I suspect this is a common question, and I also suspect that the standard answer is "No, and we wouldn't tell you if it were anyway." President Jimmy Carter's fishing boat on April 20, 1979.. One thing I did know, however, was that President Jimmy Carter was attacked by an aquatic Killer Rabbit. President Carter was fishing in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, on April 20, 1979, alone in a flat-bottomed boat while staff were on land nearby. The Jimmy Carter rabbit incident, also known as a "killer rabbit attack" by the press, involved a swamp rabbit that swam toward then–U.S. Now, on Easter Monday, we have a seasonal yet non-denominational puzzle involving a bunny rabbit — the “Killer Rabbit,” as the media dubbed it, that tried to board President Jimmy Carter’s boat as he was fishing at a pond in Plains, Georgia, in 1979. Today in Odd History, President Jimmy Carter was attacked by a rabbit during a fishing trip in Plains, Georgia. We take on a former President of the USA, and one particularly vicious rabbit. Why was so much made of this? The White House did not publicly release a photograph of the event until much later, and the Post printed a cartoon parody of the Jaws poster labeled "PAWS" as its illustration. More details. Anyone remember the ‘Killer Rabbit’ incident? The incident in question took place in 1979 when […] He was unable to reach a definite conclusion about its state of mind. FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. Bio. The incident was parodied in 1980 by folk singer Tom Paxton in the song "I Don't Want a Bunny Wunny." We think it’s safe to say that nobody in human history has ever looked at a rabbit and thought “That thing could take me in a fist fight”. Because Monty Python And The Holy Grail was still fresh in people’s minds? [4][5][6] The White House declined to release the photo to the media until it turned up during the Reagan administration and the story saw a revival. Humor columnist Dave Barry has often referred to the "enormous swimming rabbit" incident in his writings. As Carter was on a solo fishing expedition in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, when a rabbit that was being chased by hounds jumped into the water near him and … The rabbit then leaped into the water and swam at Jimmy Carter's boat, in which Jimmy Carter was defenseless. We like to call these great and telling tales because they are. It was August 1979, and in one of the more bizarre moments of a frankly very eccentric presidency, Jimmy Carter had just been attacked by an aquatic "killer rabbit" while on holiday in his home state. The rabbit, which may have been fleeing a predator, swam toward his boat, "hissing menacingly, its teeth flashing and nostrils flared." The average politician would have said, goddamit, I’m president of the United States and I say it was a rabbit. Why was so much made of this? The incident became popular in the media after Carter's press secretary, Jody Powell, mentioned the event to a correspondent months later. The Jimmy Carter rabbit incident, sensationalized as a "killer rabbit attack" by the press, involved a swamp rabbit that swam toward then–U.S. [8][9]. The president had been unmanned. I suspect this is a common question, and I also suspect that the standard answer is "No, and we wouldn't tell you if it were anyway." 1979 incident in which Jimmy Carter was attacked by a swamp rabbit, "President Jimmy Carter and the "killer rabbit, "What was the deal with Jimmy Carter and the killer rabbit? This means you're free to copy and share these comics (but not to sell them). Carter repeatedly stated that he had not used his oars to beat the animal, but to splash water at him to back away. Thanks for watching, everyone! [2] But a White House photographer had taken a picture of the incident, which was released by a later administration.[3]. "I never did hit the rabbit," President Carter earnestly told the sniggering press corps in Plains, Georgia. Picture courtesy of the Jimmy Carter Library. Jimmy Carter Attacked By Swimming Rabbit Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 6:30PM While pond fishing in Plains, Georgia in the spring of 1979, Jimmy Carter reported to his staff that he was confronted by a swimming rabbit and further claimed that the animal was intent on … It was August 1979, and President Jimmy Carter … Greetings, Jimmy Carter Library folks. Although Jimmy Carter was a one-term president, he is remembered for many things, like the Iran hostage crisis, the nuclear accident at Three Mile Island, the late-70s energy crisis - and being attacked by a "killer rabbit" on April 20, 1979. In Dave Barry Slept Here: A Sort of History of the United States, he names it the uncontested single most