The joke goes ‘who's buried in Grant's Tomb?' but NYers can't agree on the punchline
Most people have heard the joke 'who's buried in Grant's Tomb?' but New Yorkers and tourists at the famous Morningside Heights landmark this week couldn't agree what the punchline is.
The obvious answer is the so-obvious-it-can't-be-correct 'Grant' as in Civil War general and former US President Ulysses S. Grant. But maybe it's also 'Grant and his wife' — or no one at all.
Advertisement
8 Most people have heard the joke 'who's buried in Grant's Tomb?' but New Yorkers and tourists at the famous Morningside Heights landmark couldn't agree on what the punchline is.
Robert Miller
8 A group about to go on a tour of Grant's Tomb, located in Riverside Park, Upper West Side.
Robert Miller
'Actually, he's entombed. He's not buried!' said S.F., who was visiting the tomb on the Upper West Side on July 23, the 140th anniversary of Grant's death.
Advertisement
'It's Grant and his wife, Julia,' S.F. added. 'I don't know whether his dog is in there or not.'
'Definitely not Grant, but somebody,' joked Abdullah Hashimi, 19, who was visiting the tomb from nearby Columbia University on July 23, the 140th anniversary of Grant's death. 'Just because it's Grant Tomb, it could be anybody!'
8 'Definitely not Grant, but somebody,' joked Abdullah Hashimi, 19, who was visiting the tomb from nearby Columbia University on the 140th anniversary of Grant's death. 'Just because it's Grant Tomb, it could be anybody!'
Robert Miller
Lifelong New Yorker Pat Sopak, 75, said the punchline has changed over the years — to maximize it's punch.
Advertisement
'It's too weird. It's obvious,' Sopak said. 'It's constantly updating.'
Grant was a Republican from Ohio, but lived in the Big Apple for several years. The former Union Army hero's 1885 funeral was reportedly attended by 1.5 million at a time when the city's entire population was 2 million.
8 'It's too weird. It's obvious,' Pat Sopak, 75, said about the punchline. 'It's constantly updating.'
Robert Miller
8 Inside Grant's Tomb, a 150-foot-tall monument in Riverside Park that opened on April 27, 1897, after fundraising from the Grand Monument Association.
Robert Miller
Advertisement
8 The 1885 funeral was reportedly attended by 1.5 million.
Robert Miller
But the 150-foot-tall monument in Riverside Park didn't open until April 27, 1897, after a fundraising effort by the Grand Monument Association.
Today it attracts about 110,000 visitors per year and is run by the National Parks Service.
Park Ranger Miranda Allen said she's asked about 'who's buried in Grant's tomb' nearly everyday. She attributed its origins to 'You Bet Your Life,' the Groucho Marx-hosted quiz show from the 1950s and said it was written as an easy question for Marx's contestants who might need redemption.
8 Park Ranger Miranda Allen said she's asked about the joke nearly everyday.
Robert Miller
8 'In order to be buried, you have to be in the ground,' Allen said. 'Since the remains are in sarcophagi, so they're actually above ground. So no one is buried in Grant's Tomb,' she said, joking the correct answer is 'no one.'
Robert Miller
'However, they didn't consider the semantics of the question when they wrote it. So, when you're asked 'who's buried in Grant's Tomb?' it's easy to assume, well, it's Grant. Sometimes we'll get 'well, actually it's Grant and his wife.''
Advertisement
Allen said the joke's on them though — the correct answer really is 'no one.'
