January 6 | Wheel of Fortune Premiers in 1975
I’d like to buy a vowel Pat, because on this day in 1975, Wheel of Fortune premiered on daytime television, where it would stay until 1989 when it moved into its current dinnertime slot. 51 years later, viewers can still tune in daily, making it one of the longest syndicated game shows in television history.
It all started with Merv Griffin, a fella we’ve never heard of (probably). Apparently he loved a good game of hangman and dreamed up Wheel of Fortune as a glitzier riff where contestants could win real money and knock our socks off by guessing complete phrases off two letter clues. He actually was a big deal in the TV world circa 1975 - along with hosting a talk show and being a big band singer, he was responsible for that other gameshow banger, Jeopardy! Gameshow development is clearly his niche and when he pitched the idea to NBC, it got the greenlight and the rest is history. Sort of - It would be six years before Pat Sajak came aboard as host - hard to imagine anyone else, right?! Vanna White would come aboard a year later in 1982. Wheel of Fortune lore has it that Vanna has never worn the same gown twice. 6,500 episodes and not a single outfit repeat! Can you imagine!
The first million dollar winner was in 2008 (!!!) when Michelle Loewenstein landed on the million dollar tile and correctly guessed “leaky faucet” to solve the puzzle. Nice work girl.