Final Jeopardy: Lesser-Known Americans (6-3-26)
The Final Jeopardy question (6/3/2026) in the category “Lesser-Known Americans” was:
By his actions after his wife died in 1898 after bearing him 6 children, William Jackson Smart inspired this annual event
2x champ Peter McFerrin, an energy industry professional from Corona, CA, took a giant leap in winnings yesterday with a $49,199 win that brought him up to $68,198. In Game 3, he’ll try to keep that momentum going against these new players: Gil Hamel, an escape room manager from Dover, NH; and Gabriel Berkowitz, an account manager from New York, NY.
Round 1 Categories: Notable Names – Superstitions – A Spanish Inquisition – Literary Genres – City Museums – Lord Stanley’s Greatest Hits
Gabriel found the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “Superstitions” under the $1,000 on the 6th pick of the round. He was in the lead with $2,400, $800 more than Gil in second place. Gabriel bet $1,200 and thought they were crows. That was WRONG.
According to tradition, the Tower of London must have 6 of these birds in residence or the tower & the crown will fall show
Gabriel finished in the lead with $4,800. Gil was in second place with $3,800. Peter was last with $1,200. All clues were shown.
Round 2 Categories: A Deluge of Rivers – Noun/Verb Heteronyms – What’s Up, Space? – Life in the Fashion Lane – Geopolitics – “American” Entertainment
Peter got the first Daily Double in “A Deluge of Rivers” under the $2,000 clue on the 9th pick of the round. He was in last place with $6,400 now, $1,200 less than Gabriel’s lead. Peter bet $1,600 and he was RIGHT.
Along the banks of the river in the Dutch capital is the Stopera, a combo opera house & city hall show
Peter got the last Daily Double in “What’s Up, Space?” under the $1,200 on the 10th pick of the round. In the lead with $8,000, he had $400 more than Gabriel in second place. Peter bet $2,000 and he was RIGHT.
NASA’s Psyche spacecraft is on a voyage to visit 16 Psyche in this 2-word area between Mars & Jupiter show
Peter finished in the lead with $16,000. Gil was in second place with $13,000. Gabriel was last with $8,800. All clues were shown.
NONE of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.
WHAT IS FATHER’S DAY?
Today’s annual Father’s Day celebration, as it relates to William Jackson Smart, dates back to 1908. Smart’s daughter, Sonora, and her 5 brothers were raised by their father after their mother died in 1898. Although Sonora was successful in getting Father’s Day recognized, many men didn’t appreciate the honor. They saw it as a gimmick to get people to buy gifts that the were really being paid for by the breadwinner. The Forgotten History of Father’s Day on almanac.com did not forget to mention an earlier Father’s Day celebration in 1905.
In 1907, Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia began a campaign to honor mothers and by 1914, Woodrow Wilson officially made the 2nd Sunday in May the national observance of Mother’s Day. It wasn’t until 1966 that Lyndon B. Johnson officially set aside the 3rd Sunday in June for fathers. In 1972, Richard Nixon made it a permanent holiday.
Gabriel thought it was the March of Dimes. He lost $7,201 and finished with $1,599.
Gil went with Mother’s Day. She bet and lost her whole $13,000.
Peter also had the March of Dimes. He lost $10,001 but won the game with the remaining $5,999. Peter’s 3-day total is $74,197.
A triple stumper from each round:
LITERARY GENRES ($600) Biography… well, more like a bio of a bio: Adam Sisman’s this man’s “Presumptuous Task: The Making of the Life of Dr. Johnson”
WHAT’S UP, SPACE? ($2000) Launched in 1958, the oldest satellite orbiting the Earth has this name, a word meaning “forefront”
2 years ago: ALL of the players got this FJ in “BRITISH PLACES”
This city owes much of its early history to a temple dedicated to Sulis Minerva & a “sacred spring” found there show
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There’s a strange ending at the end of the first round. Gil’s score dropped $200 to $3,400 after the ruled miss and Gabriel’s score went from $4,800 to $5,000 after his response was ruled correct. After the break, Gil’s score was displayed as $3,800 and Gabriel’s score was displayed as $4,800 with no explanation from Ken about the score change. This is not the first time it happened. It happened on January 10, 2020 where one player was ruled incorrect and then the player’s score was displayed from 4,600 at the end of the first round and 4,800 at the beginning of next round with no explanation. And that was the case today with no explanation from Ken about the score change.
Peter must have been kicking himself for betting so low on the DDs. He didn’t look too happy even though he won. He was lucky he kept the DDs away from the others today but it may be his undoing yet!