To up my game, there will be an ACTUAL AWARD for the winner of the ring of eight TDs. To be eligible to win an Amazon gift card, you must participate in all eight TDs. Winner will be the one with the lowest total score.
Each TD in the ring will have at least one visual question, at least one aural question, at least one sports question, and one before and after question.
I don't want to take over TDs for eight weeks. However, you will notice TD 372 has been posted even before TD 371 closes on Monday morning, March 19. I would be more than happy to spread my TDs out, so would someone please get a TD ready to post on March 25-26?
Standard TD rules apply. For each question below, there are a number of choices. Choose one as your answer. Think Different is scored by the number of people who submit the same answer. It's best to be the only person who chooses a particular answer. The most common answer is called the sheep. You don't want to be a sheep. Incorrect answers get the sheep score plus five points. Low score wins. Bonus questions will allow you to reduce your score by up to five.
You may drop one question and sheep one question. (To sheep means to accept the highest score on a question without fear of giving an incorrect answer.) No research! Your answers must come from your head; not your reference library, search engine or your neighbor who writes for a quiz show. This TD closes Monday, March 26 at 2:00 PM EDT.
Submit your answers here
For information only, here's the area code map from the classic period. Note how simple it is compared to today's area code map.
One additional point: The information provided on the online form is only there for purposes of identifying the question. If there is a conflict between something on the online form and this TD post, this post takes precedence.
Finally, I would like to put a halt to people asking questions about the questions in the forum. Providing more clarification isn't fair to people who submit early. Please advise me privately if I have made some error in constructing the TD, but do not expect me to provide more information about the clues. If you're not sure something is a correct answer, don't use it. There must be some you're absolutely sure about.
On with the TD...
401 - RHODE ISLAND
Rhode Island is the smallest U.S. state by area. The name itself is misleading, because Rhode Island proper only comprises a small part of the state of Rhode Island, whose full name is "Rhode Island and Providence Plantations." Answer one of these questions about small places, in terms of area.
- Name the smallest country on the North American mainland, whose name means "The Savior."
- What country whose capital is Basseterre is the smallest country in the western hemisphere?
- Not even one square kilometer, this independent country is at the heart of Rome
- Not counting the independent cities of Virginia and one unorganized county in Hawaii, the most densely populated county in the U.S. is also smallest in area. What is the name of this county which contains the United Nations, Rockefeller Center, and Strawberry Fields?
- Even smaller than Qatar is this densely-populated neighbor of Israel is the smallest country on the Asian mainland
- What state contains the cities Sitka, Juneau, Wrangell, and Anchorage, all of which are larger than Rhode Island?
- Name the smallest country on the African mainland and its namesake river, completely walled off by Senegal
- What former Dutch dependency is the smallest country in South America, despite being larger than more than 100 independent countries?
- Name the Copper State, whose every county is larger than Rhode Island
- Name the smallest province of Canada
402 - NEBRASKA
Nebraska's most famous son is longtime "Tonight Show" host Johnny Carson. Something unique about Carson among late night hosts was Carson's propensity over his 30 years hosting the "Tonight Show" to take the night off (or many) and leave a guest host in charge. Name one of these people who filled in for Carson.
403 - ALBERTA
Identify one of these major Canadian cities by its geographic setting. LETTER REQUIRED.
- A. Founded at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, it's the only city in its province that many reading this can name
- B. Situated on an island with one prominent mountain facing the rapids of the St. Lawrence
- C. Situated between the delta of the Fraser and Burrard Inlet
- D. The Don River flows through this provincial capital
- E. Located on the Bow River about as far west as possible, as the foothills of the Rockies rise in its suburbs
- F. Seated on the Rideau River at the confluence of its namesake river
- G. This provincial capital lies on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River
- H. This provincial capital is on Wascana Creek 100 miles north of Montana
- I. The chief city of Canada's Ocean Playground and its historic Pier 21 sit in a protected harbor
- J. At the head of a peninsula jutting into the Strait of Juan de Fuca
- K. One of the twin cities of the Avalon, Cape Spear lies within its limits
- L. This city lies on a high escarpment above the St. Lawrence just south of the Ile d'Orleans
404 - GEORGIA
Answer one of these questions about companies headquartered in Georgia.
