# 44 years ago today, Oregon gave us the bird
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/44-years-ago-today-oregon-gave-us-the-bird/704457
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [November 12, 2014, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/44-years-ago-today-oregon-gave-us-the-bird/704457 "2014-11-12T16:03:26Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2014, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/44-years-ago-today-oregon-gave-us-the-bird/704457/1 "2014-11-12T16:03:26Z")
If you said “Oregon”, I’d only think of two things, & unbelievably, the both occurred on the exact same day!
First, that bruiser, figure skater Tonya Harding was born. To celebrate this most auspicious day, the Oregon Highway Division, which had jurisdiction over beaches(!) decided to remove a stinking, 45’, 8 ton dead whale on a beach using **a half ton of dynamite!!!** This allowed Paul Linnman to give us the best “B” sentence the world has ever known, thanks to George Thornton, the world’s formost expert in what **NOT** to do with dead whales.
On the off chance you don’t know the story, [The blast blasted blubber beyond all belivable bounds.](http://theexplodingwhale.com/)
[youtube channel](http://www.youtube.com/user/expwhale)
[higher resolution version](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD5sPgV61bw&src_vid=xBgThvB_IDQ&feature=iv&annotation_id=annotation_696072#t=43s)
\*Notice how long after the blast large pieces are still raining down from the sky
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### Author:  [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2014, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/44-years-ago-today-oregon-gave-us-the-bird/704457/2 "2014-11-12T16:48:40Z")
When all you have is dynamite, everything looks like a dead whale.
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### Author:  [@Reno\_Nevada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reno_Nevada)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2014, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/44-years-ago-today-oregon-gave-us-the-bird/704457/3 "2014-11-12T18:01:57Z")
Dave Barry categorized the video as:
[QUOTE=Dave Barry]
I am probably not guilty of understatement when I say that what follows, on the videotape, is the most wonderful event in the history of the universe.
[/QUOTE]
> **[The Exploding Whale - Dave Barry's "Farside" article](https://www.theexplodingwhale.com/evidence/resources/dave-barry-article/)**
>
> \<\<\< Prev Next \>\>\>
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### Author:  [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2014, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/44-years-ago-today-oregon-gave-us-the-bird/704457/4 "2014-11-12T18:15:32Z")
I wonder how much thermite would have been needed if they’d used that instead?
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### Author:  [@jayrey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayrey)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2014, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/44-years-ago-today-oregon-gave-us-the-bird/704457/5 "2014-11-12T18:20:54Z")
I agree that they used a bit too much dynamite on the whale but, as an Oregonian, I’m more embarrassed by us being known as the home of Tonya Harding. What a piece of work she was.
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### Author:  [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2014, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/44-years-ago-today-oregon-gave-us-the-bird/704457/6 "2014-11-12T18:44:39Z")
The job was left to the Oregon highway department, since all of Oregon’s beaches are technically public highway up to the high water line. Declaring the beaches to be highways was a stroke of genius from governor Oswald West. The original intent was from the days when there were few roads on the coast and people drove on the beach when possible. The wonderful result was that all 400 miles of Oregon coast remain public property up to the high water line and cannot be publicly owned. I still drive on the beach when clam digging.
> **[Oswald West](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oswald_West)**
>
> Oswald West (May 20, 1873 – August 22, 1960) was an American politician, a Democrat, who served most notably as the 14th Governor of Oregon.
> He was called "Os West" by Oregon writer Stewart Holbrook, who described him as "by all odds the most brilliant governor Oregon ever had."
> West was born in Guelph, Ontario, Canada but moved to Salem, Oregon with his family at the age of four where he attended school and eventually went into banking. After several years as a banker in Salem and Astoria, a...
So the job of getting rid of the whale was given to the guys who usually drag the dead deer and elk to the side of the road and let them rot, at least they used to. Now they pick them up and take them to a dumping area and let them rot. Progress!!
They probably did not have the needed expertise for the job. 😃
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### Author:  [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2014, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/44-years-ago-today-oregon-gave-us-the-bird/704457/7 "2014-11-12T20:00:26Z")
Never seen this before, why wasn’t the dead whale drug back to the ocean and let nature do what it does to other dead whales.
I am sure someone could have used a rigging and/or block tackle, at high tide to a tug boat, with the aid of a crane and bulldozers to drag the carcass back to sea.
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### Author:  [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2014, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/44-years-ago-today-oregon-gave-us-the-bird/704457/8 "2014-11-12T20:32:10Z")
> [@jayrey](#):
>
> I agree that they used a bit too much dynamite on the whale but, as an Oregonian, I’m more embarrassed by us being known as the home of Tonya Harding. What a piece of work she was.
The sad thing is that Tonya really was quite a talented skater. And she blew that career big time.
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### Author:  [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2014, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/44-years-ago-today-oregon-gave-us-the-bird/704457/9 "2014-11-12T20:40:54Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#):
>
> Never seen this before, why wasn’t the dead whale drug back to the ocean and let nature do what it does to other dead whales.
