What are Flagpole Sitters?

A flagpole sitter climbed to the top of a flagpole, and perched on a small platform for days or even weeks at a time, usually as a publicity stunt in front of a large crowd. Flagpole sitting was a popular fad throughout the 1920s.

Origin

• In 1924, a friend dared Hollywood stuntman Alvin "Shipwreck" Kelly to sit on top of a flagpole, according to the website BadFads.com. Kelly perched there for 13 hours and 13 minutes, and soon sparked a national flagpole-sitting craze. Although Kelly had many imitators, details about other flagpole sitters are scarce.

Method

• Kelly trained himself to sleep in 10-minute intervals, balanced on his stool with his thumbs jammed inside specially designed holes in the seat, according to a June 20, 1927 article in Time magazine. Kelly stopped eating solid food 48 hours before a stunt, and drank only broth, coffee and milk while on top of a flagpole.

World Record

• In the summer of 1930, Kelly set a world record at the Steel Pier in Atlantic City when he sat on top of a flagpole for seven weeks, according to The New York Times blog, Lens. After the world record flagpole stunt, the fad began to fade in the 1930s.