# Bakers Dozen **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [August 4, 2010, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bakers-dozen/549173 "2010-08-04T17:56:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1964
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bakers-dozen/549173/39264 "2015-11-11T19:06:48Z")
More famous veterans! How about we go for ones that might surprise you? 1. Bob Ross saw plenty of happy little trees while stationed in Alaska (USAF) 2. Tom Lehrer, musical satirist 3. Peter Sellers, Corporal, RAF ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bakers-dozen/549173/39265 "2015-11-11T19:41:16Z")
More famous veterans! How about we go for ones that might surprise you? 1. Bob Ross saw plenty of happy little trees while stationed in Alaska (USAF) 2. Tom Lehrer, musical satirist 3. Peter Sellers, Corporal, RAF 4. Alan Alda, US Army Reserve ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bakers-dozen/549173/39266 "2015-11-11T19:43:44Z")
More famous veterans! How about we go for ones that might surprise you? 1. Bob Ross saw plenty of happy little trees while stationed in Alaska (USAF) 2. Tom Lehrer, musical satirist 3. Peter Sellers, Corporal, RAF 4. Alan Alda, US Army Reserve 5. James Doohan, Royal Canadian Artillery (and was part of the D-Day invasion of Normandy) ---
**Author:** ![Srsly\_Dad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@Srsly\_Dad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Srsly_Dad)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bakers-dozen/549173/39267 "2015-11-11T19:48:12Z")
More famous veterans! How about we go for ones that might surprise you? 1. Bob Ross saw plenty of happy little trees while stationed in Alaska (USAF) 2. Tom Lehrer, musical satirist 3. Peter Sellers, Corporal, RAF 4. Alan Alda, US Army Reserve 5. Drew Carey, USMC Reserve ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bakers-dozen/549173/39268 "2015-11-11T19:56:19Z")
More famous veterans! How about we go for ones that might surprise you? 1. Bob Ross saw plenty of happy little trees while stationed in Alaska (USAF) 2. Tom Lehrer, musical satirist 3. Peter Sellers, Corporal, RAF 4. Alan Alda, US Army Reserve 5. Drew Carey, USMC Reserve 6. Sergeant Leonard Nimoy, US Army Reserves, 1950-1955 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bakers-dozen/549173/39269 "2015-11-11T20:11:39Z")
More famous veterans! How about we go for ones that might surprise you? 1. Bob Ross saw plenty of happy little trees while stationed in Alaska (USAF) 2. Tom Lehrer, musical satirist 3. Peter Sellers, Corporal, RAF 4. Alan Alda, US Army Reserve 5. Drew Carey, USMC Reserve 6. Sergeant Leonard Nimoy, US Army Reserves, 1950-1955 7. Rihanna, served in the Barbadian Army Cadet Corps ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bakers-dozen/549173/39270 "2015-11-11T20:16:40Z")
More famous veterans! How about we go for ones that might surprise you? 1. Bob Ross saw plenty of happy little trees while stationed in Alaska (USAF) 2. Tom Lehrer, musical satirist 3. Peter Sellers, Corporal, RAF 4. Alan Alda, US Army Reserve 5. Drew Carey, USMC Reserve 6. Sergeant Leonard Nimoy, US Army Reserves, 1950-1955 7. Rihanna, served in the Barbadian Army Cadet Corps 8. Capt. Theodore Geisel (or, Capt. Dr. Seuss), US Army, served from 1943 ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bakers-dozen/549173/39271 "2015-11-11T20:19:50Z")
More famous veterans! How about we go for ones that might surprise you? 1. Bob Ross saw plenty of happy little trees while stationed in Alaska (USAF) 2. Tom Lehrer, musical satirist 3. Peter Sellers, Corporal, RAF 4. Alan Alda, US Army Reserve 5. Drew Carey, USMC Reserve 6. Sergeant Leonard Nimoy, US Army Reserves, 1950-1955 7. Rihanna, served in the Barbadian Army Cadet Corps 8. Capt. Theodore Geisel (or, Capt. Dr. Seuss), US Army, served from 1943 9. James Doohan, Royal Canadian Artillery (and was part of the D-Day invasion of Normandy) (Somehow got skipped over further up.) ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bakers-dozen/549173/39272 "2015-11-11T20:28:45Z")
