“2023: The Year In Numbers” , the annual data storyteller’s New Year quiz
So, if you’ve got here, you’re after the answers to the 2023 quiz, The Year In Numbers. But if you’re still working on those answers using your memory and brainpower, click here to go back to the question page now!
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Q1. After Manchester City, which Premier League team has acquired most points this calendar year and – within five – how many have they got? (2 points)
Aston Villa, 81.
Q2. COP 28 controversially took place in Dubai earlier this month. But how much hotter is the world today compared with its 1850-1900, pre-industrial average? (1 point)
1.4C (or 2.5F).
Q3. What was the highest grossing movie of 2023 how much has it taken worldwide so far, and was that more, less, or about the same as 2022’s biggest movie, Top Gun Maverick? (3 points)
Barbie, $1.5bn about the same.
Q4. 2023 saw the Coronation of King Charles III. But how many days were there between his formal investiture as Prince of Wales and his official Coronation? Answers within 1,000 score two points, within 2,000 just the one point. (2 points)
He became Prince of Wales on 1 July 1969 at Caernarfon Castle and was crowned King Charles on 6 May 2023 at Westminster Abbey. So that’s 19,872 days. Score two for 18,872-20,872, one for 17,872-21,872.
Q5. The global computer games industry is huge. What was the turnover of the industry in 2023, to the nearest $15bn? Is that more or less than the Saudi Pro League invested in transfers in the 2023 Summer transfer window? (2 points)
$184bn (allow $170-200bn). More – by a factor of almost 200-to-one – the Saudi Pro League clubs invested a paltry $957m in players last Summer. Trick question – or at least challenging preconceptions.
Q6. Claudia Goldin became the first woman to win a prize solo and in her own right this year. What was the prize and what did she win the prize for? (2 points)
The Nobel Prize for Economics. She received the award for her lifelong study of women in the workforce.
Q7. Whose two-day appearance in Sweden caused inflation to rise by 0.2% in May? (1 point)
Of course – it was my namesake, Knowlesy! Demand for hotels and restaurants either side of Beyoncé’s two gigs in Stockholm added a fifth of one percent to the Swedish inflation rate, pushing it to 9.7% for May 2023.
Q8. ChatGPT kick-started the AI revolution just 13 months ago, with its worldwide release. But how many parameters – or calculations – does ChatGPT use to respond to a prompt or query? (1 point)
1.76 trillion.
Q9. How much did failed, gaoled crypto king, Sam Bankman-Fried reportedly offer Donald Trump NOT to stand for president in 2024? And for a bonus point, what was Bankman-Fried’s estimated net worth at its peak, before he went bust? (2 points)
$5m to Trump; $15bn at his peak.
Q10. On average – and to the nearest half day – how many days did the average British worker work from home each week in 2023? Where did that put us in a global league table, and was that more or less than Japan? (3 points)
One-and-a-half (1.53), second (behind Canada at 1.67), and much more than Japan (at just 0.54).
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Q11. Tie-breaker (if necessary): What caused seismic activity equivalent to a magnitude 2.3 earthquake on the Richter Scale in Seattle? (1 point)
Taylor Swift’s Eras concert.
So, there we have it. Do let me know how you got on – either by email or on LinkedIn. At lunch this Christmas Eve just passed, the top score was 10/19. Do let me know if you do better.
And see you on December 31 next year – and every year from now on – for The Year In Numbers 20xx New Year Quiz.
Sam Knowles is a master data storyteller and the Founder & MD of the consultancy Insight Agents. His purpose is to help organisations make smarter use of data, talk Human, and sound like people. An established and sought-after trainer, keynote speaker, and podcaster, he is the founder and host of Data Malarkey podcast and chair of I-COM’s Data Storytelling Council. He’s a Fellow of the Market Research Society, the RSA, and the Professional Speaking Association.
Sam is the author of the ‘Using Data Better’ trilogy of books, all published by Routledge. These include the 2022’s critically-acclaimed Asking Smarter Questions, 2020’s award-winning How To Be Insightful, and the 2018 best-seller Narrative by Numbers. In 2023, Insight Agents launched Using Data Smarter, a comprehensive, online training course based on all three books.
Find out more about Sam’s approach to data storytelling in this 15-minute video.
