Ken Jennings

Its format is unknown, but it is already said it will be far different from the network's previous game show offering, Win Ben Stein's Money. 1 Wasilla, Alaska $89,895
2 Chicken, Alaska $65,400
3 Edna Bay, Alaska $58,967
4 Sunrise, Alaska $56,000
5 Lowell Point, Alaska $45,790
6 Petersville, Alaska $43,200
7 Coldfoot, Alaska $42,620
8 Port Clarence, Alaska $35,286
9 Hobart Bay, Alaska $34,900
10 Red Dog Mine, Alaska $34,348
11 Adak, Alaska $31,747
12 Meyers Chuck, Alaska $31,660
13 Pelican, Alaska $29,347
14 Ester, Alaska $29,155
15 Chignik Lagoon, Alaska $28,941
16 Four Mile Road, Alaska $28,465
17 Healy, Alaska $28,225
18 Moose Pass, Alaska $28,147
19 Cube Cove, Alaska $27,920
20 Womens Bay, Alaska $27,746
21 Skagway, Alaska $27,700
22 Nelson Lagoon, Alaska $27,596
23 Valdez, Alaska $27,341
24 McKinley Park, Alaska $27,255
25 Attu Station, Alaska $26,964
See complete list of Alaska places. Comedy Central has announced that they have inked a deal for Ken to host a new game show on their network, likely to begin in the autumn of 2005. Ranked by per capita income. Also starring Dennis Haysbert, the advertisements parody a typical Final Jeopardy! situation, and parody Ken's usual style of guessing at answers by having him answer the question in a humorous, over-the-top inquisitive fashion. Sitka ranks as America's largest city by area, followed closely by Juneau. Ken Jennings also is appearing on commercials for Allstate Insurance. cities by area, behind two other Alaskan cities.

The first of these commercials, portraying Jennings as having lots of "friends & family" (coming out of the woodwork, because he is now "stinking rich") started airing in February, 2005. It ranks third in the List of U.S. The SBC Communications and BellSouth joint venture Cingular Wireless LLC has signed Jennings to appear in commercials. Alaska's most populous city is Anchorage, home of 260,284 people, 225,744 of whom live in the urbanized area. Ken himself appeared in the commercial. 1999 paperback, ISBN 0882405241. University Games is also producing a Can you Beat Ken? board game to be released in approximately May of 2005. Insightful look into a different side of Anchorage in the 1960s and 1970s.

He is also engaged in speaking deals through the Massachusetts-based speakers agency, American Program Bureau (http://www.apbspeakers.com/themes/DefaultView/Site?aspx?PAGE=HOME). Made into a TV movie. Jennings has also agreed to a deal with Microsoft to promote their Encarta encyclopedia software, and has signed a deal with Bertelsmann AG for a book to be published through one of their book divisions in 2005. "Johnny's Girl" by Kim Rich, a memoir by the daughter of a 1960s Anchorage mobster and a former stripper. Jennings accepted the offer, and in another news story (http://www.tvbarn.com/ticker2004/archives/028052.shtml), H&RB officials reported that they had offered similar services to other individuals in the past. Gore Vidal based his first novel, Williwaw, on his military experiences in the Alaskan Harbor Detachment. According to H&RB statements, Jennings could pay over $1.045 million alone in taxes, more than any quiz show contestant. "inua" is set after Alaskan statehood and again examines the intersection of cultures and the impact on the traditional Native Alaskan family.

H&R Block, the firm named in the answer he 'missed', announced in a press release (http://www.hrblock.com/presscenter/pressreleases/pressRelease.jsp?PRESS_RELEASE_ID=1245) that they were offering him a deal for free tax preparation and financial services for the rest of his life. "Spirit of the Raven" is set during Alaska's territorial days and examines the interactions of a culturally diverse group of characters brought together by a murder. Jennings’ success has resulted in him being a popular individual amongst corporations looking for public endorsers. Bob Cherry has written two books, "Spirit of the Raven: An Alaskan Novel" (ISBN 0966543068) and "inua" (ISBN 0966543017).
. 1997, ISBN 0385486804. By finishing second ahead of Vered, Jennings not only tied Lygo's 150 opponents defeated record, but joined Rutter as the only two American game show contestants to top $3 million (US) in total winnings. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer is the true story of Christopher McCandless, a college graduate and top student, who donated his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and moved into the Alaskan wilderness.

