What gave these people their sense of freedom?

People have all sorts of ways of doing extreme challenges. Here are some real sport stories..

1. In 1963, 17-year-old Peggy Townsend sat atop a flagpole in Gadsden, Alabama, for 217 days, setting a world record that lasted for 20 years. Peggy was a survivor, having come through the difficult aftermath of being run over by a car. What prize did the radio station offer Peggy for doing this amazing stunt?
   
   • A car. (She got the diamond engagement ring from her boyfriend – sent up in the food basket.)
2. In 1913, Vladimir Ossovski from St Petersburg performed an early BASE jump from a bridge in Rouen, France. What was he testing?
   
   • A parachute design. (We guess it worked.)
3. In 1905, the car US President Theodore Roosevelt was riding in was stopped for speeding. How did the traffic cops stop the car?
   
   • By pulling it over on bicycles. (The car was doing 25 mph in a 15 mph zone, so they must have been in good shape.)
4. In 1896, what illegal sport were 'scorchers' engaged in?
   
   • Exceeding bicycle speed limits. (Chicago police threw lead pellets into the spokes to stop 'scorchers', while Denver hired two 'scorcher herders'. Bicycles were a menace to society.)
5. Antoine de Ville (no kin to Cruella) ascended Mount Aiguille in France, marking the beginning of mountain climbing as a sport. What year was this?
   
   • 1492. (While that other idiot was out in a boat.)
6. In 1875, Captain Matthew Webb did something unusual, and it was the first time anyone did it. What was it?
   
   • Swam the English Channel. (We bet Robbie knew that.)
7. In 875, Andalusian poet and inventor Abbas ibn Firnas did something interesting in the sporting line. What was it?
   
   • He experimented with hang gliding. (Which is probably why he has an airport named after him.)
8. In 1944, Betty Magnusson, an American WAC, saw kids doing something intriguing in France. What was it?
   
   • Skateboarding. (Roller skate wheels + piece of old crate = fun.)
9. Which of these sports is real?
   
   • All of the above. Xpogo (Engineers, too much free time, 'nuff said), Extreme hula hooping (Just watch the video), and pro mini golf are all, indeed, real.
10. In the book Twilight Memories: Marking Time in a Culture of Amnesia, Andreas Huyssen writes, '…in our metropolitan centres the flaneur…has been replaced by the marathon runner…' What is extreme about flaneurs?
    
    • Their slowness. (There's a lot be said for walking your tortoise in the park.)

If you got all these, you must be extremely well-read.

Dmitri Gheorgheni

06.06.16 Front Page

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