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Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik
As a respectful homage to one of my favourite Telly programmes, and the rather excellent spin off books, here is a thread dedicated to fascinating facts, obsure truths, and the exposure of balderdash!
Is simple enough, all you need to do is to post up something you find interesting, having checked it's veracity as much as you can.
Here is one to start off (plenty more as I plunder the book once I'm home!)
If the human stomach did not constantly regenerate it's lining, our digestive acids would start to digest our bodies. Freaky huh?
And in keeping with the vague stomach theme, those little bits of what seems to be carrot in human vomit is in fact shreds of stomach lining.
Over to you. And feel free to include favourite quotes!
221
Post by: Frazzled
The US used spider web threads for some of its periscopes in WWII.
299
Post by: Kilkrazy
In Japanese the word for spider and cloud are the same.
299
Post by: Kilkrazy
The english verb To Cleave means to stick together and to chop apart.
299
Post by: Kilkrazy
The Italian language only contains about 100,000 words.
299
Post by: Kilkrazy
The Scottish population has a higher proportion of redheads (14%) than any other population.
8725
Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik
Henry VIII in fact only had two wives during the course of his lives. The other weddings were either illegal (bigamy) or annulled, which means in the eyes of the Church and the Law, never occured in the first place.
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Post by: reds8n
Most of the early English dictionaries were not in Alphabetical order.
There is more evidence supporting the historical evidence of King Cole ( as in the "merry olde soule") than there is for King Arthur.
A new species of Sea Urchin was discovered thanks to E-bay.
6829
Post by: Cheese Elemental
Emus and kangaroos cannot walk backwards, and are on the Australian coat of arms for that reason.
You see, Oz is always going fowards, proving that nothing can possibly go wrong with our nation. Yay! No apocalypse for us.
5534
Post by: dogma
There is no word in Arabic for state.
299
Post by: Kilkrazy
The English words 'bungalow', 'jungle' and 'pajamas' all come from Indian languages.
8551
Post by: captain.gordino
Spiderweb, weight for weight, is stronger than steel.
5957
Post by: CaptainCommunsism
Germany is the second largest consumer of alcohol per capita. It is second only to ireland.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
Most of the boundary between Delaware and Pennsylvania is defined by an arc extending 12 miles (19 km) from the cupola of the courthouse in New Castle. It is referred to as the Twelve-Mile Circle.
This is the only true-arc political boundary in the United States.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
Kentucky is the only U.S. state to have a non-contiguous part exist as an exclave surrounded by other states.
Fulton County, in the far west corner of the state, includes a small part of land, Kentucky Bend, on the Mississippi River bordered by Missouri and accessible via Tennessee, created by the New Madrid Earthquake.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
4 of the United States Of America's states are officially commonwealths: Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
Plantar fasciitis is a painful inflammatory condition of the foot caused by excessive wear to the plantar fascia that supports the arch or by biomechanical faults that cause abnormal pronation.
I have it in my left foot again and it hurts....
2050
Post by: Anung Un Rama
The german word for cookie "Keks" does actually come from the english work "cakes".
7766
Post by: Anti-Mag
Iran, per capita, is the largest consumer of tea in the world. Take that, English stereotype!
8229
Post by: Xav
I once ate a whole block of butter, for a dare then pucked, is that a fact?
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
In the 2008 Ig Nobel awards Duke University behavioral economist Dan Ariely won for his study that found more expensive fake medicines work better than cheaper fake medicines.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
US coins have their value written on them in words, not numbers.
299
Post by: Kilkrazy
United Kingdom postage stamps are the only ones in the world that do not state their country of origin on them.
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Post by: warpcrafter
Drinking eyedrops will make you poop your pants.
486
Post by: Elnicko5
Berlin Germany has the largest turkish population in the world, aside from Istanbul, and they make affordable yet delicious sandwiches.
486
Post by: Elnicko5
The 57 in heinz stands for the number of pickle varieties the company once sold.
The pitch of most american car horns is f.
Dr. Seuss was first to coin the word nerd.
There are no (actual) words which rhyme with orange, month, silver, or purple.
The phrase "rule of thumb" is a reference to an old english law about spousal abuse; one could not strike one's wife with an object wider than one's thumb.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
At no point is the Amazon river crossed by bridges.
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Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
The great pyramid of Giza remained the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3,800 years, unsurpassed until the 160 meter tall spire of Lincoln Cathedral was completed c. 1300
676
Post by: CyberShadow
The ampersand (&) used to be the 27th letter of the alphabet. Children would learn their letters chanting, but instead of finishing "x, y, z and and" tutors added the latin 'per se' to make "x, y, z and per se and".
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Post by: Tacobake
warpcrafter wrote:Drinking eyedrops will make you poop your pants.
I have to say, this thread is quite interesting. If you do not mind me saying so. We do not mind.
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Post by: Chimera_Calvin
The word 'quiz' was created after an Irishman made a bet that he could introduce a new word to the english language.
He wrote 'quiz' on walls all over town - because no-one could understand why the word had appeared or what it meant, it became synonymous with trying to decipher a puzzle or riddle.
The Soverign Military Order of Malta is the last surviving remnant of the Knights Hospitaller of the Order of St John of Jerusalem (commonly called the 'Hospitallers').
As such it is the only military-religious order still recognised by the vatican (although their work now is as international mediators). They have their own sovereign territory, currency, postage stamps and radio station and are one of only two international bodies formally recognised by the United Nations as neither a state nor an NGO
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
Rob Liefeld has much to learn about human anatomy...
The image on the left is the original, the one on the right is what Cap would look like as drawn, without his suit, done by some young wag....
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
A Big Mac in Australia has 480 kcal and 24.9g of fat, but in the US it has 650kcal (largest in the world) and 29g of fat (tied for largest in the world).
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
If you spell all the numbers and try to find letter "A" you will have to count to One thousAnd.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
WD-40 stands for Water Displacement, 40th attempt. Name was coined by the chemist, Norm Larsen, while he was attempting to concoct a formula to prevent corrosion by displacing water.
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Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik
True dat, true dat!
Columbus never actually set foot on mainland America. He instead made his landing somewhere near Cuba!
1941
Post by: Wolfstan
Bigot was used as a term for something very secret, a document classed as Bigot was above Top Secret.
