| 100% | SHOO | 4 | Wonder's "___-Bee-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day" of 1968, his first release where he played the clavinet |
| 40% | EVEL | 4 | First name of the role George Hamilton played in a 1971 movie where he stated "I am the last gladiator in the new Rome" |
| 39% | BEP | 3 | ___ Guidolin, former NHL player who holds the record of being the youngest player to play his first NHL game at only 16 years, 337 days |
| 38% | JOHNSON | 7 | He was US president for the first 20 days of 1969 |
| 36% | MARINERS | 8 | Seattle team where 41-Across played the first 11 and last two seasons of his career |
| 34% | CINCINNATI | 10 | City where 46-Across played college basketball and the first 11 years of his pro basketball career |
| 34% | INAWE | 5 | "He was ___ of her from the first day" (bowled over) : 2 wds. |
| 33% | PURSUIT | 7 | "The ___ of Happyness," Gabriele Muccino's film where Chris Gardner himself crosses paths with his character played by Will Smith |
| 33% | EVITA | 5 | Movie musical where Madonna played the first lady of Argentina |
| 32% | RAVI | 4 | He performed before Melanie on the first day of Woodstock |
| 32% | WED | 3 | Day of the wk. on which this puzzle was released |
| 32% | ISLE | 4 | ___ of Man (British territory where the Bee Gees were born) |
| 32% | EBERT | 5 | His 1999 review of the first Pokémon movie begins with a story about him playing a game of Pokémon with a 6-year-old and losing all his cards |
| 32% | RODRIGUEZ | 9 | Yankees player Alex, who was involved in Baseball's first instant replay review, on the day of Halloween |
| 32% | BYTHEWAY | 8 | The fourth album John Frusciante (birthday today) released with 31-Across, which he says was one of the happiest times of his life: 3 wds. |
| 32% | REST | 4 | "Today is the first day of the ___ of your life" |
| 32% | TEXAS | 5 | ___ Longhorns, Kevin Durant's college basketball team where he was named the National Player of the Year in 2006 |
| 31% | MARCOPOLO | 9 | He dictated the stories of his travels to his cell mate, Rustichello da Pisa |
| 31% | JAMESJOYCE | 10 | The first part of his ''Ulysses'' was published in 1918 |
| 30% | MILAN | 5 | Where most of the inventions of Leonardo da Vinci are stored |
| 30% | PASADENA | 8 | California city where the first 15-Across was played |
| 30% | METHLABS | 8 | Workplaces where speed is the first order of business? |
| 30% | THREE | 5 | Number of days the first Thanksgiving was celebrated for |
| 30% | SLEDS | 5 | Toys that might be dusted off on the first snow day of the year |
| 30% | SUNDAY | 6 | Mother's Day is always this day of the week |
| 30% | RIPTORN | 7 | Entertainer whose last name is the past tense of a synonym of his first name |
| 30% | HERBGARDEN | 10 | Where the first words of 17-, 26- and 47-Across may be found |
| 30% | RIO | 3 | Las Vegas casino where the World Series of Poker is played |