The Trivia Thread

[Eldan]

This thread is inspired from a similar one I saw on another forum.
However, let's face it: I love trivia, and so do most other nerdy people I know. These tiny pieces of information, which, though interesting and sometimes enlightening, are not necessary for any education and will rarely help you in your life.
Still. The purpose of this thread should be to post intriguing little pieces of data you have found, on the internet, TV, newspapers, and, perhaps, discuss them with others.

I'll make a start: on saturday, I had my DnD Skype game and we were, for some reason, discussing military applications of bicycles, when I stumbled upon this short wikipedia quote:

"In 1997, Montague received a two-year grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), who recognized the importance of folding bikes, to work with the United States Marines in developing the Tactical Electric No Signature (TENS) Mountain bike.[citation needed] For this project Montague developed a new folding design, enabling the bike to fold faster for Paratrooper exit from military aircraft while also increasing its load bearing capacity. This gave rise to the Paratrooper folding Tactical Mountain Bicycle, Montague’s non-electric Military Mountain Bike."

So, apparently, the US marine paratroopers have special folding bikes. I think it's funny.

[Dr.Epic]

New Jersey was the first state to grant women the right to vote. When they entered the Union and wrote their state constitution, they forgot to include a gender clause. Anyone free and landowner had the right to vote. The mistake was quickly fixed though.

[Serpentine]

New Zealand, if I recall correctly, was the first country to grant women the vote. I may be corrected on that, however.

Um... snakes have two penises, and dolphins only have one, but it's prehensile.

Skin is the biggest organ...

Banjo frogs will eat maggots.

[Dallas-Dakota]

Corsica(that big island, south-east of france's mainland, which is part of France these days), in the couple of years that it was independent) was the first to have constitution laws(thingy).

[Extra_Crispy]

Heard this a few years ago, pretty sure it is true.

The USA is the biggest user of oil in the world. IF California was cut off from the US and became its own country, the rest of the US would still be the biggest user of oil BUT California would then be the second biggest user of oil in the world.

[Eldan]

On the right to vote:

The swiss canton (think american state) of Appenzell Innerrhoden was the last one to allow women to vote, in 1990, after being forced to do so by the supreme federal court.
It is also the only canton to still use the Landsgemeinde to select it's government: instead of doing an election by urn, letter or the internet, like everyone else, all voters gather on a square once per year and vote by raising their hands. A few other of the smaller cantons still do it as well, but they only do a few legislative tasks that way. This is possible because the canton only has about 15'000 inhabitants in the first place.


Actually, now, thinking about it: perhaps we should stay away from the more political trivia.

[GolemsVoice]

BUT California would then be the second biggest user of oil in the world.

What do they DO with that stuff? Drink it?

Drinking in the Houses of Parliament is prohibited, but the Speaker may consume one glass of an alcoholic substance while giving the tax statement (or whatever it is called). I've read this one in a role-playing book on a future, but still neo-victorian England, so it may or may not be true.

[Zom B]

Here's some interesting ones borrowed from Listverse.com:


Kangaroos can’t fart. They convert the small quantity of methane they produce into an energy source which their body reuses. Scientists hope that they will be able to transfer the bacteria that causes this in kangaroos to cows, to reduce methane emissions to save the world from the latest fashionable catastrophe: global warming.

During the Cold War, the US military developed a rifle that fired nuclear war heads. It was called the Davy Crocket and production of this smallest nuclear weapon began in 1956, with a total of 2,100 being made. The weapon was deployed with U.S. Army forces from 1961 to 1971.

The PhD is not the highest degree a person can receive. There is also a Doctor of Sciences (DSc/ScD) and Doctor of Letters (DLitt/LittD) which is normally awarded in Britain, Ireland, and the commonwealth nations though it is occasionally awarded in the United States. It is normally awarded for a substantial and sustained contribution to the art to which it applies – for example science and literature. Mark Twain was awarded a Doctor of Letters by Oxford University. Just to add to the confusion, there is also a PhB which is a bachelor of philosophy which is equal to a Masters degree despite its name.

Armadillos of the Dasypus genus give birth to four genetically identical quadruplets. This is the only reliable manifestation of polyembryony (two or more embryos developing from a single fertilized egg) in mammals.

Of the entire human body, around 3 pounds of the weight is microbial life; in other words, parasites and the like. Many of these are essential to the functioning of the body.

When tickled, rats laugh.

At certain points on Mercury’s surface, an observer would be able to see the Sun rise about halfway, then reverse and set before rising again, all within the same Mercurian day. Having said that, one day on Mercury is 176 earth days.

Sand sharks have a very unique gestation. A mother shark develops two embryos when impregnated. The stronger of the two embryos eats the other before it is born. This is called “intrauterine cannibalism”. It will also eat any other eggs that exist in the mother at the time.

Hyperthymesia is a condition (known to exist in only four humans so far) in which a person retains an almost perfect memory of everything they have experienced. A hyperthymestic person can be asked a date, and describe the events that occurred that day, what the weather was like, and many seemingly trivial details that most people would not be able to recall.

Crikey steveirwini (an air-breathing land snail) is the only species in the genus Crikey.

The Swedish Empire (which included Finland at the time) planned to change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar beginning in 1700 by omitting leap days for the next 40 years. Although the leap day was omitted in February 1700, the Great Northern War began later that year, diverting the attention of the Swedes from their calendar so they did not omit leap days on the next two occasions, causing 1704 and 1708 to remain leap years. To avoid confusion and further mistakes, the Julian calendar was restored when, in 1712, one extra leap day was added, thus giving that year a 30th of February.

Bagpipes were invented in Iran and then brought to Scotland by the Romans.

Apollo 11 had 20 seconds of fuel left when it landed.

The Chinese used “the fingerprint technique” as a means of identification as far back as AD700.

In English gambling dens in the 18th century, there was a person who was hired solely to swallow the dice in the event of a police raid.

In ancient Rome, a person with a crooked nose was considered to have great leadership potential.

In 1915 William Wrigley Jr. Sent chewing gum to everyone in the phone book.

In 18th Century Britain, you could take out insurance against going to hell.

The youngest parents in recorded history were eight and nine and lived in china in 1910.

In 17th Century England, a woman had, on average, 13 children.

[Starscream]

An obscure one:

Anyone ever seen the movie Phantasm? It's a classic, largely due to the atmosphere and great performance by Angus Scrimm. If you've seen it you've no doubt had Mr. Scrimm visit you in your nightmares on occasion. Well did you know that he is also a journalist who has written liner notes for everyone from The Beatles to Frank Sinatra? And he has won a Grammy for doing so.

That's right, the Tall Man has a Grammy on his shelf. Right next to the jar of terrified tears you cried when you first saw his movies.

[Cyrion]

The only known poisonous bird is the hooded pitohui, of the Galapagos Islands. It was discovered while Western scientists were studying another bird. One day the graduate student who was in charge of releasing birds from nets had a cut on his hand and handled pitohuis. His hand promptly went numb. Investigation into the phenomenon led to the discovery that the birds secrete the venom on their feathers, and the scientific community got quite excited. The locals, however, were less enthusiastic; they'd known for centuries that you don't eat that bird...

There are only 4 words in the English language that end in -dous and only 3 that end in -gry

tremendous, stupendous, horrendous, and hazardous

hungry, angry and the word gry.

The platypus and the spiny echidna are the only acknowledged poisonous mammals (though human saliva is also supposed to be poisonous in high enough doses). They have spurs on their back legs attached to vestigial venom sacks.

[Zom B]

More from Listverse:


In the game of Chess, the word “checkmate” comes from the Persian phrase “shah mat” and it means “the King is dead”.

In 1835, John Batman settled in what was to eventually become Melbourne, Australia. He named it “Batmania”. Two years later it was renamed Melbourne in honor of the Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne.
Note: I had to double-check this one for myself. It's true.

Organ2/ASLSP (As SLow aS Possible) is a musical piece composed by John Cage and is the subject of one of longest-lasting musical performances yet undertaken. The current organ performance of the piece at St. Burchardi church in Halberstadt, Germany, began in 2001 and is scheduled to have a duration of 639 years, ending in 2640.

A pyrophone, also known as a “fire/explosion organ” or “fire/explosion calliope” is a musical instrument in which notes are sounded by explosions, or similar forms of rapid combustion, rapid heating, or the like.

[Cyrion]

More from Listverse:



A pyrophone, also known as a “fire/explosion organ” or “fire/explosion calliope” is a musical instrument in which notes are sounded by explosions, or similar forms of rapid combustion, rapid heating, or the like.


Does it get any cooler than this? Kind of like the Mayan field hockey game I saw over the holidays where the ball was on fire.

