{{Short description|Events in which people complete grueling tasks for an extended period of time}} A '''human endurance contest''' is an event in which people complete mentally or physically grueling tasks for an extended period of time. The contests are exploitative entertainment events which began during the Great Depression in the 1920s-1930s as a means to earn income. <ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/pfop-dance-marathons-walkathons-once-talk-of-the-town/article_7cc11c8c-a911-5262-bc4e-e992fe8e4a25.html |title= Dance marathons, walkathons once talk of the town |newspaper= The Pantagraph |date= 2016-03-13 |access-date= 2016-04-11 |last= Kemp |first= Bill}}</ref> Examples include dance marathon or walk-a-thons, cave sitting, pole sitting, marathon swimming, ice sitting, burial artists and other forms of early endurance art.<ref>{{cite news |date=1966-08-06 |work=The Guardian |author=<!--Not stated--> |title=One hundred and thirty below |url= https://www.newspapers.com/image/259544786/?match=1&terms=%22Cave%20sitting%22%20terence%20mullen |page=8 |location=London, UK}}</ref>
== Origins == {{cn span |text=According to Professor Carol Martin of New York University, the revival of the Olympic Games created a widespread interest in feats of strength, endurance contests, and world records that led to dance and other endurance marathons. |date=October 2023}} Almost any activity could be transformed into some type of endurance contest, as long as it was done for an extended period of time. The contests ranged from activities like dancing, swimming, and rocking-chair-sitting, to oddities such as sitting on a flagpole or in a tree.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sbsun.com/2017/02/19/the-age-of-endurance/ |first1=Mark |last1=Landis |title=The age of endurance |date=2017-07-24 |work=The San Bernardino Sun}}</ref>
== Golden Age == {{cn span |text=Endurance contests gained popularity during the Great Depression in large part because of the hard financial times. Contests offered cash prizes equivalent to a year's salary. |date=October 2023}} They provided contestants and spectators food, shelter and the opportunity to earn cash prizes at a time when many people needed a free meal.<ref name=martin>{{Cite book |last=Martin |first=Carol J. |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/48440278 |title=A history of the American dance marathon |oclc=48440278}}</ref>{{Page needed|date=December 2022}}
== Decline == In the early 1930s, the public began to grow weary of the endurance contests that had devolved into unimaginative, and sometimes bizarre annoyances. In April of 1935, San Bernardino County passed an ordinance regulating endurance contests of all types, and placed onerous rules on the events. The State of California followed suit in June of 1935, by enacting statewide regulations on endurance contests. <ref>https://www.sbsun.com/2017/02/19/the-age-of-endurance/</ref> Contests became a fad again briefly in the 1960s before declining once again.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/michael-mick-meaney-buried-alive |title='The Coffin Man': Michael “Mick” Meaney, Who Volunteered to Be Buried Alive for 61 Days |website=mentalfloss.com |date=2023-03-08 |first1=Jake |last1=Rossen}}</ref>{{fv|date=October 2023|reason=This reference doesn't mention a decline after the 1960s, and in facts gives several examples through 1999}}
== Examples == * Burial artists * Dance marathon * Endurance art * Marathon swimming * Pole sitting * Cave sitting * Office chair racing
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
Category:1920s fads and trends Category:Competitive dance Category:Charity events Contests