First Monday of November and the first quiz of November.
It may be a different month but the format remains the same. Twenty random questions to test you general knowledge.
And as usual, if you get stuck, you can find the answers waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below, but please NO cheating!
Enjoy and good luck.
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Q. 1: How are you related to the sister-in-law of your dad’s only brother?
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Q. 2: There has been a TV series and a movie named “The Equalizer”, which actors played the leading characters in each?
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Q. 3: What are the names the capital city of New Zealand and its most populous city and on which island are they situated? (A point for each correct answer.)
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Q. 4: If a doctor gave you 5 pills and asked you to take 1 pill every 30 minutes, how many hours would it take you to consume all the pills?
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Q. 5: In what country was the game ‘Chinese Checkers’ (or ‘Chinese Chequers’) invented?
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Q. 6: What are the three main types of Whiskey, defined by how they are distilled?
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Q. 7: Where were the first modern Olympic Games held?
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Q. 8: If 5/8 of the children in a school are boys and the school consists of 2400 students, how many girls are there?
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Q. 9: How many meters, yards or feet are there in a ‘nautical mile’?
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Q. 10: ‘Marble’ is a form of which type of rock?
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Q. 11: Where would you find a chicken’s ‘oysters’?
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Q. 12: In what US city was the original TV series ‘NCIS’ based, and what are the locations for the two spin-off series? (A point for each correct answer.)
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Q. 13: A related question to the previous one, what do the letters ‘NCIS’ stand for?
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Q. 14: Approximately what proportion of the continental land mass is located in the Northern Hemisphere?
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Q. 15: Which chemical element has the highest melting point at normal pressure?
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Q. 16: What artist was famous for his paintings of matchstick men?
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Q. 17: What is the study of birds called?
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Q. 18: What metal, often used by sculptors, is an alloy of copper and tin?
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Q. 19: What is produced by the rapid expansion of atmospheric gases suddenly heated by lightning?
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Q. 20: Finally one for all you vintage gamers, where did you find cherry strawberry orange apple grape bird?
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ANSWERS
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Q. 1: How are you related to the sister-in-law of your dad’s only brother?
A. 1: She’s your mom.
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Q. 2: There has been a TV series and a movie named “The Equalizer”, which actors played the leading characters in each?
A. 2: Edward Woodward in the TV series and Denzil Washington in the recent movie.
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Q. 3: What are the names the capital city of New Zealand and its most populous city and on which island are they situated? (A point for each correct answer.)
A. 3: Wellington is the capital of New Zealand and Auckland is its most populous city with approximately 1.4 million inhabitants. Both are situated on the North Island.
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Q. 4: If a doctor gave you 5 pills and asked you to take 1 pill every 30 minutes, how many hours would it take you to consume all the pills?
A. 4: 2 hours. You took the first pill as soon as the doctor gave them to you.
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Q. 5: In what country was the game ‘Chinese Checkers’ (or ‘Chinese Chequers’) invented?
A. 5: Germany (in 1892, called Stern-Halma, a variation of earlier American game Halma.
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Q. 6: What are the three main types of Whiskey, defined by how they are distilled?
A. 6: They are ‘Scotch’, ‘Irish’ and ‘Bourbon’.
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Q. 7: Where were the first modern Olympic Games held?
A. 7: They were held in Much Wenlock, Shropshire, England in 1850 and annually for a while afterwards, inspiring the Athens Olympiad of 1896 and the Olympic movement. (You get a point if you said ‘England’ and three points if you knew the exact location.)
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Q. 8: If 5/8 of the children in a school are boys and the school consists of 2400 students, how many girls are there?
A. 8: 900 (If 5/8 of the children in a school are boys, then 3/8 of the children in that school are girls. (5/8 + 3/8 = 1) 3/8 of 2400 = 3/8 * 2400 = 900)
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Q. 9: How many meters, yards or feet are there in a ‘nautical mile’?
A. 9: A nautical mile is a unit of distance that is approximately one minute of arc measured along any meridian and by international agreement has been set at 1,852 metres exactly, or approximately 2,025 yards or 6,076 feet.
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Q. 10: ‘Marble’ is a form of which type of rock?
A. 10: Limestone.
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Q. 11: Where would you find a chicken’s ‘oysters’?
A. 11: Chicken Oysters are two small, round pieces of dark meat on the back of poultry near the thigh. Some regard the “oyster meat” to be the most flavorful and tender part of the bird, while others dislike the taste and texture.
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Q. 12: In what US city was the original TV series ‘NCIS’ based, and what are the locations for the two spin-off series? (A point for each correct answer.)
A. 12: The original NCIS TV series was set in Washington DC and the spin-off shows are set in Los Angeles and New Orleans.
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Q. 13: A related question to the previous one, what do the letters ‘NCIS’ stand for?
A. 13: They stand for ‘Naval Criminal Investigative Service’.
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Q. 14: Approximately what proportion of the continental land mass is located in the Northern Hemisphere?
A. 14: Approximately two-thirds.
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Q. 15: Which chemical element has the highest melting point at normal pressure?
A. 15: ‘Tungsten’ is the chemical element with the highest melting point, at 3687 K (3414 °C, 6177 °F)[4] making it excellent for use as filaments in light bulbs. The often-cited carbon does not melt at ambient pressure but sublimes at about 4000 K; a liquid phase only exists above pressures of 10 MPa and estimated 4300–4700 K.
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Q. 16: What artist was famous for his paintings of matchstick men?
A. 16: Laurence Stephen Lowry, better known as ‘L.S. Lowry’ (Nov 1st 1887 to Feb 23rd 1976).
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Q. 17: What is the study of birds called?
A. 17: The study of birds is called ‘Ornithology’.
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Q. 18: What metal, often used by sculptors, is an alloy of copper and tin?
A. 18: Bronze.
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Q. 19: What is produced by the rapid expansion of atmospheric gases suddenly heated by lightning?
A. 19: Easier than you thought, it’s ‘thunder’.
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Q. 20: Finally one for all you vintage gamers, where did you find cherry strawberry orange apple grape bird?
Yes folks, this being Christmas week we have a bumper Christmassy edition of the quiz.
All the questions have a Christmas theme and there are plenty of them this week, so this quiz should keep you going over the holidays.
As usual, if you get stuck, you can find the answers waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below, but NO cheating please!
Merry Christmas and enjoy.
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Q. 1: If you were born on Christmas day, what would be your Zodiac sign?
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Q. 2: In which century was Christmas first celebrated?
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Q. 3: What significance is holly in celebrating Christmas?
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Q. 4: In the familiar song ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’, what is the gift on the fourth day?
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Q. 5: In the 1998 movie what actor whilst out Christmas shopping suddenly finds himself an “Enemy of the State”?
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Q. 6: Who discovered Christmas Island in 1777?
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Q. 7: Who wrote the song “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas”?
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Q. 8: Plus or minus one year, how long does it take a Scotch Pine Christmas tree to reach a typical retail height of 6 to 7 feet?
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Q. 9: One of the most popular floral gifts at Christmas is the Poinsetta, but what country did Poinsettias originally come from?
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Q. 10: At the end of the war in Vietnam, when Saigon fell, the signal for all Americans to evacuate was what song by Bing Crosby being played on the radio?
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Q. 11: What was Scrooge’s business partner called?
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Q. 12: When exactly is ‘The Twelfth Night’?
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Q. 13: Why was Boxing Day so named?
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Q. 14: Who composed the music for the festive season ballet ‘The Nutcracker’?
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Q. 15: Which Italian cake, popular at Christmas, belongs to Tony?
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Q. 16: What job was first taken by James Edgar in 1890?
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Q. 17: In which celebrated movie does James Stewart attempt suicide one Christmas?
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Q. 18: The Bible doesn’t say when Jesus was born. Pope Julius I made this decision in which year?
a) 50 AD b) 350 AD c) 750 AD d) 1250 AD
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Q. 19: Mr and Mrs Hilton had a little boy who was born on Christmas Day 1887, and went on to found of one of the world’s largest Hotel chains, but what was his first name?
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Q. 20: The names of which two reindeer mean ‘Thunder’ and ‘Lightning’?
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Q. 21: What is the name of the fruit sauce which is a traditional accompaniment to the Christmas Turkey?
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Q. 22: The American ad writer Robert L. May invented which colorful Christmas character in 1939?
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Q. 23: The German Christmas song ‘Tannebaum’ is translated into English as what?
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Q. 24: What does the word ‘Bethlehem’ mean?
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Q. 25: Before Pope Julius I decided that December 25th was the day Jesus was born, on which day did early Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus?
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Q. 26: Coca Cola made our modern Father Christmas for an advertising campaign, but prior to that, what color robes did he wear?
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Q. 27: Which ‘Christmas’ word means ‘turning of the sun’?
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Q. 28: Complete the title of each of the following Christmas movies.
a) Holiday… b) We’re No… c) The Bells of… d) It’s A Wonderful…
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Q. 29: What was the name of Scrooge’s clerk in a Christmas Carol?
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Q. 30: Advent candles are a popular Christmas tradition in many cultures. What does the word advent mean?
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Q. 31: Which nickname for Hollywood sounds Christmassy?
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Q. 32: Which pudding with a misleading name was banned by English Puritans because it was deemed to be ‘sinfully rich’?
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Q. 33: The Greek word for ‘Messiah’ was ‘Xristos’(Christ). What do all of these words mean translated?
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Q. 34: In the movie ‘Die Hard 2’, which airport did the terrorist take over on Christmas Eve?
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Q. 35: Many people claim that the first unofficial football (soccer) international between Germany and a Scotland-England side was played on a Christmas Day. The pitch or playing field was found between what?
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Q. 36: In which country does an ugly old witch named ‘Bafana’ deliver presents on the 6th of December?
a) Australia b) Austria c) Italy d) Mexico
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Q. 37: There are two ‘Christmas islands’, in which oceans are they located?
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Q. 38: In which city is Kevin left ‘Home Alone’ at Christmas? (the first Home Alone)
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Q. 39: “Good King Wenceslas looked out on the feast of Stephan”. What is the name of the country where Wenceslas was king? (Will accept either the ‘old’ or ‘modern’ name of the country.)
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Q. 40: Which Christmas tradition, said to have originated in Germany, was banned in the Soviet Union until 1935?
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Q. 41: In which country is St. Nick called ‘Sinterklaas’?
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Q. 42: Which Christmas gift of the very highest quality, also known as ‘Oil of Lebanon’, comes from Oman?
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Q. 43: Why was December 25th chosen as Christmas Day?
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Q. 44: Who said, “You’ll want all day tomorrow, I suppose “?
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Q. 45: Which popular poem did Clement Clark Moore write for his six children in 1822?
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Q. 46: The following all mean ‘Merry Christmas’ in which language? (A point for each!)
a) Hyvaa joulua b) sung tan chuk ha c) froehliche weihnacten
d) mele kalikimaka e) god jul f) boas festas g) kala christouyenna
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Q. 47: Superstition dictates that when making mince pies for Christmas one should always stir in which direction?
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Q. 48: Which Christmas tradition did the very busy Sir Henry Cole introduce in 1843?
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Q. 49: The Christmas movie ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ has been remade many times. Who won a best supporting actor Oscar for the role of Kris Kringle in the original 1947 movie and which two time Oscar winner played Kris in the 1994 remake?
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Q. 50: Which song begins with “Are you hanging up your stocking on the wall”?
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ANSWERS
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Q. 1: If you were born on Christmas day, what would be your Zodiac sign?
A. 1: Capricorn.
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Q. 2: In which century was Christmas first celebrated?
A. 2: In the 4th century.
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Q. 3: What significance is holly in celebrating Christmas?
A. 3: The early church banned mistletoe, so holly was substituted.
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Q. 4: In the familiar song ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’, what is the gift on the fourth day?
A. 4: 4 Calling Birds.
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Q. 5: In the 1998 movie what actor whilst out Christmas shopping suddenly finds himself an “Enemy of the State”?
A. 5: Will Smith
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Q. 6: Who discovered Christmas Island in 1777?
A. 6: Captain Cook.
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Q. 7: Who wrote the song “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas”?
A. 7: Irving Berlin.
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Q. 8: Plus or minus one year, how long does it take a Scotch Pine Christmas tree to reach a typical retail height of 6 to 7 feet?
A. 8: 7 years.
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Q. 9: One of the most popular floral gifts at Christmas is the Poinsetta, but what country did Poinsettias originally come from?
A. 9: Mexico.
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Q. 10: At the end of the war in Vietnam, when Saigon fell, the signal for all Americans to evacuate was what song by Bing Crosby being played on the radio?
A. 10: White Christmas.
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Q. 11: What was Scrooge’s business partner called?
A. 11: Jacob Marley.
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Q. 12: When exactly is ‘The Twelfth Night’?
A. 12: The evening of the 5th of January.
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Q. 13: Why was Boxing Day so named?
A. 13: After the custom of giving Christmas Boxes/Tips to workmen/tradesmen.
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Q. 14: Who composed the music for the festive season ballet ‘The Nutcracker’?
A. 14: Tchaikovsky.
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Q. 15: Which Italian cake, popular at Christmas, belongs to Tony?
A. 15: Panettone. (Anthony or Tone’s bread).
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Q. 16: What job was first taken by James Edgar in 1890?
A. 16: He was the first department store Santa.
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Q. 17: In which celebrated movie does James Stewart attempt suicide one Christmas?
A. 17: It’s A Wonderful Life.
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Q. 18: The Bible doesn’t say when Jesus was born. Pope Julius I made this decision in which year?
a) 50 AD b) 350 AD c) 750 AD d) 1250 AD
A. 18: Answer b) 350 AD.
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Q. 19: Mr and Mrs Hilton had a little boy who was born on Christmas Day 1887, and went on to found of one of the world’s largest Hotel chains, but what was his first name?
A. 19: Conrad.
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Q. 20: The names of which two reindeer mean ‘Thunder’ and ‘Lightning’?
A. 20: Donner and Blitzen.
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Q. 21: What is the name of the fruit sauce which is a traditional accompaniment to the Christmas Turkey?
A. 21: Cranberry.
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Q. 22: The American ad writer Robert L. May invented which colorful Christmas character in 1939?
A. 22: Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.
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Q. 23: The German Christmas song ‘Tannebaum’ is translated into English as what?
A. 23: Christmas Tree.
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Q. 24: What does the word ‘Bethlehem’ mean?
A. 24: House of meat (Arabic) or House of bread (Hebraic)
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Q. 25: Before Pope Julius I decided that December 25th was the day Jesus was born, on which day did early Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus?
A. 25: The 6th of January or feast of the epiphany. (Greek for appearance or revelation).
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Q. 26: Coca Cola made our modern Father Christmas for an advertising campaign, but prior to that, what color robes did he wear?
A. 26: Green. (As a sign of the returning Spring.)
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Q. 27: Which ‘Christmas’ word means ‘turning of the sun’?
A. 27: Yuletide (Yule means wheel in old Norse language).
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Q. 28: Complete the title of each of the following Christmas movies.
a) Holiday… b) We’re No… c) The Bells of… d) It’s A Wonderful…
A. 28: a) …Inn b) …Angels c) …St. Marys d) …Life
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Q. 29: What was the name of Scrooge’s clerk in a Christmas Carol?
A. 29: Bob Cratchit.
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Q. 30: Advent candles are a popular Christmas tradition in many cultures. What does the word advent mean?
A. 30: Arrival.
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Q. 31: Which nickname for Hollywood sounds Christmassy?
A. 31: Tinseltown.
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Q. 32: Which pudding with a misleading name was banned by English Puritans because it was deemed to be ‘sinfully rich’?
A. 32: Plum pudding. (Incidentally, there are no plums in plum pudding, just sugar, raisons, suet, flour and various spices boiled in a bag till ‘plum’)
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Q. 33: The Greek word for ‘Messiah’ was ‘Xristos’(Christ). What do all of these words mean translated?
A. 33: The ‘annointed’ one.
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Q. 34: In the movie ‘Die Hard 2’, which airport did the terrorist take over on Christmas Eve?
A. 34: Dulles International Airport (Washington DC).
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Q. 35: Many people claim that the first unofficial football (soccer) international between Germany and a Scotland-England side was played on a Christmas Day. The pitch or playing field was found between what?
A. 35: Between the trenches in no mans land, Christmas 1914. (No match report is available but it seems the Germans won 3-2.)
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Q. 36: In which country does an ugly old witch named ‘Bafana’ deliver presents on the 6th of December?
a) Australia b) Austria c) Italy d) Mexico
A. 36: Answer c) Italy.
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Q. 37: There are two ‘Christmas islands’, in which oceans are they located?
A. 37: The Pacific and Indian oceans.
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Q. 38: In which city is Kevin left ‘Home Alone’ at Christmas? (the first Home Alone)
A. 38: Chicago.
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Q. 39: “Good King Wenceslas looked out on the feast of Stephan”. What is the name of the country where Wenceslas was king? (Will accept either the ‘old’ or ‘modern’ name of the country.)
A. 39: Bohemia, now known as the Czech Republic.
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Q. 40: Which Christmas tradition, said to have originated in Germany, was banned in the Soviet Union until 1935?
A. 40: Christmas trees.
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Q. 41: In which country is St. Nick called ‘Sinterklaas’?
A. 41: Holland.
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Q. 42: Which Christmas gift of the very highest quality, also known as ‘Oil of Lebanon’, comes from Oman?
A. 42: Frankincense.
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Q. 43: Why was December 25th chosen as Christmas Day?
A. 43: To compete with a pagan celebration.
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Q. 44: Who said, “You’ll want all day tomorrow, I suppose “?
A. 44: Scrooge to Bob Cratchit in Dicken’s ‘A Christmas Carol’.
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Q. 45: Which popular poem did Clement Clark Moore write for his six children in 1822?
A. 45: A visit from St. Nicholas (The night before Christmas) “It twas the night before Christmas when all through the house……”
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Q. 46: The following all mean ‘Merry Christmas’ in which language? (A point for each!)
a) Hyvaa joulua b) sung tan chuk ha c) froehliche weihnacten
d) mele kalikimaka e) god jul f) boas festas g) kala christouyenna
A. 46: Answers a) Finnish b) Korean c) German d) Hawaiian e) Norwegian
f) Portugese and, g) Greek
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Q. 47: Superstition dictates that when making mince pies for Christmas one should always stir in which direction?
A. 47: In a clockwise direction.
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Q. 48: Which Christmas tradition did the very busy Sir Henry Cole introduce in 1843?
A. 48: The sending of Christmas wishes on mass produced Christmas cards. The first cards depicted a family toasting an absent friend with the words “Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to you”.
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Q. 49: The Christmas movie ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ has been remade many times. Who won a best supporting actor Oscar for the role of Kris Kringle in the original 1947 movie and which two time Oscar winner played Kris in the 1994 remake?
A. 49: Edmund Gwenn and Richard Attenborough.
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Q. 50: Which song begins with “Are you hanging up your stocking on the wall”?
A few more bad jokes wrapped up as puns. I am slightly amazed, but also pleased, that the puns have been received so well by most readers. So it wasn’t only me!
Enjoy.
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Lightning sometimes shocks people because it just doesn’t know how to conduct itself.
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When the cannibal showed up late to the luncheon, they gave him the cold shoulder.
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The experienced carpenter really nailed it, but the new guy screwed everything up.
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The one who invented the door knocker got a No-bell prize.
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Greengrocers earn a meager celery, come home beet and just want to read the pepper, take a leek, turnip the covers endive into bed.
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A noun and a verb were dating but they broke up because the noun was too possessive.
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I didn’t want to buy leather shoes, but eventually I was suede.
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For plumbers, a flush beats a full house.
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A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months.
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I just got my permit to harvest shrimp in the Antarctic. Now I have a licence to Krill.
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I don’t think I need a spine. It’s holding me back.
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What did the triangle say to the circle? You’re so pointless.
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Old colanders never die, they just can’t take the strain anymore.
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I probably have blind spots, but I don’t see them.
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After winter, the trees are relieved.
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Calves take well to bottle feeding because one nipple is as good as an udder.
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The shareholders of a compass manufacturer were concerned that the company wasn’t heading in the right direction.
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I’m bad at math, so the equation 2n+2n is 4n to me.
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The lights were too bright at the Chinese restaurant so the manager decided to dim sum.
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The proctologist reassured the patient that his condition could be rectified.
Another selection of those questions that needed to be asked, although people hardly ever do. Sadly there are no answers with them, so you can make up your own if you want to.
