During the '80s, I won an album rock station's trivia contest by answering the question, "What was the original name of the band Chicago?"
I called in and answered, "The Big Thing." (For those who don't know, that was the band's name before it became Chicago Transit Authority and then Chicago.)
The DJ asked, "Did you say, 'The Big Thin' or 'The Big Thing?'"
Thinking that the DJ might have read the same typo in one of the sources I'd used, I replied, "If you're using (such-and-such) rock encyclopedia as your source, it says, 'The Big Thin.' All the other sources I've ever seen, however, say, 'The Big Thing.'"
He responded, "(Such-and-such) rock encyclopedia is the source I'm using, and it says, 'The Big Thin,' as you said. I hadn't heard that it was actually 'The Big Thing,' but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. You win..."
That's the only time I've ever given two answers to any trivia question, cited my sources, and won a prize. Who knew that answering with footnotes could get you a CD?
