Giant steer Old Ben, at 4,585 pounds, was the world's largest in 1910

boing
1

Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2024/01/16/giant-steer-old-ben-at-4585-pounds-was-the-worlds-largest-in-1910.html

…

2 Likes
2

No way the photo is from 1910. The bikini wasn’t a thing until after WW2.

3

Look at that platform. Unless she was seven feet tall, there is no way that steer is 6’5".

4

I’d be more concerned about what that food became.

It doesn’t look like it’s 16’5 long either, TBF

5

Yeah, the steer is also dead, stuffed, and mounted on that wheeled platform in this picture. The article talks about that. I think Popkin just assumed the picture was from when he was still alive.

I suspect the 6.5’ was measured when he was still alive and had his head lifted up higher, and I suspect his length was measured with his tail extended. This size could still be exaggerated a little, but it’s probably not way off.

6

I don’t know when this photo was taken but women’s two-piece garments were definitely around in various contexts before WWII even if they weren’t referred to as “bikinis” yet.

The Wikipedia page for the history of the bikini even opens with this:

Evidence of bikini-style women’s clothing has been found as early as 5600 BC, and the history of the bikini can be traced back to that era.

7

Yes, but I’m sure you would agree that’s not the case here. The bikini was a huge scandal when it hit Europe and the U.S. after the war. You could argue it’s a showgirl outfit, I suppose. But the hairstyle is clearly late '40’s early '50. I have photos of my grandmother with this hair.

8

Evidence of bikini-style women’s clothing has been found as early as 5600 BC, and the history of the bikini can be traced back to that era.

As clearly documented …

raquel-welch-in-one-million-years-b-c
raquel-welch-in-one-million-years-b-c556×699 110 KB

2 Likes
9

Seems to be 1944. Sadly Phyllis died at the end of 2023.

1 Like
10

But he’s not even blue.

1300×938 246 KB

1 Like
11

According to several different stockyard authorities, bovine height is measured from the ground to the top of the hip. (I thought it would be shoulders, but this would be more definite.)

12

Sure, but that doesn’t mean that’s how they measured this guy. It was a long time ago, and they were using him as a sideshow freak of nature. They would have measured him in whatever way gave them the biggest number.

2 Likes
13

This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.