The winner of the tournament and $2 million prize was Brad Rutter, with a total of $62,000 earned over the three days. James Michener wrote Alaska. Jerome Vered finished with a total of $20,600 for third place. 2003) has written three books which describe what it is like to live in a small coastal community in Alaska: Rogue's Yarn (2003, ISBN 0425191982), Crow in Stolen Colors (2000, ISBN 1890208361) and Sound Tracks (2001, ISBN 1890208728). In the final, Jennings faced off against Jerome Vered and Brad Rutter in a three day tournament for $2 million ($500,000 for 2nd place and $250,000 for third place). After the three days, Ken Jennings finished in 2nd place with a tally of $34,599. Marcia Simpson (d. If Jennings won the three-day final, he would have broken Lygo's record. Coraghessan Boyle novel Drop City (2003, ISBN 0670031720) tells the story of a group of Hippies who relocate to Alaska.

During his original run, Jennings defeated 149 opponents. The T. In the Ultimate Tournament of Champions, Jennings had a chance to break Lygo's record of defeating 150 opponents. Dale. After Jennings' 75th show, he tied Lygo's record of 75 consecutive appearances and, with 74 wins, he almost reached Lygo's record of 75 consecutive game show wins. Honorae V. Ian Lygo appeared on the British game show 100% 75 consecutive times and won every game until he was forced to retire by the show's producers. The first woman elected to statewide office was Fran Ulmer, elected as Lieutenant Governor in 1994.

Jennings broke almost every game show record in his run. Alaska's are of its first two senators:. Oddly, however, during the 74th game, which aired on Monday, November 29, Gilbert resumed announcing the number of games. Each state has selected one or two distinguished citizens and provided statues. To make it more difficult for viewers to keep track of Ken's progress towards his final episode, in early September 2004 the show's announcer, Johnny Gilbert, ceased mentioning the number of games that Jennings had won, as had been the show's custom. However, some people in the studio audience reported that he was still announcing them, possibly meaning those parts had been edited out of the airing. The National Statuary Hall of the United States of America is part of the Capitol in Washington DC. The reasoning behind the early airing was reportedly due to a technician running the wrong tape. The state has tried to combat this by offering 4 year scholarships to the top 10 percent of Alaska high school graduates.

In an interesting turn of events, the 75th episode was aired early in the Macon, Georgia area (on WMAZ-TV, see here (http://www.freep.com/entertainment/tvandradio/tv1e_20041201.htm)) on Friday, November 26, 2004. Alaska has long had a problem with "brain drain" as many of its young people, including most of the highest academic achievers, leave the state upon graduating high school. Later on, it was determined that Ken Jennings did indeed lose as initially reported with the failing episode shown in most cities across North America on Tuesday, November 30, 2004. Spanish speakers make up 2.9% of the population, followed by Tagalog speakers at 1.5% and Korean at 0.8%. Despite this, Jeopardy! refused to comment. As of 2000 85.7% of Alaska residents age 5 and older speak English at home and 5.2% speak Native American languages. A few days later, another rumor spread giving out an incorrect first name of the contestant that had beat him. The six largest ethnic groups in the state are: German (16.6%), Alaska Native (15.6%), Irish (10.8%), English (9.6%), American (5.7%), Norwegian (4.2%).

(Jeopardy! tapes five shows per day.) This incident was reported by TV Week and the Associated Press, appearing in hundreds of newspapers across the United States. Racially, the state is:. In a rumor (http://www.kottke.org/04/09/some-ken-jennings-news) disclosed on Wednesday, September 8, 2004, two sources who were at the taping on September 7, 2004 reported that Jennings had lost on his 75th episode, taped the day before, with total winnings at around $2.5 million. 51.7% is male, and 48.3% is female. Jennings' adjusted total of $37,500 puts him ahead of that mark. As of 2003, the population of Alaska was 648,818. Four contestants finished with scores of $30,000 or higher in the pre-doubling era, led by Jerome Vered's score of $34,000. Mushers from all over the world come to Anchorage each March to compete for cash prizes and prestige.

