National Spelling Bee Canceled for First Time Since 1945

National Spelling Bee Canceled for First Time Since 1945
Eight co-champions celebrate after winning the Scripps National Spelling Bee, in National Harbor, Md., on May 31, 2019. Patrick Semansky/AP
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There will be no fidgeting at the National Spelling Bee microphone, no banter with pronouncer Jacques Bailly, no pointed questions about definitions of languages of origin, and no dreaded bell that signals a misspelled word.

This year’s finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee have been canceled, the latest beloved public event to be scrapped because of the coronavirus pandemic.