memorable event of Carter's presidency. The incident crystallized an emerging… March 9, 2017 at 2:10 p.m. UTC. Comic-strip spoofs of the episode appeared, one of them starring “Paws,” a sharklike rabbit menace. IIRC a large rabbit tried to climb aboard Jimmy Carter’s boat while he was fishing, and Carter fended it off with an oar. IIRC a large rabbit tried to climb aboard Jimmy Carter’s boat while he was fishing, and Carter fended it off with an oar. When he got almost there, I splashed some water with a paddle. "[1], When Carter returned to his office, his staff did not believe his story, saying rabbits could not swim, or that one would never approach a person threateningly. Posted on 08/29/2003 3:03:45 PM PDTby NC Conservative. Associated Press correspondent Brooks Jackson's story on the incident was published August 30, 1979, in various newspapers, including on the front page of The Washington Post with the title "Bunny Goes Bugs: Rabbit Attacks President." In 2010, CNN's Howard Kurtz asked President Jimmy Carter about a 1979 fishing trip involving a panicked rabbit mentioned in … The incident caught the imagination of the media after Carter's press secretary, Jody Powell, mentioned the event to a correspondent months later. Chris Cillizza. Chris Cillizza. The upshot: Carter was no longer a liar, but still a clown. It also exlplores President Carter's interest in UFO's after he claimed to have witnested a UFO in 1969.Also explores the 70's with appearances from Jeff Carter, Ron Covitch and others. Carter had to fight the rabbit off with a wooden boat oar when it attacked his boat. the infamous rabbit attack and the conspiracies surounding it are explored in this documentary. Is the infamous picture of President Carter being attacked by a rabbit while fishing available from the Library? Carter said a rabbit being chased by hounds "jumped in the water and swam toward my boat. Greetings, Jimmy Carter Library folks. :-) Still - … Worried about upsetting the animal rights and environmental lobbies, Carter denied reports that he had hit the rabbit with his paddle. 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The President confessed to having had limited experience with enraged rabbits. Because people thought that Carter was actually being attacked? On a boat. Jimmy Carter’s encounter with an angry swamp rabbit in the spring of 1979 lasted only a moment. President Jimmy Carter's fishing boat on April 20, 1979. Reporter. The animal was clearly in distress, or perhaps berserk. By the time that his security got there, Billy had gone into shock, and Jimmy Carter was in a stupor, from the rabbit bite. But Carter wasn’t that kind of guy. In his 1986 book The Other Side of the Story, Powell recounted the story: Upon closer inspection, the animal turned out to be a rabbit. The incident caught the imagination of the media after Carter's press secretary, Jody Powell, mentioned the event to a correspondent months later. He was fishing on a lake near his home in … It looks like there's an issue with JavaScript in your browser. (Was he? The rabbit dust-up was incredibly damaging to the Carter presidency and was used by his political opponents to defeat him in the 1980 election. He ordered a blowup made, establishing at last that his attacker was, well, a bunny, or “swamp rabbit,” to use press secretary Jody … This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License. The incident with the rabbit became fodder for political and ideological opponents who wanted to frame Carter's presidency as hapless and enfeebled,[7] although the event's proximity to the U.S. release of the comedy feature film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which includes scenes of a killer rabbit slaying humans, led to some people describing Carter as having "fended off a killer rabbit" instead. The Jimmy Carter rabbit incident, dubbed the "killer rabbit" attack by the media, involved a swamp rabbit that swam toward then–U.S. It's the unofficial start of summer, which means it's as good a time as any to revisit one of the greatest vacation moments in American history: when President Jimmy Carter was attacked by a rabbit. 