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Oddly Enough

News, but not the serious kind

March 31st, 2008

Bloggin’ the old noggin…

Posted by: Robert Basler
Tags: Oddly Enough, , , , ,

schiller-statue-140.jpgThis is a macabre story. Friedrich Schiller was a famous German writer. He was born in 1759 (not 1788 as we first posted) while his father was off at the Seven Years War. Back then, they named wars like that so both sides knew how long they had to fight.

Schiller wrote lots of great stuff and was associated with “Sturm und Drang.” That may be a German law firm, but I didn’t look it up. He died in 1805 and was buried in a mass grave. A few years later officials dug up the grave, figured the biggest skull was Schiller’s, and kept it.

A century passed. Researchers dug up another skull and claimed IT was Schiller’s. A debate ensued as scholars, um, jawboned. Imagine two yellowed skulls with flappy jaws saying, “I’M FRIEDRICH!” “NO! I AM!”

Now, there’s DNA. As any civilized people would do, they’ve dug up the remains of Schiller’s son, and grandson, for comparisons. Oh, and did I mention they also dug up the WIFE of the GRANDSON? No kidding. Someone please call Sturm und Drang and put a stop to this!

schiller-bow-200.jpg

Actors rehearsing the Friedrich Schiller drama “William Tell” in a 2004 file photo. REUTERS/ Marcus Gyger

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8 comments so far

Against stupidity the bloggers themselves contend in vain.

- Posted by Charlene

[…] a note with a link to one of his oddities, saying he was “kind of proud of this one.” Bloggin’ the ole Noggin… Schiller wrote lots of great stuff and was associated with “Sturm und Drang.” That may be a […]

- Posted by Reuter’s Writer Still Challenging Me to Punny Games | Baby Boomer Going Like Sixty

Wow, they dug up EVERYBODY, huh?! Is this guy, like, bigger than Elvis, over there?! I never heard of him. I thought sturm und drang was a thrash metal band…

- Posted by Dee T

That’s using the old bean.

- Posted by John C Abell

Sorry — I don’t usually like to double post, but I just want to praise the photographer for his fantastic position and to ask where flowers should be sent.

- Posted by John C Abell

Not surprisingly, the son didn’t grow up to become a world renowned physicist or mathemetician.

- Posted by Shawn Hendricks

Tough parenting II.

- Posted by Shawn Hendricks

Hold still now. I want to see if Dr. Boothe did a good job or not.

- Posted by bby70

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