November 26th, 2009
Tonight at 8:00 pm Eastern Time, the Science Channel features the amazing artillery of the World Punkin Chunkin Championship. This fun-filled event, held each year in November, draws up to 70,000 spectators, raising money for charity.
Since 1986, Sussex County, Delaware has been home to the annual Punkin Chunkin World Championships — a 3-day festival where hardcore engineers and backyard tinkerers trailer their gigantic, homebuilt contraptions with one common goal: to launch 8- to 10-pound pumpkins as far as mechanically possible. The competition is divided into seven categories defined by the type of machine — motorized, centrifugal spinners, and the mighty air cannons.
Tonight, the Science Channel airs an hour-long special on the Chunkin Championship — part science experiment, part genuine Americana. Hosted by comedian Brad Sherwood, this special documents the ingenuity of the biggest, loudest, greatest pumpkin hurling competition in the world. Sherwood follows select teams as they journey from machine design to testing their equipment to the competition’s climactic finale, where every team hopes to reach the one-mile mark. Inspired by the original Delaware event, lesser chunkin competitions have been started in other US states, and in the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Great Britain.
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If you can’t wait for tonight’s broadcast, visit the Science Channel website for Punkin Chunkin videos, Chunkin engineering analyses, Chunkin quizzes, and even online Chunkin’ jig-saw puzzles. There’s enough stuff online to keep you entertained for hours.
Chunkin Videos
Chunkin Quiz
Chunkin Puzzles |
Punkin Chunkin FAST FACTS:
- The world record for Adult Air Cannons is Young Glory III at 4,483 feet.
– The world record for Adult Torsion is Chucky II at 3,091 feet.
– The world record for Adult Catapult is Fibonacci at 2,862 feet.
– The world record for Adult Trebuchet is Yankee Siege at 1,894 feet.
– The world record for Adult Centrifugal is 2,770 feet.
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