On November 19th, 1999, John Carpenter, an IRS agent from Hamden, Connecticut, became the first million dollar winner on the American version of the game show, "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" He proceeded to advance to the million-dollar question without using any lifelines, then used his "Phone-a-Friend" to call his father, not for help, but to tell him he was going to win the game. This moment became one of the most iconic moments in game show history, giving Carpenter national recognition and multiple talk show appearances. Carpernter is the fourteenth highest-earning American game show contestant of all time.