'Because in order to be buried, you have to be in the ground.' Allen said. 'And given that this is a mausoleum, since the remains are in sarcophagi, so they're actually above ground. So no one is buried in Grant's Tomb.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Jay Leno Criticizes Political Late-Night Hosts: 'Nobody Wants to Hear a Lecture'
Jay Leno took aim at late-night hosts whose political humor appeals to only 'half their audience' by making jokes targeting only one side of the ideological spectrum. The 75-year-old former Tonight Show host made the comments during a recent interview with the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation. While the interview was taped at least two weeks ago — likely before CBS made its shock announcement that it was canceling The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on July 17 — the portion of the interview containing the late-night criticism was posted on YouTube last week and has been making the rounds this weekend due to recent headlines. More from The Hollywood Reporter 'Late Show' Musicians' Union Calls Colbert's Cancellation "Censorship" 'South Park' Creators Reveal Network Battle Over Premiere's Trump Penis as They Joke: "We're Terribly Sorry" Steve Buscemi Recalls Failed Audition for Barry Levinson's 'Tin Men': "There Was This Silence" David Trulio, the president and CEO of the foundation, kicked things off by noting to Leno that his jokes were equally balanced between mocking Democrats and Republicans. 'I got hate letters saying, 'You and your Republican friends,' and another saying, 'I hope you and your Democratic buddies are happy' — over the same joke,' Leno says. 'That's how you get a whole audience. Now you have to be content with half the audience, because you have to give your opinion.' Continued Leno: 'Rodney Dangerfield and I were friends. I knew Rodney 40 years and I have no idea if he was a Democrat or Republican. We never discussed politics, we just discussed jokes. I like to think that people come to a comedy show to get away from the pressures of life. I love political humor — don't get me wrong. But people wind up cozying too much to one side or the other.' Leno concluded by saying: 'I don't think anybody wants to hear a lecture … Why shoot for just half an audience? Why not try to get the whole? I like to bring people into the big picture. I don't understand why you would alienate one particular group — or just don't do it at all. I'm not saying you have to throw your support [on one side]. But just do what's funny.' Leno hosted The Tonight Show for 17 years across two separate stints, starting in 1999 and concluding in 2014. During that time, the NBC series was often the top-rated late-night show. CBS abruptly announced The Late Show would conclude in May 2026, and called the move a 'financial decision.' But it came days after Colbert criticized the network for paying 'a big fat bribe' to President Donald Trump in the form of a $16 million settlement over a 60 Minutes interview. Newsbusters, a right-wing media watchdog, claimed The Late Show has hosted 176 outwardly left-leaning guests since 2022 and only one Republican, and booked 43 left-leaning guests since the start of 2025. Other late-night hosts — including current Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon — have rallied behind Colbert since the decision, with fellow talents working under parent company Paramount Global having been especially scathing. 'What made you that money are shows that say something, shows that take a stand, shows that are unafraid…' Stewart said. 'If you believe — as corporations or as networks — that you can make yourselves so innocuous that you can serve a gruel so flavorless that you will never again be on the boy king's radar … Why would anyone watch you?' Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Studio': 30 Famous Faces Who Play (a Version of) Themselves in the Hollywood-Based Series 22 of the Most Shocking Character Deaths in Television History A 'Star Wars' Timeline: All the Movies and TV Shows in the Franchise Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
JD Vance latest GOP politician to enter Syndey Sweeney jeans ad debate
Sydney Sweeney's jeans – excuse us, *genes – are continuing to stir controversy. Vice President JD Vance became the latest Republican politician to weigh in on a controversial American Eagle ad featuring Sweeney that critics argued promoted eugenics. "My political advice to the Democrats is continue to (call) everybody who thinks Sydney Sweeney is attractive is a Nazi," Vance joked during an episode of the conservative "Ruthless" podcast on Friday, Aug. 1. "That appears to be their actual strategy." The Nazi party used the pseudoscience of eugenics, which promotes some genetic features as better than others, to justify the killing of Jews and countless other minority groups during the Holocaust. Sydney Sweeney dishes on the best jeans, her favorite rom-com and what's on her playlist American Eagle's campaign, which has spawned a fierce cultural debate, used wordplay to describe Sweeney, 27, as having "good genes," a wordplay to promote the brand's denim jeans. Critics have said the ad blitz amounts to a glorification of whiteness and a dog whistle for racist ideologies. But her supporters have said the ad is meant to be a light-hearted wordplay, defending the "Euphoria" actress and the brand. Sweeney previously told USA TODAY that denim was a staple of her wardrobe, but left out AE in her list of favored brands at the time. "I'm very much a white, plain T-shirt kind of girl. I jump around from a bunch of different brands and that kind of depends on what vibe I want to go for," she said. "I have my Levi's white T-shirts and my Cotton On white T-shirts that are just paired with casual jeans. Jean wise: I mean, I love Levi's, Frame, Agolde." Sydney Sweeney controversy, explained In one of several videos for AE, Sweeney, clad in a denim-on-denim outfit, says: "Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color." "My jeans are blue," she says as the camera pans across her blue denim and her blue eyes. Soon after the campaign dropped, people began to sound the alarm on what they saw as a dangerous message about the beauty ideal, race and "good" versus "bad" genes. Vance, though, chalked the whole ordeal up to an overreaction from the "left" and a doubling down on a strategy that he thinks lost the