Voting Station

Chris Haney

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Inventor

The Resume

    (August 9, 1950-May 31, 2010)
    Born in Welland, Ontario, Canada
    Photo editor for The Canadian Press
    Along with friend Scott Abbott created the popular board game Trivial Pursuit
    Died in Toronto after a long illness at age 59
    At the time of his death, global sales of Trivial Pursuit topped 100 million units (with 20 million alone in 1984)

Why he might be annoying:

    He smoked.
    He divorced the mother of his three kids.
    He had a fear of flying.
    He once told his pal Abbott, 'I quit school in Grade 12. It was the biggest mistake I ever made. I should have done it in Grade 10.'
    The first person he asked to invest in his co-creation ($1,000) told him to 'piss off' and stated, 'I thought he just wanted the money for a beer.'
    He and Abbott had to defend themselves legally several times over lawsuits that claimed the idea for the game was stolen.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He met Abbott, a sports journalist, in December 1975, for an assignment to cover the 1976 Summer Olympics together in Montreal, and became lifelong friends.
    The pair created the game in December 1979, after drinking and playing Scrabble together, dreaming that their vision of a new game could become a reality.
    Trademarking the game and releasing it at the end of 1981, after a slow start, the game gained momentum and became an global sensation.
    In 1984 Time magazine called the game an American social phenomenon, and turned the pair into self-made millionaires.
    Not hurting for money, he stayed on with The Canadian Press because he loved his job.
    His wealth allowed him to travel to Spain, a country he loved, during Canadian winters (via a cruise ship).
    He and Abbott finally sold the rights to Trivial Pursuit in 2008 to Hasbro for a whopping $80 million.
    Besides Abbott, he had many friends and admirers, including a toy executive who said, 'He lit up a room. If I could capture Chris in four words it would be: 'larger than life character'.'

Credit: Scar Tactics


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 16 Votes: 43.75% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 9 Votes: 55.56% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 14 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 13 Votes: 38.46% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 12 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 209 Votes: 54.55% Annoying