[Serpentine]

The platypus and the spiny echidna are the only acknowledged poisonous mammals.There's no such thing as a "spiny" echidna. They're all spiny. While I'm at it, there are no "duck-billed platypuses", nor are there "koala bears".
Also, Wiki says nothing about echidnas being venomous (different from poisonous, by the way - one injects a toxin, the other is toxic), but another site mentioned that they have a spur and venom sac, but blunt and non-functional.

While we're on the subject, it was recently discovered that the Komodo dragon does not kill through rancid saliva, but rather through actual venom. This makes it one of only two venomous lizards. If I recall correctly, there is only one poisonous lizard, possibly reptile - the gila monster. I'll check.

edit: More venomous lizards than I thought, it appears. Also it's extremely difficult to find anything about poisonous reptiles.
Also also, holy crap I now know where Agamid got her name from!

[Icewalker]

The argument of Rules as Written vs. Rules as Implied shows up and is specifically recorded as far back as ancient Greece. Corcyra and Corinth presented their cases to Athens, arguing over whether they should follow the letter or the spirit of the 30 years peace with Sparta.

[Zom B]

There are only 4 words in the English language that end in -dous and only 3 that end in -gry

hazardous, timidous, horrendous, tremendous, stupendous, vanadous, molybdous, mucidous, multifidous, nefandous, frondous, decapodous, lagopodous, tylopodous, steganopodous, heteropodous, gasteropodous, isopodous, ligniperdous, amphipodous, apodous, blizzardous, gastropodous, hybridous, iodous, nodous, octapodous, palladous, paludous, pudendous, rhodous, sauropodous, schizopodous, solipedous, splendidous, tetrapodous, and voudous.

Also:

puggry: An alternate spelling of puggree, meaning either an Indian turban or a scarf wound around a sun helmet with the end hanging down in back as a shade.
aggry: An aggry bead, according to Webster's Third, is a "variegated glass bead found buried in the earth in Ghana and England."

[Dogmantra]

The -ngry words thing is often misquoted as -gry, though I don't think either of them are right.

[Icewalker]

'Hannibal Barca' is an epically theophoric name. It means 'Blessed of Baal, Lightning', Baal being a lightning throwing god, so it really works.

[KuReshtin]

The word 'Gullible' isn't part of the newest version of Webster's dictionary.
I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. It's a bad joke. Still had to be done.
Koalas have fingerprints that are almost unidentifiable from human fingerprints.

These are things that I have learned from QI. Which may, or may not, be correct.

[smellie_hippie]

In Tennessee:

They repealed a law that stated it was illegal to eat roadkill. :smallconfused:
...........................................*head asplodes*
That means it was illegal and needed a law to prevent this trend... and then they decided to make it legal!!!

Also in Tennessee:

There are no sorority houses, because having more than 6 women living under one roof is considered to be a brothel.

[Rutskarn]

There are no sorority houses, because having more than 6 women living under one roof is considered to be a brothel.

Nope. (http://www.snopes.com/college/halls/brothel.asp)

In non-pedantic news, Puck from A Midsummer Night's Dream is not technically named Puck. That's really more of a job title--his name is Robin Goodfellow.

[raitalin]

The Confederate States of America's currency was printed in New York.

If the Earth is the size of a pea, Jupiter is 1000 feet away and Pluto is a bacteria 1 1/2 miles away. The nearest star is 10,000 miles away.

Charles Darwin was best selling book during his lifetime was a treatise on earthworms, elevating them from pests to agricultural necessities.

The U.S. sent a military force to Russia in 1918 to fight the Red Army and secure American interests.

[Dr.Epic]

Flipping a coin (I think a quarter) does not have a 50/50 outcome. The way it's made and weighted there's more of a 49% and 51% for the two sides. I forget which is which.

[ForzaFiori]

The Black Footed Ferret is the only Ferret species native to North America.

An Elephant is the only mammal with knees that cannot jump.

Peanuts are an ingredient in dynamite.

The only fish that can close both eyes at the same time is the Shark.

Almonds are a member of the peach family.

Maine is the only state with a one syllable name.

Cats have 32 muscles in each ear.

The full name of Los Angeles is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula".

"Stewardesses" is the longest word that can be typed with only the left hand.

[leafman]

In Tennessee:

They repealed a law that stated it was illegal to eat roadkill. :smallconfused:
...........................................*head asplodes*
That means it was illegal and needed a law to prevent this trend... and then they decided to make it legal!!!


It's not really as disgusting as you think, hitting and killing a deer with your car would make the deer roadkill and running it over might tenderize it a bit :smallamused:. Plus, I think the people that would scoop up roadkill for dinner are smart enough to only take fresh kills, i.e. that animal they *bump* just ran over. :smallbiggrin:

On topic:
If coloring weren't added to Coca-Cola, it would be green.
Alfred Hitchcock didn't have a bellybutton.
The youngest person to become pregnant was 4 years old, giving birth at age 5

[CMOTDibbler]

Qat. It's a type of evergreen shrub, and a perfect scrabble word.

Mageiricophobia is the intense fear of having to cook.

Charlie Brown's father was a barber.

...That's all I got.

[KuReshtin]

It's not really as disgusting as you think, hitting and killing a deer with your car would make the deer roadkill and running it over might tenderize it a bit :smallamused:. Plus, I think the people that would scoop up roadkill for dinner are smart enough to only take fresh kills, i.e. that animal they *bump* just ran over. :smallbiggrin:

On the same kind of topic as that:
In the UK, it's considered poaching if you hit an animal with your car, stop, and pick it up.
However, if you see thecar in front of you hit an animal, it is perfectly legal for you to stop and pick it up, because you weren't the one that hit the animal.


On topic:

Alfred Hitchcock didn't have a bellybutton.

I find this hard to believe, as the bellybutton is the scar from the umbillical cord, and having no bellybutton would indicate that he didn't have an umbillical cord as a fetus, which I find highly unlikely.


Qat. It's a type of evergreen shrub, and a perfect scrabble word.


*takes note* Good to know.

[Zeb The Troll]

I find this hard to believe, as the bellybutton is the scar from the umbillical cord, and having no bellybutton would indicate that he didn't have an umbillical cord as a fetus, which I find highly unlikely.The rumor is not that he never had one, just that at some point during his life it was removed for one reason or another. I've heard numerous stories about people who've had abdominal mishaps or hernia surgeries or what have you that didn't have the belly button afterwards. Perhaps this was what supposedly happened to the famed story teller.

*internet search finds several sites corroborating the "several surgeries in the belly button area caused it to get sewn up" rumor, but I've yet to find one that I would qualify as trustworthy*

[Grimlock]

"Mother in Law" is an anagram of "Woman Hitler"!

[Dr.Epic]

Paradise Lost was published by Milton posthumously.

[RandomNPC]

supposedly a ducks quack doesn't echo, but you can find audio online (the source of all correct info) of the same quack (or two simmilar ones) twice, often overlapping. again, supposedly.

you can have $1.13 in american coins and not be able to break a dollar, but i forget the coinage.

If you drop the lighting system into a fishtank a series of things happens quickly.
1 the fish swim a few inches backwards down the same path they had just swam forewards
2 your dad begins swearing (if his hands are in the water)
3 a fuse blows
4 your dad removes his hands from the water (if they were in there to begin with) and swears more.

There was a military person who had a clock numbered backwards running counter-clockwise on their desk. This was to show the idea that individuality should always be present.

[ForzaFiori]

Although Georgia calls itself the "Peach State", South Carolina produces the most peaches of any state in the United States.

If Alaska were to split itself in half, It would become the 1st and 2nd largest states in America.

[reorith]

nutmeg is lethal if taken intravenously.

[Serpentine]

This one's pretty trite in Australia, but it might be less known elsewhere.

A kangaroo and an emu hold up the Australian coat of arms. Neither of these animals can walk backwards, and both of them are not uncommonly eaten. By us, that is.

A number of Australian plants require fire as part of their reproduction cycle (so that recommendation by the Copenhagen council that we stop bushfires would probably cause an ecological disaster, if we could even do it) and many more have various adaptations specifically for surivivng bushfires.

Koala mating calls may have contributed to the bunyip legend.

[Neko Toast]

If the Earth is the size of a pea, Jupiter is 1000 feet away and Pluto is a bacteria 1 1/2 miles away. The nearest star is 10,000 miles away.

You mean the closest star other than the Sun, right?

[Zeb The Troll]

you can have $1.13 in american coins and not be able to break a dollar, but i forget the coinage.Assuming that one of those coins is not a dollar coin, I can get $1.19, but not $1.13.

3 x quarters (or a half dollar and a quarter)
4 x dimes
4 x pennies

Are you sure you've got that number right?

