What Was Flagpole Sitting? A Dirt Nap City Dead End

Flagpole sitting is exactly what it sounds like: a person climbing on top of a towering pole, usually in the middle of a city, and testing their endurance by sitting atop it for as long as their body holds up. It began in Hollywood in January 1924, when a former sailor, boxer, steelworker, and stuntman named Alvin “Shipwreck” Kelly was hired by a local theater to sit on a pole outside of the building for as long as possible to drum up publicity for a new movie.But why did this fad come into fashion? What's the longest time spent on a flagpole? And how did they go to the bathroom? In this episode, Kelly and Alex explore the trend of flagpole sitting in the 1920's and beyond. Drop us a quick text and we’ll reply in the next episode!Support the showDirt Nap City is the podcast about the most interesting dead people in history.Subscribe and listen to learn about people you've heard of, but don't know much about.Someday we'll all live in Dirt Nap City, so you should probably go ahead and meet the neighbors!