# Alfred Hitchcock didn't have a bellybutton? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 19, 2003, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alfred-hitchcock-didnt-have-a-bellybutton/219973 "2003-12-19T15:17:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![curious\_george](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b487fb/32.png) [@curious\_george](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curious_george)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alfred-hitchcock-didnt-have-a-bellybutton/219973/1 "2003-12-19T15:17:51Z")
I got this email and am wondering about it’s validity. It claims all 26 of these statements are true. I searched [Snopes.com](http://Snopes.com) and SDMB, but didn’t find anything about it. I searched the web and found bits & pieces. For example, this site says 2 and 7 are false, 3 and 4 are true, 6 close to true, and 5 unknown: [http://www.dcmsoft.com/rumor/story/otherbs1.htm](http://www.dcmsoft.com/rumor/story/otherbs1.htm) This site says 8 is false: [http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/may97/861940964.An.r.html](http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/may97/861940964.An.r.html) Several sites say 10 is true. Can anyone give me a web site that addresses all or most of these claims? * * * Predict which of the following are true or false? 1. Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning. 2. Alfred Hitchcock didn’t have a bellybutton. 3. A pack-a-day smoker will lose approximately 2 teeth every 10 yrs. 4. People do not get sick from cold weather; it’s from being indoors a lot more. 5. When you sneeze, all bodily functions stop, even your heart! 6. Only 7 per cent of the population are lefties. 7. 40 people are sent to the hospital for dog bites every minute. 8. Babies are born without knee caps. They don’t appear until they are 2-6 years old. 9. The average person over fifty will have spent 5 years waiting in lines. 10. The toothbrush was invented in 1498. 11. The average housefly lives for one month. 12. 40,000 Americans are injured by toilets each year. 13. A coat hanger is 44 inches long when straightened. 14. The average computer user blinks 7 times a minute. 15. Your feet are bigger in the afternoon than the rest of the day. 16. Most of us have eaten a spider in our sleep. 17. The REAL reason an ostrich sticks its head in the sand is to search for water. 18. The only 2 animals that can see behind themselves without turning their heads are the rabbit and the parrot. 19. John Travolta turned down the starring roles in “An Officer and a Gentleman” and “Tootsie”. 20. Michael Jackson owns the rights to the South Carolina State anthem. 21. In most television commercials advertising milk, a mixture of white paint and a little thinner is used in place of the milk. 22. Prince Charles and Prince William NEVER travel on the same airplane just in case there is a crash. 23. The first Harley Davidson motorcycle built in 1903 used a tomato can for a carburetor. 24. Most hospitals make money by selling the umbilical cords cut from women who give birth. They are reused in vein transplant surgery. 25. Humphrey Bogart was related to Princess Diana. They were 7th cousins. 26. If coloring weren’t added to Coca-Cola, it would be green. ## ALL OF THE ABOVE ARE TRUE. ---
**Author:** ![curly\_chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ba0ec/32.png) [@curly\_chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curly_chick)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alfred-hitchcock-didnt-have-a-bellybutton/219973/2 "2003-12-19T15:33:03Z")
Well, unless Alfred Hitchcock was hatched from an egg, he had to have been born with a belly button. If he mislaid it somewhere along the way; well, tut tut - he really ought to have been more careful!! ---
**Author:** ![IzzyR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/2acd7d/32.png) [@IzzyR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IzzyR)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alfred-hitchcock-didnt-have-a-bellybutton/219973/3 "2003-12-19T15:52:36Z")
4 is somewhat true. A lot of sources claim it is true. But there’s also a claim that the viruses that cause colds survive better in cold weather. I believe 16 is false (I may have seen this in Snopes). 24 is true. (I am not sure about the second sentence, but they are used for some surgery or other). ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alfred-hitchcock-didnt-have-a-bellybutton/219973/4 "2003-12-19T15:53:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by curious george \* > \*\* > 21. In most television commercials advertising milk, a mixture of white paint and a little thinner is used in place of the milk. > > \*\* Not quite true. My dad works in advertising, and whatever food they’re advertising must be used. If the ad is for milk, then actual milk must be used. But - if they’re advertising chocolate syrup, then the “ice cream” they’re pouring it over is most likely thickly-made instant mashed potatoes. When the ad is for cereal, the “milk” they pour over it is sometimes thinned out paint. For still shots, it’s sometimes thinned out white glue. Look for the strategically-placed perfect drops on a corn flake. Real milk looks washed out under the studio lights, and real ice cream melts too quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alfred-hitchcock-didnt-have-a-bellybutton/219973/5 "2003-12-19T16:03:30Z")
