Below you’ll find the Final Jeopardy clue for Monday, September 16, 2024. The match last Friday saw Evan Suttell of Ohio become the new Jeopardy champion after some risky wagers. We’ve haven’t had any champion last longer than a few days so far in Season 41, but perhaps Evan can begin a streak. He’ll need to defeat teacher Aiden Orzech from Canada and salesman Sam Watson from Missouri. The following is the question and answer for Final Jeopardy on 9/16/2024, plus the wagers and the victor of the match.
Final Jeopardy Question for September 16
The Final Jeopardy question for September 16, 2024 is in the category of “History” and has the following clue:
A 1976 report initiated by Admiral Rickover found it was an internal, not external, explosion that caused the destruction of this
You’ll see the right answer at the end, so that you have time to figure it out without seeing the answer right away.
Final Jeopardy Wagers and Winner for September 16
Aiden is the winner of the September 16, becoming yet another new Jeopardy champion. This wasn’t too much of a surprise given he had the lead going into Final Jeopardy, but Evan was within striking distance.
With $15,600 at the start, Aiden came up with the correct response, earning an additional $11,999 and finishing at the top of heap with $27,599. Evan also got the right answer and doubled his initial score of $9,600 to $19,200.
Meanwhile, Sam didn’t risk anything, so he remained in third place with $5,600.
Final Jeopardy Answer for September 16
The correct answer for Final Jeopardy on September 16, 2024 is “What is the USS Maine?”
The sinking of the Navy ship USS Maine in February 15, 1898, was one of the indirect causes behind the Spanish-American War a few months later in April. The second-class battleship was originally sent to Havana Harbor during the Cuban War of Independence when it exploded, killing more than 250 sailors onboard.
Newspapers claimed that the ship was sunk by Spain and a U.S. Navy board of inquiry ruled, despite some disagreements by various officers, that an external explosion by a mine. It was only in 1974, when Admiral Hyman Rickover, that an investigation more fully supported the alternate theory that the explosion was caused by coal. Detailed in a 1976 report, it said that methane from the bituminous coal used by the Maine was likely the cause of her sinking, though this is still debated today.