# Lateral Thinking Puzzles. Let's do it again! **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [October 23, 2019, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193 "2019-10-23T21:32:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 75
**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:** [January 6, 2020, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1481 "2020-01-06T21:13:44Z")
> [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser](#): > > Are all 449 lives human? > (non-human) Animal? > Plant? > Is Norman a human? All human, including Norman. **No word-play, either!** ---
**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:** [January 6, 2020, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1482 "2020-01-06T21:36:48Z")
Did the incident incident involve: - aircraft? - road vehicles? - ships/ boats? - trains? - buildings? Were the people endangered by: - fire? - flood? - impact damage? - fire? - disease? - poison? - radioactivity? - war? - starvation? Was the danger caused by: - human error? - deliberate human action, such as terrorism? - faulty equipment? - force of nature? ---
**Author:** ![LennieB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8dc957/32.png) [@LennieB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LennieB)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2020, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1483 "2020-01-06T22:12:08Z")
Is “Norman” Kenny Bellau (Hurricane Katrina)? ---
**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:** [January 6, 2020, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1484 "2020-01-06T22:27:54Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Did the incident incident involve: > > - aircraft? > - road vehicles? > - ships/ boats? > - trains? > - buildings? > > **SHIPS** > > Were the people endangered by: > > - fire? > - flood? > - impact damage? > - fire? > - disease? > - poison? > - radioactivity? > - war? > - starvation? > > \*\*IMPACT DAMAGE > \*\* > Was the danger caused by: > > - human error? > - deliberate human action, such as terrorism? > - faulty equipment? > - force of nature? > > \*\*FORCE OF NATURE > \*\* I answered directly each category. Everything else is “NO” > [@LennieB](#): > > Is “Norman” Kenny Bellau (Hurricane Katrina)? NO ---
**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:** [January 6, 2020, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1485 "2020-01-06T22:29:29Z")
Note: my puzzle is quickly googleable. Let’s avoid google! ---
**Author:** ![SurrenderDorothy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/surrenderdorothy/32/1221_2.png) [@SurrenderDorothy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SurrenderDorothy)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2020, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1486 "2020-01-06T22:43:38Z")
Did Norman save these lives all in one go or over some time? Was it once incident or a sort of category of incidents (like the sinking of the Titanic vs shipwrecks in general)? Did he save them all directly himself or was it something he came up with that others could repeat/use? ---
**Author:** ![LennieB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8dc957/32.png) [@LennieB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LennieB)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2020, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1487 "2020-01-06T22:53:22Z")
If we don’t use Google, solutions are practically impossible. Whoever heard of “Sweet Kiss,” for example? FTR, I didn’t find this easy to find, at all. In fact, couldn’t find. ---
**Author:** ![LennieB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8dc957/32.png) [@LennieB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LennieB)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2020, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1488 "2020-01-06T23:10:36Z")
Did this involve the “Indianapolis” and sharks? ---
**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:** [January 6, 2020, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1489 "2020-01-06T23:18:49Z")
> [@SurrenderDorothy](#): > > Did Norman save these lives all in one go or over some time? > > \*\*ALL IN ONE GO > \*\* > Was it once incident or a sort of category of incidents (like the sinking of the Titanic vs shipwrecks in general)? > > \*\*ONE incident > \*\* > Did he save them all directly himself or was it something he came up with that others could repeat/use? > > **Something he came up with, but used only the once** > [@LennieB](#): > > If we don’t use Google, solutions are practically impossible. Whoever heard of “Sweet Kiss,” for example? \*\*What? We didn’t need to know “Sweet Kiss” to solve his puzzle. We needed to figure out the situation, not the exact details. In this puzzle, I am not asking for the details of the situation including names, dates, and etc. I am asking for you to figure out what happened. \*\* \*\*I would add that you should read the first post, which specifically said “no googling” in it. \*\* > [@LennieB](#): > > Did this involve the “Indianapolis” and sharks? **NO** ---
**Author:** ![LennieB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8dc957/32.png) [@LennieB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LennieB)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2020, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1490 "2020-01-07T11:54:27Z")
“What? We didn’t need to know “Sweet Kiss” to solve his puzzle.” A major clue was that the horse was given a “mean nickname.” Thus, I would posit that the original name was significant. But carry on. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2020, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1491 "2020-01-07T12:41:56Z")