James Doohan was artillery! I like that. More famous veterans! How about we go for ones that might surprise you? 1. Bob Ross saw plenty of happy little trees while stationed in Alaska (USAF) 2. Tom Lehrer, musical satirist 3. Peter Sellers, Corporal, RAF 4. Alan Alda, US Army Reserve 5. Drew Carey, USMC Reserve 6. Sergeant Leonard Nimoy, US Army Reserves, 1950-1955 7. Rihanna, served in the Barbadian Army Cadet Corps 8. Capt. Theodore Geisel (or, Capt. Dr. Seuss), US Army, served from 1943 9. James Doohan, Royal Canadian Artillery (and was part of the D-Day invasion of Normandy) 10. Bob Feller, US Navy; famous MLB pitcher and Hall of Famer, enlisted on 09 Dec 1941; Feller was the first MLB celebrity to join the war effort, long before it was ‘cool’ to do so ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bakers-dozen/549173/39273 "2015-11-11T21:23:51Z")
More famous veterans! How about we go for ones that might surprise you? 1. Bob Ross saw plenty of happy little trees while stationed in Alaska (USAF) 2. Tom Lehrer, musical satirist 3. Peter Sellers, Corporal, RAF 4. Alan Alda, US Army Reserve 5. Drew Carey, USMC Reserve 6. Sergeant Leonard Nimoy, US Army Reserves, 1950-1955 7. Rihanna, served in the Barbadian Army Cadet Corps 8. Capt. Theodore Geisel (or, Capt. Dr. Seuss), US Army, served from 1943 9. James Doohan, Royal Canadian Artillery (and was part of the D-Day invasion of Normandy) 10. Bob Feller, US Navy; famous MLB pitcher and Hall of Famer, enlisted on 09 Dec 1941; Feller was the first MLB celebrity to join the war effort, long before it was ‘cool’ to do so. 11. Phil Marchioldon, a Canadian born pitcher for the Phidelphia A’s, left baseball to become a tail gunner in the RCAF in 1940, before the USA was involved in the war. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bakers-dozen/549173/39274 "2015-11-11T21:40:33Z")
More famous veterans! How about we go for ones that might surprise you? 1. Bob Ross saw plenty of happy little trees while stationed in Alaska (USAF) 2. Tom Lehrer, musical satirist, SP3, US Army (and assigned the NSA) 3. Peter Sellers, Corporal, RAF 4. Alan Alda, US Army Reserve 5. Drew Carey, USMC Reserve 6. Sergeant Leonard Nimoy, US Army Reserves, 1950-1955 7. Rihanna, served in the Barbadian Army Cadet Corps 8. Capt. Theodore Geisel (or, Capt. Dr. Seuss), US Army, served from 1943 9. James Doohan, Royal Canadian Artillery (and was part of the D-Day invasion of Normandy) 10. Bob Feller, US Navy; famous MLB pitcher and Hall of Famer, enlisted on 09 Dec 1941; Feller was the first MLB celebrity to join the war effort, long before it was ‘cool’ to do so. 11. Phil Marchioldon, a Canadian-born pitcher for the Philadelphia A’s, left baseball to become a tail gunner in the RCAF in 1940, before the USA was involved in the war. 12. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Luftwaffenhelfer, WWII ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bakers-dozen/549173/39275 "2015-11-11T21:52:24Z")
More famous veterans! How about we go for ones that might surprise you? 1. Bob Ross saw plenty of happy little trees while stationed in Alaska (USAF) 2. Tom Lehrer, musical satirist, SP3, US Army (and assigned the NSA) 3. Peter Sellers, Corporal, RAF 4. Alan Alda, US Army Reserve 5. Drew Carey, USMC Reserve 6. Sergeant Leonard Nimoy, US Army Reserves, 1950-1955 7. Rihanna, served in the Barbadian Army Cadet Corps 8. Capt. Theodore Geisel (or, Capt. Dr. Seuss), US Army, served from 1943 9. James Doohan, Royal Canadian Artillery (and was part of the D-Day invasion of Normandy) 10. Bob Feller, US Navy; famous MLB pitcher and Hall of Famer, enlisted on 09 Dec 1941; Feller was the first MLB celebrity to join the war effort, long before it was ‘cool’ to do so. 11. Phil Marchioldon, a Canadian-born pitcher for the Philadelphia A’s, left baseball to become a tail gunner in the RCAF in 1940, before the USA was involved in the war. 12. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Luftwaffenhelfer, WWII 13. Staff Sergeant Bernice Frenkel, USMC, 1943-1945; the actress better known as Bea Arthur and who played _Maude_, she also denied her service. I wonder why that was? Apparently her service records were discovered after her death. Next category: In Honor of Today (11 Nov 2015) Being Armistice Day, Quick Facts about WWI 1. Dr. Dolittle was created during WWI. Hugh Lofting wrote to his kids from trenches but wanted to not write about the war, so he created and wrote about the fictional character. ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bakers-dozen/549173/39276 "2015-11-11T21:53:46Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bakers-dozen/549173/39277 "2015-11-11T22:05:04Z")
