The history of the Roulette

Hey I'm bored everyone lets put a bullet in someone's head (AKA the history of the Roulette)

Background:  I know the title is a bit harsh and could probably use an update as well but it shall suffice for now.  Anyways kudos go out to Skyla for sending us this question

From: *E-mail info excluded*
Sent: Thursday, November 07, 2002 2:10 PM
To: questions@stupidquestionsanswered.com
Subject: I have a question!

Hello! First of all, I just want to say that I love your website! It's
being sent around to people like crazy.


Um, this isn't really a stupid question, but just out of curiosity.
Where did the term "Russian Roulette" come from? Did the Russians just
get bored one night after a day of drinking and decide to have fun with
a group of friends and one bullet?

P.S. While we're on the term of Russians, where'd the phrase "Having to
piss like a Russian race horse" come from?

Thanks!

Skyla

Info:  Well this one was indeed a web answer that came to us from one of our viewers. So a big thanks to Kevin for helping us out. From the web page he found we read how the Russians might not have played Russian Roulette at all but was made up from an Author posting a short story in a literary magazine.  In the story a group of soldiers were tired of losing money, their families, and their pride.  So some would just pick up their guns take out one bullet from the chamber and fire.  Supposedly this was their way of showing their back bone...from the odds it looks more like suicide.  The story did however mention the more "popular" version in which all but one bullet was taken out of the chambers.  It also seems an actual Russian author published a book in 1840 in which a group of soldiers were talking about predestination.  The argument took a bit of a turn when a Serbian in the group (who argued everything was destined and made a bet to prove it) took a gun from a display wall and fired it against his head with nothing but a blank.  He then pointed the gun straight into the air and fired.  The second chamber did in fact have a bullet in it and discharged into the ceiling.

    The other reason that they named it after the Russians seemed to be because during the Revolution and World War I they seemed to have a flare for being angry/depressed most of the time.  With that angry streak I guess they figured that they would be crazy enough to play a game like that.