Charles Andrew Osborne (c. 1893/1894 – May 1, 1991) was an American farmer. He gained national attention to the American public for hiccuping for over 68 years, estimating over 430 million hiccups throughout his life. Guinness World Records listed him as the man with the "longest attack of hiccups".[1]
Charles Osborne | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Osborne in 1973 | |
| Born | Charles Andrew Osborne c. 1893/1894 Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | May 1, 1991 (aged 97–98) Sioux City, Iowa, U.S. |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Spouse(s) |
Laura Marie Rowles
(m. 1914, divorced)Lucille Louise Mundt
(m. 1927; died. 1978) |
Life and career
editOsborne was born in Missouri in 1893[2][3] or 1894.[4][5] At an early age, he began farming. He had worked in a farm in Nebraska and Iowa.[6]
In 1922, Osborne began hiccuping in a farm near Union, Nebraska, after a 350-pound hog collapsed on top of him while he was preparing to slaughter the hog. It was speculated that either an abdomen muscle was pulled or a blood vessel in the brain burst and destroyed the part of the brainstem that inhibited the hiccups.[7] He gained national attention in 1936, after he appeared in Ripley's Believe It or Not!'s radio program.[8][9] He was listed in the Guinness World Records as the man with the "longest attack of hiccups".[1][10] He retired from farming in 1961.[11] In 1982, he guest-starred in the NBC television talk show The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.[12] He also appeared in a column of Dear Abby.[13] His hiccuping lasted for over 68 years and stopped in 1990, estimating over 430 million hiccups throughout his life.[14]
Personal life and death
editOsborne was married twice. He was first married to Laura Marie Rowles in 1914. Their marriage ended in divorce. He then married Lucille Louise Fredricka Mundt in 1927. Their marriage lasted until Mundt's death in 1978.[15]
Osborne died on May 1, 1991, at the Marian Health Center in Sioux City, Iowa.[4]
References
edit- 1 2 "Longest attack of hiccups". Guinness World Records. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
- ↑ Gormly, Kellie (June 13, 2022). "The Curious Case of Charles Osborne, Who Hiccupped for 68 Years Straight". Smithsonian. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
- ↑ Carlton, Genevieve (September 4, 2022). "Charles Osborne, The Man Who Hiccuped Nonstop For 68 Years". All That's Interesting. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
- 1 2 "Man known for hiccups dies". The Sioux City Journal. Sioux City, Iowa. May 2, 1991. p. 6. Retrieved May 9, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "The Story of Charles Osborne, the Man Who Had the Hiccups Non-Stop for Approximately 68 Years, From 1922 to 1990". Vintage News Daily. July 12, 2024. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
- ↑ "(Hic!) Can't seem to (hic!) get rid of these (hic!) blasted hiccups!". Lincoln Journal Star. Lincoln, Nebraska. August 10, 1980. p. 1. Retrieved May 9, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Singer, Connie (March 29, 1982). "A Cure for Hiccups? Retired Farmer Charles Osborne Isn't Holding His Breath--He's Had Them for 60 Years". People. Archived from the original on April 27, 2017. Retrieved May 9, 2026 – via Wayback Machine.
- ↑ "Victim Still Hopeful: 56-Year Siege of Hiccups". San Francisco Chronicle. San Francisco, California. July 25, 1978. p. 2. Retrieved May 9, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Felix the frequent-flier cat can finally nips on home". The News Tribune. Tacoma, Washington. January 22, 1988. p. 18. Retrieved May 9, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Iowan hiccups way into Guiness [sic] book". Post-Bulletin. Rochester, Minnesota. May 10, 1982. p. 11. Retrieved May 9, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "World Hiccup King Would Rather Have Cure Than Title". Daily American Republic. Poplar Bluff, Missouri. July 24, 1978. p. 2. Retrieved May 9, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "62 years of hiccups: World-record holder survives by patience, whiskey". Argus Leader. Sioux Falls, South Dakota. October 23, 1984. p. 9. Retrieved May 9, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Man, 93, still seeking cure for 65-year case of hiccups". The Gazette. Cedar Rapids, Iowa. January 31, 1988. p. 6. Retrieved May 9, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Anthon's Charles Osborne had hiccups for 68 years". The Sioux City Journal. Sioux City, Iowa. January 14, 2015. p. A3. Retrieved May 9, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Mrs. Charles Osborne". The Sioux City Journal. Sioux City, Iowa. March 14, 1978. p. 15. Retrieved May 9, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.