BLAST FROM THE PAST: DAY 3
Hiccupping


Assignment: Write an article and a follow-up to that article.



Man Sets New Hiccupping Record
Peter Janson, 49, has always dreamed of being in the Guinness Book of World Records. Tuesday, the Brianville, PA native accomplished this dream by setting a new record for consecutive hiccupping. He has been hiccupping for 34 years, 2 months, and 17 days, ever since he was 15. This breaks the previous record of 34 years, 2 months, and 16 days.

Said scientist Brian Mulholland, "Peter was born with a rare disorder called defectiveus diaphramus, which causes his diaphram to be located too close to his stomach. The result is his continuing hiccupping." Coincidentally, Brian currently holds the world records for highest IQ and most Nobel Peace Prizes received.

Peter had this to say: "I've been (hic) through a lot. I can't drink too much (hic) water or hold my breath. My social life has suffered (hic) because of the hiccups. But I'm just happy that I made into the Guinnes (hic) Book of Records."

Peter will have his picture framed and put in the Hiccupping Hall of Fame in nearby Word Perfectville on Saturday, at 3:00 PM.




And the follow-up:

Hiccupping Hall of Fame Caps Off 35th Anniversary with New Inductee

This week, Peter Janson will be inducted into the Hiccupping Hall of Fame. But not many people know what this fine institution does or how it began.

It all started when Charles Osborne of Anthon, Iowa, started hiccupping while at a Pip the Wondermouse performance on December 17, 1957. This inspired him to move to Word Perfectville, PA, a man with a dream - a dream of building a Hiccupping Hall of Fame.

After receiving a $50,000 loan from the First National Bank of Word Perfectville, he was ready to build his dream on the site of its present location, the corner of Hollywood and Vine Streets. Said Edward McMearty, loan officer at the time, "It was a crazy idea, but it was worth a shot. So I decided to give him the loan. And I never regretted it. Construction was finished on Nov. 24, 1961, and it was opened to the public two days later."

When it opened, it had only 12 members, including the previous consecutive hiccupping record holder, Carl Graves, and the first hominid to hiccup, Zog, an australopithecus. When interviewed from beyond the grave with a Ouiji board, Zog had this to say: "I am honored to be in such a fine institution. What an honor it is to be the first hominid to hiccup."

And in 1979, the Hiccupping Hall of Fame made its 100th induction, Dr. Brian Mulholland, discoverer of defectiveus diaphramus, which causes years of consecutive hiccupping.

Over its 35-year history, it has collected $254,909,260 and has been visited by over 100 million people. In 1989, it became the #2 tourist attraction in the world, only behind the Earwax Statues Museum and Oatmeal Shrine of Windows for Worksgroupsville, PA.

This Thursday, it will make its first induction in almost three years - Peter Janson, who just set the new hiccupping world record. If you want to see his induction ceremony, it will be at 11:30 AM at the Hiccupping Hall of Fame. And admission is, as it always has been, only $2.



Date: November 26, 1996 (9th grade)