Andrew Dixon writes:
Dear Elves
I was reading an article in Fortean Times reporting the interesting fact that Hitler really did have one testicle. This is at odds with a recent QI episode where this was claimed to be an urban myth.
An Elf replies...
Dear Andrew,
Thanks for your message. Well first we should say that QI loves Fortean Times. In fact, one of the QI Elves, Mat Coward, is a regular contributor to the magazine. Secondly, we should point out that Stephen actually asked: "Which dictator *definitely* only had one ball?" although it would seem a bit stingy to disqualify a quibble on that front.
Anyway. We were aware of the article you mentioned, but unfortunately it was published almost a year after we recorded that episode. In fact, the story was broken a little earlier - in November 2008 - sadly, again, a little bit too late for our needs.
Occasionally new research does come to light that contradicts our stance on a subject, and you'd be amazed how often it comes just after we've finished recording a show! In this case it was World War I veteran medic Johan Jambor who apparantly told his priest that Hitler had only one testicle. The priest wrote it down, and it the fact was hidden from the world until just after that episode of QI was recorded. Coincidence??????? Errr, almost certainly!
Even more research has come to light recently regarding monorchidism in dictators. As we mentioned, Chairman Mao definitely only had one, but recent files have confirmed that Franco lost one of his at the battle of El Biutz in 1916. It led to the question of if ANY dictators had a full pair of testicles; to which one wag replied: "Lady Thatcher??"
Interestingly enough, the song "Hitler has only got one ball" was written by a publicist for the British Council, which was tasked with helping build propaganda that would damage the Nazis. Originally the lyrics read: "Göring has only got one ball, Hitler's [are] so very small, Himmler's so very similar, And Goebbels has no balls at all."
Quibble Qualified
Sources:
s: FT246 March 2009
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8055329.stm
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/3481932/Nazi-leader-Hitler-really-did-have-only-one-ball.html
http://www.dnaindia.com/world/report_it-s-confirmed-hitler-had-only-one-testicle_1207833
Do you have a bone to pick with QI? E-mail us here: elves@qi.com
Or watch us tweet at http://twitter.com/qikipedia
Dear Elves
I was reading an article in Fortean Times reporting the interesting fact that Hitler really did have one testicle. This is at odds with a recent QI episode where this was claimed to be an urban myth.
An Elf replies...
Dear Andrew,
Thanks for your message. Well first we should say that QI loves Fortean Times. In fact, one of the QI Elves, Mat Coward, is a regular contributor to the magazine. Secondly, we should point out that Stephen actually asked: "Which dictator *definitely* only had one ball?" although it would seem a bit stingy to disqualify a quibble on that front.
Anyway. We were aware of the article you mentioned, but unfortunately it was published almost a year after we recorded that episode. In fact, the story was broken a little earlier - in November 2008 - sadly, again, a little bit too late for our needs.
Occasionally new research does come to light that contradicts our stance on a subject, and you'd be amazed how often it comes just after we've finished recording a show! In this case it was World War I veteran medic Johan Jambor who apparantly told his priest that Hitler had only one testicle. The priest wrote it down, and it the fact was hidden from the world until just after that episode of QI was recorded. Coincidence??????? Errr, almost certainly!
Even more research has come to light recently regarding monorchidism in dictators. As we mentioned, Chairman Mao definitely only had one, but recent files have confirmed that Franco lost one of his at the battle of El Biutz in 1916. It led to the question of if ANY dictators had a full pair of testicles; to which one wag replied: "Lady Thatcher??"
Interestingly enough, the song "Hitler has only got one ball" was written by a publicist for the British Council, which was tasked with helping build propaganda that would damage the Nazis. Originally the lyrics read: "Göring has only got one ball, Hitler's [are] so very small, Himmler's so very similar, And Goebbels has no balls at all."
Quibble Qualified
Sources:
s: FT246 March 2009
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8055329.stm
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/3481932/Nazi-leader-Hitler-really-did-have-only-one-ball.html
http://www.dnaindia.com/world/report_it-s-confirmed-hitler-had-only-one-testicle_1207833
Do you have a bone to pick with QI? E-mail us here: elves@qi.com
Or watch us tweet at http://twitter.com/qikipedia
The song itself is worthy of mention. 'Hitler has only got one ball' Crawley style from the early 70s was:
Hitler has only got one ball,
The other, is in the Albert Hall,
His mother - the dirty bugger - she stole the other,
Now he's got none at all
I took these to be the genuine article until I met someone from the Midlands who had a completely different set of words that were also incorrect but equally amusing.
Regional variations of such a classic gives a big indication of why we won the war shurely?
Help how do I create a new entry:
Maybe someone can move this to the proper place for me.
Series 3 Episode 9
Florence Nightingale was not the first to have the name Florence by over 100 years. See the notes here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_(name)#cite_note-1
"Until 1800, cookery was so dangerous that it was the second commonest cause of death among women after childbirth."
Does this mean that, after giving birth, women should avoid cooking? (we need a sarcasm icon)
Elbrus featured on a show exposing Mount Blanc as the popularly incorrect answer for the highest mountain in Europe. Somewhat akin to the argument between the Nile and Amazon as the longest rivers, the status of the Caucus mountains that separate Europe from Asia has long been debated. Both of these questions are usually answered by consensus of expert definition. The vast majority of up to date accademic sources claim the Nile is the longest river and that Europe's border at the start of the Causcus (plaoing the range firmly in Asia)
Elbrus is therefore in Asia an Mount Blanc IS the highest mountain in Europe. I suggest QI was wrong on the matter.
I recall in the late 60s seeing a book by a Russian called Lev Bezyemenski (the things we remember!) who apparently performed the autopsy on Hitler's corpse. In it I believe he claimed that Adolph was one short of a pair but I think the book was widely disbelieved and assumed to be Soviet propaganda.
On Q.I. Stephen says Mao had only one ball as he had an undescended ball, well the thing's still there so the technically has two.
Also Stephen said Mao was infertile, on Wikipedia it states he had children.
Do you mean he was infertile in the undescended ball?
Chaiman Mao had at least 4 children, how was he infertile?