57th Scripps National Spelling Bee
| 57th Scripps National Spelling Bee | |
|---|---|
 The Capital Hilton, site of the 57th National Spelling Bee | |
| Date | May 30-31, 1984 |
| Location | The Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C.[1] |
| Winner | Daniel Greenblatt |
| Age | 13 |
| Residence | Sterling, Virginia |
| Sponsor | Loudoun Times-Mirror |
| Sponsor location | Leesburg, Virginia |
| Winning word | luge |
| No. of contestants | 151[2] |
| Preceded by | 56th Scripps National Spelling Bee |
| Followed by | 58th Scripps National Spelling Bee |
The 57th Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.C. at the Capital Hilton on May 30-31, 1984, sponsored by the E.W. Scripps Company.
The winner was 13-year old Daniel Greenblatt of Sterling, Virginia, who correctly spelled "luge" for the win.[2][3] Greenblatt was the first winner ever sponsored by a weekly newspaper, the Loudon Times-Mirror of Leesburg, Virginia.[2] Second place went to 13-year old Amy McWhirter of St. Joseph, Michigan, who missed "towhee."[2][1]
There were 151 contestants this year (up from 137 the prior year), 78 girls and 73 boys. Fourth-eight spellers made it to the second day of competition.[4] A total of 606 words were used.[2][5]
The first-place winner received $1000.[2] Alex Cameron was the pronouncer, in his fourth year in that role.[6]
References
- ^ a b Wallace, Lezlie (1 June 1984). Local Speller Finishes 10th in National Spelling Bee, The Dispatch
- ^ a b c d e f (1 June 1984). 'Luge' was more than a sled for spelling bee victor, Deseret News (Associated Press)
- ^ (31 May 1984). 'Hard word, shot in the dark', Ellensburg Daily Record (UPI)
- ^ Scherf, Margaret (31 May 1984). 47 survive the first day of National Spelling Bee, Gainesville Sun (Associated Press)
- ^ O'Herin, Tim. (29 May 1984). Lawton Student Watches History in the Making Spelling Contestant Sees Interment of Vietnam Veteran, Oklahoman
- ^ Grove, Lloyd (1 June 1984). To Win Is To 'L-u-g-e', The Washington Post
External links
- Final 45 seconds of 1984 bee, via NBC News Archives on YouTube
 | This District of Columbia related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |