The Night Everyone Ate A Goldfish

 

A strange fad swept American college campuses in the 1930s.

 

Students began swallowing live goldfish.

 

It started as a dare. One student gulped a goldfish at a party. Someone else did it faster. Soon it became a competition—who could swallow the most, the biggest, or the fastest.

 

The stunts drew crowds. Photographs appeared in the newspapers. What began as a joke turned into a national trend.

 

Administrators were horrified. Animal welfare groups protested. Colleges banned the practice. Some students were arrested or expelled.

 

Medical experts warned of parasites and choking. That didn’t slow it down.

 

By the end of the decade, swallowing goldfish had lost its shock value and disappeared.

 

All that remained was the memory of when America decided that eating a live fish was entertainment.