486
Post by: Elnicko5
Delaware has the lowest highest point in North America
486
Post by: Elnicko5
Cockroaches contain a "suicide enzyme" (S-Adenosylmethionine, if I remember correctly) which, when activated (Which I guess technically makes it a zymogen) causes near instant death. It yields no actual evolutionary advantage, and is near impossible, in vivo conditions, to activate; extreme stress has been theorized as the activating agent, however you can cut off a cockroaches head (It will live for days after you do this) and it does not activate. Boiling, freezing, cooking, and microwaving fail to activate this enzyme as well (The cockroach used in the trials conducted, at school- I dont torture animals for fun- only for science, only died after being in an oven @ 200C for fifteen minutes. As ecstatic as we were to finally kill the cockroach, when we finally ran the biochemistry tests on it, the enzyme was still inactive)
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Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik
The largest thing a Blue Whale can swallow is a Grapefruit.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
In 2000 the mean population centre for the United States was at Phelps County, Missouri 2.8 miles east of Edgar Springs.
A pic showing its south, westerly movement since independence.
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Post by: Ozymandias
In France, they call a Quarter Pounder a Royale with cheese.
Am I doing this right?
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
The Electoral College elected Washington unanimously in 1789, and again in the 1792 election; he remains the only president to receive 100% of the electoral votes.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
Not all letters in the Cyrillic alphabet are used in every language that is written with it.
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Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik
Elnicko5 wrote:Cockroaches contain a "suicide enzyme" (S-Adenosylmethionine, if I remember correctly) which, when activated (Which I guess technically makes it a zymogen) causes near instant death. It yields no actual evolutionary advantage, and is near impossible, in vivo conditions, to activate; extreme stress has been theorized as the activating agent, however you can cut off a cockroaches head (It will live for days after you do this) and it does not activate. Boiling, freezing, cooking, and microwaving fail to activate this enzyme as well (The cockroach used in the trials conducted, at school- I dont torture animals for fun- only for science, only died after being in an oven @ 200C for fifteen minutes. As ecstatic as we were to finally kill the cockroach, when we finally ran the biochemistry tests on it, the enzyme was still inactive)
And indeed, contrary to popular belief, Cockroaches will be amongst the first to die in the event of a Nuclear War. I'll read me book and post the tolerances laterer!
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Post by: Gitzbitah
You can safely eat a venomous creature, and being bitten by a poisonous creature will not harm you more than a normal bite.
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Post by: sebster
Chimera_Calvin wrote:The word 'quiz' was created after an Irishman made a bet that he could introduce a new word to the english language.
He wrote 'quiz' on walls all over town - because no-one could understand why the word had appeared or what it meant, it became synonymous with trying to decipher a puzzle or riddle.
Okay, that's about the coolest thing I've ever read.
Waaagh_Gonads wrote:In 2000 the mean population centre for the United States was at Phelps County, Missouri 2.8 miles east of Edgar Springs.
A pic showing its south, westerly movement since independence.
(image snipped)
Wait, no, this is the coolest thing I've read.
Benford's law observes that number sets drawn from real world info is distributed in a consistent, non-uniform way. That is, if you take a bunch of accounting numbers, around 30% of them will start with a 1, 18% with a 2 and so on. You could convert the figures into pounds or quatloos and the pattern would remain. This is used in auditing financial records and scientific data and has detected fraud on many occasions.
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Post by: Ozymandias
37% of all statistics are made up.
666
Post by: Necros
Chick peas are neither chicks nor peas.
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Post by: reds8n
Both the ancient Chinese and the Romans used tickling as a form of torture.
666
Post by: Necros
Honey is the only kind of food that doesn't spoil
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Post by: Ozymandias
That is true. They found honey in an Egyptian tomb and it was still edible.
Don't know who they got to try it but I'm sure alcohol and a bet was involved.
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Post by: captain.gordino
A special kind of flashbulb used exclusively by Canon makes the flash of their cameras fatal to lizards.
8725
Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik
Raindrops are perfectly spherical, not pear or tear shaped!
5957
Post by: CaptainCommunsism
Mozart had 7 children, however, only two survived and lived til their adulthood. also, one of the only contemporary composers of his time that he actually respected was Franz Josef Haydn. They were good friends, and when news of Mozart's death arrived to Haydn a year later (he was in England at this time), he offered to Mozart's children musical training, an offer Konstanze later took him up on, and which he delivered.
watching amadeus, so I decided to look up some history, albeit I knew that haydn and mozart were friends, C/O my father, who is a prof of mediaeval music. fun facts are fun.
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Post by: dogma
The Hubble Deep Fields are, perhaps, the most inspiring images ever taken.
8044
Post by: Arctik_Firangi
A universally accepted distinction between a screw and a bolt does not exist.
486
Post by: Elnicko5
Beer was "invented" in ancient Mesopotamia in the 6th century BC. It has been said to have been discovered when bread was left out in a bowl during a rainstorm and left to sit for several days. I would be willing to bet it is the best thing ever to come from the bet "A dollar says you wont drink that."
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Post by: Ensis Ferrae
one of many "origins" for the Rule of Thumb comes from brewing beer... when a brewer could put his thumb into a vat of wort, without instantly removing it because of burning himself, he knew it was safe to put the yeast into the mix, in order to create the beer
because of its exoskeleton, an ant can carry up to 6 times is body mass.
10097
Post by: Ensis Ferrae
the average man will shave 24.5 feet of facial hair during his adult lifetime
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Post by: RapidKiller
Super cooled liquid Heleium Will "crawl" up and out of the beaker it is being held in
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Post by: avantgarde
Ancient Romans cleansed themselves by spreading oil on their bodies then shaving it off with a large dull sickle/razor called a strigil. Caesar's troops constructed a bridge large enough to ferry 40,000 men across the Rhine, in ten days, using only lumber they cut on site, twice. The first steam engine was invented by Heron in the 1st century. It was deemed only useful as a toy and never developed further. The hands on Michaelangelo's David are out of proportion.
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Post by: malfred
avantgarde wrote:The hands on Michaelangelo's David are out of proportion.
As is Mary in his Pieta.
241
Post by: Ahtman
Wine is considered to have been discovery, and beer invention, as noted earlier.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
The Mona Lisa has no visible facial hair—including eyebrows and eyelashes.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
Almost all animals and plants can synthesize vitamin C internally, except for: Humans, simians (specifically the suborder haplorrhini), guinea pigs, a number of species of passerine birds (but not all of them), and many (perhaps all) major families of bats.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
There are four main types of pelvis:
Gynaecoid: Normal female pelvis, round with enlarged transverse diameter
Android: Normal male pelvis, Heart shaped
Anthropoid: Long anterior to posterior diameter
Platypelloid: Long transverse diameter
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
Between AD 800 and 1300 the regions around the fjords of southern Greenland experienced a mild climate, with trees and herbaceous plants growing and livestock being farmed.
