What Came First?
Odd One Out
Three Clues, One Answer
Washington Wonders
100

Which came first: the radio or the television?

Hint: Families could listen to shows before they could watch them.

Radio

Fun fact: Radio shows included comedies, mysteries, and live music.

100

Which doesn’t belong: violin, trumpet, or cello?

Hint: How do you make each instrument play?

 Trumpet — the other two are string instruments.

Fun fact: A violin has four strings, and a cello does too!

100

It has keys, pedals, and a lid. What is it?

Hint: You can play a song on it.

Piano

Fun fact: Most modern pianos have 88 keys.

100

What Seattle landmark looks like a flying saucer on top of a tall tower?

Hint: It was built for the 1962 World’s Fair.

The Space Needle

Fun fact: Visitors can ride an elevator to its observation deck.

200

Which came first: the first Mickey Mouse cartoon or the first Superman comic book?

Hint: Both appeared before World War II, just about ten years apart.

Mickey Mouse

Fun fact: Mickey Mouse debuted in Steamboat Willie in 1928. Superman first appeared in Action Comics in 1938.

200

Which doesn’t belong: shark, dolphin, or salmon?

Hint: One of these animals must come to the surface to breathe air.

Dolphin — it’s a mammal.

Fun fact: Dolphins sleep with one half of their brain at a time so they can keep surfacing to breathe.

200

It has a crown, a core, and seeds. What is it?

Hint: It’s something you can eat.

Apple

Fun fact: Apple trees grown from seeds may produce fruit quite different from the apple the seeds came from.

200

What is the capital city of Washington state?

Hint: It’s south of Tacoma.

Olympia

Fun fact: Seattle is Washington’s largest city, but Olympia is its capital.

300

Which came first: the first moon landing or the first Star Wars movie?

Hint: One happened in 1969; the other came out in 1977

The first moon landing

Fun fact: Star Wars reached movie theaters less than eight years after people first walked on the Moon.

300

Which doesn’t belong: Mars, Venus, or the Moon?

Hint: Which one orbits Earth?

The Moon

Fun fact: Mars and Venus orbit the Sun, while the Moon orbits Earth.


300

It has a trunk, tusks, and enormous ears. What is it?

Hint: It’s one of the largest land animals

Elephant

Fun fact: An elephant’s trunk can pick up something as tiny as a piece of food.

300

Which Washington volcano famously erupted in 1980?

Hint: Hint: It’s southwest of Mount Rainier, and its name begins with “St.”

Mount St. Helens

Fun fact: Ash from the eruption fell across much of eastern Washington, turning daytime skies dark in some towns.

400

Which came first: the Titanic’s voyage or the opening of the Panama Canal?

Hint: The Titanic sailed in 1912.

The Titanic’s voyage

Fun fact: The Panama Canal opened in 1914 and gave ships a shortcut between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.


400

Which doesn’t belong: octopus, squid, or lobster?

Hint: Two have soft bodies and arms or tentacles.

Lobster — the other two are cephalopods.

Fun fact: An octopus has eight arms, while a squid has eight arms plus two longer tentacles.

400

It has a handle, a spout, and sometimes a whistle. What is it?

Hint: You put water in it.

Tea kettle

A whistling kettle makes its sound when steam rushes through a small opening.

400

What nickname was given to the original Tacoma Narrows Bridge because it swayed in the wind?

Hint: It sounds like the name of a horse.

Galloping Gertie

Fun fact: The bridge collapsed in 1940, just months after it opened.

500

Which came first: the Wright brothers’ flight or the first Model T Ford?

Hint: Their flight happened just after the turn of the 20th century.

The Wright brothers’ flight

Fun fact: The Wright brothers flew in 1903; the Model T arrived in 1908.

500

Which doesn’t belong: oak, pine, or maple?


Hint: Picture what their leaves look like.

Pine — it has needles and cones; the others are broadleaf trees.

Fun fact: Many pine trees stay green all winter, while oaks and maples commonly lose their leaves.

500

It has a bridge, a sound hole, and usually six strings. What is it?

Hint: You might strum it.

Acoustic guitar

Fun fact: The hollow body helps make an acoustic guitar loud enough to hear without an amplifier.

500

The Grand Coulee Dam was built on which major Washington river?

Hint: This river forms much of Washington’s southern border with Oregon.

The Columbia River

Fun fact: The dam produces electricity and helps supply water for farms in central Washington.