Did this involve a ferry? Cruise ship? Military vessel? Was more than one ship involved? ---
**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:** [January 7, 2020, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1492 "2020-01-07T13:31:24Z")
Not playing post: > [@LennieB](#): > > “What? We didn’t need to know “Sweet Kiss” to solve his puzzle.” > > A major clue was that the horse was given a “mean nickname.” Thus, I would posit that the original name was significant. > > But carry on. The entire point of a lateral thinking puzzle is to figure things out without any outside knowledge. You just ask yes or no questions until you figure out the premise. They’re an exercise for the brain and thinking outside the box. I wouldn’t say that clue was important at all. The big clue was **Biotop** saying they were unsure how close the jockey came to falling off the horse. The next logical question is something like “Was there something wrong with the jockey?” (as jockeys do not normally fall off horses), which would quickly lead to figuring out he was dead. And that would have solved the puzzle. Yeah, I know. I don’t play a lot. But I do follow along, and jump in occasionally when I think of something interesting. I’m just really bad at getting obsessed with these types of games, and I keep odd hours so, by the time I come back to see my question answered, the puzzle is often figured out. Anyways, I thought I could help clear things up a bit. Apologies if I’m being annoying. I promise I’ll go back to watching and occasionally chiming in. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2020, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1493 "2020-01-07T13:33:26Z")
Did Norman’s solution have something to do with navigating? Was the “force of nature” a tidal wave? A storm? A collision? Did this incident occur before 2000? Before 1950? Before 1900? ---
**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:** [January 7, 2020, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1494 "2020-01-07T20:34:29Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Did this involve a ferry? Cruise ship? Military vessel? > > Was more than one ship involved? Military ship One ship that is mainly involved. > [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > Did Norman’s solution have something to do with navigating? > > YES > > Was the “force of nature” a tidal wave? NO > A storm? YES > A collision? YES, eventually > Did this incident occur before 2000? YES > Before 1950? YES > Before 1900? YES Assuming no one is Googling it, I’ll give the year: 1889 ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2020, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1495 "2020-01-07T20:40:34Z")
Did Norman navigate the ship under limited sight conditions? If so, did he improvise some sort of means that didn’t rely on sight? Did he repurpose an object? Did his quick thinking lead to an invention of some kind later? ---
**Author:** ![Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_Arachnid_Laser_1)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2020, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1496 "2020-01-07T20:47:24Z")
Was a lighthouse involved? Was some other sort of signal involved? Was Norman aboard the ship? ---
**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:** [January 7, 2020, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1497 "2020-01-07T20:54:37Z")
[RIGHT][/RIGHT] > [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > Did Norman navigate the ship under limited sight conditions? > > Probably, but not the primary problem. > > If so, did he improvise some sort of means that didn’t rely on sight? > > YES, though his improvisation did not have anything to do with limited sight conditions. > > Did he repurpose an object? > > YES, he did! > > Did his quick thinking lead to an invention of some kind later? > > NO > [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser](#): > > Was a lighthouse involved? NO > Was some other sort of signal involved? NO > Was Norman aboard the ship? > > YES(in fact, he is one of the 449 saved) kk ---
**Author:** ![SurrenderDorothy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/surrenderdorothy/32/1221_2.png) [@SurrenderDorothy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SurrenderDorothy)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2020, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1498 "2020-01-07T22:01:49Z")
Was the ship itself saved? Was everyone on the ship saved? Did he use something as lifeboats/rafts? Did he use something to keep the ship afloat? ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2020, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1499 "2020-01-07T22:19:19Z")
Did this take place in the US? Europe? Asia? Africa? Australia? South America? Elsewhere in N America? ---
**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:** [January 7, 2020, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1500 "2020-01-07T23:11:33Z")
> [@SurrenderDorothy](#): > > Was the ship itself saved? > > NO > > Was everyone on the ship saved? > > NO > > Did he use something as lifeboats/rafts? > > NO > > Did he use something to keep the ship afloat? > > NO > [@Paintcharge](#): > > Did this take place in the US? > Europe? > Asia? > Africa? > Australia? > South America? > Elsewhere in N America? Oceania, closest continent would be Australia [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=74) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=76)