[Serpentine]

You mean the closest star other than the Sun, right?If there were another star within a dozen thousand miles of us, I think we'd be in Big Trouble (and not just in Little China).

[KuReshtin]

supposedly a ducks quack doesn't echo, but you can find audio online (the source of all correct info) of the same quack (or two simmilar ones) twice, often overlapping. again, supposedly.

I believe the Mythbusters busted that myth in one of their shows. I seem to remember that they had a pretty difficult time getting the ducks to quack on command, though.


you can have $1.13 in american coins and not be able to break a dollar, but i forget the coinage.

Cool.


If you drop the lighting system into a fishtank a series of things happens quickly.
1 the fish swim a few inches backwards down the same path they had just swam forewards
2 your dad begins swearing (if his hands are in the water)
3 a fuse blows
4 your dad removes his hands from the water (if they were in there to begin with) and swears more.

Good to know. I smild broadly when I read this.


There was a military person who had a clock numbered backwards running counter-clockwise on their desk. This was to show the idea that individuality should always be present.
These clocks are also very useful at barber shops, where they can be put on the wall behind the customer, so they can look at the clock and see it correctly in the mirror reflection.

[Zeb The Troll]

supposedly a ducks quack doesn't echo, but you can find audio online (the source of all correct info) of the same quack (or two simmilar ones) twice, often overlapping. again, supposedly.According to Wikipedia, Mythbusters did indeed bust the myth, however they also determined that human hearing is unlikely to be able to distinguish between the original quack and the echo, so our perception is that there was no echo. So, while not technically true, it could be argued that it is effectively true.

[Jimorian]

If the Earth is the size of a pea, Jupiter is 1000 feet away and Pluto is a bacteria 1 1/2 miles away. The nearest star is 10,000 miles away.

The bacteria part of this is wrong. Pluto is small, but not THAT small. Probably somewhat bigger than a grain of sand.

[horngeek]

I believe the Mythbusters busted that myth in one of their shows. I seem to remember that they had a pretty difficult time getting the ducks to quack on command, though.

The Mythbusters never get animals to do what they want.

Just ask the skunks.

[KuReshtin]

The Mythbusters never get animals to do what they want.

Just ask the skunks.

This is true. Although they did have some success with the dogs, even if one of them got nervous and peed all over the shop floor.

[Innis Cabal]

nutmeg is lethal if taken intravenously.

This can be said for...most things...

[horngeek]

Oh, yes. Cats are quite sensitive to painkillers.

If you wish to kill a cat, feed it asprin.

[Serpentine]

Dr Mum suggested that I use antibiotics she can get for free for my cat when he gets an infection. I think - and she's certain - they're the same things, but methinks I'll ask a vet before I try it...

The first feature-length film was about bushranger Ned Kelly, called Ned Kelly and His Gang. It was made in Australia in 1906, and only a few minutes of it remains in existance.

[reorith]

the first instance of "that's what she said" used as a rebuttal for comedic purposes comes from the Assyrians in the 15th century BCE.

[BisectedBrioche]

The world's first computer programmer is often acknowledged as Ada Countess of Lovelace (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada,_Countess_Lovelace) (yep, a female programmer), a daughter of Lord Byron. She wrote a "program" that could of been run on Charles Babbage's "difference engine" had it ever been built.

A hyponym is a word that describes a member of a subcategory (for example van, lorry and car are hyponyms of "vehicle"). A hypernym describes a category (so vehicle is the hypernym of van, lorry and car).

A cat has more chance of surviving a 7 story fall than a 5 story fall, as the extra distance gives it more time to prepare for impact.

Speaking of cats, it is theorised that domestic cats literally evolved as a domesticated animal. Essentially entering a symbiotic relationship with humans. Despite this they are they only domesticated animals not to be mentioned in the bible.

[reorith]

Speaking of cats, it is theorised that domestic cats literally evolved as a domesticated animal. Essentially entering a symbiotic relationship with humans. Despite this they are they only domesticated animals not to be mentioned in the bible.

exodus 10:2
isaiah 10:26
matthew 7:8
luke 11:10

[Calenestel]

I'm going to check those passages up when I get home from work. :smallamused:

Cats have no real, practical reason to be domesticated animals. They're to independent to be good animals for training (generally) and terriers and ferrets does an equally good job at keeping rats and mice at bay.
It has been suggested that they therefore was the first "pet". (And a certain hypothesis by Ambassador Delenn in Babylon 5 comes to mind).

Aure Entuluva!
Calenestel

[BisectedBrioche]

exodus 10:2
isaiah 10:26
matthew 7:8
luke 11:10

*googles* Nice try.

[reorith]

*googles* Nice try.

google, cute, but i searched every translation of the bible (http://biblestudy.crosswalk.com/search/?type=bible&keyword=%22Cat%22&translation=msg)! available on crosswalk.com but yeah, that is sorta weird that cats aren't mentioned in the bible until some guy paraphrases it in 1993


Bisected8, i vote we leave this discussion here and move on.

[BisectedBrioche]

google, cute, but i searched every translation of the bible (http://biblestudy.crosswalk.com/search/?type=bible&keyword=%22Cat%22&translation=msg)! available on crosswalk.com but yeah, that is sorta weird that cats aren't mentioned in the bible until some guy paraphrases it in 1993


Bisected8, i vote we leave this discussion here and move on.

Those are all metaphors, not actual mentions of cats.

Anyway, move on we shall.

[Cyrion]

There is a law in Dallas, Texas that prohibits cats from running on the streets after dark unless they are wearing headlights.

[truemane]

Heh. Reading this thread was a lot of fun. I loves me some useless information.

1. Gruntle, meaning to please or to mollify, is the opposite of disgruntle. It is a seldom used word. Probably because it sounds like the opposite of what it means.
2. The word 'Cleave' has two, opposing definitions: to separate and to join together.
3. The Latin word for 'work' was 'necotium' which means, more or less, 'lack of leisure.' Romans didn't have a work ethic in the same way that Western Society does and the assumption was you only worked so you could eventually afford not to.
4. The country of Haiti is the result of the world's one and only successful slave revolt.
5. The first words ever spoken in a motion picture were 'You ain't heard nothing yet!" in The Jazz Singer in 1924, the very same year that the academy Awards were established, making Wings (1924) the first, and last, silent film to win Best Production.
6. In Japan they call Santa Claus 'Annual Gift-Giving Man' and he lives on the moon.
7. In Japan they have vending machines from which you can get undergarments that have been worn by schoolgirls. And yet pornography is illegal.
8. Sharks don't breathe the same way fish do. Water is forced through their gills by forward motion. If a shark stops moving forward it dies.
9. A shark has no bones. Its skeleton is made of cartilege. The same stuff your nose is made of.
10. A bull's horns are made of the same material as your fingernails.
11. The word "quiz" has no root or precedent in any word in any language.
12. You know how someone says something clever, and then you only think of a cool comeback when it's far too late to say it? They have a phrase for that in French. 'Espirit d'Escalier' - Spirit of the Stairway. The implication is you think of the comeback after you've left the party and are walking down the stairs to the street.
13. Adolph Hitler was a vegetarian.
14. When domestic rats feel secure and content their eyes bulge in and out of their heads, called 'Boggling.' I have no idea if feral/wild rats do this too. But my pet rats do it. It looks really wierd.

That's all I got right now.

[Serpentine]

"With" originally meant "against". Thus "to fight with".

Also, "girl" used to mean "boy", and pink used to be a "boy" colour and blue "girl".