Jennings's top score of $75,000 is the highest ever, even if it is adjusted for the seasons before the clue values were doubled. The race commemorates the famous 1925 serum run to Nome in which mushers and dogs like Balto took much-needed medicine to the diphtheria-stricken community of Nome when all other means of transportation had failed. Jennings has reached the $50,000 mark eleven times, with wins of $75,000, $55,099, $52,000 (three times), and $50,000 (six times). Various races are held around the state, but the most well-known is the Iditarod, a 1,150-mile trail from Anchorage to Nome. Myron Meyer won $50,000 on September 5, 2002, and Brian Weikle won $52,000 on April 14, 2003. In modern times, dog mushing is more of a sport than a true means of transportation. Prior to Jennings's run, the $50,000 mark had only been reached twice before. Another Alaskan transportation method is the dogsled.

Jennings now also holds most of the top spots in the list of highest single day winnings on Jeopardy!. The world's busiest seaplane base is Lake Hood, located next to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, where flights bound for remote villages without an airstrip carry passengers, cargo, and lots of items from Costco. If winnings are further adjusted to make them comparable to the seasons before the clue values were doubled, Jennings's adjusted total of $78,000 would place him 11th in the Trebek era of Jeopardy!, behind Frank Spangenberg ($102,597) and nine others. But perhaps the most quintessentially Alaskan plane is the Bush seaplane. No other Jeopardy! contestant has won more than $150,000 in non-tournament play in the first five days. The smallest towns and villages must rely on scheduled or chartered Bush flying services using general aviation aircraft such as the Cessna Caravan, the most popular aircraft in use in the state. The previous record holder, Tom Walsh, won $184,900 in seven days, but only $118,100 of that came in the first five days. Smaller communities are served by the three main regional commuter airlines: Era Aviation, PenAir, and Frontier Flying Service.

Sean Ryan was the first to break the record, winning six games in October 2003. However, Alaska Airlines has a virtual monopoly on jet air travel within the state—meaning airfares are extremely high. The airline offers frequent jet service (sometimes in combination cargo and passenger Boeing 737-200s) from Anchorage and Fairbanks to regional hubs like Bethel, Nome, Kotzebue, Dillingham, Kodiak, and other larger communities as well as to major Southeast and Alaska Peninsula communities. Jennings won US$156,000 in his first five days on Jeopardy!, so if the five-day rule had not been eliminated, he would still be the all-time non-tournament winner in Jeopardy! history. Anchorage recently completed extensive remodeling and construction at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport to help accommodate the upsurge in tourism (unofficial sources have estimated the numbers for 2004 at some four million tourists arriving in Alaska between May and September). Comprehensive game summaries for each day of Ken Jennings' streak have been compiled here. Air travel is the cheapest and most efficient form of transportation in and out of the state. With three consecutive losses in the Ultimate Tournament of Champions in addition to the loss in his previous Jeopardy appearance, Jennings has now lost four episodes in a row. Anchorage itself, and to a lesser extent Fairbanks, are serviced by most major airlines.

Jennings also holds the record for the number of consecutive losses on Jeopardy. Cities not served by road or sea can only be reached by air, accounting for Alaska's extremely well-developed Bush air services—an Alaskan novelty. Jennings' current total of US$3,022,700 could be increased to US$3,272,700 if he wins the next Tournament of Champions for the season in which his streak ended, thus retaking the title of highest total winnings on Jeopardy or any other game show. Alaska has a well-developed ferry system, known as the Alaska Marine Highway System, which serves the cities of Southeast and the Alaska Peninsula. The system also operates a ferry service from Bellingham, Washington up the Inside Passage to Haines (several cruise companies offer cruises up the Inside Passage as well, with service all the way to Seward and Whittier).
The following records, having been set by Ken Jennings, have now been broken by others:. Most cities and villages in the state are accessible only by sea or air. Jennings bested 149 opponents during his tenure. When they want to come back to town, they wait by the side of the tracks and "flag" the train, giving the train its name.

