# Tell us an interesting random fact you stumbled across (Part 2) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 25, 2024, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785 "2024-07-25T15:06:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 99
**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:** [March 26, 2025, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1961 "2025-03-26T01:36:30Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > > [@Railer13](#): > > > > Most everyone is aware that Jesse Owens won four gold medals at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin as Adolf Hitler looked on. But today I learned that another American finished second behind Owens in the 200 meter race. That individual was Mack Robinson, who was the older brother of Jackie Robinson. Robinson’s time in the 200 meters broke the existing Olympic record, but of course Owens’ time set a new record. > > He wasn’t even supposed to run the relay. He and one other runner were last minute replacements for two Jewish men, Marty Glickman and Sam Stoller. Coach Dean Cromwell, an unrepentant Nazi sympathizer, didn’t want to insult his hosts. Jesse did try to protest but was overruled. Glickman later became a sports announcer in NYC, and the voice of the NY Knicks, Giants, Jets, Nets, Brooklyn Dodgers, among other teams. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2025, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1962 "2025-03-26T04:02:22Z")
Not sure I follow. Were Glickman and Stoller faster than Robinson to warrant starting ahead of him? Or was there no trials system, as we have today? And what was Owens protesting? Was he afraid Robinson was going to beat him? ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2025, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1963 "2025-03-26T09:19:41Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > Not sure I follow. You misunderstood the point of @RealityChuck. Glickman and Stoller were part of the relay team, but because they were Jewish, they were replaced by Owens and another runner, Ralph Metcalfe. Owens protested this last-minute change of personnel, to no avail. Robinson played no part in this episode. From Glickman’s [Wiki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marty_Glickman) page: > Glickman was a noted track and field athlete and football star at Syracuse University. He was a member of the U.S. team at the 1936 Summer Olympic Games held in Berlin, Germany. The unexplained, last-minute decision to remove Glickman and Sam Stoller—a fellow Jewish American athlete—from the 100-meter relay at the 1936 Olympics, where they were replaced by Jesse Owens and Ralph Metcalfe, who easily won the gold medal, has been widely viewed as an American effort to avoid embarrassing or offending Adolf Hitler, then the Chancellor of Germany, who had been directing anti-Jewish discriminatory policies since 1933. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2025, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1964 "2025-03-26T09:30:09Z")
Was reading Jesse Owens’ Wiki page, and came across an interesting fact: he starting smoking cigarettes at the age of 32, nine years after winning four gold medals at the Berlin Summer Olympics. And died of lung cancer. 🙁 ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2025, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1965 "2025-03-26T11:37:55Z")
Can we consider church bells (or any bells in a structure) to be a “musical instrument”? You would have Big Ben (and its associated bells) in the Elizabeth Tower heard every 15 minutes by thousands of people. And at what point does “in person” mean physically in sight of the bells, or only within hearing distance? Remember - I’m the OP, and my original post said “allegedly”, so it’s open for debate. ---
**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:** [March 26, 2025, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1966 "2025-03-26T14:49:48Z")
> [@Mark\_Finn](#): > > And at what point does “in person” mean physically in sight of the bells, or only within hearing distance? Apparently, everyone agrees on the answer to that question, so no point asking. ---
**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:** [March 26, 2025, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1967 "2025-03-26T15:11:46Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > everyone agrees on the answer to that question No, we just all agree that > [@Chronos](#): > > make the wires longer and use speakers in your living room isn’t in person. In person is a somewhat fuzzy concept, as are many phrases and ideas. Is an alarm clock a musical instrument that puts on a performance every morning at 6:45? Mine plays the **BEEP!! BEEP!! BEEP!!** song. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2025, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1968 "2025-03-26T15:55:00Z")
You are confusing two different events. Railer13’s post was about the individual 200 m race, which was won by Owens, with Robinson taking silver. You are referring to the 4 x 100 m relay, where Glickman and Stoller, who were both Jewish, were replaced by Owens and Metcalfe, who were both African American. There has been speculation that Glickman and Stoller were replaced to appease the Nazis, but replacing them with two Black men doesn’t seem like it would really have made Hitler happy. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2025, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1969 "2025-03-26T16:04:07Z")
