Difference between revisions of "Timeline of Quizbowl History"
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| − | == c. 32 AD == | + | ==Ancient== |
| − | + | === c. 32 AD === | |
Chapter 70 of Suetonius's ''Life of Tiberius'' describes the emperor peppering expert grammarians with mythological trivia such as "Who was the mother of Hecuba?," "What name did Achilles have among the girls?," and "What were the Sirens accustomed to singing?" In context, this anecdote takes place sometime between the death of Sejanus in 31 AD and Tiberius's own death in 37. While there are many prior examples in ancient literature of riddles and similar, this is the oldest known example of asking difficult factual questions of presumed educated people for the amusement of those involved. | Chapter 70 of Suetonius's ''Life of Tiberius'' describes the emperor peppering expert grammarians with mythological trivia such as "Who was the mother of Hecuba?," "What name did Achilles have among the girls?," and "What were the Sirens accustomed to singing?" In context, this anecdote takes place sometime between the death of Sejanus in 31 AD and Tiberius's own death in 37. While there are many prior examples in ancient literature of riddles and similar, this is the oldest known example of asking difficult factual questions of presumed educated people for the amusement of those involved. | ||
Note that, even though Suetonius observed over 1900 years ago that such questions are taking knowledge of mythology "to a silly and laughable extreme" ("usque ad ineptias atque derisum"), at least the first two have come up in quizbowl on multiple occasions. | Note that, even though Suetonius observed over 1900 years ago that such questions are taking knowledge of mythology "to a silly and laughable extreme" ("usque ad ineptias atque derisum"), at least the first two have come up in quizbowl on multiple occasions. | ||
| − | ==1938== | + | ==Early History== |
| + | ===1938=== | ||
*''Information Please'' (a panel quiz show) debuts on NBC radio, hosted by Clifton Fadiman. The show will stay on radio until 1951. In the summer of 1952, it will appear on television. | *''Information Please'' (a panel quiz show) debuts on NBC radio, hosted by Clifton Fadiman. The show will stay on radio until 1951. In the summer of 1952, it will appear on television. | ||
** On the 17 May, 1943 episode, Boris Karloff and Jan Struther became the first on the show to use buzzers, since they were calling in from Hollywood to New York and thus unable to raise their hands to answer. | ** On the 17 May, 1943 episode, Boris Karloff and Jan Struther became the first on the show to use buzzers, since they were calling in from Hollywood to New York and thus unable to raise their hands to answer. | ||
| − | ==1940== | + | ===1940=== |
*''[[Quiz Kids]]'' debuts on local Chicago radio. The show runs for 13 years, and other versions eventually pop up in New York, Canada, San Antonio, and Los Angeles. One of the early winners in Chicago is young James Watson, future Nobel laureate and co-discoverer of the double helix nature of DNA. | *''[[Quiz Kids]]'' debuts on local Chicago radio. The show runs for 13 years, and other versions eventually pop up in New York, Canada, San Antonio, and Los Angeles. One of the early winners in Chicago is young James Watson, future Nobel laureate and co-discoverer of the double helix nature of DNA. | ||
| − | ==1946== | + | ===1946=== |
*''[[Campus Quiz]]'' debuts on Philadelphia radio. It appears to be the first interscholastic team-based quiz competition and involved high schools from in and around Philadelphia. It only seems to have run for one season. | *''[[Campus Quiz]]'' debuts on Philadelphia radio. It appears to be the first interscholastic team-based quiz competition and involved high schools from in and around Philadelphia. It only seems to have run for one season. | ||
| − | == 1948 == | + | === 1948 === |
* ''[[Top of the Form]]'' for British secondary schools debuts on BBC radio. | * ''[[Top of the Form]]'' for British secondary schools debuts on BBC radio. | ||
