Spelling out history

Sep 01, 2012 - Age Correspondent

Contestants await their turn at the National Spelling Bee contest

The Scripps Spelling Bee contest generates a lot of interest in India today, mainly because recent winners of the tough spelling contest have been of Indian origin. But getting on stage and spelling out unheard of words isn’t a 20th century phenomenon. In fact, the earliest, documented Spelling Bee contest was held all the way back in 1825!

Spelling became a national obsession in the US (or at least certain erudite segments of it) after Noah Webster’s popular spelling books were published in 1786. A requisite study book for all schoolchildren, Webster’s work gained near-iconic status, and in its modern day version, is known as the Mirriam-Webster dictionary.
Until 1941, the National Spelling Bee contest was called just that, with the “Scripps” being added when the Scripps Howard News Service took over the programme. A senior programme of the Spelling Bee is separately conducted. Contestants come not just from the US, but also Canada, New Zealand, Europe and the Bahamas.
Live television broadcasts of the National Spelling Bee began in 2006.

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