[Zom B]

2. The word 'Cleave' has two, opposing definitions: to separate and to join together.

It's called a contronym or antagonym; a word that is its own antonym. They include:


anabasis - military advance, military retreat
apology - admission of fault in what you think, say, or do; formal defense of what you think, say, or do
aught - all, nothing
bolt - secure, run away
by - multiplication (e.g., a three by five matrix), division (e.g., dividing eight by four)
chuffed - pleased, annoyed
cleave - separate, adhere
clip - fasten, detach
consult - ask for advice, give advice
copemate - partner, antagonist
custom - usual, special
deceptively smart - smarter than one appears, dumber than one appears
dike - wall, ditch
discursive - proceeding coherently from topic to topic, moving aimlessly from topic to topic
dollop - a large amount, a small amount
dust - add fine particles, remove fine particles
enjoin - prescribe, prohibit
fast - quick, unmoving
first degree - most severe (e.g., murder), least severe (e.g., burn)
fix - restore, castrate
flog - criticize harshly, promote aggressively
garnish - enhance (e.g., food), curtail (e.g., wages)
give out - produce, stop production
grade - incline, level
handicap - advantage, disadvantage
help - assist, prevent (e.g., "I can't help it if...")
left - remaining, departed from
liege - sovereign lord, loyal subject
mean - average, excellent (e.g., "plays a mean game")
off - off, on (e.g., "the alarm went off")
out - visible (e.g., stars), invisible (e.g., lights)
out of - outside, inside (e.g., "work out of one's home")
oversight - error, care
pitted - with the pit in, with the pit removed
put out - extinguish, generate (e.g., something putting out light)
quiddity - essence, trifling point
quite - rather, completely
ravel - tangle, disentangle
rent - buy use of, sell use of
rinky-dink - insignificant, one who frequents RinkWorks
sanction - approve, boycott
sanguine - hopeful, murderous (obsolete synonym for "sanguinary")
screen - show, hide
seed - add seeds (e.g., "to seed a field"), remove seeds (e.g., "to seed a tomato")
skinned - with the skin on, with the skin removed
strike - hit, miss (in baseball)
table - propose (in the United Kingdom), set aside (in the United States)
transparent - invisible, obvious
unbending - rigid, relaxing
variety - one type (e.g., "this variety"), many types (e.g., "a variety")
wear - endure through use, decay through use
weather - withstand, wear away
wind up - end, start up (e.g., a watch)
with - alongside, against

[BisectedBrioche]

Also, "girl" used to mean "boy", and pink used to be a "boy" colour and blue "girl".

Actually it's more the case that they were gender neutral or used differently by different people (well consensus that pink = female and blue = male is what's recent, to be more specific in the later case) than held opposing meanings.

Similarly the word "man" was used in such a manner until as little as a 1000 years ago, hence [verb]man words and phrases like "all men are born equal").

[Dr. Bath]

Actually it's more the case that they were gender neutral or used differently by different people (well consensus that pink = female and blue = male is what's recent, to be more specific in the later case) than held opposing meanings.

No... blue was seen as the more feminine colour, and pink the 'stronger' one. Stephen Fry (and other sources) would never lie to me!!

[BisectedBrioche]

No... blue was seen as the more feminine colour, and pink the 'stronger' one. Stephen Fry (and other sources) would never lie to me!!

Oh how the mQIghty have fallen :smalltongue:. As I noted, while some places considered it as such, there was no universal consensus. While some considered pink the masculine colour, others did not;

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2831/was-pink-originally-the-color-for-boys-and-blue-for-girls

[Dr. Bath]

Oh how the mQIghty have fallen :smalltongue:. As I noted, while some places considered it as such, there was no universal consensus. While some considered pink the masculine colour, others did not;

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2831/was-pink-originally-the-color-for-boys-and-blue-for-girls

But the point is still correct. In that very article it mentions that for some years blue was considered a colour for girls and pink for boys.
'For years one camp claimed pink was the boys' color and blue the girls'. A 1905 Times article said so, and Parents magazine was still saying it as late as 1939.'
If the Times AND Parent's magazine said it, it must have been the consensus! :smalltongue:

[BisectedBrioche]

But the point is still correct. In that very article it mentions that for some years blue was considered a colour for girls and pink for boys.
'For years one camp claimed pink was the boys' color and blue the girls'. A 1905 Times article said so, and Parents magazine was still saying it as late as 1939.'
If the Times AND Parent's magazine said it, it must have been the consensus! :smalltongue:

Note that it was one camp. Both statements are equally valid. :smallwink:

[GolemsVoice]

Only domesticated cats stick their tails into the air.

The world's first car crash occured on August 31., 1896

The first traffic light was built in London, 1868, and was lighted by gas. It exploded quickly.

[BisectedBrioche]

The first traffic light was built in London, 1868, and was lighted by gas. It exploded quickly.

As opposed to a slow explosion? :smalltongue:

[PJ the Epic]

Thomas Jefferson only signed the Declaration of Independence to prevent the US by getting attack from pirates, who, at that time, plagued the Tripoli area in Africa. That's how the Navy was invented.

Six tubs of Cool Whip (whip cream) are purchase every second in the USA.

The acronym TWAIN, when applied to computers, means Technology Without An Interesting Name

Elvis Presely believed he could control clouds with his mind.

All shrimp are born male.

Aphids are born pregnant.

And on the topic of cats, cats almost never meow at each other, only at humans.

[raitalin]

The bacteria part of this is wrong. Pluto is small, but not THAT small. Probably somewhat bigger than a grain of sand.

Pluto works out to 7.375 μm3, so a large-ish bacteria, but nowhere near a grain of sand.

[ForzaFiori]

And on the topic of cats, cats almost never meow at each other, only at humans.

really? cause mine do it all the time. It's weird. It's like they talk to each other.

[raitalin]

Thomas Jefferson only signed the Declaration of Independence to prevent the US by getting attack from pirates, who, at that time, plagued the Tripoli area in Africa. That's how the Navy was invented.

Er, no. I think you're getting the Declaration confused with something else, as colonial ships would've been considered English before the Declaration and England paid the Barbary states an annual ransom to keep them from attacking English ships. The U.S. continued these payments during Washington's presidency. This became an issue during Jefferson's presidency when the U.S. decided to cease payment on the ransom, and fighting the pirates became the U.S.'s first global action. The U.S. Navy existed before this, being created during the Revolution, but this was their first major action.

[ApeofLight]

Gymnosperms are plants that bare naked seeds (most conifers[cone plants]) while Angiosperms are flowering plants.

[Anuan]

8. Sharks don't breathe the same way fish do. Water is forced through their gills by forward motion. If a shark stops moving forward it dies.


Old myth. There's videos of sharks laying still on seafloors, sleeping, etc.

[Serpentine]

Old myth. There's videos of sharks laying still on seafloors, sleeping, etc.Oh man, I should've picked up on this. I've seen sharks laying about on the sea floor.

...

She sees sea sharks sitting on the sea floor.


Also, it's theorised that domestic cats have evolved/learned to meow at humans as a substitute for all the body, scent and other languages they normally use in addition to verbal cues. So feral cats rarely meow, or at least not nearly as much, and it's not unreasonable to suppose that two cats who've always been in the company of humans might start using it with each other, as well.

[megabyter5]

Although I'm not certain when exactly, the opening ceremony of one year's Olympic Games included a song called "This Is The Moment" from the musical Jekyll and Hyde. While inspirational and fairly general as to accomplishments it can refer to, it is also sung directly before the singer drinks a fresh glass of home-made psychological disorder and commits a spree of murders. Also, he dies.

[Eldan]

In switzerland, the adjective "welsh" is used to refer to the french-speaking half of the country.

[Cyrion]

Hydrogen is the only gas that heats up when it expands. That's one of the reasons why hydrogen tanks require a special regulator.

[Serpentine]

H2O is unique in that its solid form is less dense than its liquid form. If this were not so, the planet would not be as we know it: for example, rivers would freeze solid, as the ice sank to the bottom, and stayed solid through warmer months.

[Serpentine]

Almonds are a member of the peach family.I just tasted the inner kernel of a nectarine. It tasted bitter, with a marzipan aftertaste.

[Pocketa]

There are radio stations that just communicate via numbers. Look it up, "Numbers Station", google.

[reorith]

the first "blue jeans" weren't blue. they were indigo

[BisectedBrioche]

In 1942 a Hollywood actress named Hedy Lamarr (who PC gamers may remember as the namesake of a character's pet in Half Life 2) and her neighbour, a composer named George Antheil, were granted the patent for what they hoped would serve as a new form of secure communication. This technology was too ahead of its time to be of any use in WWII, however it is now known as "frequency-hopping spread-spectrum communication" and is the basis for all modern wireless technology (Wi-Fi, Cordless phones, etc).

A fully loaded "Desert Eagle" handgun with a few spare clips of ammo weighs as much as a carbine assault rifle.

A thermite reaction can be carried out with any metal salt and more reactive metal (you may remember its much lower energy aqueous cousin from secondary/high school; the displacement reaction).

The extra "29th" day of February in a leap year was introduced to the Gregorian calendar in order to compensate for the fact that the year is technically 365 days, 5 hours and 49 minutes (the 5 hours and 49 minutes are rounded up to 6 hours, or 0.25 of a day). Furthermore, to compensate further for this loss of 11 minutes any year that ends with "00" but isn't divisible by 400 is not a leap year. Hence 1800 and 1900 were not leap years, nor will 2100 and 2200 be leaps years when they come about.

[reorith]

A fully loaded "Desert Eagle" handgun with a few spare clips of ammo weighs as much as a carbine assault rifle.

cool story, bro (http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f41/Cybirus55/ClipvsMag.jpg)

[darkblade]

7. In Japan they have vending machines from which you can get undergarments that have been worn by schoolgirls. And yet pornography is illegal.