* ''[[Delco Hi-Q]]'' begins in the suburbs of Philadelphia. | * ''[[Delco Hi-Q]]'' begins in the suburbs of Philadelphia. | ||
| − | == 1953 == | + | ==The Beginning of the College Bowl era== |
| + | === 1953 === | ||
* October 10: ''[[College Bowl]]'' debuts on the NBC radio network. | * October 10: ''[[College Bowl]]'' debuts on the NBC radio network. | ||
| − | == 1957 == | + | === 1957 === |
* [[Varsity Quiz Bowl]] for Louisiana high schools begins its run on WYES-TV. It is one of the first non-College Bowl quiz programs in the nation and ends in 1991 after 36 seasons. | * [[Varsity Quiz Bowl]] for Louisiana high schools begins its run on WYES-TV. It is one of the first non-College Bowl quiz programs in the nation and ends in 1991 after 36 seasons. | ||
| − | == 1959 == | + | === 1959 === |
* ''G.E. College Bowl'' premiers on television on CBS. It moves to NBC in 1963. | * ''G.E. College Bowl'' premiers on television on CBS. It moves to NBC in 1963. | ||
| − | == 1961 == | + | === 1961 === |
* October 7: ''[[It's Academic]]'', a quiz show for Washington, DC-area high schools, debuts. It is currently the world's longest continuously running quiz show. | * October 7: ''[[It's Academic]]'', a quiz show for Washington, DC-area high schools, debuts. It is currently the world's longest continuously running quiz show. | ||
* [[Reach for the Top]] begins on CBC affiliate Vancouver CBUT-TV, featuring Vancouver-area teams. | * [[Reach for the Top]] begins on CBC affiliate Vancouver CBUT-TV, featuring Vancouver-area teams. | ||
| − | == 1962 == | + | === 1962 === |
* ''[[University Challenge]]'' premiers in the UK on ITV as an official spin-off of College Bowl | * ''[[University Challenge]]'' premiers in the UK on ITV as an official spin-off of College Bowl | ||
| − | == 1965 == | + | === 1965 === |
* The first national [[Reach for the Top]] competition is held in Montreal. The event is nationally televised on CBC the following year. | * The first national [[Reach for the Top]] competition is held in Montreal. The event is nationally televised on CBC the following year. | ||
| − | == 1968 == | + | === 1968 === |
* ''[[Trans-World Top Team]]'', a cooperation between CBC and BBC featuring Canadian and British teams, runs for its sole season | * ''[[Trans-World Top Team]]'', a cooperation between CBC and BBC featuring Canadian and British teams, runs for its sole season | ||
| − | == 1969 == | + | === 1969 === |
* ''[[Varsity Quiz]]'', a televised competition in Clark County, NV sponsored by the local Kiwanis club, begins. It is based on a contest in Anaheim, CA. | * ''[[Varsity Quiz]]'', a televised competition in Clark County, NV sponsored by the local Kiwanis club, begins. It is based on a contest in Anaheim, CA. | ||
| − | == 1970 == | + | === 1970 === |
*June 14: Final televised episode of ''[[College Bowl]]'' airs on NBC. | *June 14: Final televised episode of ''[[College Bowl]]'' airs on NBC. | ||
*Fall: Independent quizbowl circuit founded with the holding of the first [[Southeastern Invitational]] at [[Berry]] College. | *Fall: Independent quizbowl circuit founded with the holding of the first [[Southeastern Invitational]] at [[Berry]] College. | ||
| − | == 1976 == | + | === 1976 === |
*[[Knowledge Bowl]] is created by the San Juan County school board in Durango, Colorado | *[[Knowledge Bowl]] is created by the San Juan County school board in Durango, Colorado | ||
| − | == 1977 == | + | ==The Advent of the NCT== |
| + | === 1977 === | ||
*Fall: [[College Bowl]] recruits writers from the Atlanta-area quizbowl circuit to begin its campus program. | *Fall: [[College Bowl]] recruits writers from the Atlanta-area quizbowl circuit to begin its campus program. | ||
| − | == 1978 == | + | === 1978 === |
*Spring: The first College Bowl [[NCT]] is held. [[Stanford]] defeats [[Yale]] in the finals behind the play of [[Jon Reider]] and [[Ted Gioia (1970s)|Ted Gioia]]. | *Spring: The first College Bowl [[NCT]] is held. [[Stanford]] defeats [[Yale]] in the finals behind the play of [[Jon Reider]] and [[Ted Gioia (1970s)|Ted Gioia]]. | ||
