Swanson TV dinners and Tang: How well do you know baby boomer pop culture?

OK boomers: The oldest of you are turning 80 in 2026, the vanguard of a “rock n' roll” and “TV age” generation that left an imprint on popular culture like no other.

During the 18 years of the “baby boom”

from 1946 to 1964, around 76 million Americans were born. The spike in births was magnified by couples reuniting after World War Two and the postwar prosperity that followed. Better educated and wealthier than previous generations, boomers made popular culture more inclusive and helped grow a consumer-driven economy.

Here are 20 questions to see how well you know — or remember — about the indelible imprint made on pop culture by baby boomers and those who catered to their tastes. No Google or ChatGPT allowed. You don't have to be a boomer to get them right, but it doesn't hurt.

1. What was in the first Swanson TV dinner?

2. What two other “junk food” favorites were created by the inventor of the orange, powdered drink Tang?

3. Name all three astronauts who were part of the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969?

4. Who is “the cat who won't cop out when there's danger all about?”

5. What did Simon and Garfunkel call themselves before adopting their eponymous name?

6. What TV show teased, “The thrill of victory ... and the agony of defeat?”

7. What was the name of the feminist magazine activist Gloria Steinem helped found?

8. Actor and martial artist Bruce Lee died just before the release of which of his films?

9. Which girl group did Darlene Love sing for?

10. What was comedian Freddie Prinze's catchphrase from the 1970s TV show, “Chico and the Man?”

11. In which country did the “Rumble in the Jungle” take place?

12. How many castaways can you name from the TV show “Gilligan’s Island?”

13. What TV sitcom star from the 1970s once washed dishes at a Harlem eatery with Malcolm X?

14. In what city was baby boomer singer Gloria Estefan born?

15. What was the last Beatles album to be released?

16. What legendary TV shows were mainstays on Saturday nights for CBS in 1973 in what some call the greatest network TV lineup ever?

17. In what year did boxer Cassius Clay change his name?

18. What toy became a worldwide sensation when it was popularized by Wham-O in 1957?

19. Who was tennis player Billie Jean King's opponent in the “Battle of the Sexes?”

20. What was the real name of “Dr. Seuss?”

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Answers:

1. Turkey, dressing, potatoes and peas. 2. William A. Mitchell also invented Pop Rocks and Cool Whip. 3. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. 4. John Shaft. 5. Tom and Jerry. 6. ABC’s “Wide World of Sports.” 7. Ms. 8. “Enter the Dragon.” 9. Trick question: She was lead singer of The Blossoms, but she also sang songs that were credited to The Crystals. 10. “Looking good!” 11. Zaire. 12. Gilligan, The Skipper, Ginger, The Professor, Mary Ann, Thurston Howell III and Eunice “Lovey” Howell. 13. “Sanford and Son” star Redd Foxx. 14. Havana, Cuba. 15. “Let It Be," though “Abbey Road” was the last they recorded together. 16. “All in the Family,” “MASH,” “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “The Bob Newhart Show” and “The Carol Burnett Show.” 17. 1964. 18. The Hula Hoop. 19. Bobby Riggs. 20. Theodor Geisel.

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Scott Stroud in Nashville and Terry Spencer in Fort Lauderdale contributed to this report.

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Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform Bluesky: @mikeysid.bsky.social