Historical clue formulations

• "Extra life" item from the box below — 2026-07-26
• Do better than — 2025-03-04
• Extra life, in video games — 2025-02-25
• Top — 2025-02-12
• Better — 2024-06-22
• Top — 2024-06-01
• *Beat by a little, as in joke telling — 2024-02-19
• Do a bit better than — 2024-01-08
• Do slightly better than — 2023-04-24
• Extra life, in video games — 2023-02-22
• Outdo — 2022-05-31
• Top — 2022-02-27
• A stroke ahead, in golf — 2021-12-29
• Top — 2021-08-22
• Extra life, in video gaming — 2021-08-10
• Outdo ... or a hint to entering four answers in this puzzle — 2020-03-04
• Outdo — 2019-12-28
• Outdo — 2019-08-26
• Best — 2019-07-31
• Best — 2019-06-16
• Do better than — 2017-07-09
• Outdo — 2017-03-05
• Best — 2016-12-13
• Outdo — 2016-11-22
• Better — 2016-03-17
• Best — 2013-07-07
• Extra life, in a video game — 2012-05-03
• Get the better of — 2012-04-18
• Top — 2011-11-03
• Best — 2011-09-28
• Top — 2011-08-20
• Top — 2010-03-19
• Outdo — 2010-03-01
• Best — 2008-12-26
• Go further than — 2007-09-09
• Early Ping-Pong score — 2007-07-04
• Barely ahead — 2006-12-12
• Outdo by a little — 2006-09-18
• Get the better of — 2006-03-26
• Slightly ahead in a game — 2006-02-22
• Ahead, barely — 2005-08-12
• Slightly ahead — 2004-03-24
• Top, in a way — 2003-12-05
• Ahead of the game — 2000-06-27
• Get the better of — 2000-03-21
• Slightly ahead — 1999-09-29
• Better — 1999-08-14
• Outdo — 1999-04-15
• Get the better of — 1997-12-24
• Early Ping-Pong score — 1997-06-20