| − | == 1981 == | + | === 1981 === |
* April: first [[National Academic Super Bowl]] is run by the Duval County School District in Florida. The event inspires education secretary [[Terrel Bell]] to create the [[National Academic League]] a few years later. | * April: first [[National Academic Super Bowl]] is run by the Duval County School District in Florida. The event inspires education secretary [[Terrel Bell]] to create the [[National Academic League]] a few years later. | ||
| − | == 1983 == | + | === 1983 === |
*Spring: 34 teams travel to Dallas for the [[1983 NAC|inaugural National Academic Championship]], the first school-based high school national. [[Walt Whitman]] defeats [[Upper Arlington]] in the finals match. | *Spring: 34 teams travel to Dallas for the [[1983 NAC|inaugural National Academic Championship]], the first school-based high school national. [[Walt Whitman]] defeats [[Upper Arlington]] in the finals match. | ||
| − | == 1984 == | + | === 1984 === |
*December 4: The first [[KMO]] virtual quiz competition is run by [[Academic Hallmarks]]. The contest continues to run annually until spring of 2013. | *December 4: The first [[KMO]] virtual quiz competition is run by [[Academic Hallmarks]]. The contest continues to run annually until spring of 2013. | ||
| − | == 1988 == | + | === 1988 === |
*June 12-18: The [[1988 NAC|sixth NAC]] is held in New Orleans, LA. This is the first of seven years in which the NAC is televised under the sponsorship of Texaco. | *June 12-18: The [[1988 NAC|sixth NAC]] is held in New Orleans, LA. This is the first of seven years in which the NAC is televised under the sponsorship of Texaco. | ||
*June 19-25: ''The Texaco Star National Academic Championship'' airs on The Discovery Channel. | *June 19-25: ''The Texaco Star National Academic Championship'' airs on The Discovery Channel. | ||
*June: The last Super Bowl and first [[NTAE]] are held | *June: The last Super Bowl and first [[NTAE]] are held | ||
| − | == 1990 == | + | ==The Early Modern Era== |
| + | === 1990 === | ||
*Spring: first [[Honda Campus All Star Challenge]] NCT is held for historically black colleges and universities | *Spring: first [[Honda Campus All Star Challenge]] NCT is held for historically black colleges and universities | ||
*Fall: [[ACF]] is founded by [[Carol Guthrie]], [[Ramesh Kannappan]], and [[John Nam]]. | *Fall: [[ACF]] is founded by [[Carol Guthrie]], [[Ramesh Kannappan]], and [[John Nam]]. | ||
| − | == 1991 == | + | === 1991 === |
*Spring: The first [[ACF Regionals]] and [[ACF Nationals]] are held. [[Tennessee]] defeats [[Georgia Tech]] to claim the championship. | *Spring: The first [[ACF Regionals]] and [[ACF Nationals]] are held. [[Tennessee]] defeats [[Georgia Tech]] to claim the championship. | ||
| − | == 1994 == | + | === 1994 === |
*June 11-17: The [[1994 NAC|twelfth NAC]] is held in Houston, TX. The televised rounds are hosted by Mark L. Wahlberg as part of a syndication deal which turned out to be the final season of the televised show. | *June 11-17: The [[1994 NAC|twelfth NAC]] is held in Houston, TX. The televised rounds are hosted by Mark L. Wahlberg as part of a syndication deal which turned out to be the final season of the televised show. | ||
*Summer: The seventh and final season of ''The Texaco Star National Academic Championship'' airs nationwide on various local PBS and commercial stations. | *Summer: The seventh and final season of ''The Texaco Star National Academic Championship'' airs nationwide on various local PBS and commercial stations. | ||
| − | == 1996 == | + | === 1996 === |
*Spring: [[NAQT]] is founded by [[Patrick Matthews]], [[David Frazee]], and others. | *Spring: [[NAQT]] is founded by [[Patrick Matthews]], [[David Frazee]], and others. | ||
*Spring: [[PACE]] is founded. | *Spring: [[PACE]] is founded. | ||
*November 22: First NAQT [[SCT]] tournament held. | *November 22: First NAQT [[SCT]] tournament held. | ||