** In 100%, Lygo faced two opponents per game. Residents board the train in Talkeetna and tell the conductor where they want to get off. * Lygo was forced to retire by producer RTL Group. A stretch of the track along an area inaccessible by road serves as the only transportation to cabins in the area. Three game show records remained that Jennings did not tie or break:. The route between Talkeetna and Hurricane (an area between Talkeetna and Denali) features the last remaining flag stop train service in the United States. He also tied the following records:. The Alaska Railroad is the only remaining railroad in North America to use cabooses on its freight trains.

During his streak, Jennings broke the following records:. The railroad is famous for its summertime passenger services but also plays a vital part in moving Alaska's natural resources, such as coal and gravel, to ports in Anchorage, Whittier and Seward. During his Jeopardy! appearances, Jennings became known for several quirky behaviors:. The Alaska Railroad runs from Seward through Anchorage, Denali, and Fairbanks to North Pole, with spurs to Whittier and Palmer. Harry Friedman, Executive Producer of the show, said in the release, "The 2003 rule change, which allows Jeopardy! players to keep playing until they're defeated, raised the question about how other five-time champions might have played under this rule. This tournament is an opportunity to give those past champions another chance to shine." On May 25, Ken Jennings finished second in the Ultimate Tournament of Champions, winning half a million dollars but has been replaced as the number one overall winner of money on a gameshow by Brad Rutter, the two million dollar winner of the Ultimate Tournament of Champions. The tunnel is the longest road tunnel in North America at nearly 2.5 miles and combines a one-lane roadway and train tracks in the same housing. Consequently, eastbound traffic, westbound traffic, and the Alaska Railroad must share the tunnel, resulting in waits of 20 minutes or more to enter. The three-day finals concluded the event on May 23, May 24, and May 25. One unique feature of the road system is the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, which links the Seward Highway south of Anchorage with the relatively isolated community of Whittier.

The tournament was taped in early 2005 and the tournament began airing on February 9. The state capital, Juneau, is not accessible by road, which has spurred several debates over the decades about moving the capital to a city on the road system. Guaranteed prize money will be offered to all contestants. The state's road system covers a relatively small area of the state, linking the central population centers and the Alaska Highway, the principal route out of the state through Canada. The Ultimate Tournament of Champions offered a substantial purse, with a grand prize of $2,000,000 to the winner, $500,000 for second, and $250,000 for third. Alaska is arguably the least-connected state in terms of road transportation. This equaled a total of 145 players, including Jennings. Some have embraced the free shipping offers of some online retailers to purchase items much more cheaply than they could in their own communities, if they are available at all.

It featured Tournament of Champions Champions, College Championship, and Teen Tournament winners from the show's 21-year run, as well as over 100 undefeated five-time champions. Many rural residents come in to Anchorage and purchase food and goods in bulk from warehouse clubs like Costco and Sam's Club. On December 28, 2004, Sony sent out press release announcing their 15-week, 75-show, Jeopardy! Ultimate Tournament of Champions. However, rural Alaska suffers from extremely high prices for food and consumer goods due to the lack of transportation infrastructure. Work on the series will begin summer 2005 with a launch date set for late 2005 or 1st qtr 2006. This has changed for the most part in Anchorage, where the cost of living is actually less than some major cities in the Lower 48, thanks to lower housing and transportation costs. According to Comedy Central execs, Jennings would co-host and participate but would not elaborate any further on the show’s format. The cost of goods in Alaska has long been higher than in the contiguous 48 states.

According to Variety.com (‘Trivia titan gets series’, 5/23/05) Ken Jennings and Michael Davies (Who Wants to be a Millionaire & Win Ben Stein's Money) are teaming up as executive producers on a new game show format for Comedy Central. There is also a growing service and tourism sector. Combined with a ten percent tithe, this would leave him approximately $1,230,430 to use for other purposes. Its industrial outputs are crude petroleum, natural gas, coal, gold, precious metals, zinc and other mining, seafood processing, timber and wood products. H&R Block senior vice president David Byers estimated that Jennings would owe approximately $1.04 million in taxes on his winnings. Manufacturing is limited, with most foodstuffs and general goods imported from elsewhere. Employment is primarily in government and industries such as natural resource extraction, shipping, and transportation. Taking advantage of its fame over the crucial clue, H&R Block offered Jennings free financial services for the rest of his life. Alaska's main agriculture output is seafood, although nursery stock, dairy products, vegetables, and livestock are produced and used internally.

