Spectrum #20: Order these famous speeches by year — the solution

The Spectrum puzzle from September 3, 2026: six things on one hidden scale, earliest to latest, with every figure and where the checks were best spent.

The puzzle

Order these famous speeches by year, earliest at the top and latest at the bottom. The board opened in this order:

1. We shall fight on the beaches
2. Ask not what your country can do
3. Tear down this wall
4. Nothing to fear but fear itself
5. The Gettysburg Address
6. I Have a Dream

Nothing was in its place; The Gettysburg Address opened 4 places from home.

The walkthrough

The ends first. The Gettysburg Address is the earliest of the six at 1863 and Tear down this wall the latest at 1987. Anchor those and the middle four are what is left to place.

Where the scale splits. The widest gap is between The Gettysburg Address (1863) and Nothing to fear but fear itself (1933) — 70 years apart. Everything above that line belongs on the earliest side and everything below it on the latest side, so sorting the six into those two groups is most of the puzzle.

The closest call. Ask not what your country can do (1961) and I Have a Dream (1963) are only 2 years apart — the pair that is a coin flip without the figures, and the place to spend a check: a check locks whatever is already right and leaves only the wrong tiles to swap.

The answer

Previous: Spectrum #19 (Wed, Sep 2) · Next: Spectrum #21 (Fri, Sep 4)

About Spectrum

Spectrum is Noggin’s daily ordering puzzle: six things, one hidden scale, three checks. Tiles in the right place lock green; the figures turn over when the board is done. How to play Spectrum, or play today’s.