| − | == 1997 == | + | ==The Modern Era== |
| + | === 1997 === | ||
*January 24-25: The first NAQT [[ICT]] is held at Penn. [[Chicago]] defeats [[Harvard]] in the final by powering the last tossup of an overtime tiebreaker. | *January 24-25: The first NAQT [[ICT]] is held at Penn. [[Chicago]] defeats [[Harvard]] in the final by powering the last tossup of an overtime tiebreaker. | ||
*April 20: [[Virginia]] defeats [[Harvard]] in a controversial College Bowl [[NCT]] final. Incidents during the game itself as well as the revocation of the promised winners' prize afterwards spur Virginia to immediately announce that it will not be participating in [[College Bowl]] in the future. | *April 20: [[Virginia]] defeats [[Harvard]] in a controversial College Bowl [[NCT]] final. Incidents during the game itself as well as the revocation of the promised winners' prize afterwards spur Virginia to immediately announce that it will not be participating in [[College Bowl]] in the future. | ||
*Fall: The first [[NAQT]] high school tournaments are hosted. | *Fall: The first [[NAQT]] high school tournaments are hosted. | ||
| − | == 1998 == | + | === 1998 === |
*June 19-20: The first [[PACE]] [[NSC]] is held at Case Western. [[State College]] defeats [[Henry Ford II]] to claim the first high school quizbowl national title of the "[[modern era of high school quizbowl|modern era]]." | *June 19-20: The first [[PACE]] [[NSC]] is held at Case Western. [[State College]] defeats [[Henry Ford II]] to claim the first high school quizbowl national title of the "[[modern era of high school quizbowl|modern era]]." | ||
*[[NAQT]] planned to host the first [[HSNCT]] this year, but it was canceled due to lack of interest. | *[[NAQT]] planned to host the first [[HSNCT]] this year, but it was canceled due to lack of interest. | ||
| − | == 1999 == | + | === 1999 === |
*April 24: [[Chicago]] wins ACF Nationals, completing the first [[Triple Crown]] season in history and finishing with an 88-0 record for their regular A team in non-College Bowl formats. | *April 24: [[Chicago]] wins ACF Nationals, completing the first [[Triple Crown]] season in history and finishing with an 88-0 record for their regular A team in non-College Bowl formats. | ||
*June 5-6: First [[HSNCT]] held at the University of Oklahoma, ending with [[Detroit Catholic Central]] defeating [[Walton]] for the title. | *June 5-6: First [[HSNCT]] held at the University of Oklahoma, ending with [[Detroit Catholic Central]] defeating [[Walton]] for the title. | ||
| − | == 2000 == | + | === 2000 === |
*June: [[hsquizbowl.org]] founded. | *June: [[hsquizbowl.org]] founded. | ||
| − | == 2001 == | + | === 2001 === |
*November 3: The first [[ACF Fall]] held. It is now the most widely played college set of the year. | *November 3: The first [[ACF Fall]] held. It is now the most widely played college set of the year. | ||
| − | ==2005== | + | ===2005=== |
*June 12: [[Thomas Jefferson]] defeats [[State College]] in the PACE NSC final, completing what is still the only double-undefeated performance at HSNCT and NSC and an undefeated year in [[pyramidal]] formats. | *June 12: [[Thomas Jefferson]] defeats [[State College]] in the PACE NSC final, completing what is still the only double-undefeated performance at HSNCT and NSC and an undefeated year in [[pyramidal]] formats. | ||
*Fall 2005: High school quizbowl starts in [[Quizbowl in Canada|Canada]]. | *Fall 2005: High school quizbowl starts in [[Quizbowl in Canada|Canada]]. | ||
| − | ==2006== | + | ===2006=== |
*May 22: The [[American Scholastic Competition Network]] [[Tournament of Champions]] is cancelled at the last second, abruptly ending an annual national tournament that had existed since 1987. | *May 22: The [[American Scholastic Competition Network]] [[Tournament of Champions]] is cancelled at the last second, abruptly ending an annual national tournament that had existed since 1987. | ||
| − | == 2008 == | + | === 2008 === |
