In 1998, America's most popular television game show, Wheel of Fortune, celebrated its fifteenth year in syndication by broadcasting for the 3000th time. In the ubiquitous game created by executive producer Merv Griffin, popular co-hosts Pat Sajak and Vanna White have awarded contestants over $98 million in cash and prizes for guessing the blank letters of mystery phrases, with the winning amounts determined by spins of a giant wheel. While the wheel spins, it is traditional for contestants to scream "Big money!" and join Vanna in clapping hands. In fact, Miss White is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as television's most frequent hand-clapper, averaging 720 claps per show and 28,000 per season.

The original Wheel of Fortune aired on NBC as a daytime game show on January 6, 1975, with hosts Chuck Woolery and Susan Stafford. Pat Sajak made his debut on the show in December 1981, with...