Portrait of David Madden (Jeopardy! contestant)

Birthday profile

David Madden (Jeopardy! contestant)

David Madden, founder and executive director of the National History Bee and the National History Bowl

Born
June 13, 1981
Age in 2026
45
Zodiac sign
Gemini
Birth year
1981

About David Madden (Jeopardy! contestant)

David Charles "Dave" Madden is an American game show contestant, academic competition organizer, and art historian. He is a former 19-day champion on Jeopardy! and holds the eighth-longest streak in Jeopardy! history. When Madden established his streak in 2005, it was the second-longest in Jeopardy! history, behind Ken Jennings. He defeated the IBM Watson computer during beta testing at IBM headquarters twice. Making his first appearance on the July 5, 2005, episode, Madden continued on a winning streak until September 19, winning a total of 19 games and $432,400. Madden first watched Jeopardy! with a babysitter when he was 11–12 years old. Madden's parents did not realize he was going to be on Jeopardy! until his first game aired. Team Brad won their first-round match and in the final episode, airing on March 5, 2019, won the tournament and the grand prize of $1,000,000, which was split between the three team members.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

David Madden (Jeopardy! contestant) timeline

  1. Making his first appearance on the July 5, 2005, episode, Madden continued on a winning streak until September 19, winning a total of 19 games and $432,400.
  2. Team Brad won their first-round match and in the final episode, airing on March 5, 2019, won the tournament and the grand prize of $1,000,000, which was split between the three team members.

The world when David Madden (Jeopardy! contestant) was born

David Madden (Jeopardy! contestant) was born in 1981. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1981

  • #1 song"Bette Davis Eyes" – Kim Carnes
  • Top movieChariots of Fire
  • Top TV showDallas
  • Best-selling bookThe Hotel New Hampshire – John Irving

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentSugar Ray Leonard defeats Thomas Hearns
  • Top headlineMTV launches
  • Technology milestoneIBM launches the PC
  • Defining fadPac-Man fever
  • Notable inventionIBM PC (personal computer)
  • World population4.53 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderRonald Reagan
  • Sports championLos Angeles Dodgers (World Series)
  • Also wonBoston Celtics (NBA)
  • U.S. population229.5M

1981 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in David Madden (Jeopardy! contestant)'s birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19812026
Gas$1.31$3.45/gal
Average home$68,900$435,000
Average income$22,388$67,500
Minimum wage$3.35$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$2.78$11.95
Postage stamp$0.18$0.73
Population229.5M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, Library of Congress. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.