- 10,558
- Columbia, MD.
- Parnelli_Bones
Over the past 6 months or so, i've really gotten into the habit of using wikipedia for just about any sort of question possible. It started with general car research, but over time. i realize there's so many things and topics and people that have been covered by wikipedia, one day i decided to take some assumptions and questions i've held all my life and see if they are true or answerable.
First question: How did Jim Fixx die?
For those of you who don't know him, Jim Fixx was one of the earliest guys in the 70s who popularized jogging. He wrote a book about jogging that was a best-seller, and i think he's somewhat responsible for the theory that you must keep jogging (even when you come to a stop) to keep your pace up.
I was an avid jogger in middle & high school.
Sometime during my school years, Jim Fixx died...apparently at a rather young age. I remember the rumors that started going around (he had cancer, he shouldn't have been jogging, etc). And all my life, it's been in the back of my mind: how exactly did he die?
Turns out, it was a heart attack. But if he hadn't been an avid jogger, he would have had it years earlier (arguably) because his family had a history of early heart trouble.
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Second question: was Benny Hill really gay?
Like many who grew up in the 70s & 80s, i was infatuated with the Benny Hill show, Monty Python, The Young Ones and other silly BBC comedy. I was about 13 when i first saw Benny Hill. I thought it was the funniest thing ever, and my & my brother & friends would stay up till 11pm just to watch it.
Somewhere, somebody ( i dont even remember when or who) told me Benny Hill is gay. And i thought, wow, that makes sense. Of course: who else could get away with womanizing humor but a gay man? 💡
That idea stuck in my head for three decades now. I've told a few people over the years this falacy...not to many, but just enough that perhaps the rumor has perpetuated elsewhere.
And it turns out he's not gay! Or at least, wikipedia says absolutely nothing about this. Matter of fact, wikipedia tells us he asked 2 ladies to marry him, both times he got shot down!
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Third question: what's up with the Bermuda Triangle?
The Bermuda Triangle is a triangular shaped area that stretches from Bermuda to the Gulf of Mexico. Many of you already know about it, so i won't go into detail. However, IS THERE ANY TRUTH?
Other than the famous flight of those 5 planes, every other phenomenon of the Triangle has been explained away with rational reasoning. Bad weather. Hurricanes. Faulty equipment. Whatever.
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So far: Jim Fixx died of a heart attack while jogging, not cancer, not a drug overdose, and not anything other than an ordinary heart attack.
Benny Hill is (apparently) not gay.
the Bermuda Triangle is a myth.
Anyone else learn something via wikipedia that blew some long-held assumptions?
First question: How did Jim Fixx die?
For those of you who don't know him, Jim Fixx was one of the earliest guys in the 70s who popularized jogging. He wrote a book about jogging that was a best-seller, and i think he's somewhat responsible for the theory that you must keep jogging (even when you come to a stop) to keep your pace up.
I was an avid jogger in middle & high school.
Sometime during my school years, Jim Fixx died...apparently at a rather young age. I remember the rumors that started going around (he had cancer, he shouldn't have been jogging, etc). And all my life, it's been in the back of my mind: how exactly did he die? Turns out, it was a heart attack. But if he hadn't been an avid jogger, he would have had it years earlier (arguably) because his family had a history of early heart trouble.
---------------------------------------------------------
Second question: was Benny Hill really gay?
Like many who grew up in the 70s & 80s, i was infatuated with the Benny Hill show, Monty Python, The Young Ones and other silly BBC comedy. I was about 13 when i first saw Benny Hill. I thought it was the funniest thing ever, and my & my brother & friends would stay up till 11pm just to watch it.
Somewhere, somebody ( i dont even remember when or who) told me Benny Hill is gay. And i thought, wow, that makes sense. Of course: who else could get away with womanizing humor but a gay man? 💡
That idea stuck in my head for three decades now. I've told a few people over the years this falacy...not to many, but just enough that perhaps the rumor has perpetuated elsewhere.
And it turns out he's not gay! Or at least, wikipedia says absolutely nothing about this. Matter of fact, wikipedia tells us he asked 2 ladies to marry him, both times he got shot down!
----------------------------------------------------
Third question: what's up with the Bermuda Triangle?
The Bermuda Triangle is a triangular shaped area that stretches from Bermuda to the Gulf of Mexico. Many of you already know about it, so i won't go into detail. However, IS THERE ANY TRUTH?
Other than the famous flight of those 5 planes, every other phenomenon of the Triangle has been explained away with rational reasoning. Bad weather. Hurricanes. Faulty equipment. Whatever.
------------------------------------------------
So far: Jim Fixx died of a heart attack while jogging, not cancer, not a drug overdose, and not anything other than an ordinary heart attack.
Benny Hill is (apparently) not gay.
the Bermuda Triangle is a myth.
Anyone else learn something via wikipedia that blew some long-held assumptions?
Jeez all these years, i thought it was either a drug overdose, or brain hemmorage. See, that's exactly what i was talking about...
Wikipedia has errors and bias, but at least it can be edited or discussed, unlike a page that never gets updated. Not many websites ask you to provide a source, either.
So Dik-diks aren't necessarily all that fond of muffins then?
