# 53 bicycles: A lateral thinking puzzle **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [July 9, 2017, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868 "2017-07-09T19:51:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 82
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2017, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1621 "2017-09-24T12:33:23Z")
Does the device provide information for the user, and/or enable the user to gain information? Does the device deny information to the enemy? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2017, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1622 "2017-09-24T13:13:09Z")
I’m especially curious about why it’s not adopted by other countries, so a couple questions about that. 1. Is it a fix for some flaw in this nation’s equipment? (E.g., a rifle that misfires, and they invented a device that reduced misfires) 2. Does it interact significantly with the nation’s peculiar terrain or waterways? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2017, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1623 "2017-09-24T13:17:23Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Is the device medical in nature? No. > [@Chronos](#): > > OK, so not superglue, then. I’ll have to think some more. Nope, not superglue. > [@Biotop](#): > > Is there a good reason other countries have not adopted this device? I don’t know what a good reason is. “No” is my answer here. > [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](#): > > Did the device protect against: > > - infantry small arms? YES > - tanks/armored vehicles? YES > - artillery? YES > - aircraft? YES > - ships? NO > - submarines? NO > - chemical/biological weapons? Possibly, but let’s says “Not mainly.” > - or something else? NO > [@Chronos](#): > > Does the device provide information for the user, and/or enable the user to gain information? > > Does the device deny information to the enemy? 1. No. 2. No. > [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I’m especially curious about why it’s not adopted by other countries, so a couple questions about that. > > 1. Is it a fix for some flaw in this nation’s equipment? (E.g., a rifle that misfires, and they invented a device that reduced misfires) > 2. Does it interact significantly with the nation’s peculiar terrain or waterways? 1. YES. 2. NO. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2017, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1624 "2017-09-24T16:13:15Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I’m not sure how good this one is, but here we go. > > **There was a nation that reduced the number of casualties it suffered in war by developing a very simple, but kind of brilliant, device. What was the device?** A white flag? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2017, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1625 "2017-09-24T16:39:12Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > A white flag? That’s it! Kidding. No, that’s not it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2017, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1626 "2017-09-24T16:44:16Z")
I’m sure this is not the right answer as I don’t think it quite fits all the clues but the British started using electric kettles for troops to make tea. This improved moral but it would be a stretch to say it brought about peace. Still can’t get the thought out my head so would appreciate it if you could kill it. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2017, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1627 "2017-09-24T17:06:07Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > I’m sure this is not the right answer as I don’t think it quite fits all the clues but the British started using electric kettles for troops to make tea. This improved moral but it would be a stretch to say it brought about peace. Still can’t get the thought out my head so would appreciate it if you could kill it. This is it, but specifically in tanks. Too many soldiers were leaving their tanks to get tea/coffee and they realized that if they had a way to make it in the tank, casualties would drop. [You can read about it and see one of them here.](http://nowiknow.com/tanks-for-the-tea/) ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2017, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1628 "2017-09-24T19:10:02Z")
Ah, what made me think it was wrong was that you suggested no other countries use the technology. Surely the UK isn’t the only country to have electric kettles in their kitchens? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2017, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1629 "2017-09-24T19:24:11Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > Ah, what made me think it was wrong was that you suggested no other countries use the technology. Surely the UK isn’t the only country to have electric kettles in their kitchens? My interpretation was that no other country uses this specific design, which is made for tanks. Though their use is much more common in the UK than elsewhere. Definitely than in the U.S. Closest we have in common use are coffee makers. Though, for tea, I think the microwave is the most common water boiling device. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2017, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1630 "2017-09-24T20:21:48Z")
The one for tanks was the specific idea. Guys were getting killed going out for tea and coffee, so they hooked up a water-boiler in the tanks. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2017, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1631 "2017-09-24T20:23:23Z")
Not only are the Brits the biggest users of electric kettles, but they’re also the only people on the planet who would stop in the middle of a battle for a cuppa. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2017, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1632 "2017-09-24T20:30:04Z")
\*\*I pulled up a list on my phone. There are several on the list I do not know. But some are familiar. I know King Tut (mummy, Egyptian king), Satan (Prince of Darkness, the Devil), Calamity Jane (American frontierswoman) and Peter Pan (fictional boy who never grows old) and a few others. I can guess some more without googling. These were all examples from the past. None were the first. One of the first was a drunkard. I know that. There’s no example to be aware of now. That hasn’t happened for more than a hundred years. Why isn’t there an example to know for now? What list did I bring up? What the heck am I rambling about?\*\* ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2017, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1633 "2017-09-24T21:36:12Z")
Are you sure King George VI - being Albert before his coronation - wouldn’t qualify for your list? ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2017, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1634 "2017-09-24T21:55:12Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Are you sure King George VI - being Albert before his coronation - wouldn’t qualify for your list? No. Not on my list. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2017, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1635 "2017-09-24T22:27:00Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > \*\*I pulled up a list on my phone. There are several on the list I do not know. But some are familiar. I know King Tut (mummy, Egyptian king), Satan (Prince of Darkness, the Devil), Calamity Jane (American frontierswoman) and Peter Pan (fictional boy who never grows old) and a few others. I can guess some more without googling. These were all examples from the past. None were the first. One of the first was a drunkard. I know that. > > There’s no example to be aware of now. That hasn’t happened for more than a hundred years. > > Why isn’t there an example to know for now? What list did I bring up? What the heck am I rambling about?\*\* Is the spelling of their names relevant? Does it have to do with comets? Does it have to do with anything these characters are famous for doing? ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2017, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1636 "2017-09-24T23:10:27Z")
Is ‘the first’ in the chronological sense? ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2017, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1637 "2017-09-24T23:26:15Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Is the spelling of their names relevant? > > Does it have to do with comets? > > Does it have to do with anything these characters are famous for doing? No to all ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2017, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1638 "2017-09-24T23:27:28Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > Is ‘the first’ in the chronological sense? Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2017, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1639 "2017-09-25T00:08:44Z")
On a hunch: Does this have anything to do with movies? Will there (presumably) eventually be new additions to the list? Prior to the time, over a hundred years ago, when there weren’t any current members of the list, was there another time when there were members of the list? ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2017, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1640 "2017-09-25T00:25:37Z")
On a hunch: Does this have anything to do with movies? No. Will there (presumably) eventually be new additions to the list? Yes. Prior to the time, over a hundred years ago, when there weren’t any current members of the list, was there another time when there were members of the list? Yes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868.md?page=81) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868.md?page=83)