Unless Hitchcock was cloned or hatched he had a bellybutton. I suppose that via surgery, a bellybutton can be cosmetically removed, but he had one. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alfred-hitchcock-didnt-have-a-bellybutton/219973/6 "2003-12-19T16:05:50Z")
> [@](#): > > 1. Babies are born without knee caps. They don’t appear until they are 2-6 years old. The first part is true. I don’t know at what age they do appear, though. > [@](#): > > 1. The toothbrush was invented in 1498. The American Dental Association confirms that, but they were too expensive and not commonly used until the 20th century. Most people used rags to clean their teeth. > [@](#): > > 1. The REAL reason an ostrich sticks its head in the sand is to search for water. Food, too. > [@](#): > > 1. The only 2 animals that can see behind themselves without turning their heads are the rabbit and the parrot. Other species of birds can do this. > [@](#): > > 1. Michael Jackson owns the rights to the South Carolina State anthem. False. The song “Carolina,” was made state song on February 11, 1911, which puts is squarely in the public domain (especially since it was written long before then). ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alfred-hitchcock-didnt-have-a-bellybutton/219973/7 "2003-12-19T16:06:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BiblioCat \* > \*\*Not quite true. My dad works in advertising, and whatever food they’re advertising must be used. If the ad is for milk, then actual milk must be used. \*\* I remember that I once read something about an ad agency and the guy said that his goal in life was the “perfect pour” of a glass of milk. ---
**Author:** ![Patr100](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@Patr100](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patr100)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alfred-hitchcock-didnt-have-a-bellybutton/219973/8 "2003-12-19T16:12:35Z")
1. Ostriches don’t bury their head in the sand. They just lean down very low and their heads may seem to disappear from a distance. This was misinterpeted and stuck. 2. Surely the cameleon can look in many directions. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alfred-hitchcock-didnt-have-a-bellybutton/219973/9 "2003-12-19T16:13:29Z")
1. is right. 2. is right to a degree, Milk looks yellow under bright light. White paint thinned could be used in a pinch, but it doesn’t pour right, so if it’s a pour shot, some other stuff is used. If my brain were working this morning, I’d tell you what it is. It’s something like cortisone or some such thing. Man. My brain hurts. ---
**Author:** ![Opus1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/858c86/32.png) [@Opus1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Opus1)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alfred-hitchcock-didnt-have-a-bellybutton/219973/10 "2003-12-19T16:52:55Z")
No answers to the original question yet? I’ve heard that Hitchcock lost his belly button in an appendectomy surgery. It’s not that he didn’t have one, just that it was covered by scar tissue. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alfred-hitchcock-didnt-have-a-bellybutton/219973/11 "2003-12-19T16:56:08Z")
It seems possible that Hitch might have had an accident in the belly area, and perhaps the belly button got healed-over. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alfred-hitchcock-didnt-have-a-bellybutton/219973/12 "2003-12-19T16:57:37Z")
1. 40 people are sent to the hospital for dog bites every minute. Those poor people! Seriously, that works out to 21,000,000 (approx) per year, which seems high for the U.S., although perhaps plausible for the entire world. 9. The average person over fifty will have spent 5 years waiting in lines. How old is the average person over 50? 60? People don’t spent 8% (5 years out of 60) of their time waiting in lines. 1. 40,000 Americans are injured by toilets each year. If we include injuries suffered when people are installing them, moving them or fall on them getting out of the bathtub, it seems plausible. 1. The only 2 animals that can see behind themselves without turning their heads are the rabbit and the parrot. I imagine that many insects with compound eyes can do so as well. ---