I wasn’t confusing anything. I added the relay race information as an additional event. The Jewish runners were 100% objectively removed because they were Jewish. It’s beyond dispute. The head coach who made the decision was literally a member of America First. As to why he was ok with Black men instead of Jews, he thought that they had an advantage because they were “from the jungle”. Dean Cromwell was a fucking pig who never regretted his actions. > **[Dean Cromwell](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Cromwell)** > > Dean Bartlett Cromwell (September 20, 1879 – August 3, 1962), nicknamed "Maker of Champions", was an American athletic coach in multiple sports, principally at the University of Southern California (USC). He was the head coach of the USC track team from 1909 to 1948, excepting 1914 and 1915, and guided the team to 12 NCAA team national championships (1926, 1930–31, 1935–43) and 34 individual NCAA titles. He was the head coach for the U.S. track team at the 1948 Olympic Games in London, and assi... ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2025, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1970 "2025-03-26T16:41:00Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I wasn’t confusing anything. Correct. @hajario wasn’t confusing anything. This was the confusion, which I already attempted to clear up: > [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > Not sure I follow. Were Glickman and Stoller faster than Robinson to warrant starting ahead of him? Or was there no trials system, as we have today? And what was Owens protesting? Was he afraid Robinson was going to beat him? ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2025, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1971 "2025-03-26T17:31:32Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > The amp, speaker, cords, effects pedals, etc., are part of an electric guitar. The musician plays their whole setup, not just the thing with the strings. > > Television transmission equipment is not part of the instrument. This leads me to ponder a literary question. Does **Hotblack Desiato’s** band, _Disaster Area_, ever have a live audience? ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2025, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1972 "2025-03-26T17:49:00Z")
Not for long. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2025, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1973 "2025-03-26T18:19:25Z")
Cromwell might be the lightning rod, but I’d have to believe he had the blessing of Avery Brundage, who has his own complicated legacy. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2025, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1974 "2025-03-26T18:21:53Z")
Without a doubt. They were in cahoots. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2025, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1975 "2025-03-26T18:24:42Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Dean Cromwell was a fucking pig who never regretted his actions. I had never heard of that guy before, but now I ask myself: why were all prominent men in history named Cromwell such colossal assholes? ---
**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:** [March 26, 2025, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1976 "2025-03-26T18:27:14Z")
I only know of one other Cromwell (who, yes, was also an asshole). But two seems too small a sample for the word “all”. Any others you’re thinking of? ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2025, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1977 "2025-03-26T18:29:43Z")
A third one, if you meant Oliver Cromwell: > **[Thomas Cromwell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Cromwell)** > > Thomas Cromwell (/ˈkrɒmwəl, -wɛl/;\[a\] c. 1485 – 28 July 1540) was an English statesman and lawyer who served as chief minister to King Henry VIII from 1534 to 1540, when he was beheaded on orders of the king, who later blamed false charges for the execution. > Cromwell was one of the most powerful proponents of the English Reformation. As the king's chief secretary, he instituted new administrative procedures that transformed the workings of government. He helped to engineer an annulment of the... ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2025, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1978 "2025-03-26T18:35:12Z")
This guy isn’t so bad > **[James Cromwell](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Cromwell)** > > James Oliver Cromwell (born January 27, 1940) is an American actor. Known for his extensive work as a character actor, he has received a Primetime Emmy Award as well as a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Babe (1995). Other notable roles include in Star Trek: First Contact (1996), L.A. Confidential (1997), Deep Impact (1998), The Green Mile (1999), Space Cowboys (2000), The Longest Yard (2005) The Queen (2006), W. (2008), Secretariat (2010), The Artist (20 Cromwell ... ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2025, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1979 "2025-03-26T18:35:41Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > > [@hajario](#): > > > > Dean Cromwell was a fucking pig who never regretted his actions. > > I had never heard of that guy before, but now I ask myself: why were all prominent men in history named Cromwell such colossal assholes? “That’ll do, pig.” - James Cromwell ---
**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:** [March 26, 2025, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1980 "2025-03-26T18:35:57Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > > [@hajario](#): > > > > Dean Cromwell was a fucking pig who never regretted his actions. > > I had never heard of that guy before, but now I ask myself: why were all prominent men in history named Cromwell such colossal assholes? “That’ll do, pig.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=98) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=100)