| 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 |
| Age | 12 |
| Residence | Fort Worth, Texas |
| Sponsor | Birmingham Post-Herald |
| Sponsor location | Birmingham, Alabama |
| Winning word | hydrophyte |
| No. of contestants | 80 |
| Pronouncer | Richard R. Baker |
| 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 Scripps National Spelling Bee is an annual spelling bee held in the United States. The bee is run on a not-for-profit basis by The E. W. Scripps Company and is held at a hotel or convention center in Washington, D.C. during the week following Memorial Day weekend. Since 2011, it has been held at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center hotel in National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland, just outside Washington D.C. It was previously held at the Grand Hyatt Washington in Washington D.C. from 1996 to 2010.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington or D.C., is the capital of the United States. Founded after the American Revolution as the seat of government of the newly independent country, Washington was named after George Washington, first President of the United States and Founding Father. As the seat of the United States federal government and several international organizations, Washington is an important world political capital. The city is also one of the most visited cities in the world, with more than 20 million tourists annually.
The Mayflower Hotel is a historic hotel in downtown Washington, D.C., located on Connecticut Avenue NW. It is two blocks north of Farragut Square. The hotel is managed by the Autograph Collection Hotels division of Marriott International. The Mayflower is the largest luxury hotel in the District of Columbia, the longest continuously operating hotel in the Washington D.C. area, and a rival of the nearby Willard InterContinental and Hay-Adams Hotels. The Mayflower is known as the "Grande Dame of Washington", the "Hotel of Presidents", and as the city's "Second Best Address" —the latter sobriquet attributed to President Harry S. Truman .However, today it is only a four-star hotel.
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]
Gordo is a town in Pickens County, Alabama, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 1,750, up from 1,677 in 2000. It was the second largest town in Pickens County as of 2010, taking the title from Reform, which it previously held in 1960 and 1970. The town incorporated in 1900.
Arlington is a town in Shelby County, Tennessee. The population was 2,569 at the 2000 census and 11,517 at the 2010 census, for a gain of 348.3% during the decade. The 2010 US Census shows that Arlington is the 2nd fastest growing community in the State of Tennessee. It is one of seven municipalities in Shelby County.
The Memphis Press-Scimitar was an afternoon newspaper based in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, and owned by the E. W. Scripps Company.
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]
The 34th Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, District of Columbia on May 31 and June 1, 1961, by the E.W. Scripps Company.
Alabama is a state in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama is the 30th largest by area and the 24th-most populous of the U.S. states. With a total of 1,500 miles (2,400 km) of inland waterways, Alabama has among the most of any state.
There were 80 entrants in that year, sponsored by 76 newspapers. The New York Daily News sent four spellers, and the San Juan Star sent two, one for Puerto Rico and one for the Virgin Islands. [1] [5] The field consisted of 40 girls and 40 boys. 24 were age 14, 40 were age 13, 13 were age 12, and 3 were age 11. There one 5th grader, six 6th graders, 17 in 7th grade, and 56 in 8th grade. The spellers represented 33 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Ohio and Texas each sent eight spellers (the most), and Pennsylvania sent seven. Nine of the spellers were repeat contestants, seven from the prior year, and two from 1972. [5]
The New York Daily News, officially titled Daily News, is an American newspaper based in New York City. As of May 2016, it was the ninth-most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States. It was founded in 1919, and was the first U.S. daily printed in tabloid format. It reached its peak circulation in 1947, at 2.4 million copies a day.
The San Juan Star is an English-language daily newspaper based in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper was originally published by Star Media Network, a subdivision of San Juan Star, Inc.
Puerto Rico, officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and briefly called Porto Rico, is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeast Caribbean Sea, approximately 1,000 miles (1,600 km) southeast of Miami, Florida.
The field was reduced by 25 by the end of the first day of competition, where 522 words were used. [6]
A taped version of the finals, hosted by Jean Shepherd, appeared on television on PBS this year (and was done again in 1977). [7] [8] [9] [5]
Jean Parker Shepherd, Jr. was an American storyteller, radio and TV personality, writer and actor. He was often referred to by the nickname Shep. With a career that spanned decades, Shepherd is known for the film A Christmas Story (1983), which he narrated and co-scripted, based on his own semi-autobiographical stories.
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and television program distributor. It is a nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educational television programming to public television stations in the United States, distributing series such as American Experience, America's Test Kitchen, Antiques Roadshow, Arthur, Downton Abbey, Finding Your Roots, Frontline, The Magic School Bus, Masterpiece, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, Nature, Nova, the PBS NewsHour, Sesame Street, and This Old House.