Jeopardy! contestants typically receive their winnings approximately 120 days after their last game airs in the form of a check. Its per-capita income for 2003 was $33,213, 14^th in the nation. When asked what he intended to do with his winnings, Jennings said that he intends to tithe ten percent to his church, donate to public television and National Public Radio, go on a trip to Europe, and invest the rest for his family. The state's 2003 total gross state product was $31 billion. On May 24th, 2005, Comedy Central announced that Jennings would be the host of a new comedic quiz show to replace the cancelled Chappelle's Show". The difference between boroughs and census areas is that boroughs have an organized area-wide government, while census areas are artificial divisions defined by the United States Census Bureau. A&E aired on December 1, 2004 an episode of the Biography television program on Jennings and other Jeopardy! notables, including Frank Spangenberg and Eddie Timanus. Alaska has no counties in the sense used in the rest of the country; however, the state is divided into 27 census areas and boroughs.

TV Guide featured a segment of "The Top Ten TV Moments of 2004," in which Ken Jennings' loss placed third. See: List of Alaska rivers. While on his media tour following his final game, Jennings taped a segment for a future episode of Sesame Street. Various private interests own the remaining land, less than 1%. Barbara Walters selected Jennings as one of the "Ten Most Fascinating People of 2004" for her twelfth annual ABC News special, which aired on December 8, 2004. Of the remaining land, the State of Alaska owns 24.5%; another 10% is managed by thirteen regional and dozens of local Native corporations called ANCSA. news programming and on Nightline. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Jennings appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman to present Letterman's "Top Ten List." He appeared again on the program on the night his final show was televised, in addition to interview segments airing that night on local 11 p.m. Of these, the Bureau of Land Management manages 87 million acres, or 23.8% of the state. it's not like Millionaire.". According to the October 1998 report of the USDI Bureau of Land Management, approximately 65% of Alaska is owned and managed by the US Federal Government as national forests, national parks, and national wildlife refuges. During that guest appearance, Jennings said that, "Jeopardy! is a man's game .. The Aleutian Islands actually cross longitude 180°, though the International Date Line doglegs around them to keep the whole state in the same day. There Jennings revealed that he had failed to qualify for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, also hosted by Regis Philbin. Alaska is both the Westernmost and Easternmost state in the Union.

After his 31st win on Jeopardy!, during the summer break between tapings, Jennings made a guest appearance on Live with Regis and Kelly. North America's second largest tide occurs in Turnagain Arm just south of Anchorage, which often sees tidal differences of more than 30 feet. Jennings has received a good deal of American media coverage. The chain of volcanoes extends to Mount Spurr, west of Anchorage on the mainland. Jeopardy! ratings went up 62 percent during his run on the show (11.1 million viewers was a ten-year high); for three weeks in July 2004 and for most of the latter part of Jennings's run, it surpassed traditional leader Wheel of Fortune to become television's highest-rated syndicated program. For example, Unimak Island is home to Mount Shishaldin, a moderately active volcano that rises to 9,980 ft (3,042 m) above sea level. Jennings's winning streak on Jeopardy! has made him something of a celebrity. The island chain extending west from the southern tip of Alaska is called the Aleutian Islands. Many active volcanoes are found in the Aleutians.

On December 1, the show broke with tradition by having Jennings make a "guest appearance" at the start of the broadcast, during which host Alex Trebek acknowledged his success and enumerated the various game show records he'd broken. Alaska, with its numerous islands, has nearly 34,000 miles (54,700 km) of tidal shoreline. Along the way, Jennings defeated at least three contestants who are current quiz bowl players; in fact, according to a Washington Post article, at least one fellow NAQT employee was selected to appear on the show during Jennings' run (but, as someone with more than a casual acquaintance with Jennings, could not compete against him because of standards and practices rules). One scheme for describing the state's geography is by labeling the regions:. Zerg was defeated the following day, finishing in third place with $2, while Jennings' running time period totaled 182 calendar days, including his first and last appearances. If you superimposed a map of Alaska on the Lower 48 states, Alaska would stretch from Minnesota to Texas, and from California to Georgia. Most who saw the show would say this assessment was in keeping with his genial personality, since Zerg never appeared to be a serious contender until Jennings stumbled in the second half. (It is thus an exclave.) Alaska is the largest state in the United States in terms of land area, 570,374 square miles (1,477,261 kmē).

