ELI5 Hiccups - why do we get them?

Why do we hiccup? What evolutionary function does it perform? Which of the remedies actually work to stop hiccups? Who were the people who had extended hiccups? Who won the Ig Noble Prize for hiccups?   ... We explain like i'm five!   Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive community and in particular the following users whose questions and comments formed the basis of this discussion: onemindandflesh, rsdancey, damien_targaryen, hookerofmemorylane, ipn8bit, anewmachine615, mckoijion and george_e_hale To the ELI5 community that has supported us so far, thanks for all your feedback and comments. Send us an e-mail: [email protected]