One of the most unusual fads of the 1920s was flagpole sitting. Flagpole sitting is sitting (or standing) on the top of a flagpole for as long as possible. The most famous flagpole sitter was a man named Alvin "Shipwreck" Kelly. One day in 1924 Kelly decided to climb up a flagpole and sit on the top for as long as he could. Although it seems strange now, flagpole sitting soon became a big fad. People all over the country started to copy Kelly and sit on top of flagpoles. Kelly ND OTHERS TRAVELED AROUND THE COUNTRY TRYING TO SET RECORDS. Hug crowds gathered to watch flagpole sitters and cheer them on. Everyone wondered who could sit on the of a flagpole for the longest amount of time. Kelly finally set the record by staying on top of a flagpole in Atlantic City, New Jersey, for 49 days. During his lifetime, Kelly spent 20,613 hours on top of a pole; 210 of them were in freezing cold weather and 1,400 hours were in the rain. Flagpole sitting finally died out around 1929 with the coming of the Depression.