Before a crowd of thousands in Cleveland on June 29, 1908, Marie C. Bolden, 14, defied the odds and won what is believed to be the first national spelling bee competition. She was the only Black participant. Children on teams from Pittsburgh and Erie, Pa. — who had initially refused to compete against Ms. Bolden — shook her hand when she won. “I did not enter the spelling contest for personal glory,” Ms. Bolden, the daughter of a mail carrier, told a reporter from The New York Times as she stepped from the stage. “But to try to help bring honor to my teacher and my school.”

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Persons: Marie C, Bolden, Cleveland, —, Bolden —, “, ” Ms, ” Organizations: National Education, The New York Times Locations: Cleveland, New Orleans, Northern, Pittsburgh, Erie, Pa