# There was this brainteaser floating around ...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-was-this-brainteaser-floating-around/175604>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 16, 2003, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-was-this-brainteaser-floating-around/175604 "2003-05-16T03:32:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![SnoopyFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@SnoopyFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnoopyFan)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-was-this-brainteaser-floating-around/175604/1 "2003-05-16T03:32:50Z")

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Anyone remember this list that supposedly some Microsoft employee put out? It had US states on it and you were supposed to figure out what the list’s subject was, and then you were supposed to finish it.

Did anyone ever figure it out? Was it for real to begin with? Could it even be solved?

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**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-was-this-brainteaser-floating-around/175604/2 "2003-05-16T03:34:54Z")

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Not solved yet. Puzzle’s not over, either. If you recall the host was giving one new state each month or something. Will take 4 years ☹

[check it out on Google Answers](http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=66398)

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**Author:** ![SnoopyFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@SnoopyFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnoopyFan)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-was-this-brainteaser-floating-around/175604/3 "2003-05-16T03:35:04Z")

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Eep. There’s already a thread about this. I’m sorry!

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**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-was-this-brainteaser-floating-around/175604/4 "2003-05-16T06:15:22Z")

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[The other thread for reference](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=130383)

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**Author:** ![smam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/46a35a/32.png) [@smam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smam)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-was-this-brainteaser-floating-around/175604/5 "2003-05-16T12:23:31Z")

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1. Delaware
2. Connecticut
3. Massachusetts
4. Rhode Island
5. New Jersey
6. Illinois
7. Wisconsin
8. Texas
9. Arkansas
10. Louisiana
11. Indiana
12. Ohio
13. Iowa
14. Arizona
15. Alabama
16. Mississippi
17. Florida
18. Minnesota
19. West Virginia
20. Maryland
21. Pennsylvania
22. Georgia
23. Kentucky
24. North Carolina
25. Tennessee
26. Virginia
27. South Carolina

Perhaps they are placed in the order of states that are most often mis-spelt by [Google.com](http://Google.com) or kids of a certain age.

I can see how some people may find it easy to incorrectly spell the states that come early on in the list, you know Texas could be Texis to some people etc. Pennsylvania kind of messes up my theory but I suppose most people would know how to spell it because of the Sylvania Families toys perhaps. Anyway.

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**Author:** ![fighting\_ignorant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ac8455/32.png) [@fighting\_ignorant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fighting_ignorant)\
**Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-was-this-brainteaser-floating-around/175604/6 "2003-05-18T01:48:12Z")

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I’m so proud of that other thread… most of the time my posts get no followups. That one got a lot of response, made me happy.

Sucks that no one has answered it yet. Grr.