>
> I am sure someone could have used a rigging and/or block tackle, at high tide to a tug boat, with the aid of a crane and bulldozers to drag the carcass back to sea.
My guess is that they didn’t do this for two reasons. First, they’d have to tow it very carefully so they didn’t rip it apart. They’d have to tow it _far_ out to sea as the tides tend to push stuff towards shore & a 45’, 8-ton whale doesn’t decay overnight.
Second, no big BOOM from playing with 1000 lbs of dynamite. :o
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### Author:  [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2014, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/44-years-ago-today-oregon-gave-us-the-bird/704457/10 "2014-11-12T20:44:06Z")
Source of a recurring favorite quote in our house: “Here come the pieces”
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### Author:  [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2014, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/44-years-ago-today-oregon-gave-us-the-bird/704457/11 "2014-11-13T00:14:45Z")
> [@Spiderman](#):
>
> My guess is that they didn’t do this for two reasons. First, they’d have to tow it very carefully so they didn’t rip it apart. They’d have to tow it _far_ out to sea as the tides tend to push stuff towards shore & a 45’, 8-ton whale doesn’t decay overnight.
>
> Second, no big BOOM from playing with 1000 lbs of dynamite. :o
Take it out to sea and let the Navy have target practice.
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### Author:  [@btthegreat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/btthegreat)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2014, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/44-years-ago-today-oregon-gave-us-the-bird/704457/12 "2014-11-13T01:40:04Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#):
>
> **The job was left to the Oregon highway department, since all of Oregon’s beaches are technically public highway up to the high water line. Declaring the beaches to be highways was a stroke of genius from governor Oswald West. The original intent was from the days when there were few roads on the coast and people drove on the beach when possible. The wonderful result was that all 400 miles of Oregon coast remain public property up to the high water line and cannot be publicly owned. I still drive on the beach when clam digging.**
>
> [Oswald West - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oswald_West)
>
> So the job of getting rid of the whale was given to the guys who usually drag the dead deer and elk to the side of the road and let them rot, at least they used to. Now they pick them up and take them to a dumping area and let them rot. Progress!!
>
> They probably did not have the needed expertise for the job. 😃
It sure was genius. Hotels cannot build giant fences extending into the beach or otherwise impede Oregonians who want access and enjoyment. There are no easement issues. In effect the entire coastline is one very long public state park. No advertisements, no private property rights, no profiteering. Its our beach not their beach.
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### Author:  [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2014, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/44-years-ago-today-oregon-gave-us-the-bird/704457/13 "2014-11-13T01:50:32Z")
Okay then. Don’t blow up whales. Check.
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### Author:  [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2014, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/44-years-ago-today-oregon-gave-us-the-bird/704457/14 "2014-11-13T03:01:56Z")
> [@](#):
>
> It sure was genius. Hotels cannot build giant fences extending into the beach or otherwise impede Oregonians who want access and enjoyment. There are no easement issues. In effect the entire coastline is one very long public state park. No advertisements, no private property rights, no profiteering. Its our beach not their beach.
a most excellent idea
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### Author:  [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2014, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/44-years-ago-today-oregon-gave-us-the-bird/704457/15 "2014-11-13T04:56:08Z")
I wish Oregon would blow up another whale.
Also: Tonya Harding _and_ Monica Lewinsky.
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### Author:  [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2014, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/44-years-ago-today-oregon-gave-us-the-bird/704457/16 "2014-11-13T20:00:57Z")
In his book \* Make Your Own Monstrosities with Tooth and Nail, \* builder - designer George Daniels proposed a method of trash disposal: an explosive charge underneath your garbage. “All you need do is light the fuse and count to three, and the resulting blast sends your garbage all over the neighborhood. Once your neighbors have seen it work they’ll beat a path to your door.” 😃
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### Author:  [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2014, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/44-years-ago-today-oregon-gave-us-the-bird/704457/17 "2014-11-13T21:11:41Z")
What evidence do we have that Tonya Harding wasn’t born from the exploded carcass of a whale like some figure from ancient myth?
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### Author:  [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)
#### Post date: [November 14, 2014, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/44-years-ago-today-oregon-gave-us-the-bird/704457/18 "2014-11-14T02:36:29Z")
I note that to this day, media coverage of the event continually fails to mention the bowl of petunias inexplicably found near the whale’s carcass. I have to think “coverup”.
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### Author:  [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)
#### Post date: [November 14, 2014, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/44-years-ago-today-oregon-gave-us-the-bird/704457/19 "2014-11-14T04:04:02Z")
> [@Clothahump](#):
>
> The sad thing is that Tonya really was quite a talented skater. And she blew that career big time.
She blew her video career too – or more correctly, she blew her bridegroom on video and failed to profit from it.
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### Author:  [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)
#### Post date: [November 14, 2014, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/44-years-ago-today-oregon-gave-us-the-bird/704457/20 "2014-11-14T06:27:59Z")
I wonder what kind of insurance claim the owner of that ragtop Cadillac made? That (broken front windshield and rear window + crushed convertible structure) must have been $40 of damage!
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