299
Post by: Kilkrazy
The film "Krakatoa, East of Java" dramatising the 1883 eruption of the Krakatoa volcano ignores the fact that Krakatoa is west of Java.
5957
Post by: CaptainCommunsism
Waaagh_Gonads wrote:Between AD 800 and 1300 the regions around the fjords of southern Greenland experienced a mild climate, with trees and herbaceous plants growing and livestock being farmed.
That explains a lot. One of life's great mysteries, solved!
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Post by: Sgt_Scruffy
The UH-60A Blackhawk helicopter began life as Sikorsky's entry into the Army's Advanced Attack Helicopter program. Originally dubbed the S-67, it featured a 5 bladed main and tail rotor system, Tactical Armament Turret (TAT) with a 30mm cannon and wing pylons mounting etiher 16 130mm TOWs, 2.75 in. rockets or sidewinder air-to-air missiles. It set an air speed record or 216 knots (249 mph). It also featured retractable langing gear and speed brakes on the trailing edges of the wings. It's the granddaddy of what I fly today so I foud it interesting. Here's a picture.
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Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
CaptainCommunsism wrote:Waaagh_Gonads wrote:Between AD 800 and 1300 the regions around the fjords of southern Greenland experienced a mild climate, with trees and herbaceous plants growing and livestock being farmed.
That explains a lot. One of life's great mysteries, solved!
It explains that Greenland was a hell of alot hotter than it is now in the age of 'global warming'
A south western Greenland Village today (in summer):
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/Ittoqqortoormiit_top_hg.jpg
Certainly no trees and only a few herbacious plants.
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Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
Only five countries (USA, USSR, UK, France and Italy) have won more Summer Olympic gold medals than Hungary.
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Post by: Flachzange
The only 15 letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is uncopyrightable.
It is possible to lead a cow upstairs but not downstairs.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
In October 1983, the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (International Bureau of Weights and Measures) defined the meter as the distance that light travels in a vacuum during 1/299,792,458 s.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
Left-handedness occurs more frequently in both identical and fraternal twins, and several groups of individuals with neurological disorders (such as people with epilepsy, Down's Syndrome, autism, mental retardation and dyslexia).
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
Members of the British Parliament may not eat or drink in the chamber; the exception to this rule is the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who may have an alcoholic drink while delivering the Budget statement.
221
Post by: Frazzled
There are 117 possible patches for Jr. Girl Scouts.
299
Post by: Kilkrazy
Frazzled wrote:There are 117 possible patches for Jr. Girl Scouts.
Wow! That's a hell of a broken OS. How long does it take to download and install them all?
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Post by: Ensis Ferrae
the reasons why Fire stations traditionally have "the pole" is because the firefighters live upstairs, and in the days before the automobile, the fire-engine was drawn by horses; well, after the completion of a firefight, the horse would follow the firefighters up the stairs to the second floor.
221
Post by: Frazzled
Kilkrazy wrote:Frazzled wrote:There are 117 possible patches for Jr. Girl Scouts.
Wow! That's a hell of a broken OS. How long does it take to download and install them all?
No patches demonstrating you've achieved something to put on your uniform. I have the lesser known "most in need of a shave" patch.
10097
Post by: Ensis Ferrae
of all the teams in the NHL, only one in the league's entire history has ceased to exist (bonus points for those who know the answer to that)
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
Guam is the 32nd largest island of the United States.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
Transylvania was first referred to in a Medieval Latin document in 1075 as ultra silvam, meaning "beyond the forest"
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
The world's first skyscraper was constructed in 1885 using steel-skeleton construction in Chicago.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
The PS2 is the best-selling console to date, having reached over 140 million units in sales by mid-2008.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
Since 1930 Liverpool has experienced negative population growth every decade, at its peak over 100,000 people leaving the city between 1971 and 1981
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
In cricket before the umpire will award a dismissal and declare the batsman to be out, a member of the fielding side (generally the bowler) must "appeal". This is invariably done by asking (or shouting) the term "Owzat?" which means, simply enough, "How is that?"
6887
Post by: Greebynog
Facetious is the shortest word in the english language to feature all vowels in alphabetical order.
We are currently living in an ice age.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
The Bronx is the only New York City borough situated primarily on the North American mainland
872
Post by: Sgt_Scruffy
Ensis Ferrae wrote:of all the teams in the NHL, only one in the league's entire history has ceased to exist (bonus points for those who know the answer to that)
Hartford Whalers?
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
At least 55 million tonnes of apples were grown worldwide in 2005, with a value of about $10 billion. China produced about 35% of this total.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
Phar Lap's heart, weighed 6.2 kg, compared with a normal horse's heart at 3.2 kg.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
55% of the London Underground is above ground.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
Bacon is a cut of meat taken from the sides, belly, or back of a pig that has been cured, smoked, or both.
4746
Post by: Flachzange
A depth of 2 fathoms (3,6 metres) is called a Mark Twain. Originally a fathom was the space reached by with two arms outstretched.
4746
Post by: Flachzange
2 pints = 1 quart, 4 quarts = 1 gallon, 9 gallons = 1 firkin, 2 firkins = 1 kilderkin, 3 kilderkins = 1 hogshead, 2 hogsheads = 1 butt
4746
Post by: Flachzange
Ducks are never male. The males of the species are called drakes.
10097
Post by: Ensis Ferrae
Sgt_Scruffy wrote:Ensis Ferrae wrote:of all the teams in the NHL, only one in the league's entire history has ceased to exist (bonus points for those who know the answer to that)
Hartford Whalers?
no, the Hartford Whalers were moved to another city, and are know known as the Carolina Hurricanes.
the term "knots" in nautical terms, used to refer to the act of dropping a floated rope (a rope with something that floated on tied on the end of it) and evenly spaced knots, into the water at the side of the ship. a ship's mate would loosely hold the rope, and count the number of knots that slid thru his hands over a set period of time (measured with a small hour glass). the number of knots in relation to the seconds passed gave the crew a rough idea of how fast they were travelling.
8725
Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik
Continuing the vaguely nautical theme....
It would be rare indeed to find a Pirate Captain with a Hook Hand, as the act which then necessitated the prosthesis was a punishment meted out to thieves aboard ship.
The guilty party would have their hand nailed to the mast, palm out, and left there for a number of days or hours, one assumes depending on the severity of the theft. The rocking motion of the boat ensured the wound was gradually opened wider and wider by the nail. At the end, the hand would be cut off, dipped in hot pitch to seal the stump, and some kind of implement put on....
8725
Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik
And expunging other myths....