Wrong. Said machines were outlawed in the 70s and wikipedia has a whole article about the legality of Japanese porn. Which in the interest of Safe For Workness you can look up yourself.

[BisectedBrioche]

cool story, bro (http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f41/Cybirus55/ClipvsMag.jpg)

I don't recall implying that there wasn't a distinction. Merely that the weight of additional ammo was a factor.

[Cyrion]

An important difference (for U.S. Americans) between alligators and crocodiles is that one has a three-chambered heart and the other a four (I believe alligators have the three-chambered heart). This means that alligators have a limited ability to hibernate that crocs don't. Consequently, a freeze is likely to kill off crocodiles, and that's why they are rare and of exceedingly limited distribution in the U.S. The importance is from the fact that alligators generally don't consider people below them on the food chain, but crocodiles do.

[Serpentine]

Will check on this later, but I'm pretty sure a 3-chambered heart is a feature of reptiles in general, so that one seems wrong to me.

[Cyrion]

Will check on this later, but I'm pretty sure a 3-chambered heart is a feature of reptiles in general, so that one seems wrong to me.

Yes, it is, but one of them's an exception according to the naturalist I did a tour with a while back.

[Dancing_Zephyr]

Cats were domesticated by the Egyptians.
Except on a leap year August 1st falls on a different day of the week than the 1st of any other month.

[RebelRogue]

I just tasted the inner kernel of a nectarine. It tasted bitter, with a marzipan aftertaste.
Some cheaper versions of marzipan (technically known as percipan) are made partially from apricot or peach kernels.

[Serpentine]

Yes, it is, but one of them's an exception according to the naturalist I did a tour with a while back.Wikipedia agrees with you. Crocodiles have a 4-chambered heart.

[Cyrion]

Nowhere in the original stories does Sherlock Holmes say, "Elementary, my dear Watson." That was made popular through movies.

[Zeb The Troll]

Nowhere in the original stories does Sherlock Holmes say, "Elementary, my dear Watson." That was made popular through movies.Similarly, in the show "Happy Days", The Fonz never once actually runs the comb through his hair. He always puts the comb up to his head, says "Aaaayyyyy" and then pockets the comb again.

[Serpentine]

And in whatever movie it's meant to be from, noone ever says "Play it again, Sam". It's actually something like "Play it for me Sam, like you used to".

[Dr.Epic]

I don't feel like starting a whole thread for this and I guess it kind of fits the theme of this thread:

I know someone how knows Alan Moore. (hence you all now know someone who knows someone who knows Alan Moore)

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

I know someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows Bono.


I think I win.

[Dr.Epic]

I know someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows Bono.


I think I win.

Alan Moore inspired this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDDHHrt6l4w).

[Maximum Zersk]

In Canada it's that that, if you commit a crime, once you get out of prison, you must be given a loaded pistol and a horse so you can ride out of town.

[Dr.Epic]

In Canada it's that that, if you commit a crime, once you get out of prison, you must be given a loaded pistol and a horse so you can ride out of town.

But then you could just go on a horse-back killing spree.

Also, that reminds me of a Ron White routine:

"It's against the law in Texas to shoot someone in the back, but you can shoot them in the legs and you can be sure they're going turn around."

[Zeb The Troll]

And in whatever movie it's meant to be from, noone ever says "Play it again, Sam". It's actually something like "Play it for me Sam, like you used to".Casablanca, if I'm not mistaken. I need to see that still.

[_Zoot_]

Alan Moore inspired this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDDHHrt6l4w).

O.o

What is that meant to be?!?

[Serpentine]

I know someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows Bono.


I think I win.Oh yeah? Billy Connolly adored my dad's friend (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenda_Linscott)'s son, whom he met when she acted alongside him in The Man Who Sued God, my baby nephew was kissed by former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke and one of the Tripod guys, and I have Mel Gibson's nieces as friends in Facebook (they used to live across the road from my mum, in an area where he owns/ed land).

Oh, and also, Julia Zemiro (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Zemiro) has been to my (former) home and eaten my dad's famous spaghetti bolognaise multiple times when she performed in a play with my dad's theatre company.
And if any of you know Food Lovers' Guide to Australia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_Lovers%27_Guide_to_Australia), my dad used to go out with one of them, I think in high school. Joanna Savill, I think.

[cho_j]

Koalas have fingerprints that are almost unidentifiable from human fingerprints.

These are things that I have learned from QI. Which may, or may not, be correct.

I always thought it was that koalas had "noseprints," i.e. if a koala had ink on its nose and pressed it to paper it would produce a result just like a human fingerprint, in that every koala has a specific noseprint, and it kinda looks like a giant fingerprint.

[raitalin]

And in whatever movie it's meant to be from, noone ever says "Play it again, Sam". It's actually something like "Play it for me Sam, like you used to".

Casablanca. Casa-fricking-blanca. I guess it excusable that you don't know since you're Australian, but it still bugs me. Seriously one of the best movies ever and probably the most misunderstood by those that haven't seen it. Its not a romance, its a action/drama/crime/intrigue-mance that is full of awesome.

Because the film was made during WWII they were not allowed to film at an airport after dark for security reasons. Instead they used a sound stage with a small cardboard cutout airplane and forced perspective. To give the illusion that the plane was full-sized, they used little people to portray the crew preparing the plane for take-off.

Sam was a professional drummer who faked playing the piano

Many of the actors who played the Nazis were in fact German Jews who had escaped from Nazi Germany.

Rick never says "Play it again, Sam." He says: "You played it for her, you can play it for me. Play it!". Ilsa says "Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By"'.

[Serpentine]

Casablanca. Casa-fricking-blanca. I guess it excusable that you don't know since you're Australian, but it still bugs me. ...
What? I didn't know it because I have a terrible memory and and I'm not particularly a film-buff, not because I'm Australian. I know we're a bit behind the times, what with our overhead powerlines, only recently available broadband internet, film and game releases a year after everywhere else, kangaroo-based transportation and regular dropbear and dingo attacks, but we're not that backwards. Sheesh.

[horngeek]

Serpentine is right. What the heck does us living in Australia have to do with anything?

Also, here's my trivia contribution:

You know the platypus? That cute thing? It's poisonous.

Also, Koalas are not bears.

[Eldan]

And how can you fake playing the piano? I played it for years (or at least tried to, I was horrible) and it's hard.

[potatocubed]

The platypus-is-poisonous factoid used to be my favourite bit of trivia. Now it's this:

The male right whale has the largest testicles on Earth, with each weighing half a tonne (500 kg). This also gives it the highest bollocks-to-bodyweight ratio of any creature, at around 1% of their total mass.

...what?

[raitalin]

...
What? I didn't know it because I have a terrible memory and and I'm not particularly a film-buff, not because I'm Australian. I know we're a bit behind the times, what with our overhead powerlines, only recently available broadband internet, film and game releases a year after everywhere else, kangaroo-based transportation and regular dropbear and dingo attacks, but we're not that backwards. Sheesh.

Haha, I didn't mean it like that, I meant that its not a part of your culture the way it is in the U.S. It is, after all, a U.S. film.

For instance, I can only name one Men at Work song. :smallwink:

Sorry.

[Serpentine]

You mean, like... Avatar, Gone With The Wind, The Good The Bad And The Ugly, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Citizen Kane...? :smallwink: :smalltongue:

[Serpentine]

The male right whale has the largest testicles on Earth, with each weighing half a tonne (500 kg). This also gives it the highest bollocks-to-bodyweight ratio of any creature, at around 1% of their total mass.It's on.
The beanweevil penis is horrifying: lots of knobs, spikes and so on.
Dolphins have a prehensile penis (did I say that already?).
Penis size and complexity is an indication of how promiscuous a species' females are. Humans are... averageish.
Penises can be used to distinguish between species. For example, one species of Australian forest bat has a curvy penis with a round knob, while another has a crooked one with a pointy knob.
Snakes have two penises.
A sperm whale's penis is about a metre long when dried (it was in the Gold Coast Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum).
Most birds have cloacas rather than penises, ducks and swans being among the few exceptions.
Hrm... I used to know more. I'll think about it.

[horngeek]

Fact: most fantasy movies nowadays are filmed in New Zealand.

[Eldan]

It's on.
The beanweevil penis is horrifying: lots of knobs, spikes and so on.


There's more horrifying stuff out there, actually.
I don't remember the species name, at the moment, but there's a species of hemiptera out there where the males usually ignore the female genital parts and inject their sperm directly through the armour plates of the abdomen into the abdominal cavity, by using a massive spike.