Enjoy.
Can a black person join the KKK?
When lightning strikes the ocean why don’t all the fish die?
When two men get married to each other, do they both go to the same bachelor party?
If a guy who was about to die in the electric chair had a heart attack should they save him?
Do Jewish vampires avoid crosses or Stars of David?
Why is it that before 9/11 they always showed the emergency broadcast system test, and on 9/11 they never used it?
If a nursing mother had her nipples pierced would the milk come out of all three holes?
Who was Sadie Hawkins?
If a stripper gets breast implants can she write it off on her taxes as a business expense?
Why do we sing ‘Rock a bye baby’ to lull a baby to sleep when the song is about putting your baby in a tree and letting the wind crash the cradle to the ground?
If parents say, ‘Never take candy from strangers’ then why do we celebrate Halloween and teach them to take candy from strangers?
Do the minutes on the movie boxes include the previews, credits, and special features, or just the movie itself?
Is there ever a day when mattresses are not on sale?
What does ‘PU’ stand for (as in ‘PU, that stinks!’)?
Why do we put suits in a garment bag and put garments in a suitcase?
If Mars had earthquakes would they be called marsquakes?
Why do people never say ‘it’s only a game’ when they’re winning?
Do you yawn in your sleep?
How come lemon washing up liquid contains real lemons, but lemon juice contains artificial flavorings.
There has always been a fine line between bad luck and stupidity.
I’m not even sure that there is such a thing as luck. Some people say you make your own luck and to a great extent I think I would go along with that.
There are the people who seem to have “good luck” but who are in fact people who have just had the courage and the confidence to take advantage of an opportunity when they saw one. Even lottery winners wouldn’t have won anything if they hadn’t taken the chance and bought a ticket in the first place, despite knowing that the odds were firmly against them.
Then there are the people who complain about having “bad luck” but who are in fact people who just do stupid things and when they inevitably go wrong blame bad luck instead of their own stupidity.
I had an uncle like that. All his life he kept using that saying, “If I didn’t have bad luck, I’d have no luck at all”, but the truth he was just dumb and did dumb things. I have a feeling he’ll feature in future blogs.
For now, however, we’ll use another much more famous example. If ever there was a good illustration of both good luck and bad luck wrapped up in the same person it was in a man called Roy Cleveland Sullivan.
Roy was born in Greene County, Virginia on February 7, 1912. He was described as a brawny man with a broad, rugged face, who resembled the actor Gene Hackman.
In 1936 he started working as a ranger in Shenandoah National Park in Virginina in 1936. Nothing very unusual in that, in fact a nice job if you like the outdoors and nature and all that good stuff. You could say in that regard Roy was a lucky man.
But Roy’s nickname was the “Human Lightning Conductor” or “Human Lightning Rod” because, between 1942 and 1977, he was hit by lightning on seven different occasions (unlucky) and survived all of them (lucky). For this reason he was a proud entrant in the Guinness Book of World Records as the person struck by lightning more recorded times than any other human being. Two of his ranger hats are on display at two Guinness World Exhibit Halls in New York City and in South Carolina.
"The Human Lightning Rod"
The first documented lightning strike on Mr Sullivan occurred in April 1942. He was hiding from a thunderstorm in a newly built lookout tower that hadn’t yet been fitted with a lightning rod. The tower was hit seven or eight times and set on fire. Roy ran out of the tower, but just a few feet away received what he considered to be his worst lightning strike. It burned a half-inch strip all along his right leg, hit his toe, and left a hole in his shoe.
The second bolt of lightning to hit him happened in July 1969. This one was extremely unusual because he was hit while in his truck, driving on a mountain road. Normally in a lightning storm one of the safest places to be is in a vehicle, the body of a car or truck normally protects people as long as they are not touching any metal parts. In this case, however, the lightning first hit nearby trees and was deflected into the open window of the truck. The strike knocked Roy Sullivan unconscious, burned off his eyebrows, eyelashes, and most of his hair. The uncontrolled truck kept moving until it stopped near a cliff edge.
The following year, in 1970, Roy was again struck by lightning, this time while in his front yard. The lightning hit a nearby power transformer and from there jumped to his left shoulder, searing it.
