The Final Jeopardy question (6/22/2012) in the category “20th Century Technology” was:

The first major use of simultaneous translation, before adoption by the U.N., was in this European city in 1945 & 1946.

Today’s new champ is Margaret Swanson with a one-day total of $3,999. Yes, you read that right. She won yesterday’s game from third place by not wagering all her money, when the first and second place players bet too much. Today she faces these two challengers: Ayana Matthews, from Baltimore, MD and  Bridget Gallagher, from Arlington, VA.

Bridget got the Jeopardy! round Daily Double in “Texas-based companies,” the very last clue on the board. She was in second place with $1,800, $4,400 behind Ayana who was in the lead. She bet $1,000 and she was RIGHT.

This large retailer of imported furnishings & gifts began as a single store in the San Francisco Bay area.
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WHAT IS PIER 1?

Ayana finished in the lead with $6,200. Bridget was second with $2,800 and Margaret was last with $1,200.

Before beginning the second round, Bridget was awarded $1,600 for an answer previously judged incorrect. She now had $4,400.

Ayana found the first Double Jeopardy Daily Double in “Take Me ‘N-A’ Where.” She was in the lead with $7,800, $1,000 more than Bridget in second place. She bet $2,200 and couldn’t come up with a guess, so she was WRONG.

This world capital in the West Indies was established at its present site in 1519.
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WHAT IS HAVANA?

Ayana found the last Daily Double in “Phoenicia Phun.” She was now in second place with $8,000, $2,400 less than Bridget in first place. She bet $1,500, and she was RIGHT.

Until the 500s A.D. Africans near Carthage spoke this Phoenician dialect, also the name of 3 wars.
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WHAT IS PUNIC?

Ayana finished in the lead with $7,900. Margaret was next with $7,200 and Bridget was in last place with $6,800.

Only ONE of the contestants got Final Jeopardy! right.

WHAT IS NUREMBERG?

“The Nuremberg Trial against leading Nazi war criminals, conducted from November 1945 to August 1946, was one of the great and unique events of the twentieth century. The complete record of the trial in daily transcripts and supporting documents was published shortly thereafter in more than 40 volumes. Estimates vary, but it has been referred to as a “six-million-word trial.” Yet, unbelievable as it may sound, not one word is said in this official, published record about the system of simultaneous interpretation that was created in order to permit the multilingual conduct of the trial.” (The Origins of Simultaneous Interpretation: The Nuremberg Trial)

Bridget wrote down The Hague and lost $6,000. She finished with $800.

Margaret got it right and added $6,000. She finished with $13,200.

Ayana wrote down Paris and lost $6,900. She finished with $1,000.

So Margaret won again, this time by being the only one to get the final clue right. Her 2-day total is $17,199 and she will be back on Monday.