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John Henry Patterson

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Military Personnel

The Resume

    (November 10, 1867-June 18, 1947)
    Went to The Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst
    Joined the Essex Yeomanry and became an engineer
    Commissioned to oversee construction of a bridge on the Uganda Railway in Tsavo, Kenya in 1898
    Hunted down and killed lions which had killed members of his camp
    Wrote 'The Man-Eaters of Tsavo' in 1907 which became the film 'The Ghost and The Darkness (1996)'

Why he might be annoying:

    He killed animals who just did what they are born to do.
    He was the overseeing officer on a project which employed slave labor.
    He left his wife and new born baby in England to work in Africa.
    He often hunted for fun.
    On a big game hunt in Northern Kenya, one of Patterson's clients, Audley Blyth, committed suicide after finding his wife in the hero of Tsavo's arms.
    Audley Blythe's death may have been a result of an argument with Patterson over an elephant they both claimed to have shot.
    Patterson ordered Blythe's body be buried deep in the ground.
    When plague broke out in Nairobi in 1899, Patterson outraged the Indian traders by burning down the bazaar without consulting anybody.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He protected his workers by killing the man eating lions.
    He donated the lions' stuffed bodies to museums.
    Despite interruptions, he built his bridge on time and up to standard in 1899.
    He served his country.
    He helped revolutionize travel across Africa.
    He befriended local workers and learned some of their language.
    He inspired the film 'The Ghost & The Darkness.'
    The American novelist Ernest Hemingway based his story 'The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber' on Col. Patterson.

Credit: Mr. Jordan


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 15 Votes: 86.67% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 5 Votes: 20.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 25 Votes: 80.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 6 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 23 Votes: 52.17% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 11 Votes: 63.64% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 16 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 12 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 29 Votes: 58.62% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 15 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 49 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
    In 2007, Out of 77 Votes: 71.43% Annoying
    In 2006, Out of 100 Votes: 64.00% Annoying
    In 2005, Out of 186 Votes: 62.37% Annoying
    In 2004, Out of 128 Votes: 53.91% Annoying