Whoever says literature does not pay has not played 'Jeopardy!' -- Eleanor Barkhorn of The Atlantic draws readers' attentions to yesterday's winner on the long-running quiz show, Jeopardy! Roger Craig from Delaware became the game show's biggest one-day winner Tuesday when he answered correctly a final Jeopardy! question in the "Literary and Movie Title Objects" category. He ended up winning $77,000 total for the day.
Mr. Craig's record breaks Ken Jennings's previous one-day winnings record of $75,000. Ken Jennings won Jeopardy! a record 74 times in 2004.
The final Jeopardy! clue, provided as an "answer" to a question, was: "The inspiration for this title object in a novel and a 1957 movie actually spanned the Mae Khlung River." The correct "answer," which needed to be provided as a "question," was: "What is Bridge on the River Kwai?"
According to the New York Times, Mr. Craig is a 33-year-old graduate student at the University of Delaware. The show announces him as a major in computer science. On Wednesday's program, Mr. Craig explained that he uses computers to help solve bio-medical problems.
The syndicated game show, which is hosted by Alex Trebek, frequently poses its signature clues (in the form of an "answer") in categories of literature, book titles, bestsellers, authors, and literary periods.
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Connie Ann Kirk is the author of 10 books and has a Ph.D. in English. She is currently at work on a novel and a screenplay. Check out all of her National Examiner columns in Arts & Entertainment: Books on Film; Literature; Emily Dickinson; and Young Adult Pop Culture. Feel free any time to visit Connie's website at www.connieannkirk.com.
Email Connie at: ConnieAnnKirkOnExaminer@gmail.com.
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