# Could someone else have been buried in Grant's tomb? Teacher made boy cried. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 21, 2014, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-else-have-been-buried-in-grants-tomb-teacher-made-boy-cried/684236 "2014-03-21T17:32:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2014, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-else-have-been-buried-in-grants-tomb-teacher-made-boy-cried/684236/21 "2014-03-22T00:46:07Z")
You get asked a question like that you know you’re in for a mental mugging. That kid would have been justified to spry mace in the teachers face. Well, mental mace. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2014, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-else-have-been-buried-in-grants-tomb-teacher-made-boy-cried/684236/22 "2014-03-22T01:30:59Z")
Another trouble with the question is that the boy might understand Grant as a first name… making it a bit hard to identify the tomb. Also he isn’t sure if Grant is alive or dead, the answer may be “no one”. ---
**Author:** ![CraterLayer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/87869e/32.png) [@CraterLayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CraterLayer)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2014, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-else-have-been-buried-in-grants-tomb-teacher-made-boy-cried/684236/23 "2014-03-22T01:40:01Z")
While I’m sitting here interred laying buried on my bed I just want to rise up and chew that teachers head off. ---
**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2014, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-else-have-been-buried-in-grants-tomb-teacher-made-boy-cried/684236/24 "2014-03-22T09:15:04Z")
> [@zweisamkeit](#): > > That’s shitty to do to a kid. And c’mon, a teacher asks you what seems like a super easy question? Chances are good that a kid like I was might freak out and think, _"Well, Grant would be, right? But who wouldn’t answer with that? So is it a weird trick question? Maybe Grant ISN’T in there so s/he EXPECTS me to answer ‘Grant’ but that’s actually wrong! Oh shit, I’ve taken too long and now I look like a dumbass no matter what… ☹_ Of course, kids do this to each other too; but it’s petty nastiness of a kind that teachers should have grown out of… ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2014, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-else-have-been-buried-in-grants-tomb-teacher-made-boy-cried/684236/25 "2014-03-22T18:09:29Z")
On the other hand, “whom was buried in Grant’s tomb”, per the OP, is right out - passive verbs have a subject, not a direct object. /grammar nazi ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2014, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-else-have-been-buried-in-grants-tomb-teacher-made-boy-cried/684236/26 "2014-03-22T18:49:09Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > And "inter:"to deposit (a dead body) in the earth or in a tomb > > Sorry, I don’t make the rules. I just work here. On the other hand, you know we get the word “inter” from, right? 🙂 > [@](#): > > inter - c.1300, from [O.Fr](http://O.Fr). enterer, from M.L. interrare “put in the earth, bury,” from L. in- “in” + terra “earth” (see terrain). Seriously, though, I agree with your main point here. It’s not really incorrect to say “no one, because Grant is entombed there, not actually buried in the earth”, but “buried” is also used in a more broad sense to mean disposal of remains short of cremation, so it’s not really incorrect to say “Grant is buried (interred) in Grant’s tomb” either, even though “interred” originally meant “placed in the earth” as well. It’s really more of a brainteaser, a “gotcha” question for fun than it is a question with a hard and fast right and wrong answer. ---
**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:** [March 22, 2014, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-else-have-been-buried-in-grants-tomb-teacher-made-boy-cried/684236/27 "2014-03-22T19:09:08Z")
Once Grant is dead,he is no longer a “who” but is instead a corpse. These fetid remnant decomposing body parts should no longer be considered a person. The real question should be “what is buried in Grant’s tomb?” The question of where the “who” of Grant is located is best left to theologians and philosophers. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2014, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-else-have-been-buried-in-grants-tomb-teacher-made-boy-cried/684236/28 "2014-03-22T20:49:51Z")
NM - shoulda read the whole thread! ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-else-have-been-buried-in-grants-tomb-teacher-made-boy-cried/684236/29 "2014-03-23T00:29:26Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > All right then, if they’re resting then I’ll wake them up! They’ve joined the choir invisible! They are ex-people! ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-else-have-been-buried-in-grants-tomb-teacher-made-boy-cried/684236/30 "2014-03-23T01:17:40Z")
