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55th National Spelling Bee: Molly Dieveney wins spelling psoriasis

The 55th Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.C. at the Capital Hilton on June 2–3, 1982, sponsored by the E.W.

The 55th Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.C. at the Capital Hilton on June 2–3, 1982, sponsored by the E.W. Scripps Company.

The competition was won by 12-year-old Molly Dieveney from Denver, Colorado, correctly spelling "psoriasis" for the win. Dieveney was coached by the mother of Jacques Bailly (her next door neighbor), who won the bee two years prior. Second place went to 13-year-old Uma Rao of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who misspelled "contretemps". Jason Johnson, 13, of St. Joseph, Michigan, and who placed second the prior year, placed third after missing "gauleiter".

There were 126 spellers this year, 81 girls and 45 boys, with 54 making it to the second day of competition.

Historical Significance

The 55th Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.

Events Before

  1. Greece becomes the 10th country to join the European Economic Community

    Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia...

  2. Police drama "Hill Street Blues" premieres on NBC

    "Hill Street Station" is the first episode of the first season of the American serial police drama Hill Street Blues.

  3. Ronald Reagan is inaugurated as the 40th President of the United States

    The first inauguration of Ronald Reagan as the 40th president of the United States was held on Tuesday, January 20, 1981, at the West Front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.

  4. Twenty-year-old Edmonton center Wayne Gretzky becomes the first player in NHL history to score five career hat tricks be

    Twenty-year-old Edmonton center Wayne Gretzky becomes the first player in NHL history to score five career hat tricks before age 21, scoring five goals and two assists in a 9-2 Oilers home win against St. Louis

  5. George Harrison is ordered to pay ABKCO Music $587,000 for "subconscious plagiarism" of his song "My Sweet Lord" from Ro

    George Harrison is ordered to pay ABKCO Music $587,000 for "subconscious plagiarism" of his song "My Sweet Lord" from Ronnie Mack's song "He's So Fine"

Events After

  1. 'New Age' music radio program "Hearts of Space," hosted by Stephen Hill, makes its national syndication debut on U.S. Na

    'New Age' music radio program "Hearts of Space," hosted by Stephen Hill, makes its national syndication debut on U.S. National Public Radio

  2. IOC restores Jim Thorpe's Olympic medals for his pentathlon and decathlon victories, 70 years after they were stripped f

    IOC restores Jim Thorpe's Olympic medals for his pentathlon and decathlon victories, 70 years after they were stripped from him for accepting $25 to play semi-pro baseball

  3. Film genius Jerry Lewis (56) marries 2nd wife dancer SanDee Pitnick

    Film genius Jerry Lewis (56) marries 2nd wife dancer SanDee Pitnick

  4. Final TV episode of "M*A*S*H" airs on CBS, a two-hour special directed by series star Alan Alda titled "Goodbye, Farewel

    Final TV episode of "M*A*S*H" airs on CBS, a two-hour special directed by series star Alan Alda titled "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen"; a record 125 million viewers watch in the US

  5. Actor Harrison Ford marries screenwriter Melissa Mathison (divorced 2004)

    Francis Ford Coppola ( KOH-pə-lə; born April 7, 1939) is an American filmmaker. One of the leading figures of the New Hollywood, Coppola is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential...

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Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on June 3, 1982?
The 55th Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.C. at the Capital Hilton on June 2–3, 1982, sponsored by the E.W. Scripps Company.
Why is 55th National Spelling Bee: Molly Dieveney wins spelling psoriasis significant?
The 55th Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.

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June 3 in HistoryYear 1982