NEW YORK - Score one for the nation's teachers: a high school history teacher from Georgia became the fourth contestant to win $1 million on ABC's ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.''
Bob House, 36, of Gay, Ga., had his wife - a science teacher - in the audience watching him on Tuesday's show. Five other teachers waited by the phone to serve as his lifelines, and one provided him with the million-dollar answer.
To become a winner, he was required to identify which of four men - Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, Isaac Newton or Enrico Fermi - did not have a chemical element named for him. With the help of his friend, fellow Starr's Mill High School teacher Donna Cates, he correctly answered Newton.
For $250,000, House had to identify Czechoslovakia as the country where playwright Vaclav Havel became president. It was the perfect question for a history teacher.
''They couldn't have been written any better for me,'' he said.
He was able to save two of his three lifelines for use answering the final question.
House, who appeared briefly on Sunday night's show, taped the bulk of his winning appearance Monday. He was keeping the win a secret from his mother and two children, 9-year-old Logan and 4-year-old Shelby, until they watched it on TV.
His victory will give the British originators of ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'' another reason to mock Americans for making the contest too easy. The British version of the show has never had a big winner.
House and his wife, Sheila, are both military veterans who have been married for 11 years. They plan to replace the 10-year-old car Sheila has been driving with something new and pay off some school and credit card debts.
''It's going to be nice to have our paychecks go to us now instead of our bills,'' he said.
Logan has already claimed a cut: House said his son told him he wanted $100 if his dad became a big winner. He'll be glad to pay up.
