Pole-sitting

Pole-sitting is the practice of sitting on a pole for extended lengths of time, generally used as a test of endurance. A small platform may be placed at the top of the pole.

Pole-sitting is related to the ancient ascetic discipline of Stylitism, or column-sitting. Famous column-sitters include St Simeon Stylites the Elder (c. 388-459) of Antioch (now Turkey) who sat on a column for 36 years. [ [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13795a.htm CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: St. Simeon Stylites the Elder ] ]

The world record for pole-sitting was set during the World Championship by Daniel Baraniuk, from Gdańsk, Poland, who sat on a 16-by-24-inch platform on an 8-foot pole for 196 days from May 15 2002 to November 26 2002. Short breaks were allowed every 2 hours. [ [http://www.distant.ca/UselessFacts/fact.asp?ID=166 Useless Fact: World Pole-Sitting Record Set ] ]

Flagpole-sitting was a fad from 1924 to 1929. The fad began when a friend dared stunt actor Alvin "Shipwreck" Kelly to sit on a flagpole. Shipwreck's initial 1924 sit lasted 13 hours and 13 minutes. It soon became a fad with other contestants setting records of 12, 17 and 21 days. In 1929, Shipwreck decided to reclaim the title. He sat on a flagpole for 49 days in Atlantic City, New Jersey, setting the enduring record. The following year, 1930, his record was broken by Bill Penfield in Strawberry Point, Iowa who sat on a flag pole for 51 days and 20 hours, until a thunderstorm brought him down. [ [http://www.badfads.com/pages/events/flagpole.html Flagpole Sitting - The Bad Fads Museum ] ]

This fad eventually reached Shipwreck imitators when, in 1929, Baltimore had at least 17 boys and 3 girls sitting on 18 foot hickory poles while their family and friends cheered them on.

References

External links

* [http://www.badfads.com/pages/events/flagpole.html Bad Fads on Flagpole-Sitting]
* [http://www.who2.com/shipwreckkelly.html Alvin 'Shipwreck' Kelly]
* [http://www.americanprofile.com/issues/20031207/20031207ne_3547.asp American Profile]