Episode 43: Wheel of Fortune

"We'd Like to Solve the Puzzle": Analyzing "Wheel of Fortune" as a Primary Source with Dawn from DAWNVERSATIONSDawn is a fellow podcaster and her fabulous show, Dawnversations, is a lot like mine in that she’ll be glad to talk about most anything with her guests.  When I approached her about doing a podcast together the brainstorming for a topic began.  A side mention that she had been a contestant on "Wheel of Fortune" solidified it for me, and what follows is what we came up with  Word games and puzzles have been regular features in newspapers for well over a hundred years, which indicates a literate society with leisure time built into the day across all socio economic areas.  When TV showed up after world war II, game shows were not far behind.  This was also the era of Merv Griffin, who thought up "Wheel of Fortune", as well as its companion show, Jeopardy! A smart population well-versed in phrases, titles and the ability to effectively use the letters RSTLNE is revealed thanks to the long-term success of Wheel of Fortune.