47th Scripps National Spelling Bee
| 47th Scripps National Spelling Bee | |
|---|---|
 The Mayflower Hotel, site of the 47th National Spelling Bee | |
| Date | June 5-6, 1974 |
| Location | The Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. |
| Winner | Julie Ann Junkin |
| Residence | Fort Worth, Texas |
| Sponsor | Birmingham Post-Herald |
| Sponsor location | Birmingham, Alabama |
| Winning word | hydrophyte |
| No. of contestants | 80 |
| Preceded by | 46th Scripps National Spelling Bee |
| Followed by | 48th Scripps National Spelling Bee |
The 47th Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.C. at the Mayflower Hotel on June 5-6, 1974, sponsored by the E.W. Scripps Company.
The winner was 12-year old Julie Ann Junkin, a sixth-grader from Gordo, Alabama, spelling "hydrophyte".[1][2] Second place went to 14-year old Gail Meier of Arlington, Tennessee (sponsored by the Memphis Press-Scimitar), who misspelled "mantelletta."[1]
Junkin was the first sixth-grade contestant to win since John Capehart won in the 1961 competition, [3] and the first winner from Alabama (and only as of 2015).[4]
There were 80 entrants in that year, sponsored by 76 newspapers.[1] The field was reduced by 25 by the end of the first day of competition, where 522 words were used.[5]
A taped version of the finals, hosted by Jean Shepherd, appeared on television on PBS this year (and was done again in 1977).[6][7][8]
References
- ^ a b c (8 June 1974). Spelling bee winner never heard of word, Lodi News Sentinel (UPI story)
- ^ (7 June 1974). Emotional spelling, The Bulletin (photos of Julie)
- ^ (6 June 1974). Press Speller Meets Pat Nixon, Pittsburgh Press
- ^ (26 May 2001). Spell champion - twice? Another Alabamian could win National Spelling Bee, Tuscaloosa News
- ^ Watkins, Ed (June 6 1974). Gordon girl wins national spelling crown, Tuscaloosa News
- ^ History, Spellingbee.com, Retrieved 24 August 2016
- ^ (10 June 1974). Shepherd Hosts Spellers, Palm Beach Post, p. B7
- ^ (29 May 1974). National bee to be televised, Star News
External links
- What do you want to know about the National Spelling Bee?, Rules and Fact sheet for 1974 Bee, via archive.org
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