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.
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 seven.
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, June 4 at 9:00 AM 3 PM EDT.
Submit your answers here
The wording on the submission form is for identification of the questions only. If there is any conflict between the submission form and this TD, this page prevails.
For information only, here's the area code map from the classic period and from today. Note how simple the classic map is compared to today's area code map.
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...
801 - UTAH
Utah is overwhelmingly dominated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS). Name a place (anywhere) that has an LDS temple.
BONUS
Name the famous salt flats west of the Great Salt Lake known for auto racing
802 - VERMONT
One of the most famous businesses in the Green Mountain State is Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Name a Ben & Jerry's flavor.
BONUS
Name the river that drains Lake Champlain to the St. Lawrence
803 - SOUTH CAROLINA
In part due to the prowess of its longtime senators and members of Congress, South Carolina has more military bases than you can shake a stick at. (Not that it would ever be a good idea to shake a stick at a military facility.) Name a still-active military base in the United States.
804 - VIRGINIA
You know how to do Before and After. Combine two clues into an overlapping answer. Example: Current supreme court justice who wrote the Declaration of Independence: Clarence Thomas Jefferson.
- Former president of Princeton who got elected president and formed a trio with two daughters of a Beach Boy and a daughter of a Papa
- This star of "Parks and Recreation" and "The West Wing" is a collective name for Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg.
- What legendary early chief justice wrote "The Medium Is the Message"?
- Who was one of the biggest-selling female singers of all time with hits like "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" and "My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own" and led the Vikings to four Super Bowl losses?
- What president born near the Canadian border leads the Richmond-born only black winner of Wimbledon?
- What Flag Day is a Virginia-born singer-songwriter portrayed by Reese Witherspoon?
- Texas-born country music star who went into the pure pork sausage business, then played Superman opposite Teri Hatcher and now does some strange infomercials or something like that?
- D.C. suburb was founded by Henry VIII and headed by the Archbishop of Canterbury
- What bandleader discovered Frank Sinatra and in 1607 established a colony on the river of the same name?
- Richmond-born dancer whose dog up and died after he got stranded on a deserted island (although none of that really happened)
805 - CALIFORNIA
Listen to this clip and name the artist and title of one of these songs about California. In a couple of instances, latitude will be extended. (LETTER AND ARTIST AND TITLE REQUIRED)
WARNING: A LETTER IS REQUIRED WITH EVERY AURAL QUESTION. EVERY GAME, THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE RULED INCORRECT BECAUSE THEY FORGOT THE LETTER OR GOT IT WRONG.
806 - TEXAS
Answer a question about famous Texans. (FIRST AND LAST NAME REQUIRED)
- What "father of Texas" got the state capital named for him?
- What iconic figure is the only person to have been popularly elected governor of two states?
- What Midland-born mother of twins was at fault in a fatal car accident two days after her 17th birthday?
- Death didn't keep this Navy SEAL from getting sued for defamation by a former Minnesota governor.
- What governor was shot by the same bullet as John F. Kennedy?
- Who was the first man to fly solo around the world and was killed with Will Rogers?
- What Denison-born man distinguished himself in war and was twice elected president?
- What ragtime composer and pianist was born in Texarkana, which straddles the border of Texas and Arkansas (but not Louisiana)?
- Who was born in Dallas in 1964 and married a software magnate?
- What senator and presidential candidate was born in Canada to an American mother?
For -1 each, name the four Texans who have served as anchor of the CBS Evening News.
807 - ONTARIO
The 807 is mostly uninhabited land that contains innumerable lakes; it also fronts onto Hudson Bay and Lake Superior. Answer one of these questions about Canadian lakes.
- Give the four-word name of the lake at the Ontario-Manitoba-Minnesota tri-point.
- What nearly 2000 square mile lake is situated just north of Lake Superior?
- What lake would one pass through when sailing between Lake Erie and Lake Huron?
- Manitoba has its own great lakes. Name any of the three great lakes of Manitoba (of more than 1000 square miles). Will be scored separately.
- The vast Northwest Territories has only two lakes greater than 1000 square miles, and they are both greater than 10,000 square miles. Name either. Will be scored separately.
- Name any of the three saintly lakes not far from Montreal that are widenings of the St. Lawrence River and considered part of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Will be scored separately.
- What is the first and last name of the prime minister of Canada whose son drowned in Kokanee Lake in British Columbia.
- What greater than 3000 square mile lake straddles the Alberta-Saskatchewan border?
