Which Minnesotan went on a world-famous hunger strike on this day in 1880?
Dr. H. S. Tanner of Minneapolis begins a 40-day fast in New York in an effort to prove his theory that neither the human stomach nor food is required in order to sustain life.
Dropping fifty pounds and shrinking two inches, he makes it to the end, breaking his fast on a meal of milk and watermelon.
For more, here's a MinnPost article from Oct. 31, 2011, chronicling additional sensational details of Dr. Tanner's odyssey.