How to Unpack Someone’s Historical Legacy
Added 2025-04-28 07:00:06 +0000 UTCI don’t know if he was nationally famous, or just regionally famous. I do know that he is still remembered fondly by many. Just in case you think I hallucinated him, here’s some of Fred Dibnah’s early exploits.
“Insurance men and me don’t mix.”
Yeah, I suspect that’s true.
And here is some of his later work.
The only complaint I have about him is that in one later documentary I saw, he and some guy were fawning over a huge steam engine at an old grain mill. They talked about how it was more powerful and reliable than the water wheel it replaced. Then they talked about how all the working mills had switched over to electric engines.
Fred said, “It’s all in the name of progress, you know.”
The other guy smiled bitterly and said, “Is that what you call it?”
They both laughed. I did too, but I was laughing because I imagine the guy who ran the waterwheel had the same conversation with a friend when they brought the steam engine in.
Comments
Could be the same guy. I don't know that there were that many people still doing that job at the time.
Scott Meyer
2025-04-30 09:49:21 +0000 UTCThe Jackass guys are all looking for work these days, so we might get one.
Scott Meyer
2025-04-30 09:48:28 +0000 UTCI cannot say that I saw THAT documentary about THAT guy, but I did see A documentary about A guy who dismantled brick smokestacks and it does seem like it was made in the 1970s.
Matt Thompson
2025-04-29 17:29:26 +0000 UTCHaving been forced to endure the Steam Threshers Reunion (link below for the masochistic) repeatedly as a kid, I can safely say that there is nothing entertaining about a gathering of people sharing their passion for unreliable and dangerous machinery. https://rollag.com Now a documentary on stunt person rehab (either!) would be awesome.
Joel Ronningen
2025-04-28 17:29:42 +0000 UTC