*April 29: The last [[NCT]] is held; [[Rochester]] wins. | *April 29: The last [[NCT]] is held; [[Rochester]] wins. | ||
*June 3: [[College Bowl Company]] announces suspension of [[College Bowl]] operations; the [[HCASC]] continues nonetheless. | *June 3: [[College Bowl Company]] announces suspension of [[College Bowl]] operations; the [[HCASC]] continues nonetheless. | ||
| Line 119: | Line 124: | ||
*September 27: The first HSAPQ tournament is hosted at [[North Carolina]]. | *September 27: The first HSAPQ tournament is hosted at [[North Carolina]]. | ||
| − | == 2009 == | + | === 2009 === |
*April 26: [[Chicago]] defeats [[Brown]] in the finals of [[2009 ACF Nationals|ACF Nationals]] following Brown's victory over Stanford in a play-in game, unifying the [[ICT]] and [[ACF Nationals|Nationals]] championships. | *April 26: [[Chicago]] defeats [[Brown]] in the finals of [[2009 ACF Nationals|ACF Nationals]] following Brown's victory over Stanford in a play-in game, unifying the [[ICT]] and [[ACF Nationals|Nationals]] championships. | ||
*June: The last [[Panasonic]] NTAE is held without Panasonic's financial backing; the tournament collapses soon after. | *June: The last [[Panasonic]] NTAE is held without Panasonic's financial backing; the tournament collapses soon after. | ||
| − | == 2010 == | + | === 2010 === |
*June 5-6: The [[2010 NSC]] is held. This is the first NSC that uses [[20/20]] format rather than the [[Old NSC format|three-quarter format]]. | *June 5-6: The [[2010 NSC]] is held. This is the first NSC that uses [[20/20]] format rather than the [[Old NSC format|three-quarter format]]. | ||
*June 12-13: The inaugural [[NASAT]] is hosted at [[Vanderbilt]]. | *June 12-13: The inaugural [[NASAT]] is hosted at [[Vanderbilt]]. | ||
*[[National History Bee and Bowl]] is founded by [[David Madden]] and others | *[[National History Bee and Bowl]] is founded by [[David Madden]] and others | ||
| − | == 2011 == | + | === 2011 === |
*May 7-8: The first [[MSNCT]] is held at Hyatt Regency O'Hare near Chicago. | *May 7-8: The first [[MSNCT]] is held at Hyatt Regency O'Hare near Chicago. | ||
| − | == 2013 == | + | === 2013 === |
*March 20: NAQT announces that a website security review has found evidence of [[Andy Watkins]] accessing question material prior to three ICTs in which he participated. Four Harvard titles are revoked and Watkins is suspended from NAQT membership, resigning soon after. | *March 20: NAQT announces that a website security review has found evidence of [[Andy Watkins]] accessing question material prior to three ICTs in which he participated. Four Harvard titles are revoked and Watkins is suspended from NAQT membership, resigning soon after. | ||
| − | == 2014 == | + | === 2014 === |
*April 12: [[Virginia]] wins [[2014 ACF Nationals|ACF Nationals]] outright. With their win against [[Yale]] at [[ICT]], they win both major collegiate championships, the first time the titles are unified since 2009. | *April 12: [[Virginia]] wins [[2014 ACF Nationals|ACF Nationals]] outright. With their win against [[Yale]] at [[ICT]], they win both major collegiate championships, the first time the titles are unified since 2009. | ||
*May 3-4: First [[SSNCT]] held at the Hilton Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport Mall of America | *May 3-4: First [[SSNCT]] held at the Hilton Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport Mall of America | ||
| Line 140: | Line 145: | ||
*June 14-17: [[NTAE]] is revived after a four-year hiatus. It would last two years before not being held in 2016. | *June 14-17: [[NTAE]] is revived after a four-year hiatus. It would last two years before not being held in 2016. | ||
| − | == 2016 == | + | === 2016 === |
*May 7-8: [[Middlesex Middle|Middlesex]] defeats [[Longfellow]] on the last tossup to win the [[2016 MSNCT]]. With 160 teams, it is the largest middle school quizbowl tournament ever held. | *May 7-8: [[Middlesex Middle|Middlesex]] defeats [[Longfellow]] on the last tossup to win the [[2016 MSNCT]]. With 160 teams, it is the largest middle school quizbowl tournament ever held. | ||
