Minkus gives his phone number with five digits. Phone numbers in the 1990s in the United States had 7 digits.
When Cory loses the Geography competition, he is seen alone on the stage, mechanically repeating to himself the facts he had learned that did him no good. "Florida is the southernmost of the United States. Alaska is the northernmost of the United States." He is right about Alaska - Point Barrow is at latitude 71°23' N. He is wrong, however, about Florida. Ka Lae (South Cape), Hawaii is at 18°55' N, considerably south of Florida's Ballast Key (aka Wolkow's Key) at 24°31' N.