The fourth strike occurred in 1972, while Roy was working inside a ranger station in Shenandoah National Park. It set his hair on fire; he tried to smother the flames with his jacket. Then he rushed to the rest room, but couldn’t fit under the water tap and so used a wet towel instead.
Not unnaturally, after the fourth strike Roy began to experience a degree of paranoia and believed that some “force” was trying to destroy him and, although he had never been a timid man, he acquired a fear of death. For months, whenever he was caught in a storm while driving his truck, he would pull over and lie down on the front seat until the storm passed. He also began to carry a can of water with him and believed that he would somehow attract lightning even if he stood in a crowd of people.
On August 7, 1973, while he was out on patrol in the park, Sullivan saw a storm cloud forming and drove away quickly. But the cloud, he said later, seemed to be following him. When he finally thought he had outrun it, he decided it was safe to leave his truck. But soon after he did so – you guessed it – he was struck by a lightning bolt. He said that on this occasion that he actually saw the bolt that hit him. The lightning set his hair on fire, moved down his left arm and left leg and knocked off his shoe, although he said “it did not untie the lace”. It then crossed over to his right leg just below the knee. Still conscious, Sullivan crawled to his truck and poured the can of water, which he always kept there, over his head.
On June 5, 1976, lightning bolt number six hit him, this time injuring his ankle. It was reported that he saw a cloud, thought that it was following him, tried to run away, but was struck anyway.
On Saturday morning, June 25, 1977, Sullivan was fishing in a freshwater pool when he was struck for the seventh time. The lightning hit the top of his head, singeing his hair, and traveled down burning his chest and stomach. Sullivan turned to his car and then another unexpected thing happened — a bear appeared and tried to steal trout from his fishing line. Sullivan had the strength and courage to strike the bear with a tree branch. He claimed that this was the twenty-second time he hit a bear with a stick in his lifetime.
All seven strikes were documented by the superintendent of Shenandoah National Park, R. Taylor Hoskins, and were verified by doctors. Sullivan himself recalled that the first time he was struck by lightning was not in 1942 but much earlier. When he was a child, he was helping his father to cut wheat in a field, when a thunderbolt struck the blade of his scythe without injuring him, but because he could not prove the fact later, he never claimed it in his total.
Roy Sullivan’s wife was also struck once, when a storm suddenly arrived as she was out hanging clothes in their back yard. Yes, her husband Roy was helping her at the time, but this time he escaped unharmed.
Understandably in later in life Roy was avoided by people because of their fear of being hit by lightning, a fact that he said saddened him. He once recalled “For instance, I was walking with the chief ranger one day when lightning struck way off. The chief said, ‘I’ll see you later.'”
So, ‘bad luck’ to have been hit so many times by lightning or ‘good luck’ to have survived them all, take you pick.
Unfortunately the story doesn’t have a happy ending. On September 28, 1983, Roy Sullivan died at the age of 71 from self-inflicted gunshot wound over an unrequited love. It is not know whether the love was unrequited because the other party did not have the same feelings for Roy or whether they just feared getting hit by lightning!
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There is a similar tale about a British cavalry officer, a Major Summerford, who was fighting in the fields of Flanders during the last year of WW1, when a flash of lightning knocked him off his horse and paralysed him from his waist down.
Summerford moved to Vancouver, Canada, and six years later, whilst out fishing, he was again struck by lightning, this time paralysing the right side of his body.
After two years of recovery, one summer day he was out in a local park, when a storm suddenly blew up and Major Summerfield was again struck by lightning. This time he was permanently paralysed.
He died two years after this incident.
Four years after his death, his stone tomb was destroyed.
Yes, it was struck by lightning!
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All a bit too morbid? Maybe we need to end on something a bit more light hearted. As “luck” would have it I remember a suitable (and clean) story. It’s a little bit funny, I hope.
Anthony S. Clancy of Dublin, was born on the seventh day of the seventh month of the seventh year of the century, which also happened to be the seventh day of the week.
He was the seventh child of a seventh child, and he had seven brothers
That makes seven sevens.
On his twenty-seventh birthday he went to the race track.
The seventh numbered horse in the seventh race was named Seventh Heaven, and was handicapped seven stone.
The odds against Seventh Heaven were seven-to-one.
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