SORRY, CHARLIE

A whole page of gossip about famous people named Charles.

Charlie Sheen. When he was engaged to actress Kelly Preston, he accidentally shot her in the arm. She left him and married John Travolta.

Prince Charles. As a child, he was teased so much about the size of his ears that his great-uncle Lord Mountbatten told the queen to surgically fix the “problem.” The queen declined. The prince’s ears remain big to this day.

Charles Lindbergh. His father was a U.S. congressman. During a visit to the Capitol as a boy, he locked the doors of the bathroom and threw lightbulbs onto the street below.

Charlie Brown. If he were a real person, he’d be four and a half feet tall: his head would take up two of those feet, his body another two feet, and his legs six inches. Also, his head would be two feet wide.

Charles Barkley. After Tonya Harding called herself the “Charles Barkley of figure skating,” Barkley said this: “My initial response was to sue her for defamation of character, but then I realized that I had no character.”

Charles Darwin. Born on the same day as Abraham Lincoln, Darwin originally wanted to be a doctor, but had to give it up because he “wasn’t smart enough.”

Charlie Chaplin. His mansion was next door to notorious Hollywood rake John Barrymore’s. Chaplin installed a telescope to spy on his neighbor’s nightly exploits.

Charlie Chan. From 1925 to 1949, there were 47 movies made about the fictional Chinese detective. Six actors played Chan—not one was Chinese.

Q: Why are giraffes highly susceptible to throat infections?