I wonder if Cary Grant is entombed vs cremated, etc. Gives another answer to the question, if so. ETA: damn, never mind. From find-a-grave: > [@](#): > > Burial: > Cremated, Ashes scattered. > Specifically: Ashes scattered in California PS ETA: Damn you, Cary Grant! ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-else-have-been-buried-in-grants-tomb-teacher-made-boy-cried/684236/31 "2014-03-23T08:22:52Z")
So that means nobody is buried in Cary Grant’s grave: there isn’t one. ---
**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:** [March 23, 2014, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-else-have-been-buried-in-grants-tomb-teacher-made-boy-cried/684236/32 "2014-03-23T11:21:30Z")
Cryptically, Tom is buried in Grant’s tomb. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-else-have-been-buried-in-grants-tomb-teacher-made-boy-cried/684236/33 "2014-03-23T11:35:02Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > All of you who are saying “no one, because it’s above ground”’ are wrong. Sorry, gang. While this isn’t GQ, it is the SD: You’re using Merriam-Webster. Your argument is invalid. ---
**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:** [March 23, 2014, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-else-have-been-buried-in-grants-tomb-teacher-made-boy-cried/684236/34 "2014-03-23T16:55:46Z")
Seems like we should be able to come up with a plausible conspiracy theory about how another body could REALLY be in Grant’s tomb. After all, Grant was in heavy debt when he allegedly died after becoming involved in some shady investment dealings. He additionally lost a large sum of money in a costly failed Mexican railroad project. The man was only 63 at the time of his supposed “death” and had led one of the most scandal-plagued administrations in history. He had great military experiences and contacts… Why not escape it all by faking his death and living under a phony identity abroad? He and his wife traveled extensively, often being overseas for months at a time. Why not hide away in the mountains, tell everyone you are writing your memoirs, and then, when the time is right…? The open casket viewed by millions might be a problem though. ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-else-have-been-buried-in-grants-tomb-teacher-made-boy-cried/684236/35 "2014-03-23T17:27:52Z")
This whole thing hinges on whether it is asked by a social studies teacher or an English teacher. ---
**Author:** ![Teaira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9d8465/32.png) [@Teaira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teaira)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-else-have-been-buried-in-grants-tomb-teacher-made-boy-cried/684236/36 "2014-03-23T21:59:02Z")
I remember that my dad once asked my mom this question. Her reply was, “I don’t know, the unknown soldier?” He still laughs whenever he thinks about it to this day… ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-else-have-been-buried-in-grants-tomb-teacher-made-boy-cried/684236/37 "2014-03-23T22:27:37Z")
I agree with gnoitall. Trivia questions that sound tautological are often trick questions. My favorite is, “Where was the Battle of Bunker Hill fought?” and the answer is “Breeds Hill.” But there are lots of them. This was shitty to do to a little kid. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2014, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-else-have-been-buried-in-grants-tomb-teacher-made-boy-cried/684236/38 "2014-03-25T19:26:21Z")
What color is a green blackberry? Red! ---
**Author:** ![DChord568](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2014, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-else-have-been-buried-in-grants-tomb-teacher-made-boy-cried/684236/39 "2014-03-25T19:41:12Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > When you are sitting laying in your bed at night do you say that you’re buried in your house? > [@](#): > > I either sit on my bed or lay on my bed, but not both simultaneously. All this fine-tuned parsing of the meaning of words, and I’m the first to point out that I only **lay** in/on my bed when a certain other person is present and we’re engaged in a certain activity? (Sitting at the same time would be possible, I guess, but there would likely be a copy of the Kama Sutra nearby.) ---
**Author:** ![Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harvey_The_Heavy)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-else-have-been-buried-in-grants-tomb-teacher-made-boy-cried/684236/40 "2014-03-27T15:47:38Z")
Just thought I’d chime in here and note that the state of New York does make a legal distinction between burial and entombment. Check out line 20A of the [NY state death certificate.](http://www.museumoffamilyhistory.com/erc-vr-dc-ny.jpg) Anyway, the correct answer should be “Which one?”, since Grant was in a temporary tomb for 12 years before he was moved to his current location. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-else-have-been-buried-in-grants-tomb-teacher-made-boy-cried/684236.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-else-have-been-buried-in-grants-tomb-teacher-made-boy-cried/684236.md?page=3)