Cramming People Into a Thing

Phone Booth Cramming - In 1959 when a group of students in Durban, South Africa crammed 25 students into a booth and submitted the result to the Guinness Book of World Records. 

Phone Booth Cramming (LIFE Edition) - LIFE magazine documented the phone booth cramming fad from its inception. Here are a series of images by Robert W. Kelley, a LIFE magazine photographer who documented one “legs-out” attempt by a bunch of college boys in 1959

Phone Booth Cramming (Ladies-Only Edition) - At Memphis State U in 1959, 26 Sigma Kappa ladies gave it the old college try by cramming into their own telephone booth…though as you can see, their cramming rules appear rather lax. (Note: standing at the left of the photo is cheerleader Janis Hollingsworth, who cheered her sisters on throughout the event.)

Car Cramming - In the 1950s, beyond the hallowed halls of Clown College to square schools: regular college kids went the extra mile by cramming themselves into small cars like the famously economical (and tiny) Renault.

Train Stuffing - In 1962, space on Tokyo trains was at a premium, so “pushmen” were employed to cram commuters into trains, to maximize efficiency. 

Outhouse Cramming - In 1959, 37 (!) students in Brookings, South Dakota, crammed themselves into a single outhouse, leaving the bum-wiping magazine on top to save space inside. According to South Dakotan rules of the day, half a person’s body could remain outside the crammed edifice and still count — hence the pile of dudes sticking out the front.

Tree Stuffing - In 1961, students at the University of Maine decided to cram inside hollow trees.

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