Chop Chop facts

While investigating facts about Chop Chop, I found out little known, but curios details like:

Americans sought comfort TV after 9/11 and watched so much Food Network that the station had to restructure itself to appeal to a general audience. This led to the creation and subsequent rise of reality cooking shows like Chopped and Iron Chef USA.

The last words of serial killer Peter Kürten were "Tell me... after my head is chopped off, will I still be able to hear, at least for a moment, the sound of my own blood gushing from the stump of my neck? That would be the pleasure to end all pleasures."

In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across. Here are 50 of the best facts about Chop Chop I managed to collect.

1. Alcatraz had some of the best food in the federal prison system including chili dogs, butter-drenched potatoes, pork chops, biscuits and gravy & banana pudding because the warden believed “most trouble in prison is caused by bad food.” The prison staff ate the same food as the prisoners.

2. In 1992, A North Dakotan teen, John Thompson, was home alone when he had both of his arms chopped off by a tractor in a freak farming accident. However, he still managed to get up, go inside, and dial for help via holding a pencil in his mouth. He survived.

3. Chopping wood increases testosterone production by 46.8 percent, as much as 17 percent higher than soccer and other studied competitive sports.

4. Food Network's 'Chopped' was originally supposed to be set in a mansion with the host being a butler. The butler was also to be holding a Chihuahua and when a chef was chopped, the losing dish was fed to the Chihuahua.

5. Chopping wood increases testosterone production by 46.8 percent, as much as 17 percent higher than soccer and other studied competitive sports.

6. A man who was stranded in the woods chopped down some power lines so that the repairmen would have to come and rescue him.

7. In 1842 Abraham Lincoln was challenged to a duel by political rival, James Shields. Due to his towering height, Lincoln chose broadswords. When the day of the duel arrived Lincoln demonstrated his strength by chopping a nearby tree branch in half, causing Shields to back out and apologize.

8. Chopping wood increases testosterone production by 46.8 percent, as much as 17 percent higher than soccer and other studied competitive sports.

9. A hydra, a freshwater cousin of the jellyfish, can survive being chopped in a blender. Its pieces will crawl their way back toward each other to reassemble as a complete organism.

10. A man who was lost in the woods chopped down some power lines so that workers would have to come and rescue him.

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Phrases like, "Long time no see," and "Chop chop" are gramatically incorrect and originate from Chinese immigrants. These phrases may have been coined by native speakers immitating these immigrants.

David Ogilvy, a founder/forefather of modern advertising, despised outdoor ads: "Man is at his vilest when he erects a billboard. When I retire from Madison Avenue, I am going to start a secret society of masked vigilantes... chopping down posters at the dark of the moon." - source

The first successful company to market chow mein in the United States was founded by the son of Italian immigrants who used Italian spices in his recipe. President Ford commented, “What could be more American than a business built on a good Italian recipe for chop suey?" - source

There is a severe shortage of 'spitter apples' which are preferred for making ciders because during prohibition the FBI went around chopping down huge swaths of orchards, effectively erasing much of the nation's stock of spitter apple trees that initially take 20-30 years to grow.

The Tin Man started as a real man. The wicked witch cursed his ax to chop off his limbs, which he kept replacing with tin, until eventually he was made entirely out of tin. However he forgot to replace his heart. - source

The last words of Peter Kürten, a serial killer executed by guillotine, said "Tell me—after my head is chopped off, will I still be able to hear, at least for a moment, the sound of my own blood gushing from the stump of my neck? That would be the pleasure to end all pleasures."

Two US Soldiers were killed by North Korea, while trying to trim down a tree that obscured their view. 3 days later, a task force of 813 troops entered Korea and chopped it down.

The last words of Alexander Blackwell, “I’m sorry for the mistake but this is the first time I’ve been beheaded.” Spoken after he laid his head on the wrong side of the chopping block and was corrected by the executioner.

Galvarino, the Mapuche Warrior, who after having his hands chopped off by Conquistadors, would have knives attached to his wrists and fight in the war against Spain.

While in prison, Clyde Barrow (Bonnie and Clyde) tried to avoid hard labor by chopping off two of his toes with an axe. As a result, he drove his getaway cars wearing only socks because he couldn’t balance correctly on the pedals of a car when wearing shoes. This is why he died wearing socks.