There was only ever one shoot out in the 'Wild West' documented, and due to the home made pistols, neither participant actually managed to hit the other!
10097
Post by: Ensis Ferrae
the only middle Eastern country to NOT have a desert within its borders, is Lebanon.
221
Post by: Frazzled
Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:And expunging other myths....
There was only ever one shoot out in the 'Wild West' documented, and due to the home made pistols, neither participant actually managed to hit the other!
Define shootout MDG
*OK Corral and the Northridge Massacre were (in)famous shootouts, as well as several documented fun filled extravaganzas with Hickok and some others.
The taking of scalps or "scalping" was a French invention, not Native American.
8725
Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik
Shoot out as in two men, in the street, high noon, blam blam bad guy deid!
10097
Post by: Ensis Ferrae
Poland's Stella Walsh (Stanislawa Walasiewicz)-won the women's 100-meter race at the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, becoming the first woman to break the 12-second barrier. When she was killed in 1980 as an innocent victim in a robbery attempt, an autopsy declared her to be a male.
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Post by: Lord Bingo
It is illegal to die in the house of parliment.
It is also legal to shoot a scotsman with a bow and arrow after dark if he is within the original city wall of York.
666
Post by: Necros
Lord Bingo wrote:It is also legal to shoot a scotsman with a bow and arrow after dark if he is within the original city wall of York.
I'm gonna have to try that one sometime! Anyone from Scotland wanna die?
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
The United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
For most of Rome's history, the toga was a garment worn exclusively by men, while women wore the stola. Non-citizens were forbidden to wear the toga.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
Founded in 1636 by the colonial Massachusetts legislature, Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. It is also the first and oldest corporation in North America.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
Detroit is the only major U.S. city that looks south to Canada.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of fast food restaurants, serving nearly 47 million customers daily.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
At one point during the 1930 season, as a stunt, Babe Ruth was called upon to pitch for the first time since 1921, and he pitched a complete-game victory.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
Iron is the heaviest element produced by stellar nucleosynthesis; heavier elements require a red giant or supernova for their formation.
10097
Post by: Ensis Ferrae
Nolan Ryan has the most no-hitters (7) of any pitcher in major league history, however he is not one of the 19 pitchers to have pitched a "perfect game"
Until 1967 it wasn't illegal for Olympic athletes to use drugs to enhance their performance during competition.
131
Post by: malfred
Gonads, are you reading from a bathroom book?
10097
Post by: Ensis Ferrae
Traces of cocaine were found on 99% of UK bank notes in a survey in London in 2000
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
In the United States and Canada, "penny" is normally used to refer to the coin; the quantity of money is a "cent."
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
If the Hoover Dam were built in a single continuous pour, the concrete would have taken 125 years to cool to ambient temperature.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
The Canadian Governor General, by tradition, has been held alternately by anglophone Canadians and francophone Canadians.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
The eight principal gateways to London were Ludgate, Newgate, Aldersgate, Cripplegate, Moorgate, Bishopsgate, Aldgate, and Temple Bar.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
In the 25 years since the first edition of Warhammer Fantasy Battle, the cost of a metal "Goblin Fanatic" miniature has increased from 40p to £2.67, an increase of 667%.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
There are 365 steps leading up to the West Front of the Capitol Building, each representing a day in the year.
10097
Post by: Ensis Ferrae
the Corsair fighter plane used by the Marines and US Navy during WW2 had its famous "gull-wing" design, partly because of the size of its propeller, but also because at the time of its design/manufacture, they didnt have landing gear long enough that would fit inside of the wing.
4362
Post by: Ozymandias
Now we know why WG has over 17,000 posts....
320
Post by: Platuan4th
This and the FAIL thread.
And he didn't think he'd ever break 100 pages in that one.
10097
Post by: Ensis Ferrae
the "traditional" song that most brides walk down the isle to get married to, was originally written by Richard Wagner... a man who absolutely hated women.... ohh, the irony
5534
Post by: dogma
Ensis Ferrae wrote:of all the teams in the NHL, only one in the league's entire history has ceased to exist (bonus points for those who know the answer to that)
The California Golden Seals/Cleveland Barons.
Though there were others as well if you're willing to consider the pre-1942 (Original Six) NHL as a part of the modern NHL.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
The Channel Island of Sark is a British crown dependency and was is the last European territory to abolish classic feudalism (in 2008).
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
Of all major cities in Canada St John's is the cloudiest with only 1,497 hours of sunshine a year, snowiest (359 cm; 11.8 ft), and has the most wet days per year.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
Tunas are fast swimmers, they have been clocked at 70 km/h (45 mph), and include several species that are warm-blooded.
5946
Post by: Miguelsan
Contrary to popular belief the Great Wall of China can not be seen from lower orbit with the naked eye.
MDG: Columbus did reach continental America on his 3rd and 4th trips.
M.
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Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
Neanderthal males averaged between 164 to 168 cm (5 ft 4½ in to 5 ft 6 in) and females 152 to 156 cm (5 ft to 5 ft 1½) tall.
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Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
The Panic of 1907, was a financial crisis that occurred in the United States when the New York Stock Exchange fell close to 50 percent from its peak the previous year. Panic occurred during a time of economic recession, when there were numerous runs on banks and trust companies.
Sound like anything happening now?
10097
Post by: Ensis Ferrae
dogma wrote:Ensis Ferrae wrote:of all the teams in the NHL, only one in the league's entire history has ceased to exist (bonus points for those who know the answer to that)
The California Golden Seals/Cleveland Barons.
Though there were others as well if you're willing to consider the pre-1942 (Original Six) NHL as a part of the modern NHL.
indeed... it was the cleveland barons.
The 1st time the "f-word" was spoken in a movie was by Marianne Faithfull in the 1968 film, "I'll Never Forget Whatshisname." In Brian De Palma's 1984 movie, "Scarface," the word is spoken 206 times - an average of once every 29 seconds.
9708
Post by: Orkeosaurus
Vitamin C has no effect on colds, unless someone is already malnourished.
6887
Post by: Greebynog
Ensis Ferrae wrote:dogma wrote:Ensis Ferrae wrote:of all the teams in the NHL, only one in the league's entire history has ceased to exist (bonus points for those who know the answer to that)
The California Golden Seals/Cleveland Barons.
Though there were others as well if you're willing to consider the pre-1942 (Original Six) NHL as a part of the modern NHL.
indeed... it was the cleveland barons.
The 1st time the "f-word" was spoken in a movie was by Marianne Faithfull in the 1968 film, "I'll Never Forget Whatshisname." In Brian De Palma's 1984 movie, "Scarface," the word is spoken 206 times - an average of once every 29 seconds.
