First Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Winner
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Before November 19, 1999, no million-dollar winners in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire existed. Although the show started airing that August, 25 episodes have gone by, and there have been 44 previous contestants who didn't win the big prize. The 31-year-old IRS collections agent, John Carpenter, looked to change that, and he got off to a good start on the November 18th episode by answering the first two questions correctly.
In the next episode, John would continue to answer the questions correctly and without using any lifelines. Finally, he would reach the fifteenth and ultimate question when he decided to use the phone-a-friend lifeline to call his dad.
The question was: "Which of these U.S. Presidents appeared on the television series 'Laugh-In'?"
A) Lyndon Johnson
B) Richard Nixon
C) Jimmy Carter
D) Gerald Ford
John would tell his dad he didn't need help and was about to win the million dollars. He would answer Nixon and become the first Millionaire winner. Since then, only eleven other contestants have won the top prize.
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TIL The first guy to win "Who Wants to be Millionnaire?" John Carpenter, used none of his lifelines until the final question, where he called his Dad and told him that he didn't need any help on the final question and just wanted to let him know that he is about to win 1,000,000$
by u/samisaif in todayilearned
Quotes
Hi, Dad. I don’t really need your help. I just wanted to let you know that I’m gonna win the million dollars.
John Carpenter
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John Carpenter
John Carpenter is an American game show contestant and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agent. He is best known for becoming the first top-prize winner on the American version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and the first ever top prize winner in the entire Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? franchise.
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire Wiki
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As ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’ returns, let’s remember one of the most iconic scenes in game show history
On a Friday night in November 1999, millions of Americans settled in to watch “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” ABC’s hit game show. They had no idea they were about to witness one of the most memorable lines in TV history.
The Washington Post
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