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The First American Olympics

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Editor Evan ordered the Blog Staff to find Funny Stories from History. Jake found the most intriguing series of events in Olympic history.

By Jake Sonderman

Since the dawn of the ancient Greek city-states, countries have gathered despite differences to compete in an event called the Olympics. The Olympic games discontinued for thousands of years after the fall of the Greek city-states, but they were revitalized in 1896 in Europe. After almost a decade of the Olympics, the United States sought to host these reputable games. So, in 1904, the third Olympic games came to St. Louis, Missouri. This was a landmark Olympics in many ways. It was the year the gold medal was introduced (the silver medal was the highest previously), and American gymnast George Eyser won six medals even though he had a wooden leg (The Atlantic). German-American Frank Kugler won four medals in three different sports, making him the only competitor to ever win medals in three different sports (bleacherreport). Boxing was also  introduced at this Olympics. But by far, the most peculiar part of these Olympics was the Olympic marathon. 

Source: abc.net

Today we look to keep our athletes in peak condition and performance. But, in 1904, not so much. The 24-mile course was an entirely dirt road with 100-300 foot hills, and on the day of the race, it was 92 degrees and humid (I put the numbers into a heat-index indicator: it felt like 135 degrees in St. Louis). On top of all of this, James Sullivan, the organizer of the race, decided to  put only one water station in the entire race to “purposefully dehydrate” the runners. This was because he had a hypothesis that dehydration would help the runners do better. Because of this, only 14 of the 32 runners finished the race, and the winning time is still the worst in Olympic history by 30 minutes! (AV Club)

The gun fired to begin the race, and Fred Lorz was in the lead. A short way into the race, William Garcia, from California, collapsed after inhaling so much dirt from the unpaved road and passing traffic it blocked his esophagus. He was rushed to the hospital, just in time. If he had continued for even a couple more minutes he would have likely died (Smithsonian). 

Two racers had come all the way from South Africa, and they ran barefoot. They were fast and  likely would have won if they hadn’t been chased a mile off course by dogs (Quartz).

The only Cuban in this Olympics, Andarin Clervajal, was in the marathon. Upon his arrival in the US, he gambled away all of his money. He hitchhiked and walked from New Orleans to St. Louis. He had not eaten in 40 hours and only had pants and a dress shirt on. He cut his pants and rolled up his sleeves and began the race anyway. On the track through the town, Clervajal saw a tasty lookin’ peach cart, and begged the owners for a couple. When the owners of the cart refused he grabbed one anyway and ran. Farther down the track, Clervajal saw an even TASTIER looking apple orchard. He took a quick stop and ate one of the apples, but the apples were rotten! Clervajal decided to nap it off and then woke up, and continued the race. He finished 4th. (AV Club) 

Even though Fred Lorz was leading at the start, Thomas Hicks passed him fairly quickly. Lorz tried to catch up and burned out around halfway through the course. Lucky for him, he hitched a ride on a passing car, and waved at the runners as he passed them. The car broke down a couple miles from the finish line, and from there Lorz continued the race. Lorz ended up crossing the finish line first. He was even awarded the gold medal by Alice Roosevelt! Then, the truth came out–in just minutes. Lorz said he was only joking. (AV Club)

Thomas Hicks, the real leader in the race, found he could not keep going seven miles before the race ended. But his trainers wouldn’t let him give up. They gave him some strychnine (rat poison) and brandy to keep him going. Safe to say this didn’t help, and Hick’s trainers carried him the rest of the way to win him the gold medal. Hicks needed immediate medical attention for his dehydration combined with the rat poison in his system. Though he finished first, he lost eight pounds in the couple hours of the race. (Medium)

*I almost don’t feel the need to include sources for this story because you really can’t make this kind of stuff up.

