53 bicycles: A lateral thinking puzzle

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3402

Were Ernst and Otto drivers or operators of some form of transportation?

Were Ernst and Otto farmers or ranchers?

Were Ernst and Otto cave explorers?

Were Ernst and Otto airplane pilots or balloonists?

Were Ernst and Otto psychics or believers in the supernatural (or claiming to be)?

3403

reply to SpoilerVirgin:

Were Ernst and Otto drivers or operators of some form of transportation? No

Were Ernst and Otto farmers or ranchers? No

Were Ernst and Otto cave explorers? No

Were Ernst and Otto airplane pilots or balloonists? No

Were Ernst and Otto psychics or believers in the supernatural (or claiming to be)? :eek: No

3404

At the time, was Ernst and Otto’s profession specifically associated with oil companies?

Is it specifically associated with oil companies today?

Would you expect an oil company today to have people in that profession on their payroll?

3405

reply to SpoilerVirgin:

At the time, was Ernst and Otto’s profession specifically associated with oil companies? No, but the average person at the time in the United States I think would have known about the link between oil company and this profession.

Is it specifically associated with oil companies today? **No. Most of us old-timers remember the link I am sure. **

Would you expect an oil company today to have people in that profession on their payroll? I don’t think so.

3406

Were Ernst and Otto reporters?

Were Ernst and Otto scabs?

3407

reply to j666:

Were Ernst and Otto reporters? No

Were Ernst and Otto scabs? No

3408

Were Ernst and Otto part of a private police/investigation/security force?

Were Ernst and Otto private firefighters?

3409

reply to SpoilerVirgin:

Were Ernst and Otto part of a private police/investigation/security force? No

Were Ernst and Otto private firefighters? No

3410

Just a hunch here that I might know part of the story:

Was the work that Ernst and Otto did mathematical?
Were they physicists?

There was a time when folks working in relativity were highly sought-after by oil companies, not because oil work involves relativity itself, but because the process of finding likely deposits involves a lot of tensor math, and relativists are good at that. But I have no idea how that would fit in with the rest of the scenario.

3411

reply to Chronos:
Was the work that Ernst and Otto did mathematical? No
Were they physicists? No

There was a time when folks working in relativity were highly sought-after by oil companies, not because oil work involves relativity itself, but because the process of finding likely deposits involves a lot of tensor math, and relativists are good at that. But I have no idea how that would fit in with the rest of the scenario.
A good guess, but not it.

++++

Hint: I am off to work soon but I will leave you with a very important question:

If Ernest and Otto issued a report containing a lie, and if only they and maybe a few others knew about the lie, and if when the lie was found over a decade later it was determined to be the truth, then how did the person who found the lie know it was a lie?

3412

Was/is the small business:

  • a mom and pop general store?

  • scientific in any way?

  • research in any way?

  • famous today?

  • have any famous people that work for it?

  • work with the land in any way?

  • looking for the lie they discovered?

  • investigative in any way?

  • connected to the oil company in any way?

  • have Otto and Ernest work for them?

3413

reply to Mahaloth

Was/is the small business:

  • a mom and pop general store? **Yes **

  • scientific in any way? **No **

  • research in any way? **No **

  • famous today? Seemingly not :smiley: . The store is gone now, but there is a historic marker for the store at the site today.

  • have any famous people that work for it? **No **

  • work with the land in any way? **No **

  • looking for the lie they discovered? **No **

  • investigative in any way? **No **

  • connected to the oil company in any way? **No **

  • have Otto and Ernest work for them? **No **

3414

Did this involve climate change?

3415

**No **

3416

Is the lie something that could not be known at the time it was stated?

3417

**No. The lie was something that was believed to be a lie by Otto and Ernest. They had every reason to know it to be a lie and intentionally portrayed it as truth in their report. **

3418

Interestingly enough, if you want a copy of the original report from Otto and Ernest, lie and all, this report can be had on ebay. Depending on the condition of the report expect to pay $10 to $20 dollars for it. Just think! Your very own lateral thinking puzzle souvenir is available at a good price.

3419

Late joining this one…

  • Were Ernest and Otto employees of the US Government?
  • Were Ernest and Otto employees of the US Military?
  • Were Ernest and Otto employees of the government or military of another country (not the USA)?
  • Was Ernest and Otto’s motivation for telling the lie related to national security?
  • Was the oil company’s motivation for telling the lie related to national security?
  • Is the answer to this puzzle related to WW2 in any way?
  • Is the historical marker located at the site of the store there to commemorate this incident?

Also, just to return to a point that I haven’t seen discussed since it was answered…

  • Was the lie was about the location of a particular piece of land?
  • Was the store located on the piece of land in question at the time the report was issued?
  • Was the lie genuinely a lie at the time the report was issued (i.e. did it only become the truth at a later date)?
3420

reply to hammos1:

  • Were Ernest and Otto employees of the US Government? No
  • Were Ernest and Otto employees of the US Military? No
  • Were Ernest and Otto employees of the government or military of another country (not the USA)? No
  • Was Ernest and Otto’s motivation for telling the lie related to national security? No
  • Was the oil company’s motivation for telling the lie related to national security? No
  • Is the answer to this puzzle related to WW2 in any way? No
  • Is the historical marker located at the site of the store there to commemorate this incident? Almost assuredly. The sign does not say so directly… but the facts of the case make that almost certainly so.

Also, just to return to a point that I haven’t seen discussed since it was answered…

  • Was the lie was about the location of a particular piece of land? No
  • Was the store located on the piece of land in question at the time the report was issued? No
  • Was the lie genuinely a lie at the time the report was issued (i.e. did it only become the truth at a later date)? Yes. The lie only became truth at a later date.
3421

Did the lie become true because there was a physical change to the land?
Did the lie become true because of a change in a law?
Did the lie become true because of a change in a scientific classification?
Did the lie become true because of a change in some other type of classification (e.g. something that was once referred to as a “car” no longer was)?

Does this in any way involve a media work (book, movie, play, etc.)?