Origin and Safety of Dunk tank

Dunk tank also known as dunk booths or dunk machines, are a common feature at fairs, fundraisers and celebrations in Canada and the United States.It consists of a huge tank, above which a volunteer sits on a collapsible bench.When the ball hits the goal, the seat collapses and "dumps" the volunteers into the water.People often voluntarily get dunked while fully clothed for comic effect.

Origin 

African Dodger, also known as Hit the Coon, was a popular American carnival game from the late 1800s to the mid-1940s.It involves an African-American man poking his head out of a hole in a curtain and trying to dodge a ball thrown at him.Hit to get prizes.People were sometimes seriously injured and reportedly even died after being hit.In response to attempts to ban it, a less dangerous game was invented:African Dip, in which a person falls into a water tank if the target is hit by a ball.Popular Mechanics noted in 1910 that the African dodger had become "too old and commonplace" and was being replaced by the slam dunk tank in which an African Americans would fall into the tank. An illustration accompanying the article shows a game labeled "Drop the Chocolate Drop" and titled "Funny for All But the Victims."African Dip is considered blatantly racist today.A variation of Chicago's Riverview amusement park was named "Dunk the Nigger" until the early 1950s when it was renamed African Dip.It was successfully closed by the NAACP in the mid-1950s.

Safety

General safety guidelines include keeping hands on any part of the tank assembly-some rental companies recommend that volunteers keep their hands on their laps when sitting on a dunk tank.Grabbing the seat could cause fingers to be caught when the seat is dropped, and grabbing the side of the tank or enclosure could cause an arm or shoulder injury in the event of a fall.There is also a slight risk of slipping on the bottom of the tank, so some rental companies recommend wearing shoes or sandals.Participants are often advised to sit on the edge of their seats to avoid tailbone and back injuries.In 2016, Canadian television personality Leslie Horton was sued for hitting her head on the unfilled portion of a dunk during an exhibition presented by the Calgary Police Association on July 4, 2014 $150,000 lawsuit.