[horngeek]

Oooh! There's a species of fish where the male gets absorbed into the female, ending up as little more than a pair of testicles providing sperm on demand.

[Serpentine]

Bean weevil penis:

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x138/rahneeverson/090225-03-spiky-beetle-genitals_big.jpg

While I'm at it, from my loverly book "How Animals Have Sex" and general knowledge:
Bonobos use sex to solve disputes. They're also a lot nicer than chimpanzees, have far better cooperation skills, and were probably set on their more peaceful lives by circumstances that made their society far more matriarchal than chimpanzees'.
A barnacle's penis is up to 30 times as long as the rest of its body.
There is a little brown bird in England that was once looked to as the epitome of virtue and faithfulness, the very vision of true monogamy. Then they started really looking at it, and discovered that they've got all sorts of things going on: cheating, polygamy, promiscuity, multiple mothers or fathers, shared nests, sole parents...
Bed bugs are among the above "traumatic insemination" species.

That'll do for now.

[Eldan]

That's anglerfish. Pretty interesting things, yes.


Oooh. That's a far nicer picture than the one our professor showed us. We only had a optical microscope picture.

[BisectedBrioche]

While "factoid" is often used to mean a small snippet of interesting information, it's actual definition is "A fact which has no outside source to back it up".

[Anuan]

Koalas can explode like small firebombs.

I've seen it happen.

[Serpentine]

I've seen it happen.Have you really?

[Cyrion]

A possum's penis is forked.

And a pig's orgasm lasts up to half an hour.

[Serpentine]

Some peoples, including a few native Australian groups, engage in "penile subincision" - splitting the underneath of the penis and exposing the urethra, sometimes extended to completely bisecting the organ.



Soooooo... Any non-genital related trivia?

[Anuan]

Have you really?

Yes. It was highly unpleasant and I never wish to repeat the experience.
It's to do with the eucalyptus oil and digestion process. In the rare case of the koala exposing gas to flame, or getting struck by lightning...kaboom.

[Serpentine]

What happened in the case you witnessed?

[Dr.Epic]

O.o

What is that meant to be?!?

The greatest kid's show ever!

[Anuan]

What happened in the case you witnessed?

Lightning struck a eucalyptus tree with a koala in it. It...ended poorly.

But it smelt worse.

[Serpentine]

Wow. That is both sad and awesome.

[Cyrion]

Before Michelangelo got to it, the roof of the Sistine Chapel was blue with gold stars.

[PJ the Epic]

Only clocks after 1698 have minute hands.

The word Sunday is not in the Bible.

The Gorilla's Family, Genus, and Species is all Gorilla, So it's Gorilla Gorilla gorilla

In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the monster was named Adam.

Nobody won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1972.

Most villians in the Bible have red hair.

A scallop has 35 eyes, all of them blue.

[Serpentine]

Hummingbirds don't just sleep at night, they go into hibernation. If they didn't, they'd starve to death by morning.

[Anuan]

In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the monster was named Adam.


Not true. Shelley referred to the monster as Adam during a telling of it, but in the book he's never given a name. Frankenstein refers to it using mostly curses and terms as 'devil' and 'fiend.' The Creature himself once uses the term 'Adam of your labours.'

However, a piece of trivia on the novel; it's original title was Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus, a reference to ancient Greek mythology, wherein some of the earlier myths, it was Prometheus who created humanity, not Zeus.

Also, whilst he's portrayed as a shambling hulk in the movies, the Creature in the book is highly intelligent, becoming fluent in French by listening to the conversations of a family, and helps them by chopping wood while they sleep.

[PJ the Epic]

Not true. Shelley referred to the monster as Adam during a telling of it, but in the book he's never given a name. Frankenstein refers to it using mostly curses and terms as 'devil' and 'fiend.' The Creature himself once uses the term 'Adam of your labours.'

However, a piece of trivia on the novel; it's original title was Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus, a reference to ancient Greek mythology, wherein some of the earlier myths, it was Prometheus who created humanity, not Zeus.

Also, whilst he's portrayed as a shambling hulk in the movies, the Creature in the book is highly intelligent, becoming fluent in French by listening to the conversations of a family, and helps them by chopping wood while they sleep.

What?!?!

*looks up*

GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

*head explodes from wrongness*

[Anuan]

Yeah...the things I could tell you about Frankenstein...whilst also contrasting it to Blade Runner: Director's Cut.

That was a strange module.

Also, he wasn't Dr. Frankenstein; he was a young university student who studied, along with chemistry and physics, philosophy, and gained an appreciation for the occult.

It's also implied that he created the Creature from scratch, as opposed to building him out of pieces of corpses like in the movies.

[Serpentine]

Oh yeah? Well I studied the three (then) Terminator movies, Fight Club, The Crying Game and Mrs Doubtfire in the one unit :smalltongue:

[_Zoot_]

Yeah...the things I could tell you about Frankenstein...whilst also contrasting it to Blade Runner: Director's Cut.

That was a strange module.

Also, he wasn't Dr. Frankenstein; he was a young university student who studied, along with chemistry and physics, philosophy, and gained an appreciation for the occult.

It's also implied that he created the Creature from scratch, as opposed to building him out of pieces of corpses like in the movies.

Your doing the same English cause as some of my friends, I'm doing the sensible thing and taking the standard course!

[Cyrion]

Also, whilst he's portrayed as a shambling hulk in the movies, the Creature in the book is highly intelligent, becoming fluent in French by listening to the conversations of a family, and helps them by chopping wood while they sleep.

And by extension, with as much time as he spends in Germany and England tracking Frankenstein, he must have also been able to speak German and English. Danish might also be on the list, but that might be something of a reach.

The story of Frankenstein comes out of a vacation in which Byron, Percy Shelley, Mary Shelley and their friend Polidori challenged each other to write ghost stories whilst hanging out in a manor on an island. The three men all wrote vampire stories, now largely forgotten though still available if you hunt, and Mary wrote her now famous story.

[GolemsVoice]

Chinese have problems with the "r", making it sound more like an "l", while the Japanese have exact the opposite problem. I find that to be very amsuing.

[BisectedBrioche]

Oh yeah? Well I studied the three (then) Terminator movies, Fight Club, The Crying Game and Mrs Doubtfire in the one unit :smalltongue:

Lies! There has never been more than two Terminator movies. :smallwink:


Chinese have problems with the "r", making it sound more like an "l", while the Japanese have exact the opposite problem. I find that to be very amsuing.

Urban legend has it that in WWII, many American and British GIs would use words like "Hullapalooza" as passwords to tell their Chinese allies from their Japanese enemies.

[Zen Monkey]

Despite the song, we do know how Constantinople became Istanbul.

It was one of the major cities of the world at that time, and the locals around that area mostly referred to it as 'the city.' We still do that today around a number of major cities, planning 'a trip in to the city' for a weekend event. Well, when the invading Turks came through the outlying farmlands, they pointed at the big city and asked what it was (trying to learn the name). The people replied "that is the city" or is ten polis in the Greek. Unable to pronounce the Greek, the closest approximation the Turks could pronounce was Istanbul.

[Tiger Duck]

People with the name Denis are statistically more likely to become dentists then people with a different name.

[Kneenibble]

Despite the song, we do know how Constantinople became Istanbul.

It was one of the major cities of the world at that time, and the locals around that area mostly referred to it as 'the city.' We still do that today around a number of major cities, planning 'a trip in to the city' for a weekend event. Well, when the invading Turks came through the outlying farmlands, they pointed at the big city and asked what it was (trying to learn the name). The people replied "that is the city" or is ten polis in the Greek. Unable to pronounce the Greek, the closest approximation the Turks could pronounce was Istanbul.
Something's not right in there, my dear. is ten polis is not real Greek.

[BisectedBrioche]

People with the name Denis are statistically more likely to become dentists then people with a different name.

And there are two (independent) fictional characters called "Dennis" who are known as "the menace". Coincidence?...I THINK NOT!

[Zen Monkey]

Something's not right in there, my dear. is ten polis is not real Greek.


I only remember it phonetically now, been a very long time since grad school. I'm sure my transliteration is bad.

[PJ the Epic]

Every person on earth has a unique smell.

Keep goldfish in a dark room and they'll turn white.

It's against the law to play rock music in Venitian Gondolas.

Ostirches yawn in groups before they go to sleep.

A baby blue whale gains 200 pounds per hour.

[Anuan]

Your doing the same English cause as some of my friends, I'm doing the sensible thing and taking the standard course!

Correction, I -did- the same course. Extension 1 and 2 English, baby :smallcool:

[Serpentine]

Lies! There has never been more than two Terminator movies. :smallwink:Actually, now I think about it, I think we did only do the first two anyway. "New Man" vs. "Old Man".

