Roy Sullivan: Difference between revisions
Grandwazoooo (talk | contribs) added reference to an album that is about Roy Sullivan. |
Incorrect details, according to Guiness World Records 2008 |
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'''Roy Cleveland Sullivan''' ([[February 7]], [[1912]] – [[September 28]], [[ |
'''Roy Cleveland Sullivan''' ([[February 7]], [[1912]] – [[September 28]], [[1993]])<ref name="astroweek"> |
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</ref> Sullivan was hit by [[lightning]] on seven different occasions and survived all of them.<ref name="NYTArchive"/><ref name="sdarticle"/> In his lifetime he gained "Human Lightning |
</ref> Sullivan was hit by [[lightning]] on seven different occasions and survived all of them.<ref name="NYTArchive"/><ref name="sdarticle"/> In his lifetime he gained "Human Lightning Conductor" as a nickname.<ref name="aboutparanormal"> |
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| author=Stephen Wagner}} |
| author=Stephen Wagner}} |
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</ref> On September 28, |
</ref> On September 28, 1993, Sullivan died at age 81, by committing [[suicide|suicide]],<ref name="astroweek"/><ref name="NYTArchive"/> reportedly distraught over an unrequited love.<ref name="Reuters_Guiness"> |
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# 1972: The next hit happened in a ranger station.<ref name="sdarticle"/> The strike set his hair on fire. After that, he began to carry a pitcher of water with him.<ref name="aboutparanormal"/> |
# 1972: The next hit happened in a ranger station.<ref name="sdarticle"/> The strike set his hair on fire. After that, he began to carry a pitcher of water with him.<ref name="aboutparanormal"/> |
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# [[August 7]], [[1973]]: A lightning bolt hit Sullivan on the head, blasted him out of his car, and again set his hair on fire.<ref name="aboutparanormal"/> |
# [[August 7]], [[1973]]: A lightning bolt hit Sullivan on the head, blasted him out of his car, and again set his hair on fire.<ref name="aboutparanormal"/> |
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# [[June 5]], [[ |
# [[June 5]], [[1976]]: Sullivan was struck by the sixth bolt in a campground,<ref name="sdarticle"/> injuring his ankle.<ref name="astroweek"/> It was reported that he saw a cloud, thought that it was following him, tried to run away, but was still struck.<ref name="sdarticle"/> |
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# [[June 25]], [[1977]]: The seventh and final lightning bolt hit him when he was fishing.<ref name="sdarticle"/> Sullivan was hospitalized for burns on his chest and stomach. <ref name="aboutparanormal"/> |
# [[June 25]], [[1977]]: The seventh and final lightning bolt hit him when he was fishing.<ref name="sdarticle"/> Sullivan was hospitalized for burns on his chest and stomach. <ref name="aboutparanormal"/> |
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Revision as of 13:09, 18 October 2008
Roy Cleveland Sullivan (February 7, 1912 – September 28, 1993)[1][2] was a U.S. park ranger in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.[2][3] Sullivan was hit by lightning on seven different occasions and survived all of them.[2][3] In his lifetime he gained "Human Lightning Conductor" as a nickname.[4] On September 28, 1993, Sullivan died at age 81, by committing suicide,[1][2] reportedly distraught over an unrequited love.[5] Two of his ranger hats are on display at two Guinness World Exhibit Halls in New York City and South Carolina.[4] There is a road side plaque on Tanner's Ridge in Page County, Virginia that talks about Sullivan.[citation needed]
In 2008, Portland, Maine rock band Loverless released an album titled "Nothing Under the Sun," an album inspired by and devoted to Sullivan's life.
The seven lightning strikes
- 1942: Sullivan was hit for the first time when he was in a fire lookout tower.[3] The lightning bolt struck him in the leg and he lost a nail on his big toe.[4]
- 1969: The second bolt hit him in his truck when he was driving on a mountain road.[3] It knocked him unconscious and burned his eyebrows.[4]
- 1970: The third strike burned his left shoulder[4] while in his front yard.[3]
- 1972: The next hit happened in a ranger station.[3] The strike set his hair on fire. After that, he began to carry a pitcher of water with him.[4]
- August 7, 1973: A lightning bolt hit Sullivan on the head, blasted him out of his car, and again set his hair on fire.[4]
- June 5, 1976: Sullivan was struck by the sixth bolt in a campground,[3] injuring his ankle.[1] It was reported that he saw a cloud, thought that it was following him, tried to run away, but was still struck.[3]
- June 25, 1977: The seventh and final lightning bolt hit him when he was fishing.[3] Sullivan was hospitalized for burns on his chest and stomach. [4]
According to National Geographic's Flash Facts About Lightning, the odds of being struck in a lifetime is three-thousand to one. If the different events of "being struck by lightning" were statistically independent, the chances of being struck seven times in a lifetime are about one to sixteen-septillion (sixteen followed by 24 zeros; 16,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000).[3] However, this number heavily relies on the assumption that the odds of being struck are valid uniformly across the United States, which does not take into account the local weather or Sullivan's possible predisposition to thunderstorm sites due to his work as a park ranger.
References
- ^ a b c "Astrology Weekly: Roy Sullivan". Retrieved 2006-12-04.
- ^ a b c d "The New York Times Archives: Roy Sullivan". 1983. Retrieved 2006-12-01.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Cecil Adams (2006). "The Straight Dope: Have people actually survived being hit by lightning multiple times?". Retrieved 2006-12-01.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Stephen Wagner. "The REAL X-Men". About Paranormal Phenomena. Retrieved 2006-12-01.
- ^ Majendie, Paul (2007). "Guinness -- weird, wonderful and wacky abound" (Online). Reuters. Retrieved 2007-09-29.