- The mentor asked which “government official” had written a letter dated 1867
- Only two of the three contestants gave the correct answer
- But the third, Leann Craumer, took a wild guess, shooting down “Napoleon.”
Danger! A contestant missed the historical trivia mark needed to get a Final Jeopardy answer on last night’s episode.
In the final moments of the contest, the three contestants are asked to name the ‘Government Official’ referred to in the prompt, ‘In 1867 he wrote to General Rousseau, ‘On reaching Sitka … you will receive from the Russian Commissar the official diversion.’
Two of the contestants quickly guessed the correct answer, bThe third, Leann Craumer, a librarian from Baltimore, Maryland, fell short on her guess of “Napoleon.”
Host Ken Jennings, 49, replied, “I’m not afraid, Lynn.” So, do you know the correct answer?
It is actually William H. Seward, Secretary of State under the administrations of Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson.
Seward served in the respected position from 1861 to 1869, with the beginning of his term falling squarely at the start of the American Civil War.
After the war ended in 1865, Seward was instrumental in the Alaska Purchase.
In the deal, the United States acquired the since wiped out state of Alaska from Russia.
The purchase took place in 1867, with an extract from Seward’s 1867 letter in the Final Jeopardy question equally corroborating.
Moment champion Daniel Moore and competitor Jerry Powers got the answer right.
Daniel, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, bet $5,000—which brought him to $14,800, which was enough to claim first place for the second time in a row.
But far from focusing on Daniel’s success, viewers of the show were quick to take aim at Leann – whose incorrect answer to “Napoleon” was mercilessly mocked online.
Many admirers noted that the famously short French general had died in 1821 – nearly half a century before the letter quoted in The Final Danger Inquiry was written.
Leann, who bet $602 and appeared to be at a loss and answered “Napoleon” as a Hail Mary, smiled understandingly and shrugged modestly when told she was wrong.
Social media users were less tolerant of fluctuations.
“She said Napoleon????” wrote a shocked fan.
“Napoleon’s government official?” another sneered.
On YouTube, the commentators were no less harsh.
One said sadly: “The final was too easy.” the suncoverage.
Another person admitted that he had no evidence.