Sources:

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1182023-30-greatest-athletes-in-summer-olympic-history

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/08/how-a-guy-with-a-wooden-leg-won-6-olympic-medals/260988/

https://www.boredpanda.com/1904-olympic-marathon-st-louis/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-1904-olympic-marathon-may-have-been-the-strangest-ever-14910747/

https://www.penn.museum/sites/olympics/olympicorigins.shtml#:~:text=Although%20the%20ancient%20Games%20were,presented%20the%20idea%20in%201894.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1904_Summer_Olympics

https://qz.com/758181/the-long-and-bizarre-history-of-the-olympic-marathon/

https://www.avclub.com/the-1904-olympic-marathon-was-the-worst-race-ever-run-1842740808

View at Medium.com
https://medium.com/history-of-yesterday/the-worst-marathon-in-human-history-66047f7e004c

Funny Stories in History Editor: Evan Spry

2020 Seniors Paint Parking Spaces

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Celebrating School Events

Last Saturday the 10th, after Senior Sunrise, the 2020 PVS Seniors donned coveralls, grabbed their paint buckets and brushes, and set to painting their senior parking spaces. Drive by the southernmost lot to see their artwork, and DON’T park in their spaces.

Seniors Andrew Hall, Hannah Hall, and Caroline Scheil are well protected from paint blow-back in their matching coveralls. Photo Credit: Ms. Jen Clark
Senior Chelsea Xu–artist and anime fan–sketches anime character Pain in her spot. Photo Credit: Ms. Jen Clark
Seniors Evan Spry and Jake Sonderman with Junior Jessica Denyer cool down after the painting. The day’s temperatures reached into the 100s. Photo Credit: Ms. Jen Clark

There Were Three Popes…And They All Excommunicated Each Other

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In looking for Funny Stories in History, as directed by Editor Evan, Sara looked to the Catholic Church and its intriguing papal history.

By Sara Habibipour

The history of the Catholic Church is a lengthy one (said every history student ever). But, hidden in this history is a pretty ironic story that’s worth sharing. It all takes place during the Western Schism.

After the death of Pope Gregory XI in 1378, the open position in the papacy led to the Western Schism. Urban VI was elected as pope but soon became very unpopular among the Roman people because he was known for being “temperamental, suspicious, and reformist” (History 101).

Where did the second pope come from? “Many of the cardinals under Urban VI left Rome and appointed Robert of Geneva (who took the name Clement VII) as a rival pope in Avignon” (History 101).

The council of Pisa was held in 1409 to resolve the question of the true heir. But, wait! There’s more! Alexander V established a third papacy in Northern Italy, leading to more drastic tensions within the Catholic Church; the followers of the three popes were greatly divided along national lines and “political antagonisms arose” (Medium). All three popes claimed legitimacy to the throne of St. Peter. In an attempt to resolve this issue and claim power, they all excommunicated each other! In other words, they exiled each other from the Church; this is the worst punishment a member could possibly receive because it dooms a follower to Hell! Rather than leading to resolved conflict, this event only led to an ironic and funny story. Never before in history had three popes deemed each other as disgraces to the Church! 

After three excommunications and eight years of the Council of Constance to elect a recognized pope by all, Pope Martin was elected to the papacy, effectively ending the Western Schism; there were no more arguments over who the true pope was. 

Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/event/Western-Schism

View at Medium.com

https://www.history101.com/one-time-there-were-three-popes-and-they-all-excommunicated-each-other/

Image Source: 

https://alchetron.com/Western-Schism

Funny Stories in History Editor: Evan Spry

Tomb or…Toilet?

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Elizabeth went searching for Funny but Historical Stories–as directed by Editor Evan. She found a most unsavory burial that nearly went to the grave with Patton.

By Elizabeth Shay

In 1917, esteemed World War II general George S. Patton visited the tiny French village of Bourg with the intention of establishing a tank training school. The local mayor approached General Patton in tears, claiming that the Americans had failed to inform him of the death of one of their soldiers. Patton was perplexed, as he was not aware of any death, but he allowed the mayor to lead him to the site of the soldier’s supposed grave: “Being unaware of this sad fact, and not liking to admit it to a stranger, I stalled until I found out that no one was dead. However, the Frenchman insisted that we visit the grave,”  as Patton recalled in his diary (later published by his widow Beatrice in 1947). 

Upon arriving at the site of the “grave,” Patton discovered that the mayor had led him to a recently filled latrine pit, with a makeshift cross that had the words “‘Abandoned Rear”’ stenciled into it. The French had mistaken the covered lavatory for a field grave! Not knowing how to respond, Patton simply offered his sympathies before leaving Bourg without telling anyone about the true nature of the grave.