BONUS
What British princess is the northernmost part of Ontario named for? (HINT: She is not living and did not die in a car accident.)
808 - HAWAII
Name an island of Hawaii or an actor who played Steve McGarrett.
809 - CARIBBEAN
809 used to be the area code for all of the North American part of the Caribbean. (Some of the countries are included with Latin America.) Now 809 only serves the Dominican Republic. Name an island country in the Caribbean. No mainland country is acceptable.
812 - INDIANA
Southern Indiana contains no major cities. Answer a question about flyover places.
- What two-word state on the 49th parallel have Americans visited least?
- According to legend, if you could flatten this state on the Monongahela, Tug Fork, and Ohio rivers (but not the Shenandoah), it would be as big as Texas
- What city of more than 600,000 lies on the North Canadian River?
- What city of more than 600,000 has the leading cargo airport in the United States?
- Go 17 miles due north from city hall in this city of more than 600,000 and you'll be in New Mexico; go one mile due south and you'll be in old Mexico
- What city of over 400,000 was formerly headquarters of the Strategic Air Command and is where President Bush went on September 11?
- What city of around 800,000 is the largest in Ohio?
- Besides Alaska and Hawaii, name either of the two states that have no Amtrak service. (Will be scored separately.)
- Each of American, Delta, and United fly to 49 states. What is the only state none of them fly to?
- Name the city in deep-flyover southern Missouri that's been built into a major resort and entertainment center in the past 25 years.
813 - FLORIDA
Name a city in Florida with "Beach" in its name.
814 - PENNSYLVANIA
Williamsport in the 814 is the birthplace of Little League and home of the Little League World Series. Name a baseball defensive position. (There are nine possible answers.)
815 - ILLINOIS
Answer one of these questions about the cities of the Prairie State.
- What city has a statue of Jack Benny in front of the middle school named for him, whose teams are called the 39ers?
- What city was a longtime concern of advertisers, show promoters, and television networks whether a product or entertainment production would play there?
- What city near the Wisconsin border is the second largest in Illinois?
- What frightful and very dangerous place sits opposite the Gateway Arch?
- What city is the home of Northwestern University?
- The ACLU went to court in 1977 to assure that the Nazi party could march in what Chicago suburb?
- What was the original territorial capital of Illinois, and now thanks to a modern meander of the Mississippi River is the only place in the state west of the river?
- In what city is the tomb of Abraham Lincoln?
- What city founded by Joseph Naper is now the third largest city in Illinois and the largest suburb of Chicago?
816 - MISSOURI
Kansas City is the home of Hallmark. Name a holiday for which Hallmark makes a card. Your answer must be on the calendar, not something generic like graduation or confirmation.
817 - TEXAS
Name one of these dishes of Tex-Mex cuisine. (LETTER REQUIRED)
818 - CALIFORNIA
Name one of the communities of the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. Correct answers will be one of the recognized valley communities within Los Angeles or one of a small number of separate cities of the valley. Before grousing, bear in mind the valley has more than 1.5 million people, meaning it could be the 5th largest city in the USA, bigger than Philly. (Without it, L.A. would drop from 2nd to 4th.)
819 - QUEBEC
Answer one of these questions about important Canadian companies.
- The largest company on the FP 500 is George Weston, owner of Loblaw's, Maxi, Real Canadian, Provigo, and Zehrs. What business are those companies in?
- Number 3 on the FP 500 is an auto parts giant, one of whose executives, Belinda Stronach, became well-known internationally and associated with Bill Clinton, and briefly served as a political leader. Name the company.
- Number 42 on the FP 500 is a retailing company that will celebrate its 350th anniversary in 2020. It once held title to most of the real estate in Canada. Its headquarters has variously been in London, England; Winnipeg; Montreal; and now Toronto. Name this company.
- Number 15 on the FP 500 is this aircraft manufacturer known for the Dash, the Learjet, and the Canadair Regional Jet. (It also pioneered the snowmobile.)
- Canada has five banks with branches from coast to coast, some of which own banks in the United States and farther abroad. Name any of these five banks with assets of at least $400 billion. (Will be scored separately.)
- True or false: Power Corporation, number 5 on the FP 500, is the leading electric utility in Canada
- What celebrated Scottish-Canadian inventor founded the company now known as BCE, number 18 on the FP 500.
- Name the airline that is number 28 on the FP 500
- What restaurant chain based in North Vancouver has nearly as many outlets in Canada as McDonald's, putting most Canadians within a short drive of the Burger Family and Chubby Chicken?
- What magazine publishes the FP 500?
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