16th Scripps National Spelling Bee explained

The 16th National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.C., on May 28, 1940. Scripps-Howard would not sponsor the Bee until the next year.

The winner was 14-year-old girl Laurel Kuykendall, correctly spelling the word therapy. Elizabeth O'Keefe, a 13-year-old girl from New Jersey, took second place after failing to correctly spell "plantain", followed by Eleanor Shea of Nebraska in third.^[1]

There were 22 spellers this year, and the prizes were $500 for first, $200 for second, and $100 for third.^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

Harold F. Harding of George Washington University was the pronouncer. He earned a round of applause when he slipped and spelled the word "fore" himself, instead of waiting for the speller to do so.^[5]

Notes and References

1. (29 May 1940). Tennessee Girl Champ Speller, St. Petersburg Times (Associated Press)
2. (31 May 1940). National Spelling Bee Champ, Rome Daily Sentinel (photo)
3. (9 March 2011). And the Winner Is ..., Shorpy.com (1940 photo of top three)
4. (29 May 1940). Farm Girl Tops in Spelling Bee, Spokesman-Review (Associated Press)
5. (28 May 1940). Pronounces Word, Spells It Himself, Akron Beacon Journal (paywall) ("Harold F. Harding, of George Washington university, official pronouncer for the national spelling bee finals, got a round of applause today when he pronounced the word "fore", then spelled it himself instead of watting for the speller. He blamed "nervous strain" for the slip.")