1. Since 1975, contestants on Wheel of Fortune have been buying vowels and solving puzzles to win a variety of prizes, from trips and cars to even $1 million in cash. But when it comes to the hangman-style word game, taking home the big bucks is a lot harder than it looks on TV.
2. The United States Patent and Trademark Office lists the 'Wheel of Fortune' trademark (serial number 73656614 and registration number 1491571, filed in April 1987 and registered in June 1988) as having a 'first use' date of June 1974 and a 'first use of commerce' date of January 6, 1975.
3. Nov 11, 2020 Wheel of Fortune (1975–91) is the first incarnation of the popular game show Wheel of Fortune. This version, which featured a handful of hosts, aired on NBC in the daytime, although it aired on CBS from 1989 to 1991. It continued to run after the syndicated version ran.

Since 1975, contestants on Wheel of Fortune have been buying vowels and solving puzzles to win a variety of prizes, from trips and cars to even $1 million in cash. But when it comes to the hangman-style word game, taking home the big bucks is a lot harder than it looks on TV.

Wheel Of Fortune 1975 Shopping Music

Wheel Of Fortune (January 6, 1975) NBC Premiere (All Avalible Footage) 3 weeks ago Comedyfan74 Upload, livestream, and create your own videos, all in HD. 1975-1981 - The set was different during the early years of Wheel of Fortune compared to the sets used for the later versions, including the syndicated version. The set was an updated version of the one used for the 1974 pilot. The changes that were made to the set were that the contestant areas were color-coded.

It's so hard that only three people have won the $1 million prize since its debut in 2008 (via Closer Weekly). But even the luckiest wordsmiths can't escape the state and federal taxes that go along with their Wheel of Fortune winnings, no matter the sum. That means you might win $1 million on the show, but sadly that's not nearly how much you're taking home at the end of the day.

Sandwiched between two 'Bankrupt' wedges on the Wheel of Fortune wheel, contestants have a 1-in-72 chance at landing on the tiny green sliver that signifies the million-dollar mark, and even then, the large cash prize isn't guaranteed. Landing on the $1 million wedge only affords you an opportunity at the prize.

Susan Stafford Wheel Of Fortune 1975

To win a million dollars on Wheel of Fortune you have to land on the million-dollar wedge twice

The first step in winning the million-dollar prize on Wheel of Fortune is landing on the prize sliver during regular gameplay. That's the easy part. You then have to win the game, and make it to the bonus round without ever hitting the bankrupt penalty wedge, which would immediately wipe out your million-dollar prize.

Wheel Of Fortune 1975 Images

Here's where the show separates the lucky from the really lucky. As Time explains, once you get to the bonus round with the million-dollar wedge, one of the prize envelopes which contains $100,000 is replaced with the $1 million prize. The contestant then has to spin for a prize envelope, essentially requiring the individual to land on the $1 million wedge again. The envelope's contents are kept secret until the end, with the contestant either solving the puzzle or running out of time.

Wheel Of Fortune 1975 Premiere

That's a whole lot of spinning combined with a whole lot of luck. Which is probably why only three people have walked home with the rare prize. In some states, based on the percentage of income tax and the possibility of being put into a different taxable income bracket based solely on your winnings, a $1 million winner could end up giving half of the prize money right to the IRS (via NerdWallet). Still, going home a half million dollars richer wouldn't be a total hardship!