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43rd National Spelling Bee: Libby Childress wins spelling croissant

The 43rd Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.C. at the Mayflower Hotel on June 3–4, 1970, sponsored by the E.W.

The 43rd Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.C. at the Mayflower Hotel on June 3–4, 1970, sponsored by the E.W. Scripps Company.

The winner was 14-year-old Libby Childress of Mount Airy, North Carolina, with the winning word "croissant". The competition ended with an 18-word duel with 14-year-old Tom Moe Jr. of Denver, who eventually misspelled "corymb" as "chorimbe".

There were 74 spellers this year, 44 girls and 30 boys. The first-place prize was $1000 (and a trip to New York City), $500 for second, $250 for third, $100 for next five, $75 for next ten, and $50 each for the remaining spellers.

As of 2015, Childress is the last entrant from North Carolina to win the national contest.

Historical Significance

The 43rd Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.

Events Before

  1. Apollo 11 Moon Landing

    NASA's Apollo 11 mission successfully lands the first humans on the Moon. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first people to walk on the lunar surface.

  2. Tommy Morrison is born

    Tommy Morrison, American professional boxer, known for american boxer, was born on 1969-01-02.

  3. Christy Turlington is born

    Christy Turlington is born

  4. Jack Kent Cooke, owner of the NHL's LA Kings, fines each player $100 for not arguing with the referees

    Jack Kent Cooke, owner of the NHL's LA Kings, fines each player $100 for not arguing with the referees

  5. Atlantic Records releases Led Zeppelin’s eponymous debut album in the United States

    Atlantic Records releases Led Zeppelin’s eponymous debut album in the United States

Events After

  1. Cigarette advertisements are banned from broadcast media in the US

    Cigarette advertisements are banned from broadcast media in the US

  2. 1st "Quickie" Divorce granted in UK

    1st "Quickie" Divorce granted in UK

  3. Tamla Records releases Marvin Gaye's single "What's Going On" about police brutality, from the album of the same name

    What's Going On is the eleventh studio album by the American soul singer Marvin Gaye. It was released on May 21, 1971, by the Motown Records subsidiary label Tamla.

  4. Military coup in Uganda led by Major General Idi Amin

    Idi Amin Dada Oumee (30 May 1928 – 16 August 2003) was a Ugandan military officer and politician who served as the third president of Uganda from 1971 until his overthrow in 1979.

  5. General Idi Amin ousts Milton Obote and appoints himself President and Dictator of Uganda

    Idi Amin Dada Oumee (30 May 1928 – 16 August 2003) was a Ugandan military officer and politician who served as the third president of Uganda from 1971 until his overthrow in 1979.

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Cigarette advertisements are banned from broadcast media in the US

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Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on June 4, 1970?
The 43rd Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.C. at the Mayflower Hotel on June 3–4, 1970, sponsored by the E.W. Scripps Company.
Why is 43rd National Spelling Bee: Libby Childress wins spelling croissant significant?
The 43rd Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.

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June 4 in HistoryYear 1970