The Istanbul thing sounds dodgy to me, too. Like the idea that "kangaroo" means "I don't understand" - not true.

[Dr.Epic]

Maus was drawn entirely on ordinary printer paper and inked with a regular ball point pen.

[KerfuffleMach2]

Something I caught on History Channel the other day. It was a program talking about new ways of producing energy.

Right now, an Australian company is working on plans for a power plant that runs off the simple fact that heat rises. Each plant, at 80% efficiency, could power half a million homes.

Given that info, 620 of those would be needed to power the US. 62 for just California. And just 2 for Wyoming.

[Serpentine]

Wait, we're doing what now? Awesome.

[Eldan]

Are those the gigantic horizontal turbines which from a distance look a little like cooling towers?

[_Zoot_]

Something I caught on History Channel the other day. It was a program talking about new ways of producing energy.

Right now, an Australian company is working on plans for a power plant that runs off the simple fact that heat rises. Each plant, at 80% efficiency, could power half a million homes.

Given that info, 620 of those would be needed to power the US. 62 for just California. And just 2 for Wyoming.

Cool, we are so going to be rich!

[KerfuffleMach2]

Are those the gigantic horizontal turbines which from a distance look a little like cooling towers?

Yeah. They have a smaller one in use in Spain right now for testing purposes.

The ones that the Australian company is working on, the central towers would be taller than the Empire State Building.

[GolemsVoice]

While eating, cows tend to face either to the North or to the South. Noone knows why.

[Serpentine]

Pretty much everyone, when passed a baby straight-on, will cradle it with their left arm. When asked why, right-handed people will say "so my stronger right arm can be used for other things", while left-handed people will say "because that's my strongest arm, so it'll be safer/easier".

[ambu]

Back to the whale:

Aristotle Onassis had a couch in his yacht made from leather from a whale penis. When esteemed guests would arrive (including the royal family of UK) he would say "You are now seating on the greatest penis of the world"

Also "Einai i polis" would be Greek

[Thatguyoverther]

Darth Vader never says the line "Luke, I am your father." in any of the Starwars films.

[Vorpalbob]

Engine coolant tastes DELICIOUS OM NOM NOM to cats and other small animals. However, it is lethal. It is so delicious to them, however, that I have heard stories of cats seeing other cats die while stinking of coolant, and later going to that same spilled bottle and killing themselves.

[BisectedBrioche]

Engine coolant tastes DELICIOUS OM NOM NOM to cats and other small animals. However, it is lethal. It is so delicious to them, however, that I have heard stories of cats seeing other cats die while stinking of coolant, and later going to that same spilled bottle and killing themselves.

That would be Ethylene glycol (also used as an anti-freeze). It's extremely sweet (it's basically sugar with an alcohol group attached) so humans make the same mistake. It's often sold with something added to make it less palatable.

[KerfuffleMach2]

Clint Eastwood and David Schwimmer were both the original choices for the lead roles in "Men In Black".

[Zeb The Troll]

Pretty much everyone, when passed a baby straight-on, will cradle it with their left arm. When asked why, right-handed people will say "so my stronger right arm can be used for other things", while left-handed people will say "because that's my strongest arm, so it'll be safer/easier".Coincidentally, Alarra just read an article on this in one of her psychology magazines. It has something to do with right brains and left brains or something. I need to go ask her now...

[Dogmantra]

Clint Eastwood and David Schwimmer were both the original choices for the lead roles in "Men In Black".

Will Smith was originally wanted to play Neo in The Matrix.

[Innis Cabal]

Darth Vader never says the line "Luke, I am your father." in any of the Starwars films.

It's close enough to extrapolate (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6sj89xgnl4)

[Eldan]

That would be Ethylene glycol (also used as an anti-freeze). It's extremely sweet (it's basically sugar with an alcohol group attached) so humans make the same mistake. It's often sold with something added to make it less palatable.

Is that also the compound that is sometimes (illegally) added to wine to make it sweeter?

[BisectedBrioche]

Is that also the compound that is sometimes (illegally) added to wine to make it sweeter?

Correct. Although its toxicity means that it'll be quite clear when it is. It's LD50 in humans is 786 mg/kg (that is to say approximately 50% of all members of a given population of humans will die if they are given 786 mg of it for every kilogram they weigh).

Symptoms of poisoning include;

Bowel irritation and symptoms similar to ethanol poisoning (i.e. drunkenness).
After about 12 hours: Heart problems and muscle spasms caused by the body breaking it down into the even more toxic products.
After about a day without treatment: Kidney failure (reversible, but you'll die without dialysis treatment in the meantime, and it could last for months or even years).

[Serpentine]

We ought to start a list of things that are as delicious as they are deadly. So far we have:
Ethylene glycol/anti-freeze/coolant
Lead
Arsenic

Man, dunno how Aximili survived the whole series...

[Eldan]

Lead and arsenic are delicious? Never heard that one, I have to admit.

[Serpentine]

Lead apparently is sweet, and arsenic tastes of almonds (probably not really tasty on its own, but then, neither is almond essence).

[_Zoot_]

Now what I want to know is how did we find this all out?

"Ok, drink this anti-freeze and tell me what it tastes like before you die"

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Of course I am, its for SCIENCE isn't it?"

"Well, ok *drinks* hey, thats actually not that bad, it's kinda like-"

*dies*

*writing down*

"Tastes ok, need new test subject"

[Eldan]

We found it out because every second year or so there's a scandal in southern france or Italy where some winegrower tried to "improve" a bad vintage by making it sweeter with the stuff.

[Anuan]

Man, dunno how Aximili survived the whole series...

The fact you know who Aximili-Esgarouth-Isthil is raises my opinion of you three hundred percent.

[_Zoot_]

We found it out because every second year or so there's a scandal in southern france or Italy where some winegrower tried to "improve" a bad vintage by making it sweeter with the stuff.

Oh..... :smalleek:


Thats much less funny.

[Serpentine]

The fact you know who Aximili-Esgarouth-Isthil is raises my opinion of you three hundred percent.Then a trip to the Homebrew section should raise it OVER NINE THOUSAND!
/meme

[BisectedBrioche]

Now what I want to know is how did we find this all out?

"Ok, drink this anti-freeze and tell me what it tastes like before you die"

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Of course I am, its for SCIENCE isn't it?"

"Well, ok *drinks* hey, thats actually not that bad, it's kinda like-"

*dies*

*writing down*

"Tastes ok, need new test subject"

As I noted above, it does take about 24 hours to kill at least (the alcohol itself isn't any worse than ethanol, it's the acids it's broken down into when the body tries to digest it that do the real damage).


Oh..... :smalleek:


Thats much less funny.

And an Englishman I find it heeeelarious. Nah, only kidding. But I find the fact that an episode of The Simpsons got something about non-American politics accurate astounding...

[raitalin]

Hyena's long forelegs give them additional leverage for tearing bits off carcasses, as well as making it easier to carry bits away. Ironically this also gives them their loping gait, which makes them less efficient hunters. Without it they could likely out-compete lions with their stronger jaws and superior pack tactics.

[Cyrion]

Anders Celcius did not want to deal with negative numbers very often, so his original temperature scale was reversed- the freezing point of water was 100 and the boiling point was 0. (He was an astronomer, so cold temperatures were more important to him.) The scale was reversed after his death in 1744.

[Kneenibble]

Lead apparently is sweet, and arsenic tastes of almonds (probably not really tasty on its own, but then, neither is almond essence).

I believe you mean cyanide, Serpentine, rather than arsenic.

It's true about lead, though. It was a regular additive to wine in Roman times, and the reason for the jokes about kids eating lead paint chips (a la "wall candy" in Tommy Boy) -- they were actually tasty!

[BisectedBrioche]

I believe you mean cyanide, Serpentine, rather than arsenic.

It's true about lead, though. It was a regular additive to wine in Roman times, and the reason for the jokes about kids eating lead paint chips (a la "wall candy" in Tommy Boy) -- they were actually tasty!

Some fun facts about cyanide;


It's not one specific chemical but a series of chemicals which contain the "cyano group"; a nitrogen atom triple bonded to a carbon atom (with one left over electron in it's outmost shell to form an ionic bond with, of course).
Its name comes from the specific cyanide salt "ferrocyanide" meaning "dark blue iron" (since ferrocyanide was present in the dye "Prussian Blue").
The above fact gives one of the possible tests for cyanide; if cynaide is present in a sample that is reacted with an iron compound it will turn an unmistakable (for a given level of unmistakable) blue colour.
The reason bitter almonds smell of cyanide is because they contain it (this might seem obvious, but...).
The antidote to cyanide is "Hydroxocobalamin". Better known as vitamin B12 (or one of the forms of it). It reacts to form harmless Cyanocobalamin (also a form of Vitamin B12).

