Monday, June 26, 2006
The Rise and Fall of Genghis Khan the II
Back in April Thomas Robinson, an accounting professor at the University of Miami, got the shock of his life. No, it was not a summons from the Internal Revenue Department. It was a genealogy report that showed that he was a descendant of Genghis Khan. Yep! The one and the same. There are, of course, 16 million people in Asia who share that same distinction. However, Robinson appeared to be the only American, and probably the only accountant. Robinson had sent off a sample of his DNA for a test and it came back positive for Genghis Khan. Now like many accountants examining a set of books, the old prof thought he smelled a rat. So he had his ”books” checked again. This time the report came back negative. Easy come—easy go!
The startling thing about the report was the 16 million living descendants of the great Khan. I had always had the impression that the guy spent more time on the battlefield than he did in bed. It seems that I was wrong—way wrong. But, it started me to thinking. What is the record for the most children fathered by one man? There is that man of mystery known as Donor 401. He has at least 25 children via a number of women, although he never had sex with any of them. He was a good-looking sperm donor who tanned well. Now we know what women really look for in a man—someone who really tans well.
OK. We will scratch Donor 401 from our list. We are looking for men who knew lots of women in the Biblical definition of “knowing.” The first name that comes to mind is King Solomon who had 700 wives and 300 concubines. In his day that translated into a lot of children. Lots. Centuries later Frederick the Great complained that Solomon had a thousand wives and it was not enough for him. “I, on the other hand, have one and it is too many for me!” So Frederick does not make our short list.
But the champion of them all might well be Wilt Chamberlain. Now Wilt had his picture on a Wheaties Box, but not for “biblical knowledge.” Nope it was for scoring a hundred points in a professional basketball game. However, in A View from Above, his autobiography, he claimed to have had sex with around 20,000 women. Many people question that figure. Chamberlain explained his behavior; “I was just going what was natural—chasing good-looking ladies, whoever they were and wherever they were available.” Old Solomon, the wisest of men, “knew” a thousand women and knew that it was time to quit. Wilt was certainly no Solomon. Now, although no paternity suits were filed against him there must have been a few accidents—maybe a lot. He was certainly not a member of Planned Parenthood. So Wilt gets my vote for fathering the most children. Maybe I am wrong. But one thing is for sure—he was no Frederick the Great.
Back in April Thomas Robinson, an accounting professor at the University of Miami, got the shock of his life. No, it was not a summons from the Internal Revenue Department. It was a genealogy report that showed that he was a descendant of Genghis Khan. Yep! The one and the same. There are, of course, 16 million people in Asia who share that same distinction. However, Robinson appeared to be the only American, and probably the only accountant. Robinson had sent off a sample of his DNA for a test and it came back positive for Genghis Khan. Now like many accountants examining a set of books, the old prof thought he smelled a rat. So he had his ”books” checked again. This time the report came back negative. Easy come—easy go!
The startling thing about the report was the 16 million living descendants of the great Khan. I had always had the impression that the guy spent more time on the battlefield than he did in bed. It seems that I was wrong—way wrong. But, it started me to thinking. What is the record for the most children fathered by one man? There is that man of mystery known as Donor 401. He has at least 25 children via a number of women, although he never had sex with any of them. He was a good-looking sperm donor who tanned well. Now we know what women really look for in a man—someone who really tans well.
OK. We will scratch Donor 401 from our list. We are looking for men who knew lots of women in the Biblical definition of “knowing.” The first name that comes to mind is King Solomon who had 700 wives and 300 concubines. In his day that translated into a lot of children. Lots. Centuries later Frederick the Great complained that Solomon had a thousand wives and it was not enough for him. “I, on the other hand, have one and it is too many for me!” So Frederick does not make our short list.
But the champion of them all might well be Wilt Chamberlain. Now Wilt had his picture on a Wheaties Box, but not for “biblical knowledge.” Nope it was for scoring a hundred points in a professional basketball game. However, in A View from Above, his autobiography, he claimed to have had sex with around 20,000 women. Many people question that figure. Chamberlain explained his behavior; “I was just going what was natural—chasing good-looking ladies, whoever they were and wherever they were available.” Old Solomon, the wisest of men, “knew” a thousand women and knew that it was time to quit. Wilt was certainly no Solomon. Now, although no paternity suits were filed against him there must have been a few accidents—maybe a lot. He was certainly not a member of Planned Parenthood. So Wilt gets my vote for fathering the most children. Maybe I am wrong. But one thing is for sure—he was no Frederick the Great.