2010: Jimmy Carter v. the 'Killer Rabbit' In 2010, CNN's Howard Kurtz asked President Jimmy Carter about a 1979 fishing trip involving a panicked rabbit mentioned in … Because Monty Python And The Holy Grail was still fresh in people’s minds? In 2010, CNN's Howard Kurtz asked President Jimmy Carter about a 1979 fishing trip involving a panicked rabbit mentioned in his book, "White House Diary. Now, on Easter Monday, we have a seasonal yet non-denominational puzzle involving a bunny rabbit — the “Killer Rabbit,” as the media dubbed it, that tried to board President Jimmy Carter’s boat as he was fishing at a pond in Plains, Georgia, in 1979. President Jimmy Carter's fishing boat on April 20, 1979. President Jimmy Carter's fishing boat on April 20, 1979. Cecil Adams' Straight Dope says: The rabbit incident happened on April 20 while Carter was taking a few days off in Plains, Georgia. Jimmy Carter Attacked by Killer Rabbit (April 20, 1979) Today in Odd History, President Jimmy Carter was attacked by a rabbit during a fishing trip in Plains, Georgia. https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/jimmy-carter-vs-killer-rabbit-video Last in this season! President Jimmy Carter was attacked by a killer rabbit while fishing in a boat. The event was photographed. The Jimmy Carter rabbit incident, sensationalized as a "killer rabbit attack" by the press, involved a swamp rabbit that swam toward then–U.S. It was August 1979, and President Jimmy Carter was taking some time off before the 1980 campaign began in earnest. It was August 1979, and in one of the more bizarre moments of a frankly very eccentric presidency, Jimmy Carter had just been attacked by an aquatic “killer rabbit” while on holiday in his home state. Jimmy Carter and the Killer Rabbit I didn't live in the US in 1979, and my knowledge of the doings of presidents was limited. The Jimmy Carter rabbit incident, sensationalized as a "killer rabbit attack" by the press, involved a swamp rabbit (Sylvilagus aquaticus) that swam toward then–U.S. (Was he? Fulk, the 12th century king of Jerusalem, was killed by a rabbit. Jimmy Carter was fishing peacefully when the attack took place. Anyone remember the ‘Killer Rabbit’ incident? Carter biographer Douglas Brinkley says, It just played up the Carter flake factor…. Not one of your cutesy, Easter Bunny-type rabbits, but one of those big splay-footed things that we called swamp rabbits when I was growing up. The incident caught the imagination of the media after Carter's press secretary, Jody Powell, mentioned the event to a correspondent months later. What was obvious, however, was that this large, wet animal, making strange hissing noises and gnashing its teeth, was intent upon climbing into the Presidential boat. Which makes the story of the time President Jimmy Carter was attacked by one all the more hilarious. Jimmy Carter was once attacked by a rabbit. Is the infamous picture of President Carter being attacked by a rabbit while fishing available from the Library? The incident caught press imagination after Carter's press secretary mentioned the event to a corres How Jimmy Carter's Face-Off with The Rabbit Changed the Presidency By Jim O'Grady Of all the crises that President Carter faced in 1979 -- gas shortages, hostage-taking, runaway inflation -- his bizarre encounter with a crazed swimming rabbit on a Georgia lake was as damaging as any to his image. The rabbit, which may have been fleeing a predator, swam toward his boat, "hissing menacingly, its teeth flashing and nostrils flared." The killer rabbit had brought Carter to me. Jimmy Carter & the Killer Rabbit July 8, 2010 by Lisa Waller Rogers It was late in the day on April 20, 1979, and U.S. President Jimmy Carter was enjoying a needed break from the pressures of the presidency. President Carter was forced to swat at the vicious beast with a canoe paddle, which apparently scared it off. Jimmy Carter’s encounter with an angry swamp rabbit in the spring of 1979 lasted only a moment. Timothy Dickinson tells us the story of Jimmy Carter vs the killer rabbit. There is a large photo of Jimmy Carter and the rabbit at the Freepers page above. Four years after the release of the movie, Killer Rabbit was the term used widely by the press to describe the swamp rabbit that "attacked" then U.S. President Jimmy Carter while he was fishing on a farm pond. ", Support for Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War, The Hornet's Nest: A Novel of the Revolutionary War, A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power, United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jimmy_Carter_rabbit_incident&oldid=989207780, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 17 November 2020, at 17:40. President Jimmy Carter's fishing boat on April 20, 1979. In Apple Inc.'s iOS system, Siri may say that the "Rabbit of Caerbannog" is its favorite animal when asked. Note: While some presidential apologists have suggested that Carter might actually have been attacked by a nutria, a large, aggressive aquatic rodent, others have insisted that the President's assailant was a simple, if unusually vicious, bunny rabbit. He swung an oar at the beast and it jumped up and bit him on the neck, creating Vampire Jimmy Carter. Historical Context. 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