[Serpentine]

I believe you mean cyanide, Serpentine, rather than arsenic.Huh. I could've sworn it was arsenic, but apparently it has no taste at all. I declare myself: wrong!

The Mad Hatter has a historical origin: mercury used to be used in the making of hats (not sure how. Something to do with preparing the felt or somesuch?), and so "hatters", or hat-makers, came into regular contact with them, and thus tended to go crazy. The March Hare is something to do with hares going mental during their breeding season/March.
Also, Roman pipes were lined with lead. And an ancient Chinese emperor (Qin, I think) died of mercury poisoning. It was an ingredient in his "immortality potions".

Speaking of China, they invented just about everything before anyone else: plow, beaurocracy, feudalism, gunpowder, guns, paper, compass, printing, booze, forks, the field of archaeology, paper currency, formal exams, civil service, vaccination, land mines, playing cards, seisometers, toilet paper... Many before the Roman Empire fell. But, by the time the West came into contact - and conflict - with the East, China had stagnated, and was technologically hundreds of years behind Europe.

[raitalin]

Speaking of China, they invented just about everything before anyone else: plow, beaurocracy, feudalism, gunpowder, guns, paper, compass, printing, booze, forks, the field of archaeology, paper currency, formal exams, civil service, vaccination, land mines, playing cards, seisometers, toilet paper... Many before the Roman Empire fell. But, by the time the West came into contact - and conflict - with the East, China had stagnated, and was technologically hundreds of years behind Europe.

Oddly enough only really in two crucial fields: gun construction (strangely helped along by the church bell industry) and naval technology (which they focused on to find a way around Islamic territory). In most other areas China and the rest of east Asia were on par with Europe.

[Serpentine]

Maybe, but only because they got such a big head start in those fields. Considering their former innovation, by the time of the Opium Wars (or whatever it was called), they should have been way, way ahead. Instead, they just foundered around the 1100s, and Europe caught up, then overtook them in at least several important fields.

[BisectedBrioche]

Quite a few cultures suffered from that;


The Islamic world suffered the same process of stagnation after huge advances in the sciences.
The Indus Vally people (from who much of the population of India are decended) had technology on par with the Romans, but it was lost after they were invaded by nomadic tribes.
The Aztecs managed quite a bit without ever discovering how to smelt metal (they used obsidian for cutting implaments and stuck with stone for the rest).

[Stadge]

The surnames 'Burrows' and 'Warren' originate from the time of the Norman conquest of England. The Normans brought rabbits across to England as a food source(which had originally been brought from Africa), but the rabbits, unused to the cold climate, found themselves unable to burrow, so the Normans got the Anglo-Saxon peasants to dig holes for the rabbits; their descendents were named after this job.

[Serpentine]

Ooooh, along those lines, English is more commonly known to be "based" on French or Latin or whatever, but in fact the more basic parts of English are Norse. My lecturer said something along the lines of "you couldn't be born, live or die in England without the Norse". Even words like "egg" come from that.

Also, there's a theory that the relative lack of advancement in the Americas was because of the lack of a horse or other large, easily domesticated creature that could move quickly and carry heavy loads. The closest were llamas and alpacas, which are slow and couldn't carry a large human, and buffalo. I assume the problem with buffalo was domestication.

[GolemsVoice]

And an ancient Chinese emperor (Qin, I think) died of mercury poisoning. It was an ingredient in his "immortality potions".

Lead was also a main ingredient in many early cosmetics, especially in ancient Greece. The result was that the skin was gradually destroyed, and what do you do against that? Right. MORE cosmetics.

[Stadge]

Ooooh, along those lines, English is more commonly known to be "based" on French or Latin or whatever, but in fact the more basic parts of English are Norse. My lecturer said something along the lines of "you couldn't be born, live or die in England without the Norse". Even words like "egg" come from that.

Yeah that's about right, born probably stems from ‘bǫrn’ which meant child, 'lifa' was life and die stems from 'deyja'. Brother is another one from the Old Norse. It's things like this that make me love my ridiculous course :smallsmile:

Also, I do like that horse idea, seems to amke a lot of sense.

[Eldan]

Just read the newspaper, and it's more a piece of news than trivia, but still:

A bet:
Using a 27kg heavy, 99 year old bike of the swiss bike infantry, Daniel Markwalder beat professional sport biker Jens Voigt (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jens_Voigt) in a 250 meter sprint.
Even better: this was a reprise of the same bet half a year ago, when they did the same over 200 meters. This time, Markwalder didn't know of the bet and dind't have time to train :smalltongue:

[Cyrion]

The Mad Hatter has a historical origin: mercury used to be used in the making of hats (not sure how. Something to do with preparing the felt or somesuch?), and so "hatters", or hat-makers, came into regular contact with them, and thus tended to go crazy.

Mercury was used to soften the felt. This usually involved the hatter chewing on the mercury-soaked felt, thus ingesting it and getting mercury poison.

An instructor of mine in college got tellurium poisoning during WW II. The immediate symptom was a dreadful stench that got him a subway car all to himself most days. The lasting effects include the need for only a couple of hours sleep a night and the inability to get drunk.

Today (Feb. 3) is National Day The Music Died in the US. It's the anniversary of the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper.

[BisectedBrioche]

Mercury was used to soften the felt. This usually involved the hatter chewing on the mercury-soaked felt, thus ingesting it and getting mercury poison.

Similarly, before people understood the hazards of radiation, plutonium was often painted onto watches by hand. The fact the painters often licked their brushes went about as well as you'd expect...

[Bouregard]

Now what I want to know is how did we find this all out?

"Ok, drink this anti-freeze and tell me what it tastes like before you die"

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Of course I am, its for SCIENCE isn't it?"

"Well, ok *drinks* hey, thats actually not that bad, it's kinda like-"

*dies*

*writing down*

"Tastes ok, need new test subject"


You don't have to eat things to taste them, smell and your tongue will do the job. However it's still not advised to test things how they taste.
Also a doctor is usually close with means to treat that specific poisoning...

[Kneenibble]

Similarly, before people understood the hazards of radiation, plutonium was often painted onto watches by hand. The fact the painters often licked their brushes went about as well as you'd expect...

Something's not right there, my dear, considering plutonium was unknown before 1940 when the discourse of nuclear radioactivity was well underway.

You might mean uranium.
@v There she blows.


An instructor of mine in college got tellurium poisoning during WW II. The immediate symptom was a dreadful stench that got him a subway car all to himself most days. The lasting effects include the need for only a couple of hours sleep a night and the inability to get drunk.

By lasting, do you mean unto this day? If so it almost sounds like it would be worth it to induce some small near-superpowers.

[Archonic Energy]

Similarly, before people understood the hazards of radiation, plutonium Radium was often painted onto watches by hand. The fact the painters often licked their brushes went about as well as you'd expect...
C-
could do better :smalltongue: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radium)

[BisectedBrioche]

C-
could do better :smalltongue: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radium)

Drat. Ok then, to compensate;

Before radium was discovered, the title of glowing substance that people ignored the hazards of went to phosphorus, which wasn't radioactive but was toxic. Victims included;


Girls who made matches with white phosphorus (there were safer forms of phosphorus to use, not that some employers cared) suffered from "Phossy Jaw" (i.e. their jaws rotted off their faces, no that is not an exaggeration).
At least some people who were poisoned deliberatly with matches.
Individuals painted in phosphorus based paints to appear as ghosts.

[Dr.Epic]

Only one character in the Simpsons has ever been drawn with five fingers.

[Eldan]

Really? What about Homer's vision of "our children will be freaks! With pink skin and five fingers!"

I don't remember if the hands are visible at all, but several people were in that scene.

[reorith]

the molotov cocktail was invented by the finnish.

[GolemsVoice]

Rat's brains apparently know when to give up. When a rat is thrown in a barrel with water out of which it cannot escape, it will drown quickly. If the same barrel contains a piece of wood to which the rat can hold on, it will struggle for about two hourse before drowning of exhaustion.

[Cyrion]

By lasting, do you mean unto this day? If so it almost sounds like it would be worth it to induce some small near-superpowers.

Unto this day. You'd think so, but missing on either side of the super power dose isn't going to be good. To little, and all you do is stink. Too much, and, well, look what it's near on the periodic table.

[Altair_the_Vexed]

There are way more accidents involving trousers than kids' toys each year.

Dozens of people worldwide die each year from testing if a battery is live with their tongue.

A typographical error in a safety standard applied by a major kids' product manufacturer set the maximum gap in between two parts of a toy at roughly the diameter of the earth, instead of about 4 inches.