Double jackpot winner on US Millionaire

There have been seven US Millionaire winners

An engineer has become the seventh person to win the jackpot in the US version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

Kevin Olmstead, a friend of the last jackpot winner on the US quiz, won the "biggest prize in network TV history", according to ABC, which screens the show.

Kevin Olmstead is a quiz show aficionado

Mr Olmstead won $2.18m (£1.5m) on the show, correctly identifying Igor Sikorsky as inventor of the first mass-produced helicopter to win the top prize.

More than £700,000 of his prize money was a bonus, added to the total because there has been a drought of winners in the US.

"From being an engineer and being into engineering history, I immediately knew Sikorsky," he said.

'Near and dear'

"I will be giving some to charities that are near and dear to me and a lot will be invested with an eye toward early retirement - and some will be mad money to purchase a car and some electronic toys," added the environmental engineer from Michigan.

"I won't be quitting my jobs," he added.

"He was a nice guy and he was thrilled to receive the prize - he was literally shaking," said American host Regis Philbin.

He added: "There hasn't been anyone in 188 shows. There's been a drought, but that's changed."

The win will undoubtedly help ABC in the ratings battle that is expected when the US version of BBC quiz The Weakest Link debuts next week on NBC.

UK version

A quiz show aficionado, Mr Olmstead founded a company which provides questions for academic quiz competitions and won nearly $27,000 as a contestant on the US programme Jeopardy! in 1994.

His win comes as a former Mastermind champion is reported to have become the second person to scoop the jackpot on the UK version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?.

The Sun newspaper reports that science teacher David Edwards, from Staffordshire, has won the million pounds first prize on the ITV quiz show which was recorded on Monday.