Twenty-six years later, in 1943,  General Patton returned to his former Brigade Headquarters in Bourg and was shocked to learn that the “Abandoned Rear Grave” was still being maintained by the local population who viewed the unknown soldier as a national hero. Even after the second visit, Patton admits, “I never told them the truth!” and took the secret to his own grave.

Sources Referenced:

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-ii/abandoned-rear.html

10 Funny Stories from History that You Never Read in Your School Books

Funny Stories From History Editor: Evan Spry

The Secret Weapon?

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Editor Evan assigned the Blog Staff the subject of “Funny Stories in History.” Erik went searching, . . . and found a surprising twist to the military supply line during the Korean War.

By Erik Bearman

From 1950 to 1953, the Korean War raged across…well, Korea. In November of 1950, the First Division, led by American General Edward Almond, was pinned down near the Chosin River. Trapped in Korea’s unforgiving landscapes with temperatures reaching below -38℃, the Corps desperately needed additional fire-power. So, the men sent an encoded request for mortar rounds with the code phrase being “Tootsie Rolls.”

However…

The radio operator was a bit of a dingus. He did not have the code sheet that would tell him that “Tootsie Rolls” meant mortar rounds. As a result, instead of acquiring much-needed ammunition, the First Division received actual, chocolate, Tootsie Rolls.  

I know what you must be thinking, “Wow, these guys are screwed!” But, in fact, the Marines were saved! Besides also being a delicious snack, Tootsie Rolls can be used for plugging bullet wounds. And, after being warmed inside their mouths, the Tootsie Rolls could be made into a putty capable of sealing cracks in fuel pipes. Although the package was rather unusual, these Tootsie Rolls provided the soldiers with much needed food and makeshift medical supplies and allowed the First Division to escape the river and continue fighting in the war. After the Korean War ended, the surviving members of the First Division started calling themselves the “Chosin Few.”

Tootsie Rolls | HeadStuff.org

Sources:

https://usmc-mccs.org/articles/how-tootsie-rolls-accidentally-saved-marines-during-war/

headstuff.org

The Veterans Site Blog – GreaterGood

Funny Stories in History Editor: Evan Spry

Senior Sunrise

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Celebrating School Events

We celebrated the start of our seniors’ last year at PVS last Saturday EARLY morning with a Senior Sunrise. ASB Advisor Ms. Clark had seniors write down their year’s intentions. Then, as the sun broke over the mountains, she captured seniors jumping in joyful silhouette.

Photo Credit: Ms. Jen Clark
Photo Credit: Ms. Jen Clark

Scary in Verse

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And, for our final Scary Stories post, our International Correspondent Quintus shares a scary poem.

By Quintus Ni

Pale night, dim candle
Old man of old roots
Spit out your teeth, and say
One year and one month, bones grew out of the soil
Crow, wind, open mouth of grave
Full moon in branches
Dead willow by water
A skinny barking dog outside the village
The moonlight cleans the windows silently
Like a cold hand
Children dare not dream
I always think, what’s out there
Quietly, walking
It’s hanging from the top of the tree
It’s the ghost of grandfather
Or mom’s sleeves?
That night
Silence darkens the night
The room is empty
nothing in the world

Scary Stories Editor: Erik Bearman

Randonautica

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By Hannah Hall

Have you ever heard of Randonautica? When Editor Erik said to the Blog Staff, “Find scary stories!” Hannah thought Randonautica was pretty darn scary.

Randonautica is an app that utilizes a quantum random number generator (QRNG) to create random coordinates. Users wander to and about these coordinates–bringing into play their own unique intentions. The app focuses around the quantum process of using thought and consciousness to influence your environment, thus filling it with synchronicities and coincidences. 

To use the app, you start by entering your radius of desired movement and whether or not you want water points included in your coordinates, then you send in your location. After that, you tell the app what kind of quantum point you want generated. For this step, you are presented 3 options: 

*Attractor (the center of the densest cluster of quantum dots), 

*Void (the center of the least dense cluster of quantum dots), 

*and Anomaly (the strongest of the two). 