Jennings reported in an interview that the loss was "no fluke" and that Zerg was a formidable opponent. Alaska is the only state that is both in North America and not part of the 48 contiguous states; about 500 miles (800 kilometers) of Canadian territory separate Alaska from Washington. Immediately after she won, Alex Trebek dubbed her a "giant-killer" for her accomplishment of finally beating the long-standing champ. Littke, Peter, Russian-American Bibliography, 2003. Zerg answered correctly, and she and Jennings shook hands and hugged as the audience gave the two of them a standing ovation. Literature:. Jennings's final total, along with his second-place money, was $2,522,700. It was the only part of the United States to have land occupied during the war.

The Final Jeopardy category was "Business and Industry"; the clue was: "Most of this firm's 70,000 seasonal white-collar employees work only four months a year." The correct response was: "What is H&R Block?"; Jennings responded with "what is FedEx?". During World War II three of the outer Aleutian Islands — Attu, Agattu and Kiska — were occupied by Japanese troops. But Jennings proved to be his own worst enemy by 'missing' both Double Jeopardy! Daily Double questions (on which he had placed his usual high wagers) and the Final Jeopardy! question. Over the years various vessels have been named USS Alaska, in honor of the state. The third contestant, David Hankins, completed the Double Jeopardy round with a negative amount and was not allowed to participate in Final Jeopardy. In 1983 the number of time zones was reduced to two, with the entire mainland plus the inner Aleutian Islands going to UTC −9 hours (and this zone then being renamed Alaska Standard Time as the Yukon Territory had several years earlier (circa 1975) adopted a single time zone identical to Pacific Standard Time), and the remaining Aleutian Islands were slotted into the UTC −10 hours zone, which was then renamed Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time. On November 30, 2004, Jennings' long reign as Jeopardy! champion finally came to an end when he lost his 75th game to challenger Nancy Zerg, who initially did not appear to be a threat to the champion. Prior to 1983, the state lay across four different time zones — Pacific Standard Time (UTC −8 hours) in the extreme southeast, a small area of Yukon Standard Time (UTC −9 hours) around Juneau, Alaska-Hawaii Standard Time (UTC −10 hours) in the Anchorage and Fairbanks vicinity, with the Nome area and most of the Aleutian Islands observing Bering Standard Time (UTC −11 hours).

In theory, if Jennings had remained undefeated though the 2005-2006 season, there wouldn’t be a tournament of Champions for that season, because Jennings would be the sole champion. The fund invests a portion of the state's mineral revenue, including revenue from the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline System, 'to benefit all generations of Alaskans.' In March 2005, the fund's value was over $30 billion. Since he did not lose before the 2004 Tournament was taped (which then aired from September 20 through October 1), he will have to wait until the 2005-06 season to compete in the Tournament of Champions. In 1976, the people of Alaska amended the state's constitution, establishing the Alaska Permanent Fund. Jennings's run began with the episode aired on Monday, June 2, 2004, and spanned two seasons. Eisenhower signed the Alaska Statehood Act into United States law on 7 July 1958 which paved the way for Alaska's admission into the Union on January 3, 1959. After this rule change, and until Jennings' run, the record winning streak was set by Tom Walsh, who won $186,900 ($184,900 in his winning episodes) in eight games in January 2004. President Dwight D.

At the beginning of the show's 20th season (in 2003), the rules were changed to allow contestants to remain on the show as long as they continued to win. Between 1884 and 1912 it was called the district of Alaska. Prior to 2003, Jeopardy! contestants were limited to five consecutive games. After the purchase of Alaska between 1867 and 1884 the name was changed to the Department of Alaska. He and his wife Mindy have a son named Dylan. The purchase was not popular in the continental United States, where Alaska became known as "Seward's Folly" or "Seward's Icebox". Alaska celebrates the purchase each year on the last Monday of March, calling it Seward's Day. He was a software engineer for CHG, a healthcare-placement firm. The first American administrator of Alaska was Włodzimierz Krzyżanowski.