| − | == 2017 == | + | === 2017 === |
*May 26-28: The [[2017 HSNCT]] takes place in Atlanta, GA, with [[Hunter]] College High School defeating [[Detroit Catholic Central]] in the final. 304 teams take part as the HSNCT breaks its own record for the largest single-site quizbowl tournament ever. | *May 26-28: The [[2017 HSNCT]] takes place in Atlanta, GA, with [[Hunter]] College High School defeating [[Detroit Catholic Central]] in the final. 304 teams take part as the HSNCT breaks its own record for the largest single-site quizbowl tournament ever. | ||
| − | == 2018 == | + | === 2018 === |
*May 25–27: The [[2018 HSNCT]] breaks the [[2017 HSNCT|previous]] [[HSNCT]]'s record as the largest single-site quiz bowl tournament ever, with 352 teams. (Through 2020, this has not been exceeded; the 2019 HSNCT had 336 teams.) | *May 25–27: The [[2018 HSNCT]] breaks the [[2017 HSNCT|previous]] [[HSNCT]]'s record as the largest single-site quiz bowl tournament ever, with 352 teams. (Through 2020, this has not been exceeded; the 2019 HSNCT had 336 teams.) | ||
| − | == 2019 == | + | === 2019 === |
*June 8-9: [[TJHSST]] wins against [[James E. Taylor]] at that year's [[PACE NSC]] to become the second school to win two NSCs back-to-back. The only other school to achieve this feat was [[State College]], winning as defending champions in 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2011. | *June 8-9: [[TJHSST]] wins against [[James E. Taylor]] at that year's [[PACE NSC]] to become the second school to win two NSCs back-to-back. The only other school to achieve this feat was [[State College]], winning as defending champions in 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2011. | ||
| − | == 2020 == | + | === 2020 === |
*March-May: The [[COVID-19 pandemic]] prompts the cancellation of almost all in-person quizbowl events across the country, including the [[NAQT]] and [[PACE]] National Championships for 2020. The [[2020 CCCT|2020]] [[NAQT]] [[Community College Championship Tournament]] (February 28–29) is the only national championship held in person in 2020. | *March-May: The [[COVID-19 pandemic]] prompts the cancellation of almost all in-person quizbowl events across the country, including the [[NAQT]] and [[PACE]] National Championships for 2020. The [[2020 CCCT|2020]] [[NAQT]] [[Community College Championship Tournament]] (February 28–29) is the only national championship held in person in 2020. | ||
*Summer-Fall: The quizbowl circuit shifts online with [[online quizbowl]] becoming the primary medium of practice and competition. | *Summer-Fall: The quizbowl circuit shifts online with [[online quizbowl]] becoming the primary medium of practice and competition. | ||
Revision as of 21:07, 13 June 2021
Ancient
c. 32 AD
Chapter 70 of Suetonius's Life of Tiberius describes the emperor peppering expert grammarians with mythological trivia such as "Who was the mother of Hecuba?," "What name did Achilles have among the girls?," and "What were the Sirens accustomed to singing?" In context, this anecdote takes place sometime between the death of Sejanus in 31 AD and Tiberius's own death in 37. While there are many prior examples in ancient literature of riddles and similar, this is the oldest known example of asking difficult factual questions of presumed educated people for the amusement of those involved.
Note that, even though Suetonius observed over 1900 years ago that such questions are taking knowledge of mythology "to a silly and laughable extreme" ("usque ad ineptias atque derisum"), at least the first two have come up in quizbowl on multiple occasions.
Early History
1938
- Information Please (a panel quiz show) debuts on NBC radio, hosted by Clifton Fadiman. The show will stay on radio until 1951. In the summer of 1952, it will appear on television.
- On the 17 May, 1943 episode, Boris Karloff and Jan Struther became the first on the show to use buzzers, since they were calling in from Hollywood to New York and thus unable to raise their hands to answer.
