39. The pole sitting fad
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Invented by stunt actor, Shipwreck Kelly, pole sitting became a fad among kids in the mid 1920s. The object is just as it sounds, to sit on a pole. Often a competition was held to see who could sit on top of the pole for the longest period of time. The initial pole sit lasted for just over 13 hours and was completed by Shipwreck himself. As years passed, other pole sitters broke his record time and time again. In 1929, he decided to win back the title and did so by sitting on a pole for 49 days. 1 year later his impressive record was beaten when a man named Bill Penfield sat for just shy of 52 days.
