Featured Map: What is Toronto??? (16 February 2011)

Tonight is the third and final night of of a special airing of the Jeopardy! game show featuring a computer—IBM's Watson—versus two of the greatest Jeopardy! champions, Brad Rutter and Ken Jennings.

Last night, Watson was impressive until it flubbed a geography question in the Final Jeopardy! segment. The category was U.S. Cities and the answer was "Its largest airport was named for a World War II hero; it's second largest, for a World War II battle." Watson's human competitors wrote "What is Chicago?" but Watson responded with "What is Toronto???"

Reporters quickly suggested that Watson needs lessons in US geography. Perhaps Watson's extensive database should have included information from the Great Circle Mapper, which teachers (of human children) use to help their students explore geography.

In case you were wondering, Chicago's O'Hare International Airport was named for Lieutenant Commander Edward Henry "Butch" O'Hare, who won the Congressional Medal of Honor for a flight on 20 February 1942 during which he saved his ship, the USS Lexington (CV-2), by shooting down five Japanese Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" bombers as the Lexington steamed towards the Japanese-controlled port of Rabaul in Papua New Guinea. O'Hare was subsequently lost during the first carrier-based night operation in the Pacific (the first O'Hare redeye?) on the night of 27 November 1943 while flying from the USS Enterprise (CV-6).

Chicago's Midway International Airport was named for the Battle of Midway, fought near Midway Atoll on 4-7 June 1942.

Additional information:

• Watson on Jeopardy! Day Two: The Confusion over an Airport Clue – A Smarter Planet Blog
• IBM's Watson Wins in Jeopardy, Needs Lessons in US Geography – eWeek
• IBM - Watson
• IBM's "Watson" Computing System to Challenge All Time Greatest Jeopardy! Champions
• Jeopardy!
  • Jeopardy! – The IBM Challenge
• Lt. Cdr. Edward "Butch" O'Hare
• Edward O'Hare – Wikipedia
• Official Website of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society
  • Edward Henry O'Hare
• United States Navy
  • USS Lexington (CV 2)
  • USS Enterprise (CV-6)
  • Battle of Midway
• Mitsubishi G4M – Wikipedia