June 18 Weekly Quiz: Ronaldo, Queens, and Pride

On Saturday, June 12, 2021, Kamala Harris became the first sitting vice president to march in a Pride parade. The 56-year-old VP attended Capital Pride in Washington D.C. with her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff.

Bangor, a cathedral city and community in Gwynedd, and the oldest city in Wales, made history in this year’s local and mayoral election by appointing the first openly nonbinary mayor of any city in the world on May 10, 2021.

Who is the world's first openly nonbinary mayor?

Owen Hurcum, 23, is nonbinary, queer, and agender. They are initially from London and moved to Bangor in 2016 because they “didn’t feel safe” growing up in the British capital. “I could never be myself in London, I knew I was LGBT when I was about 12. I didn’t feel comfortable being ‘out’ in London. It was only when I came to Bangor that I became comfortable in being out,” explains Hurcum in The Guardian.

President Joe Biden signed legislation Thursday,  June 17, 2021, establishing Juneteenth as a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery, following a bipartisan Congressional bill. The legislation made Juneteenth the 12th federal holiday. Under the new law, the federal holiday is known as Juneteenth National Independence Day in all 50 states.

Before it became a federal holiday, how many states recognized Juneteenth?

Until June 2021, 48 states and Washington, D.C., recognize Juneteenth as either a state holiday or ceremonial holiday. Hawaii passed legislation on April 27, 2021, to acknowledge the holiday, but it is still waiting for Hawaii's governor to sign the bill into law. South Dakota had not recognized the holiday before it became federal.

Lin-Manuel Miranda apologized Monday, June 14, 2021, in response to criticism that Afro-Latinos were underrepresented in his new film In The Heights. The film depicts a community with Dominican, Panamanian, Cuban, and Puerto Rican ancestry, many of whom have darker skin.  "I hear that without sufficient dark-skinned Afro-Latino representation, the work feels extractive of the community we wanted so much to represent with pride and joy," Miranda wrote. He added, "I'm learning from the feedback, and I thank you for raising it, and I'm listening. I'm trying to hold space for both the incredible pride in the movie we made and be accountable for our shortcomings."

On Tuesday, June 15, 2021, Juventus forward Christiano Ronaldo became the first player to appear at five European Championships. He then became the tournament's record goalscorer, with his 10th (and then 11th) goal at the finals - surpassing Michel Platini's nine in the 1984 championship. Ronaldo then capped things off with his 106th international goal in 176 appearances.

Bonus Fact:

By the end of the championship, Ronaldo stayed one goal away from becoming the all-time men's top scorer in international soccer. He is tied with former Iran striker Ali Daei at 109 goals.

Juventus forward Christiano Ronaldo only drinks water after a game. Case in point: During a press conference in Budapest on Monday, June 14, 2021, the 36-years old Portugal captain shifted the bottles of Coca-Cola away from him, held up a bottle of water, and declared in Portuguese: “Agua!” appearing to encourage people to choose water instead.

Coca Cola share price news fact:

Coca-Cola’s share price dropped $4bn from $56.10 to $55.22 almost immediately after Ronaldo’s gesture.

Benjamin Netanyahu served in office for 15 years until 2021 and was reelected in 2023, the longest-serving Israeli prime minister. Israel’s national founder David Ben-Gurion is the previous Israeli record holder with 13 years in power.

US President Joe Biden called Prime Minister Naftali Bennett only two hours after being sworn in on Sunday, June 13, 2021. Biden took a whole month before calling former Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu after his January 20, 2021, inauguration.

During her 70 years on the British throne, the longest reign of any English monarch, there have been 14 U.S. presidents, of which Queen Elizabeth II has met all, except for Lyndon Johnson.

Biden and the Queen 2021 Fact

On Sunday, June 13, 2021, U.S. President Joe Biden and Britain's Queen Elizabeth II met at the Group of Seven leaders' summit. Biden praised the then 95-year-old British monarch saying she reminded him of his mother.

Queen Margrethe II is the queen of Denmark.

Denmark fact:

The queen of Denmark, Germany’s president, and other dignitaries from the two countries marked the centennial of Denmark’s reunification Sunday, June 13, 2021. Denmark’s reunification day commemorates June 15, 1920, when Danish King Christian X brought the South Jutland region back into Denmark. The area had been under German rule for 56 years.

Pangolins are the most illegally traded wild mammals on the planet. They are poached for their meat and scales that traditional Asian Medicine practitioners use. According to the IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group, a pangolin is snatched from the wild every five minutes.

Save the Pangolin

On Tuesday, June 15, 2021, Thai Van Nguyen, a Vietnamese conservationist, was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize for his work to protect the world's only truly scaly mammals. Nguyen founded NGO Save Vietnam's Wildlife, established two pangolin rehabilitation centers and an anti-poaching unit. He trains government rangers in wildlife conservation, animal identification, GPS skills, and drone technology. His partnerships with the government, scientists, veterinarians, and fellow activists have helped rescue over 1,500 pangolins since he founded Save Vietnam's Wildlife in 2014.

The Pulitzer-winning historical novel "The Night Watchman" follows a native American tribal chairman who is on a mission to defeat a congressional bill to terminate the tribe. Author Louise Erdrich said its inspiration was her maternal grandfather's life.

Pulitzer 2021 Fact:

Pulitzer Prizes for best work in journalism and the arts in 2020 were handed Friday, June 11, 2021. Marcia Chatelain's "Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America" won for history, "The Night Watchman," by Louise Erdrich, won for fiction, "The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X," by Les Payne and Tamara Payne, won for biography, and "Postcolonial Love Poem," by Natalie Diaz, took the Pulitzer for poetry. See the complete Pulitzer prize winner list.

Spotify Greenroom is a live audio app that lets artists, athletes, and fans have conversations - just like the hyped Clubhouse app. Spotify has launched its new app on Wednesday, June 16, 2021. The app is built on Locker Room, which Betty Labs created and Spotify acquired in March.

Michelle Rodriguez, Gal Gadot, and Eva Mendes all appeared in multiple Fast and Furious franchise movies.

Fast and Furious news fact:

In an interview with AP Thursday, June 10, 2021, Fast and Furious star Vin Diesel said that the saga would conclude after two more films following the upcoming ninth installment, “F9,” which hit theaters June 25. The actor said the final two films could potentially release in 2023, then 2024.