It’s been another year of inane statements, improbable beasts and plain baffling news stories. What can you remember about the fringe events of 2018 in Australia and beyond?
“This is the type of intolerant censorship we have warned about for such a long time.” What was Cory Bernardi talking about?
The campaign to refuse a visa to far-right provocateur Lauren Southern
Savage Garden’s complaint about their music being on his Australia Day playlist
The suspension of Adam Giles from Sky News for hosting Blair Cottrell
ANU’s rejection of the Ramsay Centre’s proposal for a degree in western civilisation
Which animal that made news in 2018 sparked a social media meltdown after it was denounced by one user as “an example of rape culture”?
Knickers the enormous steer
Jack the enormous oyster
Nigel the late New Zealand gannet
Roger the late ripped kangaroo
In October, which organisation had to apologise after sending out a fake email invitation featuring a cat in pyjamas holding a plate of choc-chip biscuits?
The US embassy in Canberra
The Australian embassy in Washington
The Institute of Public Affairs
The Lowy Institute
The real-time TV transcription service tveeder.com is an invaluable tool for journalists, but it occasionally has trouble with names. All but one of these slightly garbled politicians crossed the screen in 2018. Which one?
Josh frightened bird
Barnaby bok choy
Richard bean vitale
The member for ice axe
Astronomers were outraged in January when a New Zealand company announced it had put an object called the “Humanity Star” into space, designed to create a flashing light visible from anywhere on the globe. What was the point of the launch, according to the company?
It was “a reminder to all on Earth of the threat from climate change”
It was “a reminder to all on Earth that Jesus died for their sins”
It was “a reminder to all on Earth of what New Zealand could achieve”
It was “a reminder to all on Earth about our fragile place in the universe”
In April, which Victorian town was featured in a parody of the popular cartoon Rick and Morty, resulting in a huge spike in US Google searches for its name?
Bairnsdale
Ballarat
Bendigo
Echuca
In further exciting news for regional Victoria, plans were announced in June to erect a larger-than-life bronze statue of Nick Cave, wearing a loincloth, holding a flaming torch and mounted on a rearing horse. Where?
Wodonga
Wangaratta
Warrnambool
Warracknabeal
In one of his November video classics, who did Scott Morrison name-drop to help promote the government’s $200m investment in Townsville’s water supply?
Mick Fanning’s mum
Taylor Swift
Johnathan Thurston’s dad
Kim Kardashian
In August, Barnaby Joyce suggested customers of a specific shop “don’t care about the Paris climate agreement”. Which one?
Kmart
Bunnings
Woolies
Ikea
In April the Guardian exclusively revealed the origins of chicken salt. In which state was the classic Aussie delicacy created?
Tasmania
New South Wales
Queensland
South Australia
In which high-profile defamation case this year did the defence try to bring evidence about “the martyrdom of Christians in the Roman Empire between the reign of the Emperor Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus and Emperor Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus Augustus”?
Rebel Wilson v Bauer Media
Mark Latham v Osman Faruqi
Sarah Hanson-Young v David Leyonhjelm
The Wagners v Alan Jones
In May, two Japanese retirees made global news for the photographs of their delightful matching outfits, shared with more than 700,000 Instagram followers. What names did they go by?
Bon and Pon
Tim and Tam
Min and Mon
Yanny and Laurel
In November Australia’s next Big Thing was selected from a shortlist of four proposals. Which of these was not on it?
The big tulip in Mittagong, NSW
The big watermelon in Chinchilla, Queensland
The big kilt in Glen Innes, NSW
The big grapefruit in Koondrook, Victoria
In April, who was described in the New Zealand Herald as a “hipster salty sea dog”?
Director Peter Jackson
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen
First bloke Clarke Gayford
Actor Russell Crowe
Several ABC personalities got the chance to seek “external development opportunities” this year. But who did the phrase reportedly first refer to?
Michelle Guthrie
Emma Alberici
Andrew Probyn
Justin Milne
Which popular clothing brand endorsed Kerryn Phelps at the Wentworth byelection?
Zimmermann
Ellery
Camilla & Marc
Gorman
In May, which world leader inadvertently described Lucy Turnbull as the then prime minister’s “delicious wife”?
Joko Widodo
Emmanuel Macron
Donald Trump
Shinzo Abe
Sydney company boss Marcus Wood found unwanted fame in July when an email complaining that his staff were “really getting on my tits” went viral. What were the staff doing that particularly annoyed him?
Playing ping-pong
Riding scooters in the office
Leaving tea-bags on the sink
Mimicking his Scottish accent
Which politician complained in March that the “crazy lefties” at the Guardian “draw mean cartoons about me”?
Pauline Hanson
Fraser Anning
Peter Dutton
Tony Abbott
At the Commonwealth Games in April, who did Queensland premier Annastasia Palaszczuk say should “hang their heads in shame”?
The organisers of the opening ceremony
The organisers of the closing ceremony
Channel Seven
The "tiny island nation of England"
20 and above.
Top work. Canberra bubble is popped
19 and above.
Top work. Canberra bubble is popped
18 and above.
Top work. Canberra bubble is popped
17 and above.
Top work. Canberra bubble is popped
16 and above.
Top work. Canberra bubble is popped
15 and above.
Fair dinkum effort
14 and above.
Fair dinkum effort
13 and above.
Fair dinkum effort
12 and above.
Fair dinkum effort
11 and above.
OK. Hoard those nuggets next year
10 and above.
OK. Hoard those nuggets next year
9 and above.
OK. Hoard those nuggets next year
8 and above.
OK. Hoard those nuggets next year
7 and above.
OK. Hoard those nuggets next year
6 and above.
Not great. More 'important' things on your mind?
5 and above.
Not great. More 'important' things on your mind?
4 and above.
Not great. More 'important' things on your mind?
3 and above.
Not great. More 'important' things on your mind?
2 and above.
Not great. More 'important' things on your mind?
0 and above.
Not great. More 'important' things on your mind?
1 and above.
Not great. More 'important' things on your mind?
Continue reading...from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2LGRu6H
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