1940
- Quiz Kids debuts on local Chicago radio. The show runs for 13 years, and other versions eventually pop up in New York, Canada, San Antonio, and Los Angeles. One of the early winners in Chicago is young James Watson, future Nobel laureate and co-discoverer of the double helix nature of DNA.
1946
- Campus Quiz debuts on Philadelphia radio. It appears to be the first interscholastic team-based quiz competition and involved high schools from in and around Philadelphia. It only seems to have run for one season.
1948
- Top of the Form for British secondary schools debuts on BBC radio.
- Delco Hi-Q begins in the suburbs of Philadelphia.
The Beginning of the College Bowl era
1953
- October 10: College Bowl debuts on the NBC radio network.
1957
- Varsity Quiz Bowl for Louisiana high schools begins its run on WYES-TV. It is one of the first non-College Bowl quiz programs in the nation and ends in 1991 after 36 seasons.
1959
- G.E. College Bowl premiers on television on CBS. It moves to NBC in 1963.
1961
- October 7: It's Academic, a quiz show for Washington, DC-area high schools, debuts. It is currently the world's longest continuously running quiz show.
- Reach for the Top begins on CBC affiliate Vancouver CBUT-TV, featuring Vancouver-area teams.
1962
- University Challenge premiers in the UK on ITV as an official spin-off of College Bowl
1965
- The first national Reach for the Top competition is held in Montreal. The event is nationally televised on CBC the following year.
1968
- Trans-World Top Team, a cooperation between CBC and BBC featuring Canadian and British teams, runs for its sole season
1969
- Varsity Quiz, a televised competition in Clark County, NV sponsored by the local Kiwanis club, begins. It is based on a contest in Anaheim, CA.
1970
- June 14: Final televised episode of College Bowl airs on NBC.
- Fall: Independent quizbowl circuit founded with the holding of the first Southeastern Invitational at Berry College.
1976
- Knowledge Bowl is created by the San Juan County school board in Durango, Colorado
The Advent of the NCT
1977
- Fall: College Bowl recruits writers from the Atlanta-area quizbowl circuit to begin its campus program.
1978
- Spring: The first College Bowl NCT is held. Stanford defeats Yale in the finals behind the play of Jon Reider and Ted Gioia.
1981
- April: first National Academic Super Bowl is run by the Duval County School District in Florida. The event inspires education secretary Terrel Bell to create the National Academic League a few years later.
1983
- Spring: 34 teams travel to Dallas for the inaugural National Academic Championship, the first school-based high school national. Walt Whitman defeats Upper Arlington in the finals match.
1984
- December 4: The first KMO virtual quiz competition is run by Academic Hallmarks. The contest continues to run annually until spring of 2013.
1988
- June 12-18: The sixth NAC is held in New Orleans, LA. This is the first of seven years in which the NAC is televised under the sponsorship of Texaco.
- June 19-25: The Texaco Star National Academic Championship airs on The Discovery Channel.
- June: The last Super Bowl and first NTAE are held
The Early Modern Era
1990
- Spring: first Honda Campus All Star Challenge NCT is held for historically black colleges and universities
- Fall: ACF is founded by Carol Guthrie, Ramesh Kannappan, and John Nam.
1991
- Spring: The first ACF Regionals and ACF Nationals are held. Tennessee defeats Georgia Tech to claim the championship.
1994
- June 11-17: The twelfth NAC is held in Houston, TX. The televised rounds are hosted by Mark L. Wahlberg as part of a syndication deal which turned out to be the final season of the televised show.
- Summer: The seventh and final season of The Texaco Star National Academic Championship airs nationwide on various local PBS and commercial stations.
1996
- Spring: NAQT is founded by Patrick Matthews, David Frazee, and others.
- Spring: PACE is founded.
- November 22: First NAQT SCT tournament held.
The Modern Era
1997
- January 24-25: The first NAQT ICT is held at Penn. Chicago defeats Harvard in the final by powering the last tossup of an overtime tiebreaker.
- April 20: Virginia defeats Harvard in a controversial College Bowl NCT final. Incidents during the game itself as well as the revocation of the promised winners' prize afterwards spur Virginia to immediately announce that it will not be participating in College Bowl in the future.
- Fall: The first NAQT high school tournaments are hosted.
