Comical Facts No 1 Trivia Quiz

Answer: A hog fell on top of him

Charles, who was born in Iowa in 1893, was preparing to slaughter a hog as part of his normal every day work one day in 1922, when the hog collapsed on top of him. The weight of the 300 lb animal set Charles off on his long association with the hiccups. Doctors believe that either a torn abdomen muscle from the weight of the hog, or a ruptured blood vessel in his brain, saw the onset of these hiccups. Whatever the cause, Charles hicked continuously every ten seconds for the next 68 years, poor man.

His hiccups finally stopped when he was aged 96 in 1989. He died two years later in 1991 - from complications from an ulcer.

Answer: Cash

James Cash Penney, born in Missouri in 1875, opened up his first store in Wyoming in 1902. Amazingly, by 1912, he had established another thirty-three stores along the same lines. By the turn of the twenty-first century, there were more than 1,100 of these stores scattered all over the USA. Products sold from these large establishments include clothing, jewellery, furniture, household appliances, and various kinds of beauty products.

It's to be wondered, however, whether his parents, given their surname, had a sense of humour when endowing the child with that middle name preceding his surname.

Answer: The sexual anatomy of eels

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) is looked upon by many as the father of psychoanalysis. Much of his work on psychology certainly deserves that accolade, but his theories on the sexuality of humans created many controversies, even during his own lifetime. Quite a few of his pronouncements were based more on his own personal beliefs rather than on genuine research. Yet, at least he made the first real attempt to delve into the workings of the human mind and its motivating forces, a greatly unexplored area of the human condition up until that time. And just think, it all began with the sexual anatomy of an eel.

Answer: A man sneezing

Inscribed forever in the annals of history, "Fred Ott's Sneeze" was filmed on 8th January 1894. It featured one of Thomas Edison's staff members, Fred Ott, taking a pinch of snuff and giving a hearty sneeze. Edison's assistants filmed this historic gesundheit in America's first film studio, the Black Maria in New Jersey, some time between 2nd and 7th January 1894. It was copyrighted and then released for public viewing on 9th January. Fred Ott, its sole star, has been immortalised forever for sticking his finger up his nose and then sneezing his head off.

Short film clip and information for this question can be seen at this site:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Ott%27s_Sneeze

Answer: The eating of a corned beef sandwich

Astronauts in the early days of space travel really disliked the nourishment with which they were provided. This consisted of small pre-packed cubes, tubes, and assorted dried powders. On their mission in 1965 the pilot, John Young, encouraged by backup pilot Walter Shirra, smuggled a corned beef sandwich on board for Gus Grissom.

This was directly in contravention of all the rules and regulations at the time as Grissom, in particular, wasn't supposed to eat anything at all. As he bit into the sandwich, small bread crumbs began to float in the air.

These could have proved very dangerous for the machinery and the entire mission, and Grissom quickly packed the sandwich away - but a congressional enquiry was the result when the deed was discovered.

It's rather grim to think that a rocket could have been destroyed by a corned beef sandwich. One small bite for man, one big explosion for NASA? Now that really is corny.

Answer: They forgot to allow for the height of the train's smokestack

This railroad was built to connect two sites between the Virginian and Tennessee borders. It was only a very short line of ten miles in length, as its ultimate destination was to connect up with a much larger line already in existence. However, it necessitated a twenty-two foot long tunnel having to be cut through a rock cliff. When it was completed and the tracks all put in place, it was discovered that its designers had allowed enough room for the train engine to pass through - but not the smokestack. After the fuss had died down, a small opening was subsequently hand chiseled all the way through the tunnel to allow for it. Still in existence today, this railroad and tunnel is part of the Tennessee State Route 133 highway, and as the vehicles pass underneath it, that little stovepipe opening is still visible for all to see.

Photo and information for this question found at the following site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaver_Dam_Railroad

Answer: A large penis

The Erdene Zuu Monastery is Mongolia's oldest surving Buddhist monastery. Built in 1585, it survived in all its glory until 1939, when the communists destroyed most of the monasteries in Mongolia and killed more than ten thousand of their inhabitants. Just three small temples remained of the Erdene Zuu centre, and these were only allowed to be used as museums. In 1990, however, these were given back to the llamas. Today, this ancient site is once again used for worship and as a Buddhist monastery. The story behind the Kharkahorin Rock is that a monk once broke his vow of celibacy and dallied with a few ladies. For his pains he was castrated, and the rock was erected to remind other monks to honour their vows. It is said to point towards a structure known as the Vaginal Slope, some two kilometres away in a small wooded valley. Both sites are visited today by many people, including women who are seeking to become pregnant. So, all things considered, it seems that the structure is having quite the opposite effect to which it was originally intended.

Photos and information for this question obtained from the following sites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kharkhorin_Rock
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erdene_Zuu_Monastery

Answer: The Voice of Doom

Lorne Greene was born Lyon Himan Green in Ontario, Canada in 1915, and died, from pneumonia, in 1987. He was known as Himan in his younger days, but quickly changed his name to Lorne as soon as he reached adulthood, when he also added an E to his surname for added effect. During his career as a newsreader, he (also somewhat comically) invented a stopwatch that ran backwards instead of forwards.

This was supposed to help newsreaders keep an eye on the time, but raises the question of why they just couldn't do it the normal way like everyone else. Probably the role for which Lorne Greene is most noted during his acting career was that of Ben Cartwright in the long running television series "Bonanza" (1959-73), a western based around the lives of the four Cartwright men on their ranch, Ponderosa.

He also hosted the wildlife documentary "Lorne Greene's New Wilderness" which began in 1982 and ran for 104 episodes.

Answer: He was colour blind

That's amazing, but because of his colour vision problem, Emerson quite possibly accidentally contributed quite a few unusual and striking colours to the company's range. He is honoured for his work in bringing colours alive in the 1987 album "Man of Colours" by the Australian rock band, Icehouse. Crayola began its long time business of manufacturing art supplies for artists and school children everywhere, in the USA in 1885. Since then they have introduced 130 different colours to the public. Only thirteen of these colours have ever been retired from use. Because of the importance of political correctness and cultural sensitivity issues in whatever is said or created now, many of the company's existing colours have been given different names in keeping with the times. "Flesh" was changed to "Peach", for example, because not everyone has the same coloured skin. Though the name "Indian Red" was named after a red pigment from India, it was also changed out of concern for the incorrect impression it may give of native American skin tones. And so on and so on.

Interestingly, Crayola has also created scented crayons, with aromas such as coffee, chocolate, cheese and bleach wafting up to one's nostrils.

Answer: Yumi, Yumi, Yumi

Vanuatu is an island nation located in the Pacific Ocean just over a thousand miles east of Australia. The English translation of their anthem is "We, We, We" but in the country's native language of Bislama, we have "Yumi, Yumi, Yumi". The last incidence of cannabilism in Vanuatu was as late as 1969.

In bygone days, preparation for these meals consisted of digging a rectangular hole in the sand, filling it with hot stones, and then placing the dismembered body on top of those. Yams, taro and a few other fruits and vegetables were thrown in for added flavour, before the contents were covered with more hot stones and topped off with banana leaves. Depending on the size of the victim, cooking could take three to five hours.