**Author:** ![Tinker\_Grey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tinker_grey/32/8136_2.png) [@Tinker\_Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinker_Grey)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alfred-hitchcock-didnt-have-a-bellybutton/219973/13 "2003-12-19T16:58:39Z")
Number 7 appears to be wrong. More common numbers are 9% and above. [This site](http://www.ajc.com/living/content/living/0803/13left.html) has americans at 11% with males at around 12% and women at nearly 10%. Tinker ---
**Author:** ![Tinker\_Grey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tinker_grey/32/8136_2.png) [@Tinker\_Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinker_Grey)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alfred-hitchcock-didnt-have-a-bellybutton/219973/14 "2003-12-19T17:00:29Z")
Ah … shoot. That should be #6 about lefties. Sorry ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alfred-hitchcock-didnt-have-a-bellybutton/219973/15 "2003-12-19T17:01:05Z")
Three is wrong. I’ve been smoking a pack a day for decades and I have never lost a tooth. 22 is right, but big whoop. No important people travel with the other importants, i.e, the Pres and Cheney won’t travel together, and corporate hot shots won’t travel together usually. ---
**Author:** ![Tinker\_Grey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tinker_grey/32/8136_2.png) [@Tinker\_Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinker_Grey)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alfred-hitchcock-didnt-have-a-bellybutton/219973/16 "2003-12-19T17:03:14Z")
According to snopes, Coke has never been green: > **[Was Coca-Cola Originally Green?](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/green-coca-cola/)** > > Snopes investigates to get to the bottom of the bottle on this rumor. ---
**Author:** ![Tinker\_Grey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tinker_grey/32/8136_2.png) [@Tinker\_Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinker_Grey)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alfred-hitchcock-didnt-have-a-bellybutton/219973/17 "2003-12-19T17:06:10Z")
According to [this fan page](http://nextdch.mty.itesm.mx/HFAQ/FAQ.html): > [@](#): > > Did Hitchcock have a belly button? > Believe it or not but I get this question all the time. Answer: Hitchcock being a mamal had to be born with a belly button, its just how it is for us mamals. Apparently Hitchcock had several opperations in the belly area leading his doctors to sow up the bb, but I have never read this from a credible printed source. I suspect its an bizarre urban legend. ---
**Author:** ![vd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b19c9b/32.png) [@vd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vd)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alfred-hitchcock-didnt-have-a-bellybutton/219973/18 "2003-12-19T17:42:42Z")
> [@](#): > > 1. The average person over fifty will have spent 5 years waiting in lines. 2 hours a day is a lot of time to spend in line, even if you include traffic. ---
**Author:** ![bayonet1976](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/77aa72/32.png) [@bayonet1976](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bayonet1976)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alfred-hitchcock-didnt-have-a-bellybutton/219973/19 "2003-12-19T18:39:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tinker Grey \* > \*\*According to [this fan page](http://nextdch.mty.itesm.mx/HFAQ/FAQ.html): \*\* That I can believe. Two cousins of mine just had belly tucks, and breast enhancements too, but nevermind that part, as part of the belly tucks a section of skin off their abdomen was removed, the portion that contained the belly button. Since this was plastic surgery new belly buttons were crafted by the surgeon, and they look reasonably realistic. However I can see where someone having some abdominal surgery for other reasons might come out of it sans belly button. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2003, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alfred-hitchcock-didnt-have-a-bellybutton/219973/20 "2003-12-19T20:05:57Z")
> [@](#): > > 1. The only 2 animals that can see behind themselves without turning their heads are the rabbit and the parrot. Like many such statements, this depends on the definitions involved. What is meant by “see behind themselves”? You could say that any animal that can see a range more than 180 degrees wide can see at least partly behind itself. Then that would include horses, cows, sheep, goats, gazelles, and most grazing herbivores. (When you are stalked by lions, wolves, etc., it’s an evolutionary advantage to see a wide view of the plain.) Or if you define it strictly as being able to see the point directly in back of your face, then only animals with a 360 degree range of vision would qualify. That would be a much smaller group, probably only including those whose eyes project out from the skull, or insects with compound eyes, etc. In any case, my usual reaction to such statements is “so what?”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alfred-hitchcock-didnt-have-a-bellybutton/219973.md?page=2)