From there, you decide your own journey by setting an intention. Usually, it is a broad theme such as joy, peace, or love, but other times it is something specific such as spotting a rose bush. Then, the quantum point is generated by the QRNG of your choice; the app defaults to the Australian National University, which bases its points on the fluctuations of the magnetic field of virtual particles from a quantum laser in a vacuum! The other two QRNG’s are Temporal, which is based on processor time cycles, and Cam RNG, which is based on thermal noise in the photo-matrix detectors within your smartphone camera. Once the point is sent to you, it will come with all of its statistical info, including the z-score, power, and radius…basically the technical deets. Nevertheless, once you get it, you may embark on your amazing adventure with your handy dandy GPS (aka Google Maps). 

But, sometimes Randonauting can be far from amazing. In June 2020, a group of Washington teens took all the steps to begin their quantum trip. Unfortunately, nothing could prepare them for what was to come. They set their intention and started trekking their way to their point. It sent them to the shore of Alki Beach in Seattle. Filming the experience, they crept down the rocky slope to their coordinates only to notice a black suitcase. The video they were filming had the accompanying caption, “…We found this black suitcase. We were joking that maybe the suitcase would have money. As SOON as [we] opened it, the smell was overwhelming.” Because the smell was so alarming, a girl from the group promptly called 911. The police came to the scene, and later notified the public that the content of the dreaded black suitcase was two dismembered bodies. Later, a man was arrested with connections to the remains. 

This leads us to ask, What really were their intentions? What led this Randonauting group to that suitcase?

You, too, can go Randonauting (once the app re-opens in two weeks). I hope you do so without running into something gruesome. To be honest, when I did this with a friend, it sent me to the Staples parking lot in Palm Springs. And, all I found were cars and trash in the lot.

Sources Referenced:

https://www.randonautica.com

https://www.thecut.com/2020/07/what-is-randonautica-the-app-that-led-teens-to-a-dead-body.html

https://www.q13fox.com/news/man-arrested-in-case-of-human-remains-found-in-suitcase-on-west-seattle-beach

Scary Stories Editor: Erik Bearman

THE GIRL IN THE RED CAPE

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Scary Stories Editor Erik invites you to read this story about a babysitter who sucks at her job. Blogger Evan was committed to finding a classic scary story. He remembers hearing it for the first time ten years ago, and he was very scared.

By Evan Spry

One night a little girl’s parents went out for a business dinner, so they hired a babysitter to watch her.

“Can I have some ice cream?” the little girl, Holly, asked after supper.

“Sure,” said the babysitter, Beatrice. “Where’s the freezer?”

“In the basement, so are the nuts, cherries and candy and stuff.”

When babysitter Beatrice went down to the basement to get the ice cream, she looked out the window to see a little girl standing outside. This didn’t strike her as too suspicious, so she simply brushed it off.

When Beatrice handed Holly her ice cream, Holly asked, “Can I have some hot fudge on this, please?”

“Course,” was Beatrice’s quick reply.

Beatrice went back down into the basement to retrieve the fudge next to the nuts and berries. She looked back out the window to see the same little girl, this time wearing a red cape. As she trudged back upstairs, Beatrice absentmindedly wondered if the girl was playing dress-up.

“Got it,” she said to Holly, after setting the fudge in the microwave and putting the hot thick chocolate goop on the ice cream.

“Can I please have some nuts on this …?”

“Really?”

“Please?”

“Fine…” the babysitter sighed, already heading back down the stairs. As she got the nuts out of a small cabinet in the wall, she looked back out the window to see the same little girl in the red cape, only this time, holding a knife.

As babysitter Beatrice ran upstairs, she decided she was calling the police.

“Ooh. Thank you!” Holly squealed happily from her perch on her pink Disney Princess booster seat.

“Uh-I-I yeah. Hey, Holly, I need you to-“

“Oh no! Can I have a cherry on top, please?”

Not wanting to alarm Holly, Beatrice decided that she would go get the cherries, then call the police–after locking herself and Holly in the bathroom. There’s no way the little girl in the cape could get inside if the windows and doors were all locked.

After slowly descending the stairs, Beatrice opened the freezer with shaky arms.

