Intense Weekend Quiz: Billionaires, Capitol 2021, Change

Since January 2021, Elon Musk, Bernard Arnaul, and Jeff Bezos have been switching places at the lead on Forbes’ real-time tracker of the world’s wealthiest people. In January 2021, Bloomberg reported Elon Musk edged past Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to grab the world’s richest person. After briefly dropping to No. 2, Bezos regained the No.1 spot for about four months, from mid-January until May. Musk, meanwhile, was overtaken by Arnault and dropped down to third place for months beginning in April. In May, Louis Vitton owner Arnault first became the world’s richest person after acquiring jeweler Tiffany & Co. By October, Musk returned to lead the table with an estimated $199.8 billion net worth. As of June 2022, Musk’s net worth is valued at $224 billion.

In October 2020, billionaire Jack Ma criticized China’s banking rules. Chinese regulators recently began cracking down on Ma’s business empire. Ma has not been seen publicly since then. Ma may be in Hangzhou, where Alibaba’s headquarters are.

• Listen and read Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built by Duncan Clark in Audible, Kindle, or print. 

The word ‘Capitol’ originates in Latin and refers to Jupiter Optimus Maximus’s Temple on Capitoline Hill, Rome‘s seven hills. Thomas Jefferson insisted on naming the American legislative building ‘Capitol’ rather than ‘Congress House.’

The 2021 Capitol Riots

Rioters supporting former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, occupying parts of the building for several hours. The riots, incited by Trump, disrupted a joint session of Congress to certify Joe Biden’s  2020 election win.

The Capitol riots of Jan. 6, 2021, overshadowed Georgia’s election of the same day. Nonetheless, it saw historical results. Raphael Warnock became the first African-American to represent Georgia in the United States Senate. He’s also the first Black Democrat to be elected to the Senate from a Southern state. Jon Ossoff became the first Millennial senator of the US.

Canadian singer The Weeknd sports some disturbing alterations to his face — seemingly, extreme plastic surgery — in the video for his new song, “Save Your Tears,” that premiered Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021. Prosthetic Renaissance, a makeup effects studio, took credit for the transformation on social media, where The Weekend’s video naturally spurred some emotional discussions.

January 2021’s Future State: The Next Batman miniseries, penned by Oscar-winning screenwriter John Ridley (12 Years a Slave), introduces Tim Fox as the first Black character to wear the Batsuit.

Julian Assange is the Australian founder of WikiLeaks. A British judge blocked Assange’s extradition to the United States, where he was to face criminal charges, including breaking a spying law, on Monday, Jan. 4, 2021. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Assange is ‘free to return home’ to Australia. Mexico offered Assange political asylum.

Greta Thunberg was born in Sweden.

News Fact

The Swedish-born environmental activist celebrated her 18th birthday on Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021. In an interview for the Sunday Times magazine, she said her ideal birthday present would be replacement headlights for her bike, explaining: “In Sweden, it gets very dark in the winter.”

Gina Haspel is the former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) between 2018 and 2021. She is the first woman to hold the post permanently. The CIA launched a new website Monday, Jan. 4, 2021, to find candidates who will ensure the US premier intelligence agency workforce reflects its national demographics. 

• Listen and read The Spymasters: How the CIA’s Directors Shape History and Guard the Future by New York Times best-selling author Chris Whipple on Audible, Kindle, or print.
• Audible Plus: Listen to thousands of Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts. Start your free trial now.

Nancy Pelosi is the only woman in U.S. history to serve as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. Pelosi was narrowly re-elected speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives on Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021. As House speaker, Pelosi, 80,  is second in the presidential line of succession, after the vice president.

• Listen and Read Pelosi, an intimate perspective on the most powerful woman in American political history, by award-winning political journalist Molly Ball, in Audible, Kindle, print.
• Audible Plus: Listen to thousands of Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts. Start your free trial now.

As Chuck Schumer, 70, becomes Senate majority leader, the Brooklyn native who started his political career at age 23, becomes the first Jewish Senate majority leader and the first from New York.