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54th National Spelling Bee: Paige Pipkin wins spelling sarcophagus

The 54th Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.C. at the Capital Hilton on June 3–4, 1981, sponsored by the E.W.

The 54th Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.C. at the Capital Hilton on June 3–4, 1981, sponsored by the E.W. Scripps Company.

The winner was 13-year-old Paige Pipkin of El Paso, Texas, who had placed second in the prior year's bee. 12-year-old Jason Johnson Jr. of St. Joseph, Michigan placed second, missing "Philippic". Pipkin spelled that word correctly followed by "sarcophagus" for the win. Pipkin had earlier missed "vitrine" but Johnson also missed it. Third-place went to 13 year old Danielle Marie Spinelli of Staunton, Virginia, who missed "polyonymous".

There were 120 spellers this year, and a total of 571 words were used. 46 spellers made it to the second day. Round 4 on day one was especially harsh on the contestants, knocking out 44 spellers on 90 words.

Historical Significance

The 54th Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.

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  2. Real Records releases "Pretenders" in the UK, the debut album by The Pretenders

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  3. Pink Floyd's double album "The Wall" hits #1

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  4. US President Jimmy Carter announces a US boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow after the Soviet invasion of Afgh

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  5. Cypriot-American model Angie Bowie (30) divorces British singer David Bowie (33) after just under 10 years of marriage

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Events After

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  2. Paul Belmondo dies

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  3. "Thirtysomething" stars Ken Olin and Patricia Wettig meet; they later marry

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  4. American singer Barbra Streisand and hairdresser/film producer Jon Peters' romantic relationship ends

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  5. NFC Championship, Candlestick Park, SF: San Francisco 49ers defeat Dallas Cowboys 28-27; "The Catch," an iconic moment i

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Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on June 4, 1981?
The 54th Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.C. at the Capital Hilton on June 3–4, 1981, sponsored by the E.W. Scripps Company.
Why is 54th National Spelling Bee: Paige Pipkin wins spelling sarcophagus significant?
The 54th Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.

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June 4 in HistoryYear 1981