1998
- June 19-20: The first PACE NSC is held at Case Western. State College defeats Henry Ford II to claim the first high school quizbowl national title of the "modern era."
- NAQT planned to host the first HSNCT this year, but it was canceled due to lack of interest.
1999
- April 24: Chicago wins ACF Nationals, completing the first Triple Crown season in history and finishing with an 88-0 record for their regular A team in non-College Bowl formats.
- June 5-6: First HSNCT held at the University of Oklahoma, ending with Detroit Catholic Central defeating Walton for the title.
2000
- June: hsquizbowl.org founded.
2001
- November 3: The first ACF Fall held. It is now the most widely played college set of the year.
2005
- June 12: Thomas Jefferson defeats State College in the PACE NSC final, completing what is still the only double-undefeated performance at HSNCT and NSC and an undefeated year in pyramidal formats.
- Fall 2005: High school quizbowl starts in Canada.
2006
- May 22: The American Scholastic Competition Network Tournament of Champions is cancelled at the last second, abruptly ending an annual national tournament that had existed since 1987.
2008
- April 29: The last NCT is held; Rochester wins.
- June 3: College Bowl Company announces suspension of College Bowl operations; the HCASC continues nonetheless.
- June 14: HSAPQ is founded.
- September 27: The first HSAPQ tournament is hosted at North Carolina.
2009
- April 26: Chicago defeats Brown in the finals of ACF Nationals following Brown's victory over Stanford in a play-in game, unifying the ICT and Nationals championships.
- June: The last Panasonic NTAE is held without Panasonic's financial backing; the tournament collapses soon after.
2010
- June 5-6: The 2010 NSC is held. This is the first NSC that uses 20/20 format rather than the three-quarter format.
- June 12-13: The inaugural NASAT is hosted at Vanderbilt.
- National History Bee and Bowl is founded by David Madden and others
2011
- May 7-8: The first MSNCT is held at Hyatt Regency O'Hare near Chicago.
2013
- March 20: NAQT announces that a website security review has found evidence of Andy Watkins accessing question material prior to three ICTs in which he participated. Four Harvard titles are revoked and Watkins is suspended from NAQT membership, resigning soon after.
2014
- April 12: Virginia wins ACF Nationals outright. With their win against Yale at ICT, they win both major collegiate championships, the first time the titles are unified since 2009.
- May 3-4: First SSNCT held at the Hilton Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport Mall of America
- May 31-June 1: LASA defeats St. John's to win the 2014 HSNCT. At 272 teams, it is by far the largest quizbowl tournament ever held to that point.
- June 14-17: NTAE is revived after a four-year hiatus. It would last two years before not being held in 2016.
2016
- May 7-8: Middlesex defeats Longfellow on the last tossup to win the 2016 MSNCT. With 160 teams, it is the largest middle school quizbowl tournament ever held.
2017
- May 26-28: The 2017 HSNCT takes place in Atlanta, GA, with Hunter College High School defeating Detroit Catholic Central in the final. 304 teams take part as the HSNCT breaks its own record for the largest single-site quizbowl tournament ever.
2018
- May 25–27: The 2018 HSNCT breaks the previous HSNCT's record as the largest single-site quiz bowl tournament ever, with 352 teams. (Through 2020, this has not been exceeded; the 2019 HSNCT had 336 teams.)
2019
- June 8-9: TJHSST wins against James E. Taylor at that year's PACE NSC to become the second school to win two NSCs back-to-back. The only other school to achieve this feat was State College, winning as defending champions in 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2011.
2020
- March-May: The COVID-19 pandemic prompts the cancellation of almost all in-person quizbowl events across the country, including the NAQT and PACE National Championships for 2020. The 2020 NAQT Community College Championship Tournament (February 28–29) is the only national championship held in person in 2020.
- Summer-Fall: The quizbowl circuit shifts online with online quizbowl becoming the primary medium of practice and competition.
- November 8: Alex Trebek, host of the gameshow Jeopardy!, passes away at the age of 80 after a long fight with pancreatic cancer. Alex had hosted the game show for nearly 36 years, and his work on the show can be cited as a reason for many players' interest in quizbowl.