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61st National Spell Bee: Rageshree Ramachandran wins spelling elegiacal

The 61st Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.C. at the Capital Hilton on June 1–2, 1988, sponsored by the E.W.

The 61st Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.C. at the Capital Hilton on June 1–2, 1988, sponsored by the E.W. Scripps Company.

The winner was 13-year–old Rageshree Ramachandran of Carmichael, California, correctly spelling "elegiacal" for the win. She had previously placed 36th in the 1986 bee. She was the second Indian-American to win the Bee (the first was at the 1985 bee). Fourteen-year-old Victor Wang of Camarillo, California placed second after a final showdown with Ramachandran that almost lasted for an hour, finally missing "stertorous". Twelve-year-old Robin Covey of Harper Woods, Michigan placed third, after previously successfully protesting a 15th place removal.

There were 200 spellers this year (102 girls and 98 boys), a new record.

Historical Significance

The 61st Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.

Events Before

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  2. Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

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  3. Astronomers at the University of California witness the first observation of the birth of a galaxy

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  4. Opera impresario Sir Rudolf Bing (85) weds Carroll Douglass (45); annulled in September, 1989

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  5. Pennsylvania politician R. Budd Dwyer shoots and kills himself at a press conference on live national television, sparki

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Events After

  1. Fall of the Berlin Wall

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  4. Poland's communist government begins "Round Table" talks with the Solidarity trade union and its leader Lech Wałęsa in a

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  5. NBA power forward Charles Barkley (26) weds legal aide Maureen Blumhardt in Elkton, Maryland

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Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on June 2, 1988?
The 61st Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.C. at the Capital Hilton on June 1–2, 1988, sponsored by the E.W. Scripps Company.
Why is 61st National Spell Bee: Rageshree Ramachandran wins spelling elegiacal significant?
The 61st Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.

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June 2 in HistoryYear 1988