In Honor of Today (11 Nov 2015) Being Armistice Day, Quick Facts about WWI 1. Dr. Dolittle was created during WWI. Hugh Lofting wrote to his kids from trenches but wanted to not write about the war, so he created and wrote about the fictional character. 2. The malady we identify today as post-traumatic stress disorder was first observed by doctors in WWI, who called it shellshock in the belief it was caused by the vibrations of exploding shells acting on the nervous system. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bakers-dozen/549173/39278 "2015-11-11T22:06:06Z")
In Honor of Today (11 Nov 2015) Being Armistice Day, Quick Facts about WWI 1. Dr. Dolittle was created during WWI. Hugh Lofting wrote to his kids from trenches but wanted to not write about the war, so he created and wrote about the fictional character. 2. The malady we identify today as post-traumatic stress disorder was first observed by doctors in WWI, who called it shellshock in the belief it was caused by the vibrations of exploding shells acting on the nervous system. 3. A baboon named Jackie served in the South African army on the Western Front. Initially a mascot, Jackie was later given messenger and watch duties – as well as his own uniform, paybook and rations. Jackie’s right leg was amputated after a shell blast in 1918. He was later promoted to corporal and given a medal for bravery. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bakers-dozen/549173/39279 "2015-11-11T22:10:10Z")
In Honor of Today (11 Nov 2015) Being Armistice Day, Quick Facts about WWI 1. Dr. Dolittle was created during WWI. Hugh Lofting wrote to his kids from trenches but wanted to not write about the war, so he created and wrote about the fictional character. 2. The malady we identify today as post-traumatic stress disorder was first observed by doctors in WWI, who called it shellshock in the belief it was caused by the vibrations of exploding shells acting on the nervous system. 3. A baboon named Jackie served in the South African army on the Western Front. Initially a mascot, Jackie was later given messenger and watch duties – as well as his own uniform, paybook and rations. Jackie’s right leg was amputated after a shell blast in 1918. He was later promoted to corporal and given a medal for bravery. 4. The youngest soldier to lie about their age and serve was 12 years old: Sidney Lewis. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bakers-dozen/549173/39280 "2015-11-12T00:53:57Z")
In Honor of Today (11 Nov 2015) Being Armistice Day, Quick Facts about WWI 1. Dr. Dolittle was created during WWI. Hugh Lofting wrote to his kids from trenches but wanted to not write about the war, so he created and wrote about the fictional character. 2. The malady we identify today as post-traumatic stress disorder was first observed by doctors in WWI, who called it shellshock in the belief it was caused by the vibrations of exploding shells acting on the nervous system. 3. A baboon named Jackie served in the South African army on the Western Front. Initially a mascot, Jackie was later given messenger and watch duties – as well as his own uniform, paybook and rations. Jackie’s right leg was amputated after a shell blast in 1918. He was later promoted to corporal and given a medal for bravery. 4. The youngest soldier to lie about their age and serve was 12 years old: Sidney Lewis. 5. Influenza spread like wildfire in the trenches and through rapid troop movements, and ended up killing far more troops than ever died in actual combat. It’s probably the worst epidemic of all time, dwarfing AIDS and, even adjusting for population growth, the Black Death. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bakers-dozen/549173/39281 "2015-11-12T03:44:10Z")