He also writes questions and edits the literature and mythology categories for the National Academic Quiz Tournaments (NAQT), a quiz bowl organization. Secretary of State William Seward, the United States Senate approved the purchase of Alaska from Russia for $7,200,000 on 9 April 1867, and the United States flag was raised on 18 October of that same year (now called Alaska Day). Now residing in Murray, Utah (a suburb of Salt Lake City), Jennings identifies himself as an avid comic book and movie buff with a website listing his top 2000 favorite movies. At the instigation of U.S. He served a two-year mission in Madrid, Spain from 1993 to 1995. The colony was never very profitable, because of the costs of transportation. Jennings is a Mormon, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Russian-American Company hunted otters for their fur.

Jennings graduated with a degree in computer science and English at Brigham Young University, where he played on the school's quiz bowl team for three years. He completed an International Baccalaureate diploma at Seoul Foreign School, and achieved honors at both Brigham Young and the University of Washington. St. Elias. He watched Jeopardy! on the American Forces Network television while growing up. Vitus Bering sailed east and saw Mt. Born in Edmonds, Washington, Jennings grew up in Seoul, South Korea (1981–1992) and Singapore (1992–1996), where his father worked for an international law firm and then as Asia Pacific Division Counsel of Oracle Corporation. The first written accounts indicate that the first Europeans to reach Alaska came from Russia. Jennings held the record for most winnings on any game show ever played until the end of the Ultimate Tournament of Champions on May 25, 2005, when he was displaced by Brad Rutter. Most, if not all, of the pre-Columbian population of the Americas probably took this route and continued further south and east.

His total winnings on Jeopardy! are $3,022,700 ($2,520,700 during his original run, and $500,000 in the Jeopardy! Ultimate Tournament of Champions). Eventually, Alaska became populated by the Inuit and a variety of Native American groups. 74 games before he was defeated by Nancy Zerg on his 75th appearance. Alaska was probably first settled by people who came there across the Bering Land Bridge. He will often say "What's...?" instead of "What is...?". Alaska is the largest state by area in the United States. When guessing, he would phrase his responses in such a way as to make it clear he was in doubt of the answer himself, and openly expressed surprise when he gave the correct response. It is bordered by Yukon Territory and British Columbia, Canada to the east, the Gulf of Alaska and the Pacific Ocean to the south, the Bering Sea, Bering Strait, and Chukchi Sea to the west, and the Beaufort Sea and the Arctic Ocean to the north.

He often shook his head in disbelief when his total cash winnings were announced at the start of each episode/game. The natives called it "Alyeska", meaning "the great land". Jennings has only made three other attempts to break Weikle's $52,000 record (in his 30th, 39th, and 65th games), but incorrect Final Jeopardy! responses prevented him from succeeding. The name "Alaska" is most likely derived from the Aleut word for "great country" or "mainland". On his 71st game, he broke the record a second time with a win of $55,099. The population of the state is 626,932, as of 2000. However, in his 38th game, Jennings entered Final Jeopardy with a total only $600 shy of the record (and, in fact, had exceeded the record in the Double Jeopardy round before missing a question at the end), and beat it with a final total of $75,000. On January 3, 1959, Alaska was admitted to the United States as the 49th state.

Prior to his 30th game, Jennings did not want to beat the $52,000 single-day record of former five-day champion Brian Weikle just "for the sake of beating it" (from the Jeopardy! forums). He intentionally tied his record three times. Sheldon Jackson College. Host Alex Trebek commented on this several times, and he even occasionally guessed what wager Jennings would make. Ilisagvik College. On Final Jeopardy and the Daily Doubles he almost always wagered an amount that could bring his total to a multiple of $5,000 or $1,000. Charter College. He often pronounced foreign words, phrases, or locations with an accent. Alaska Pacific University.

Also, he supposedly keeps a little piece of a fan's "popo" (pillow) in his coat pocket. Alaska Bible College. He kept a plush "Totoro" toy, from the movie My Neighbor Totoro in his pocket, as a good luck charm. University of Alaska Southeast. Each day he wrote his name in a different way, with styles ranging from simple (such as cursive script or block letters) to artistic (such as dots or a bas relief outline). University of Alaska Fairbanks. University of Alaska Anchorage.

University of Alaska System