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Frank 'Cannonball' Richards

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Oddity

The Resume

    (February 20, 1887-February 7, 1969)
    Born in Minneapolis, Kansas
    Vaudeville and carnival sideshow strongman
    For his act, was shot in the stomach by a 104-pound cannonball fired from a twelve-foot long cannon
    Great grand uncle of Daniel Tosh

Why he might be annoying:

    Before coming up with the idea of using a cannon, he had people punch him in the gut, jump onto his stomach, or hit him with 2x4s and sledgehammers.
    The cannonball was propelled by compressed air rather than gunpowder (which would have made for a one-time-only act).
    He limited his cannonball act to twice a day, as performing it more often was too painful.

Why he might not be annoying:

    Even with compressed air instead of gunpowder, he was taking a blow that would have killed or seriously injured most people.
    He served in World War I.
    As a veteran, he would perform for free at military bases, Elks Clubs, and American Legion posts.
    He took blows to the stomach from most of the boxing champs of his day, including Jim Jeffries, Jack Johnson, Jess WIllardJack Dempsey (who reportedly hit him 75 times).
    He was parodied in the 'Homerpalooza' episode of The SImpsons.
    He was featured on the cover of the album 'Van Halen III.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 4 Votes: 0% Annoying