Superbad contains more uses of the word than Scarface.
241
Post by: Ahtman
In fact threads a Waaagh_Gonads will only be able to post one factoid then will be forced, by thousands of years of evolution, to create a whole new thread to put another factoid.
OTOH an Ahtman will be able to put as many facts as it wants in a thread, but they will probably be made up or fake.
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Post by: Lord Bingo
In England it is still illegal to eat mince pies on Christmas day (thanks oliver cromwell)
6854
Post by: InyokaMadoda
Waaagh_Gonads wrote:If you spell all the numbers and try to find letter "A" you will have to count to One thousAnd.
Now, I've heard this one a few times and can't help but disagree with it. What about 101? One hundred And one. Yes, you could say it "one hundred one", but no-one does....
Lord Bingo wrote:It is illegal to die in the house of parliment.
It is also legal to shoot a scotsman with a bow and arrow after dark if he is within the original city wall of York.
Also, apparently, if more than 7 Welsh men cross the border into England, it is considered an invasion and as such, as an English man, I am allowed to shoot them all with a bow and arrow. I think we might beat the Welsh rugby team next time they try to come over for a game!
6854
Post by: InyokaMadoda
If you took the tobacco from one cigarette and wiped it onto the inside of a snake's mouth, it would die quicker than if you cut it's head off.
6854
Post by: InyokaMadoda
All buildings (with a few exceptions) in the UK must comply to the fire safety ruling that says it must be possible to get out of them in two and a half minutes once an alarm has been sounded. The reason that it's 2.30 is not for any scientific reason. It's because a club in Liverpool in the 1980s used to play the National Anthem at the end of the evening, prompting everyone to leave. In the case of a fire, they would play the national anthem, producing the desired response. The national anthem takes two and a half minutes to play.....
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
The Groom of the Stool was a medieval English groom (a male servant) who, among other duties, had the task of cleaning the Monarch's buttocks after a bowel movement
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
There are expected to be over 1300 Blu-ray Disc titles released in the United States by the end of 2008.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
The Atholl Highlanders is a military regiment. Based in Blair Atholl, Scotland, they are not part of the British Army. Instead, the regiment is in the private employ of the Duke of Atholl, making it the United Kingdom's, and indeed Europe's, only legal private army.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
Nitrogen is the primary gas released during flatulence, along with carbon dioxide which is present in higher quantities in those who drink carbonated beverages regularly.
320
Post by: Platuan4th
InyokaMadoda wrote:Now, I've heard this one a few times and can't help but disagree with it. What about 101? One hundred And one. Yes, you could say it "one hundred one", but no-one does... He's correct, as technically most people say 101 incorrectly. One hundred one is the correct way to say it by the rules of math, english, and monetary values. One hundred and one is actually saying 100.1 or $100.01 (when speaking of monetary values[this is my fancy private skool learnins at work]).
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
About 1-2% of the population have bicuspid aortic valves, although the condition is nearly twice as common in males.
5946
Post by: Miguelsan
About 1 in 18 people has additional nipples growing on the "milk lines" that run from the upper extremities (armpits) to the lower ones.
M.
10097
Post by: Ensis Ferrae
the art of tattooing can be traced back to the earliest recorded records of every continent except for antarctica.
10279
Post by: focusedfire
It is illegal to carry a pair of wire cutters in your back pocket in Texas.(an old unenforced law from the range wars)
666
Post by: Necros
I make the best chocolate chip cookies.
10279
Post by: focusedfire
25% of the population are sun sneezers. Sometimes called the photic sneeze reflex and has been recognized in medical journals for over 40 years. Scientists and doctors don't know the actual cause just that up to 25% of the population sometimes sneeze when looking directly into the sun or a very bright light.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
William Howard Taft, the twenty-seventh President of the United States, was the last American president to have facial hair.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
The skeleton of most snakes consists solely of the skull, hyoid, vertebral column, and ribs, though henophidian snakes retain vestiges of the pelvis and rear limbs.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
Maine is the only one of the 48 contiguous US states that borders only one other state (New Hampshire).
8725
Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik
focusedfire wrote:25% of the population are sun sneezers. Sometimes called the photic sneeze reflex and has been recognized in medical journals for over 40 years. Scientists and doctors don't know the actual cause just that up to 25% of the population sometimes sneeze when looking directly into the sun or a very bright light.
Oh cool! This means I'm not a freak after all! WoooT!
10097
Post by: Ensis Ferrae
people who are left-handed are more "susceptible" or prone to mental illness, such as schizophrenia, and dementia.
also, left-handed people are more likely to develop a stutter in their speech if forced to switch hands.
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Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
Wal-Mart is Arizona's largest private employer with 17,343 employees in 2008.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
The Green Bay Packers are the only non-profit, community-owned major league professional sports team in the United States.
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Post by: focusedfire
Waaagh_Gonads is the King useless factiods. Waaagh, I salute you.
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Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
Waaagh_Gonads is in the middle of 10 weeks holidays and is bored.
10279
Post by: focusedfire
You could always hope for an economic crash so that all your working friends get laid off and have time to play. Maybe you could do something to expedite this. Its good to have goals.
Next factoid, The witches hanging tree in Danvers, Mass.(salem witch trials) died last year.
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Post by: CaptainCommunsism
Contrary to common belief, no sword (other than VERY ceremonial swords, which could be much heavier, but never used) weighed more than four or five pounds, even at the longest of lengths. And, Katanas actually weigh more than european swords of equivalent length; Katanas are forged with a larger backside, which while it can be used for blocking etc., will also cause the blade to be much heavier than a european one which would be thin and constant all the way through.
Don't believe me?
http://www.thehaca.com/
this article specifically:
http://www.thearma.org/essays/2HGS.html
and this one:
http://www.thearma.org/essays/weights.htm
10279
Post by: focusedfire
Hey, thats clemmons group. I spar with some of the ARMA guys on occasion. Good guys, clemmons people skill need a little work(IMHO). But they are doing good work in trying to ressurect european martial arts.
Also, check out the A.E.M.M.A.
Which inspires this: In a 150 year time frame 10,000 French nobles died in simultaneous wounds from the new dueling technique Stesso tempo(single tempo, where your parry is your riposte) which had supplanted Dui tenzo(dual tempo, attack,then parry, then riposte, then parry). It was this that prompted Elizebeth I to order the first right of way rules for fencing when these styles started to catch on in England.
10312
Post by: LuciusAR
There is a small religious movment on the South Pacific island of Tanna which considers the Duke of Edinburgh to be a god.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Philip_Movement
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Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
The Lord Of The Rings film trilogy had in total, six million feet of film (over 1,100 miles) filmed which was edited down to the 11 hours and 23 minutes (683 minutes) of Extended DVD running time.
