# Lateral Thinking Puzzles - third time is best! **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [July 18, 2023, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214 "2023-07-18T13:39:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**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:** [July 25, 2023, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/161 "2023-07-25T19:14:38Z")
Answers Below > [@Ana\_Byrd](#): > > Did the boxes contain military supplies? **yes** > > Did the boxes contain supplies for civilians? **no** > > Did the boxes contain people? **no** ---
**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:** [July 25, 2023, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/162 "2023-07-25T19:17:32Z")
Answers below > [@Chronos](#): > > Did the corporal’s country fight in WWII? **yes** > > Were the corporal’s celebrated actions during a war? And if so, were there members of his nation’s military fighting in that war? **yes and yes** > > Did the corporal’s actions have significance for military intelligence? **no** > > Would the corporal have known at the time the significance of his actions? **no** > > Did the corporal at the time know what was in the boxes? **no** > > Was the content of the boxes a secret? **no** > > Are nuclear weapons relevant? **no** > > Is the corporal’s country in Europe? Asia? Africa? North America? South America? Oceania? **Europe** > > Is “truck” here the usual meaning, an automobile with a large cargo area? **military truck for carrying supplies** > > Is the fact that the corporal was a servicemember relevant to why he was celebrated and remembered? **yes, insofar as he would not have been celebrated or remembered without serving in the armed forces** ---
**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:** [July 25, 2023, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/163 "2023-07-25T19:18:58Z")
> [@iamatractorboy](#): > > I think I might know the answer to this so I will blur it in case I spoil people’s fun… > > Was it Queen Elizabeth II? No, our soldier was not Queen Elizabeth, but that is a solid guess. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2023, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/164 "2023-07-25T19:19:25Z")
Mostly just for the sake of pronoun use, but Was the corporal male? ---
**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:** [July 25, 2023, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/165 "2023-07-25T19:20:56Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Was the corporal male? Yes he was. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2023, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/166 "2023-07-25T19:21:16Z")
Oh, and Was the corporal acting on his (or her) own initiative in loading the boxes? Was the corporal ordered to do so by a superior officer? ---
**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:** [July 25, 2023, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/167 "2023-07-25T19:24:53Z")
Answers Below > [@Chronos](#): > > Was the corporal acting on his (or her) own initiative in loading the boxes? **yes** > Was the corporal ordered to do so by a superior officer? **no** ---
**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:** [July 25, 2023, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/168 "2023-07-25T19:40:11Z")
Did the corporal come from one of the world’s smallest countries? ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2023, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/169 "2023-07-25T19:54:13Z")
Does celebrated mean earning the most medals out of all of the soldiers in his country? Was he celebrated for one act? a series of acts? his career? ---
**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:** [July 25, 2023, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/170 "2023-07-25T20:05:14Z")
Is the item he was loading relevant to the puzzle? Would trying to determine the identity of what the item being loaded be helpful to us? ---
**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:** [July 25, 2023, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/171 "2023-07-25T20:11:38Z")
Answers Below > [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Did the corporal come from one of the world’s smallest countries? **no** > [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Does celebrated mean earning the most medals out of all of the soldiers in his country? **no** > Was he celebrated for > one act? **in part** > a series of acts? **not especially** > his career? **the other part** There is one act for which he is especially known, but he may very well have been a celebrity for the totality of his career. > [@Mahaloth](#): > > Is the item he was loading relevant to the puzzle? **no** > > Would trying to determine the identity of what the item being loaded be helpful to us? **potentially** ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2023, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/172 "2023-07-25T20:17:08Z")
I’m getting a Petrov vibe on this. He was the Soviet Lt. Colonel that single-handedly stopped World War 3. I’m thinking something like the corporal did NOT (hence the lateral thinking) load something into a crate like a nuclear weapon, VX gas bomb, etc. So with that in mind here’s the question. Is he celebrated for NOT loading something into a crate? If not: did he load a person into a crate? I’m thinking to smuggle them out of the country. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2023, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/173 "2023-07-25T20:22:37Z")
Was the loading of a particular set of boxes that led to his fame? Is he celebrated for appearing in media, like for example, the [kissing sailor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-J_Day_in_Times_Square) on VJ day? Was he the subject of a novel, poem or movie? Were the boxes more or less ordinary crates of military supplies? ---
**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:** [July 25, 2023, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/174 "2023-07-25T20:38:13Z")
Answers below > [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Is he celebrated for NOT loading something into a crate? **no, he definitely loaded things** > > If not: did he load a person into a crate? I’m thinking to smuggle them out of the country. **no** > [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > Was the loading of a particular set of boxes that led to his fame? **no, it could have been any relevant set of boxes his company was loading** > Is he celebrated for appearing in media, like for example, the [kissing sailor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-J_Day_in_Times_Square) on VJ day? **no** > Was he the subject of a novel, poem or movie? **Yes, in the sense that his military career / life was recounted in at least one book and one movie/tv production that I am aware of** > Were the boxes more or less ordinary crates of military supplies? **yes** ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2023, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/175 "2023-07-25T20:44:23Z")
In your opinion would the average American have heard of this person? In your opinion would the average person from his home country have heard of this person? Without this movie/book would he have been celebrated? Is it something about the nature of person during his service that makes them note worthy (e.g. lhe is royalty, he was 6 years old, he had no arms)? Was his service during WW2? Is he famous for what he did in the war? ---
**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:** [July 25, 2023, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/176 "2023-07-25T20:58:26Z")
Answers Below > [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > In your opinion would the average American have heard of this person? **no, but he has been covered in major media outlets on more than one occasion** > In your opinion would the average person from his home country have heard of this person? **It depends on what you mean by “home country” He was a bit of a traveler. The nation he served under during the war has numerous statues of him, I would assume many average people there would know his story. His birth nation, I would assume he is much less well known there** > > Without this movie/book would he have been celebrated? **he was celebrated long before the movie/book** > Is it something about the nature of person during his service that makes them note worthy (e.g. lhe is royalty, he was 6 years old, he had no arms)? **yes** > Was his service during WW2? **yes** > Is he famous for what he did in the war? **yes** ---
**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:** [July 25, 2023, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/177 "2023-07-25T21:01:23Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > Was he the subject of a novel, poem or movie? **Yes, in the sense that his military career / life was recounted in at least one book and one movie/tv production that I am aware of** Is he primarily known _because of_ the book and movie? Or would he be publicly known without them? ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2023, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/178 "2023-07-25T21:08:38Z")
Even though his job in the war was to load boxes was he famous for doing something more heroic? Did he suffer from a disability? Was he famous before he became soldier? Was he of an unusual ethnicity to be a soldier in that country? ---
**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:** [July 25, 2023, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/179 "2023-07-25T21:11:29Z")
Is this Ernest Hemingway? ---
**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:** [July 25, 2023, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/180 "2023-07-25T22:24:57Z")
answers below > [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Is he primarily known _because of_ the book and movie? Or would he be publicly known without them? **I’d say they were a response to his notoriety, though they and other media would have spread knowledge of his exploits to a wider audience** > [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > Even though his job in the war was to load boxes was he famous for doing something more heroic? **he was not famous for anything other than being part of this army unit and loading boxes** > > Did he suffer from a disability? **my understanding is that he was perfectly healthy** > > Was he famous before he became soldier? **no** > Was he of an unusual ethnicity to be a soldier in that country? **I think it’s fair to say yes** > [@Mahaloth](#): > > Is this Ernest Hemingway? **nope** [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214.md?page=10)