Democrats the 2024 presidential election. Dunkin' ad about 'genetics' draws comparisons to Sydney Sweeney drama "I actually thought that one of the lessons (Democrats) might take is 'we're going to be less crazy.' And the lesson they have apparently taken is 'we're going to attack people as Nazis for thinking Sydney Sweeney is beautiful,'" he said on the podcast. "Great strategy, guys. That's how you're going to win the midterm, especially young American men." The ad's critics, however, argued that a campaign selling jeans to women should not have been shot so clearly from the male gaze. Some consumers were quick to point out what they saw as the regressive nature of the material: A buxom blonde woman drawing attention to her body and employing a sensual tone, they argued, calling back to a stereotypical symbol of a bygone era. "Wasn't she the one who said she didn't want to be seen as an object?" one commenter asked on Sweeney's Instagram page, while another chided: "We can leave Nazi Germany back where it got conquered ty next!!!" Sweeney has not yet spoken out about the controversy, though several prominent members of the GOP have chimed in on her behalf. Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, for instance, took to X on July 29 to blast the left for criticizing the ad. "Wow. Now the crazy Left has come out against beautiful women. I'm sure that will poll well…." he wrote. White House's communications director Steven Cheung, a longtime adviser for President Donald Trump, also maligned the criticism, calling it "cancel culture run amok." "This warped, moronic and dense liberal thinking is a big reason why Americans voted the way they did in 2024," he wrote on X July 29, adding that people are "tired" of this way of thinking. But, when a second ad campaign, this time from Dunkin', dropped featuring the same "genetic" themes, many critics felt vindicated, arguing that it signaled a greater cultural shift toward genetic hierarchy and racism. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sydney Sweeney drama: JD Vance addresses American Eagle ad controversy
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
JD Vance latest GOP politician to enter Syndey Sweeney jeans ad debate
Sydney Sweeney's jeans – excuse us, *genes – are continuing to stir controversy. Vice President JD Vance became the latest Republican politician to weigh in on a controversial American Eagle ad featuring Sweeney that critics argued promoted eugenics. "My political advice to the Democrats is continue to (call) everybody who thinks Sydney Sweeney is attractive is a Nazi," Vance joked during an episode of the conservative "Ruthless" podcast on Friday, Aug. 1. "That appears to be their actual strategy." The Nazi party used the pseudoscience of eugenics, which promotes some genetic features as better than others, to justify the killing of Jews and countless other minority groups during the Holocaust. Sydney Sweeney dishes on the best jeans, her favorite rom-com and what's on her playlist American Eagle's campaign, which has spawned a fierce cultural debate, used wordplay to describe Sweeney, 27, as having "good genes," a wordplay to promote the brand's denim jeans. Critics have said the ad blitz amounts to a glorification of whiteness and a dog whistle for racist ideologies. But her supporters have said the ad is meant to be a light-hearted wordplay, defending the "Euphoria" actress and the brand. Sweeney previously told USA TODAY that denim was a staple of her wardrobe, but left out AE in her list of favored brands at the time. "I'm very much a white, plain T-shirt kind of girl. I jump around from a bunch of different brands and that kind of depends on what vibe I want to go for," she said. "I have my Levi's white T-shirts and my Cotton On white T-shirts that are just paired with casual jeans. Jean wise: I mean, I love Levi's, Frame, Agolde." Sydney Sweeney controversy, explained In one of several videos for AE, Sweeney, clad in a denim-on-denim outfit, says: "Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color." "My jeans are blue," she says as the camera pans across her blue denim and her blue eyes. Soon after the campaign dropped, people began to sound the alarm on what they saw as a dangerous message about the beauty ideal, race and "good" versus "bad" genes. Vance, though, chalked the whole ordeal up to an overreaction from the "left" and a doubling down on a strategy that he thinks lost the Democrats the 2024 presidential election. Dunkin' ad about 'genetics' draws comparisons to Sydney Sweeney drama "I actually thought that one of the lessons (Democrats) might take is 'we're going to be less crazy.' And the lesson they have apparently taken is 'we're going to attack people as Nazis for thinking Sydney Sweeney is beautiful,'" he said on the podcast. "Great strategy, guys. That's how you're going to win the midterm, especially young American men." The ad's critics, however, argued that a campaign selling jeans to women should not have been shot so clearly from the male gaze. Some consumers were quick to point out what they saw as the regressive nature of the material: A buxom blonde woman drawing attention to her body and employing a sensual tone, they argued, calling back to a stereotypical symbol of a bygone era. "Wasn't she the one who said she didn't want to be seen as an object?" one commenter asked on Sweeney's Instagram page, while another chided: "We can leave Nazi Germany back where it got conquered ty next!!!" Sweeney has not yet spoken out about the controversy, though several prominent members of the GOP have chimed in on her behalf. Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, for instance, took to X on July 29 to blast the left for criticizing the ad. "Wow. Now the crazy Left has come out against beautiful women. I'm sure that will poll well…." he wrote. White House's communications director Steven Cheung, a longtime adviser for President Donald Trump, also maligned the criticism, calling it "cancel culture run amok." "This warped, moronic and dense liberal thinking is a big reason why Americans voted the way they did in 2024," he wrote on X July 29, adding that people are "tired" of this way of thinking. But, when a second ad campaign, this time from Dunkin', dropped featuring the same "genetic" themes, many critics felt vindicated, arguing that it signaled a greater cultural shift toward genetic hierarchy and racism.