In Honor of Today (11 Nov 2015) Being Armistice Day, Quick Facts about WWI 1. Dr. Dolittle was created during WWI. Hugh Lofting wrote to his kids from trenches but wanted to not write about the war, so he created and wrote about the fictional character. 2. The malady we identify today as post-traumatic stress disorder was first observed by doctors in WWI, who called it shellshock in the belief it was caused by the vibrations of exploding shells acting on the nervous system. 3. A baboon named Jackie served in the South African army on the Western Front. Initially a mascot, Jackie was later given messenger and watch duties – as well as his own uniform, paybook and rations. Jackie’s right leg was amputated after a shell blast in 1918. He was later promoted to corporal and given a medal for bravery. 4. The youngest soldier to lie about their age and serve was 12 years old: Sidney Lewis. 5. Influenza spread like wildfire in the trenches and through rapid troop movements, and ended up killing far more troops than ever died in actual combat. 6. Plastic surgery and facial reconstruction was pioneered during WW1. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bakers-dozen/549173/39282 "2015-11-12T04:31:02Z")
In Honor of Today (11 Nov 2015) Being Armistice Day, Quick Facts about WWI 1. Dr. Dolittle was created during WWI. Hugh Lofting wrote to his kids from trenches but wanted to not write about the war, so he created and wrote about the fictional character. 2. The malady we identify today as post-traumatic stress disorder was first observed by doctors in WWI, who called it shellshock in the belief it was caused by the vibrations of exploding shells acting on the nervous system. 3. A baboon named Jackie served in the South African army on the Western Front. Initially a mascot, Jackie was later given messenger and watch duties – as well as his own uniform, paybook and rations. Jackie’s right leg was amputated after a shell blast in 1918. He was later promoted to corporal and given a medal for bravery. 4. The youngest soldier to lie about their age and serve was 12 years old: Sidney Lewis. 5. Influenza spread like wildfire in the trenches and through rapid troop movements, and ended up killing far more troops than ever died in actual combat. 6. Plastic surgery and facial reconstruction was pioneered during WW1. 7. Gavrilo Princip, the man who started WWI by assassinating Franz Ferdinand, didn’t live to see the end of the war. He died of tuberculosis in prison on April 28, 1918 at the age of 23. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bakers-dozen/549173/39283 "2015-11-12T06:04:30Z")
In Honor of Today (11 Nov 2015) Being Armistice Day, Quick Facts about WWI 1. Dr. Dolittle was created during WWI. Hugh Lofting wrote to his kids from trenches but wanted to not write about the war, so he created and wrote about the fictional character. 2. The malady we identify today as post-traumatic stress disorder was first observed by doctors in WWI, who called it shellshock in the belief it was caused by the vibrations of exploding shells acting on the nervous system. 3. A baboon named Jackie served in the South African army on the Western Front. Initially a mascot, Jackie was later given messenger and watch duties – as well as his own uniform, paybook and rations. Jackie’s right leg was amputated after a shell blast in 1918. He was later promoted to corporal and given a medal for bravery. 4. The youngest soldier to lie about their age and serve was 12 years old: Sidney Lewis. 5. Influenza spread like wildfire in the trenches and through rapid troop movements, and ended up killing far more troops than ever died in actual combat. 6. Plastic surgery and facial reconstruction was pioneered during WW1. 7. Gavrilo Princip, the man who started WWI by assassinating Franz Ferdinand, didn’t live to see the end of the war. He died of tuberculosis in prison on April 28, 1918 at the age of 23. 8. Trenches along the Western Front were dug in zig-zag fashion, to make them easier to defend in case opposing troops managed to fight their way into them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bakers-dozen/549173.md?page=1963) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bakers-dozen/549173.md?page=1965)