- This company makes Sprite and Fresca, among other drinks
- You can buy a Homer Bucket at any of this company's 2274 stores
- It called itself "the world's most important network" until some foreign governments banned it because of that
- What fast-food chain's more than 2200 locations are all closed Sundays?
- Who runs the tightest ship in the shipping business?
- Who has variously used the slogans "the airline run by professionals," "we're ready when you are," and "we love to fly and it shows"?
- What insurance company uses a testy duck as its mascot?
- What game show made in Georgia is known for its survey research into topics such as, "places you forget to wash"?
- This paper company makes Brawny, Angelsoft, Quilted Northern, and of course Dixie cups.
- What chain of eateries will happily take its namesake product out of the freezer, toast it, and serve it to you?
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooklahoma gained more than its share of publicity from the title song in a 1943 musical by the team of Rodgers & Hammerstein, who together produced five musicals that live on in the Broadway canon. They even pulled a few hits from their flop shows.
Name a song from a Rodgers & Hammerstein musical
406 - MONTANA
Montana is the only state whose motto is in Spanish. Most state mottoes are in Latin or English. Name a state given its motto and possibly some other helpful information.
- The motto of this state, where Coca-Cola and CNN are headquartered, is "Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation."
- Live Free or Die
- Don't mess with this state whose one-word motto is "Friendship."
- Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ‘Āina i ka Pono
- L'Etoile du Nord (Star of the North) is the motto of this state which was northernmost for over 100 years
- Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice (If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you)
- The motto of this state is Eureka ("I have found it") which is also the name of its northernmost large city
- Sic Semper Tyrannis
- Oro y plata
- What hexagonal state without many factories has as its word motto "Industry"?
- What state advertises its motto, "The Crossroads of America," on its license plates?
- "With God, All Things Are Possible" is the motto of which midwestern state noted for its many presidents
407 - FLORIDA
The 407 area code takes in some of the priciest and best-attended amusement parks in the country.
Name an amusement park in Florida (need not be in the 407).
408 - CALIFORNIA
Answer one of these questions about companies headquartered in the San Francisco-San Jose-Oakland Bay Area.
- What Cupertino-based computer company got sued by the Beatles' record label when it went into the music business via its iTunes platform?
- What San Francisco banking giant got its start as an express company whose wagons are comin' to ya, like money in the mail?
- What oil company, originally part of the Standard Oil Trust, is headquartered in San Ramon?
- What company listed on the Fortune 499.999999999999999996037 makes the processors used in most Windows computers?
- Name the drug wholesaler that's the second largest company based in California.
- What bleach company based in Oakland also makes Burt's Bees, Scoop Away, Pine Sol, Formula 409, and Hidden Valley salad dressings?
- What company is the #1 online auction site?
- What internet company was once headed by Marissa Mayer?
- What was the original name of Bank of America when it was founded in San Francisco in 1904 by Amadeo Peter Giannini?
- What director best known for Star Wars and Indiana Jones maintains his businesses in San Francisco?
409 - TEXAS
Every summer we hear about hatches being batted. Even so, the Gulf Coast is regularly and frequently pummeled by the worst that nature has to offer. Answer a question about one of these Gulf hurricanes.
- What gem-named hurricane hit the Florida panhandle in 1995 and continued to cause chaos?
- What Texas city named for the body of Jesus was hit by Hurricane Beulah in 1967?
- What powerhouse hurricane devastated South Florida in 1992 and then picked up punch over the Gulf and hit Louisiana?
- What hurricane that shares its name with a 1950s president caused substantial damage in 2008 in Texas?
- What category 5 storm leveled the Mississippi Gulf coast on August 28, 2005 and whose storm surge caused devastation in New Orleans?
- Gas prices have still not come down to where they were before this man hit Texas and Louisiana in August 2017.
- What hurricane which shares her name with a tragic film character devastated New Orleans in 1969?
- What massive hurricane came up the west coast of Florida in 2017 and led all aircraft to stay out of the entire state?
- Hurricanes didn't even have names in 1900 when a tremendous storm flattened what Texas city and caused nearly 10,000 deaths?