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Post by: focusedfire
The human brain is made up of fat tissue.
9905
Post by: Imperial
The phantom comic book is the longest running in the world
9905
Post by: Imperial
The phantom from the same comic title was the first to wear spandex
9905
Post by: Imperial
The black plague was caused by fleas and not the rat
9905
Post by: Imperial
A special concoction was made to stop catching the black plague it is called the four theives potion it is made from vinegar as fleas hate vinegar
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
Williamsport ,Pennsylvania, the largest Williamsport in the USA is the home of Little League Baseball.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
The pug is the largest of the toy dog group, weighing an average of up to 18 pounds.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
The Maldives is made up of a chain of 1190 small coral islands that are grouped into 26 atolls.
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Post by: Imperial
The philippines is an archipeligo
9905
Post by: Imperial
No person can solve a rubik's cube with less than 18 moves
9905
Post by: Imperial
No person can solve a rubik's cube with less than 18 moves
9905
Post by: Imperial
The avengers comic is 50 years old
9905
Post by: Imperial
Zombies die if they see the sea
9905
Post by: Imperial
There are 52 universes in DC comics
9905
Post by: Imperial
The current phantom is kit walker the 21st phantom
9905
Post by: Imperial
The clock to make the squats again resets whenever a person asks what the squats are
9905
Post by: Imperial
Radioactive man was first a marvel super villain then the simpsons named a character called radioactive man who was a hero
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
Some of those factiods are full of...
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
At 4474 posts and 150 pages as of Sunday 14th December, The 'FAIL' Thread in the DCM moshpit is the largest thread in dakka history.
5946
Post by: Miguelsan
An old UK from 1313 states that it is illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament wearing a suit of armour.
M.
8352
Post by: Lord Bingo
The king/Queen of England is to this day still not allowed to enter the house of Parliment
10097
Post by: Ensis Ferrae
the old Yankee Stadium never once had a baseball leave its grounds from a home run. the closest anyone came to this was Mickey Mantle, who had one hit the 3rd tier upper deck roofing strut in right field.
Mickey Mantle is also the all-time home run leader among switch hitters.
10097
Post by: Ensis Ferrae
1986 was the last year that a French rider won the Tour de France.
the longest solo breakaway in the TDF was for 253 km, done by Albert Bourlon in 1947
the fastest average speed of one rider throughout the course of the entire TDF (in one tour, mind) was Lance Armstrong, who averaged 40.276 kph.
5946
Post by: Miguelsan
William III departed Netherlands on november 11th 1688 and invaded England on the 5th of november of the same year.
M.
Hint. look up when the Gregorian calendar was adopted in both countries.
10097
Post by: Ensis Ferrae
during WW2 the main three Allied countries' (USA, UK, USSR) leaders all had tattoos somewhere on them.
Churchill's was an anchor on his left forearm, Roosevelt's was his family crest, and Stalin's was a skull (dont remember where the latter 2 leaders tattoos were located tho)
10279
Post by: focusedfire
During WWII Churchill had body doubles to foil assasination attempts.
5534
Post by: dogma
Saladin was an ethnic Kurd.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
The Mariana Trench (or Marianas Trench) is the deepest part of the world's oceans, and the deepest location on the surface of the Earth's crust. It has a maximum depth of about 10.9 km (6.77 mi).
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
Indo-European languages have the largest numbers of speakers of the recognised families of languages in the world today, with its languages spoken by approximately three billion native speakers
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
The density of butter is 911 kg/m3 (1535.5 lb/yd3)
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
Edmonton is the northernmost North American city with a metropolitan population over one million.
9905
Post by: Imperial
Which of those factoids are full of fail?
According to myth and legends zombies die when they sea the sea because water is cleansing
The rubiks cube thing is called God's Algorithm
The squat clock is real
And all the comic facts are real look them up
Philippijnes is an archipeligo
9407
Post by: Lint
"Radar" is the only word in the english language longer then 3 letters that is spelled the same backwards and forwards.
9905
Post by: Imperial
Racecar is also one word that can be spelt backwards and forwards
9407
Post by: Lint
I stand corrected. Stupid radio dj's lying to me.... coulda' won those tickets....
9407
Post by: Lint
The Federal Reserve is a privately owned company that is sucking the lifeblood out of my country, selling my government it's own money, and leading us into a new age of financial slavery. Sorry, I couldn't resist
10279
Post by: focusedfire
Focusedfire is "not" the most computer literate member of Dakka.
10279
Post by: focusedfire
Lint wrote:The Federal Reserve is a privately owned company that is sucking the lifeblood out of my country, selling my government it's own money, and leading us into a new age of financial slavery. Sorry, I couldn't resist 
Lint will be questioned in the near future by federal agents wearing sunglasses, for angering the overlords.
Since 1812, there has been some type of major social revolution in the US every 50 years(civil war 1861, workers 1911"better conditions&pay", cultural 1961)
10097
Post by: Ensis Ferrae
Imperial wrote:Which of those factoids are full of fail?
According to myth and legends zombies die when they sea the sea because water is cleansing
according to modern "zombie science" they can in fact, walk along the bottom of the ocean or any other body of water, as "zombie-ism" is a parasite that reanimates dead flesh once the host no longer needs it. that, and theyre dead so they cant exactly see to well anyhow
10097
Post by: Ensis Ferrae
Polish is the only word in the English language that changes its pronunciation just simply by capitalizing or uncapitalizing the first letter- Polish, as in being from Poland. polish, as to make very shiny.
7632
Post by: Ghost in the Darkness
I like seafood.
7632
Post by: Ghost in the Darkness
The 5 beaches of Normandy were Gold, Juno and Sword (The British with elements of the Canadian, Austrailians and a bunch of others) and Utah and Omaha (The american beaches)
7632
Post by: Ghost in the Darkness
The most American deaths in any war was the Civil War. (Cause we were fighting each other)
7632
Post by: Ghost in the Darkness
The biggest amphibious assault in American History did not have a single US Marine take part. (Normandy Invasion)
7632
Post by: Ghost in the Darkness
American has saved France several times while only being helped once. They helped us in the Revolutionary War, whil we saved their ass in WW2 and we took over their Vietnam Problem, and we kinda help in WW1.
6854
Post by: InyokaMadoda
Lint wrote:"Radar" is the only word in the english language longer then 3 letters that is spelled the same backwards and forwards.
Lint wrote:"Radar" is the only word in the english language longer then 3 letters that is spelled the same backwards and forwards.