Daring to peek out of the window, she closed her eyes before staring out.

The same little girl, in the same red cape, holding the same knife was there. Only the knife now had blood on it.

Running up the stairs, scared of what might await, Beatrice quickly checked on Holly.

Holly was dead. 

Beatrice ran into the bathroom and locked the door behind her before dialing 911.

When the police arrived, the tearful mother and father were with them. The mother approached Beatrice, sobbing uncontrollably. “What happened?!”

“Oh God- I’m sorry oh God! I-I saw this little girl with this red cape and a knife outside your basement window!”

Boo!

The mother said, “We-we don’t have any basement windows, only mirrors…”

http://www.everythingscary.com/story/the-little-girl-in-the-red-cap.html

Scary Stories Editor: Erik Bearman

The Zodiac Killer

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In the pursuit of Scary Stories, Jake examines the mystery of the 1960s Zodiac Killer and how the killer ended people’s chances at young love.–Scary Stories Editor: Erik Bearman

By Jake Sonderman

On December 20, 1968, 17-year-old David Faraday and 16-year-old Betty Lou Jensen drove to lovers lane in Vallejo, California, for their first date. They were greeted by two bullets. 

On  July 5, 1969, Darlene Ferrin, 22, and Mike Mageau, 19, were also in the car at a California Golf Club. They were also greeted by bullets. The Vallejo Police got a call that same day that said, “I also killed those kids last year.”

The Zodiac Killer was confessing to the murder of both couples. 

The Zodiac Killer struck again on September 27, 1969. 22-year-old Cecilia Shepard and 20-year-old Bryan Hartnell were having a picnic when they were approached by a hooded figure. The hood had a circle with two lines through it. The figure tied up and stabbed the couple. This time, there was a survivor–Bryan Hartnell.

Zodiac Killer - Wikipedia

On October 11, 1969, Zodiac got in Paul Stine’s San Francisco cab. Zodiac shot Stine in broad daylight, and this time there were more witnesses. Witnesses described Zodiac as a 25 or 30-year-old white male with glasses. The police knew that the suspect had to be close. The police nabbed a man. Unfortunately, the dispatcher had mistakenly told the cops that the suspect was black, and Zodiac escaped.

These are all of the known murders of the Zodiac Killer, but these might not even scratch the surface of the evil of the Zodiac Killer. 

After Zodiac’s July 1969 murder of Ferrin and Mageau, he sent a message to local newspapers, but in encrypted language. He provided details only the murderer would know. He also made calls to the police department confessing to the murder of Paul Stine. In August of that year, the serial killer sent another encrypted letter and began it with “This is Zodiac speaking.” This is the first time the killer referred to himself as Zodiac, a self given name. He would continue to call himself “Zodiac” in future letters.

The Zodiac Ciphers: What We Know - HISTORY

These letters were a combination of requests and threats. In one letter, Zodiac confessed to the murders of 37 people. 

In another letter, Zodiac threatened to destroy a school bus if the people of San Francisco didn’t start wearing his circle with two lines through it. Zodiac never said what was significant about the symbol, but some have thought it was a rifle sight. It is more likely that he chose this because of its significance in ancient religion and witchcraft teachings. The circle with two lines through it is a symbol for the sun, and the symbol is called the sun cross. 

This symbol has shown up multiple times in history, importantly during the reign of Nazi Germany. Certain Nazi groups in Norway and other countries adopted the circle cross as their logo. The website “Stormfront,” a neo-nazi site, adopted the logo in the 90s. Investigators never figured out why Zodiac adopted that symbol.

25 Witchcraft Symbols Everyone Should Know About | Thought Catalog

It is likely that Zodiac explained the symbol and said much more in his letters, but many of them remain undeciphered. 

No other murder from Zodiac was ever discovered. Zodiac continued to make threats through 1971, and then went silent. 

Other letters have come in but are thought to be copy cats. The real Zodiac never spoke or struck again. 

Sources:

25 Witchcraft Symbols Everyone Should Know About
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zodiac_Killer
https://www.biography.com/news/zodiac-killer-murder-identity
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_cross

Scary Stories Editor: Erik Bearman