Why’s it called a spelling ‘bee,’ anyhow? May 28, 2019

You might recognize our homepage friend from the logo of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, an annual US competition since 1925. Why’s it called a spelling bee? Because another meaning of ‘bee’ is any kind of gathering or meeting for collective work or competition, like a quilting bee or, yes, a spelling bee. The Scripps National Spelling Bee is being held this week in National Harbor, Maryland, and savvy spellers from grade schools and middle schools around the world will compete for top honors.

© Konrad Wothe/Minden Pictures

palette

Today in History

May 28, 2018Honoring the fallen
May 28, 2020Old man s whiskers growing wild
May 28, 2021Freeloaders of the avian world
May 28, 2022Bungle Bungle Range in Purnululu National Park, Australia
May 28, 2023Tegallalang terrace farms in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
May 28, 2024The Monastery of Roussanou, Greece
May 28, 2025World Otter Day
May 28, 2026Old city wall of Hwaseong Fortress, Suwon, South Korea

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Sep 20, 2024Ocracoke Lighthouse on Ocracoke Island, North Carolina
Jan 30, 2022Halo around the sun
Mar 15, 2018The Colosseum of Rome, Italy
Jan 20, 2020A march toward a dream
Aug 3, 2025Blooming sunflowers
Jun 21, 2019Ode to the sun
Dec 22, 2025The Nutcracker performed by the Turkish State Opera and Ballet in Türkiye
Apr 6, 2020Castle on a hill
Sep 15, 2025Dallas Latino Cultural Center for Hispanic Heritage
Nov 12, 2020Upstate autumn
Dec 30, 2021Westerheversand Lighthouse
Aug 30, 2019It s fair season
May 21, 2021Whoopin it up!
Feb 6, 2021Where is this gorgeous peak?
Oct 13, 2020Where can you find a red fox?
May 28, 2025World Otter Day
Sep 23, 2021Last stop before leaving the solar system
Nov 29, 2022Giving Tuesday
Mar 7, 2021Finding a balance between wetlands and water treatment
Nov 25, 2024Masai giraffes in Amboseli National Park, Kenya
Feb 21, 2020Carnival comes to Olinda
Aug 3, 2020The monsoon arrives in the desert
Sep 25, 2024Sequoia National Parks 134th anniversary
Nov 19, 2021Zion National Park, Utah
May 4, 2023Star Wars Day
Feb 24, 2018A red fox on the Swiss side of the Jura Mountain range
Apr 21, 2022First day of summer
Apr 21, 2024National Park Week continues
Mar 14, 2026Celebrating Pi Day
May 19, 2023Endangered Species Day