Imperial wrote:Racecar is also one word that can be spelt backwards and forwards
There are many many palindromes in the English language longer than 3 letters, such as KAYAK, REDIVIDER and the current longest TARRATTARRAT meaning to knock on the door.
5478
Post by: Panic
yeah,
both my parents are palindromes....
.
.
.
M U M and D A D!
this is from a song palindromes, listen here http://www.myspace.com/thekabeedies
PAnic...
10097
Post by: Ensis Ferrae
Superbowl 1 was the only superbowl that was aired on 2 television networks, and thus it also had the lowest ratings of any superbowl in the history of the game. (this is talking about american football, and im not sure about other countries having some sort of "ratings" system in place the way we do)
6887
Post by: Greebynog
I like that. Post-punk revival makes me smile.
320
Post by: Platuan4th
Imperial wrote: According to myth and legends zombies die when they sea the sea because water is cleansing Is this a Voodoo thing? In popular culture this is far from true, as Zombies can walk under water, as shown in several movies and stated in the Zombie Survival Guide. Imperial wrote:And all the comic facts are real look them up Sorry, there are now only 51 universes in the DC Universe, one was destroyed at the end of Countdown.
4362
Post by: Ozymandias
Imperial wrote:
The squat clock is real
hahahahahahaha!
Really, GW has godlike powers to tell whenever someone anywhere asks about Squats? It was a joke that the studio guys make whenever someone asks about Squats at a GD seminar. At every GD seminar there is some guy who just has to ask about Squats and the crowd groans.
Lots of us have been posting fake facts but we know the facts we are posting aren't real.
Ozymandias, King of Kings
10097
Post by: Ensis Ferrae
damn you all... ive been looking up the facts i post on here!!!!
ohh well... guess for those of you who've read them, you just got abit of useless knowledge
9905
Post by: Imperial
The zombie thing I refer to the olden day zombies but yes zombies walk on water now
THere are only 51 universes left but in superman beyond they enter limbo or earth 51 so it still counts plus there is also hypertime which is a link to all of time and the bleed which can be home to people and the monitor's world which can count as a universe
Yes the squat clock is fake but...... It is a funny fact to remember
5636
Post by: warpcrafter
Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:focusedfire wrote:25% of the population are sun sneezers. Sometimes called the photic sneeze reflex and has been recognized in medical journals for over 40 years. Scientists and doctors don't know the actual cause just that up to 25% of the population sometimes sneeze when looking directly into the sun or a very bright light.
Oh cool! This means I'm not a freak after all! WoooT!
I second that. I always thought that my hatred of sunlight was a sign from the Dark Gods...
9407
Post by: Lint
InyokaMadoda wrote:Lint wrote:"Radar" is the only word in the english language longer then 3 letters that is spelled the same backwards and forwards.
Imperial wrote:Racecar is also one word that can be spelt backwards and forwards
There are many many palindromes in the English language longer than 3 letters, such as KAYAK, REDIVIDER and the current longest TARRATTARRAT meaning to knock on the door.
I stand humbled by my fellow dakkalites. Learn something new every day
How about this, on June 4 1963 then president John F. Kennedy signed into law executive order 11110 that effectively shut down the Federal Reserve Bank/fiat monetary system and ordered the creation of new money called United States Notes based upon the silver bullion held in the US Treasury. He was assasinated less than 6 months later, and while it was later requested by the Fed. Chairman that these notes be destroyed, this Executive order has never been repealed or ammended, therefore making the current Federal Reserve Banking system illegal. Google it!
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
The nomadic Xiongnu people were considered so dangerous and disruptive that the Qin Dynasty ordered the construction of the Great Wall to protect China from attack.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
US paper money (banknotes) are all the same size.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
In chess originally the rook symbolized a chariot.
6887
Post by: Greebynog
Waaagh_Gonads wrote:US paper money (banknotes) are all the same size.
How do American vending machines distinguish between denominations?
English money gets bigger depending on the amount, so £5<£10<£20<£50
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
Greebynog wrote:Waaagh_Gonads wrote:US paper money (banknotes) are all the same size.
How do American vending machines distinguish between denominations?
English money gets bigger depending on the amount, so £5<£10<£20<£50
Australian money is the same, it gets bigger as the denominations go up.
All the vending machines I used in the US used quarters, and a couple used dollar coins.
It was a bugger carring around a heap of change.
6887
Post by: Greebynog
Waaagh_Gonads wrote:Greebynog wrote:Waaagh_Gonads wrote:US paper money (banknotes) are all the same size.
How do American vending machines distinguish between denominations?
English money gets bigger depending on the amount, so £5<£10<£20<£50
Australian money is the same, it gets bigger as the denominations go up.
All the vending machines I used in the US used quarters, and a couple used dollar coins.
It was a bugger carring around a heap of change.
I used some venders in America that took notes, maybe they assume all bills are dollars, and if you put a bigger one in, your fault...?
8725
Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik
They will have different marks on them the machine can scan, same way that you cannot fool a machine using a piece of paper with the same weight and dimensions.
I'd imagine. Never really tried it meself!
10279
Post by: focusedfire
In the 1970s animated classic WIZARDS, The assasins name is Necron99, until he gets turned.
4362
Post by: Ozymandias
Vending machines take bills here. The machines have a scanning device that reads what bill it is or something.
It is hard for tourists and the vision impaired as all our money looks the same.
This is changing somewhat as some of the newer bills have different colors for the denominations. Still mostly green but with extra colors.
Ozymandias, King of Kings
8725
Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik
Lord Admiral Nelsons remains were not kept in a Brandy Barrell following his demise.
7632
Post by: Ghost in the Darkness
Yeah most vending machins here take change and $1 $5 bills and usuallly thats it. They usually have some sort of scanner that scans the barcodes that go into the money or something like that. And thankfully we have paper money for little denominations unlike the euros which leave you with massive amounts of heavy change in your pockets.
7632
Post by: Ghost in the Darkness
US Paper Money isn't actually made from paper, its made from a type of cotton fabric.
8229
Post by: Xav
Thats just weird.
8141
Post by: SonsOfLoki
Iran, per capita, is the largest consumer of tea in the world. Take that, English stereotype!
well in half an hour i drank 38 cups of tea BEAT THAT IRAN!!!
8141
Post by: SonsOfLoki
in other news:
if you switch the first letters of Mum and Dad you get Dum and Mad
8141
Post by: SonsOfLoki
for a thirteen-year-old im pretty good at painting
8229
Post by: Xav
SonsOfLoki wrote:for a thirteen-year-old im pretty good at painting
Thats a fact?