- What westernmost Florida city of over 50,000 was hit by Hurricane Erin on August 3, 1995?
412 - PENNSYLVANIA
The small town of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania (part of the classic 412) produced not one but two well-known popular singers. Listen to this clip and give both the title and singer of one of these songs. (LETTER REQUIRED)
BONUS: For -1 point, in addition to the singer you answered in 412, who was the other singer?
413 - MASSACHUSETTS
Springfield, Mass. is perhaps most famous as the birth of basketball.
Name a pro basketball hall of famer.
BONUS - The logo of the NBA is based on the physique of what hall of famer? You may duplicate your answer from 413.
414 - MILWAUKEE
What's made Milwaukee famous doesn't have to make a fool out of TD players, when they have so many choices.
Name a brand of beer.
415 - CALIFORNIA
San Francisco gained musical fame for being where Tony Bennett left his heart. The man from Queens is still recording at age 91, more than 68 years after he started cutting to vinyl. Listen to this clip and name a Tony Bennett song. (LETTER REQUIRED)
BONUS: For -1 point, who was the duet singer on Track J in the Tony Bennett question?
416 - ONTARIO
The CN Tower in Toronto was for decades the world's tallest freestanding structure. Name one of these iconic towers.
417 - MISSOURI
You know how to do it. Combine two clues into an overlapping answer. Example: Current supreme court justice who wrote the Declaration of Independence: Clarence Thomas Jefferson.
- Kansas City-based tax preparer and Lucy's unflattering term for Charlie Brown
- Kind of like apple crisp, this St. Joseph-born actress was a star in musicals but became more familiar through her recurring roles on "All in the Family" and "Laverne and Shirley"
- Former owner of the St. Louis Cardinals who's willing to fly deep into the wilderness
- He changed his name and teamed up with Oliver Hardy and is the state capital
- KC-based greeting card giant who at one time held the single-season home run record
- "Sesame Street" pair whose relationship has long been controversial, making people wonder if they would someday turn up on "Tattletales"
- Hamilton-born department store founder who never wears a Mack in the pouring rain, very strange
- Born in Kearney, shot dead in St. Joe and famous for writing and recording "Fire and Rain"
- Before his conviction for Enron-related crimes was final, this Dylan song died
- Talking horse who won Emmys for "Rich Man, Poor Man," "Roots," "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," and of course "Lou Grant"
- Another co-star of Mary Tyler Moore, this West Plains-born actor is sometimes mistaken for a goatee
- Top Confederate general set up shop in a suburb of Kansas City
418 - QUEBEC
Quebec City is the only city in North America with an intact, honest-to-goodness wall. Answer one of these questions about other walled cities.
- Manhattan once had a wall and the street where it stood is now synonymous with the stock market. Name the national memorial on Wall Street.
- This capital of the Dominican Republic still has walls and gates visible
- One part of the old city wall is still visible in this oldest city of the United States
- Part of the wall is still standing in this Central American capital that shares its name with a city in the Florida panhandle
- This Asian city is world-famous for its Western Wall
- What Belgian capital's wall is still extant from the 1200s?
- In what country where St. Urho's Day is celebrated will you find the walled Suomenlinna?
- The walls of Monteriggioni are nearly intact from the 13th century. In which boot-shaped country will you find Monterggioni?
- The walled city of Budva is on the Adriatic coast in which Balkan nation?
- Mdina is a fabulous walled city on which Mediterranean island state?
- The city walls in the Baltic capital of Tallinn are well preserved. What country is this in?
- What British city's walls date from medieval times, and if you can make it there, you'll make it anywhere?
BONUS - What is the name of the very old, tall, and famous hotel built near the wall that is as much an icon of Quebec City as the wall itself?
419 - OHIO
Cedar Point in Sandusky is known for its high-thrill roller coasters and other amusement rides. Identify one of the classic amusement rides. Either its generic name or trademark is acceptable.
BONUS - What is the name of the famous wooden roller coaster at Coney Island, which Charles Lindbergh described as a greater thrill than flying?
BONUS - What is the name of the famous wooden roller coaster at King's Island, another Ohio amusement park?