, Vieira, along with Barbara Walters and Star Jones, started "The View" on ABC. The show has been airing ever since.
Billy Joel began performing in the mid 60's. He released his album, "Piano Man," in 1973 and has been defined by the album's title song ever since. He has sold more than 150 million units worldwide and is one of the best-selling American solo artists of all time.
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Sonia Sotomayor grew up in the Bronx and graduated from Princeton and Yale University. Before becoming a Supreme Court justice, she helped litigate against counterfeiters in New York City. She even joined the police on a couple of raids.
Bruce Springsteen achieved success with his first album in 1975, but his 1984 album, "Born in the U.S.A," shot him to international superstardom. It also cemented his legacy. He was born and raised in New Jersey and still lives there today.
Marcia Clark rose to fame appearing on television sets across the country during the O.J. Simpson murder trial. She ultimately lost, and the star lawyer on the defense team, Johnny Cochran, became more famous.
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Tom Cruise is one of the biggest stars in Hollywood to have never won an Oscar. He has starred in dozens of blockbuster hits and even turned down the role of "Iron Man," which has gone on to gross billions worldwide.
Steve Jobs was no Steve Wozniak, but he was just as vital to Apple's success. Jobs dedicated much of his time and energy into creating the iPhone. It's considered by many to be his brainchild. It debuted in 2007, and no tech debut has influenced the world as much ever since.
Vanna White was so popular in the 1980s that "Vannamania" was a thing. She has one of the most significant jobs in Hollywood as the hostess of "Wheel of Fortune" and is under contract until 2022. The Guinness Book of World Records estimated she has clapped on TV more than 3 million times.
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Princess Diana was just 36 years old when she died in a car crash. Her driver was attempting to flee the paparazzi when he lost control of the vehicle. Princess Diana's friend, Dodi Fayed, and her driver, Henri Paul, died in the crash. Her bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, survived the crash.
Wayne Gretzky is widely considered the greatest hockey player of all time. His No. 99 is the only number retired across the entire NHL. His last game was at Madison Square Garden in 1999 where the lyrics to the Star Spangled Banner were changed to "the land of Wayne Gretzky" instead of "the land of the free."
Amazon revolutionized shipping and introduced the world to free shipping. Bezos founded the company as an online book store in 1994. The online retailer quickly expanded to sell just about everything, and Bezos is today one of the richest people in the world.
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Barry Bonds controversially broke the MLB home run record in 2007 when he hit his 756th home run. He finished his career with 762 home runs but is most remembered for being the poster boy of MLB's steroid era.
Tim Berners-Lee didn't create the internet, but he created the World Wide Web, which is the information system that allows regular people to enjoy everything that is on the internet. Berners-Lee created the World Wide Web in 1989 and coded his first web browser in 1990.
Bill Gates famously dropped out of Harvard University to create Microsoft with his friend Paul Allen. Gates has been listed as one of the richest people in the world for decades. He stepped down from his CEO position in 2000.
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Jackie Joyner-Kersee was named the century's greatest female athlete by "Sports Illustrated." She won 15 major medals in total, including three Olympic golds and gold in every World Championship she entered.
"The Simpsons" debuted in 1989 and has since become the longest-running sitcom in American television history. Homer Simpson's iconic exclamation, "D'oh," was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2001. The Simpsons live in the fictional town of Springfield.
Jerry Rice holds more than 100 NFL records and has won three Super Bowls. He has the record for most touchdowns, most receptions and most receiving yards in history. No other player comes close to holding as many records as him.
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No tennis player has made more finals appearances than Chris Evert with 34. She won 18 grand slams between 1974 and 1986 and has won each grand slam multiple times. She also won seven French Open tournaments.