7632
Post by: Ghost in the Darkness
looked it up US Dollar Bills are made from 25% Cotton and 75& Linen. So I was off a little. But it's still not made out of paper.
7743
Post by: Chrysaor686
Rubbing a spider causes it to have premature (Yes, premature) baldness.
9905
Post by: Imperial
Italy has a larger population than australia
10279
Post by: focusedfire
Texas is larger than France
8044
Post by: Arctik_Firangi
Imperial wrote:Italy has a larger population than australia
Indonesia, with a quarter of the landmass, has at least ten times the population of Australia.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
General Order No. 11 was the title of an order issued by Major-General Ulysses S. Grant on December 17, 1862, during the American Civil War. It instructed for the expulsion of all Jews in his military district comprising areas of Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
Franklin D. Roosevelt, who served from 1933 to 1945, is the only president elected to more than two terms.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
To keep the weight low enough, the engine block of the Wright Flyer I was cast from aluminum, a rare practice for the time.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the fourth largest religious body in the United States.
116
Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
Iowa has 99 counties.
10097
Post by: Ensis Ferrae
Waaagh_Gonads wrote:The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the fourth largest religious body in the United States.
it also was not recognized as a religion until the late 70s to early 80s by the U.S. Government, until that time, it was viewed as an occult group.
the LDS people also did not allow blacks and other minorities into the church until the late 70s, when they were trying to get recognition as a full religion, the U.S. govt. wouldnt fund them until they allowed minorities into the congregation. a few months later, their elders had a "vision from god" that showed them people who were minorities in heaven with all the rest of the "faithful mormons" and suddenly it was cool.
5946
Post by: Miguelsan
The Pratt & Whitney J58-P4 engines used in the SR-71 Blackbird were the only military engines ever designed to operate continuously on afterburner, and actually became more efficient as the aircraft went faster.
M.
10097
Post by: Ensis Ferrae
the state of Oregon, USA, has more Microbreweries per capita than Germany.
8141
Post by: SonsOfLoki
would xav please look at my dakka gallery
9504
Post by: sonofruss
Ensis Ferrae wrote:the state of Oregon, USA, has more Microbreweries per capita than Germany.
yes and my city of portland is where it started mmmmmmmmmm beeeer
you can float a wwII battle ship on a table spoon of water
it is snowing here today
4362
Post by: Ozymandias
Heh. I'm heading to Portland this summer for a Microbrewery bender with some good friends.
It will be awesome!
Ozymandias, King of Kings
10097
Post by: Ensis Ferrae
sonofruss wrote:Ensis Ferrae wrote:the state of Oregon, USA, has more Microbreweries per capita than Germany.
yes and my city of portland is where it started mmmmmmmmmm beeeer
you can float a wwII battle ship on a table spoon of water
it is snowing here today
yes, and in my city of salem, the capitol building has 212 steps from the bottom floor, to the roof where the golden man is sat.
each mcmenamin's pubs features a different brew that is brewed in the back of each one
5957
Post by: CaptainCommunsism
German tanks at the start of the second world war were almost universally inferior to anything the allies were able to dish out. The reason why they won was primarily because of a 3-man turret as opposed to a 1-or-2 man turret in most allied tanks at the time. Most german tanks, with only 37mm guns simply could not penetrate british infantry tanks, or the soviet T-34 or KV-1 tanks.
also, on the subject of tanks:
The soviets and the americans produced the two most produced tanks of the war, with both of them producing more than 50,000 T-34's and M4 Shermans, respectively, by the end of the war. Meanwhile, german AFV production totals only reached around 50,000, because they never utilized assembly-line production, and remained reliant on workshop-production.
This did mean, however, that German tanks were almost universally superior to allied tanks late in the war, because they were well-engineered, had more armour and better weaponry than that of the allies, even if a bit mechanically unreliable. In some cases, for the loss of a single panther or tiger, hundreds of allied tanks were lost.
However, In a war of quality and quantity, quantity won.
Allied air-power didn't help much either.
5421
Post by: JohnHwangDD
At the start of the WW2, German military doctrine emphasized asymmetrical warfare. Tanks were primarily infantry support vehicles, so the 37mm guns were fine.
However, you neglect to note that the PzKw III was designed for future usage with a larger turret ring accomodating a 50mm gun. That is why the PzKw III stayed in production throughout the war.
Also, the Germans used quite a bit of factory / mass production as time went on - just compare a MG34 with a mass-production stamped-steel MG42.
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Post by: Ghost in the Darkness
President Taft was so fat they had to replace the bathtub in the whitehouse for him.
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Post by: sonofruss
the sherman tank was called the ronson by the us army guys becouse it lit every time
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Post by: sebster
Ghost in the Darkness wrote:US Paper Money isn't actually made from paper, its made from a type of cotton fabric.
This is because US currency was first printed when cotton was a common source of paper. Paper from wood pulp is a more recent invention, I think it was around 1850.
Australian money is plastic, and looks kind of futurey. For this reason it was used as currency in the TV series Space: Above and Beyond. To most viewers it probably looked kind of like future money. To Australians it indicated a future world dominated by the Australian economy, so that was kind of cool.
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Post by: Orkeosaurus
The city of Bangkok's full, ceremonial name is:
Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Yuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit
(Thanks, Dim!)
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Post by: sebster
Arctik_Firangi wrote:Indonesia, with a quarter of the landmass, has at least ten times the population of Australia.
And an economy about half the size, meaning the average Australian produces and consumes around twenty times that of the average Indonesian.
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Post by: sebster
sonofruss wrote:the sherman tank was called the ronson by the us army guys becouse it lit every time
Although this was commonly blamed on the petrol engine of early Shermans, that wasn't the problem. In fact, the US star on the side of the tank was unfortunately placed to be in front of the ammo bins. German gunners would use the star as a convenient aiming point and score a massive number of ammo explosions.
As far as fires in tanks go due to shoddy design, early Panthers had a far greater problem. Some caught fire while manouvering at slow speeds.
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Post by: JohnHwangDD
Orkeosaurus wrote:The city of Bangkok's full, ceremonial name is:
Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Yuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit
I like it even better written in Thai:
กรุงเทพมหานคร อมรรัตนโกสินทร์ มหินทรายุธยามหาดิลกภพ นพรัตน์ราชธานี บุรีรมย์อุดมราชนิเวศน์มหาสถาน อมรพิมานอวตารสถิต สักกะทัตติยะวิษณุกรรมประสิทธิ์
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Post by: Miguelsan
Speaking about fuels and fires
From the SR-71 Flight Manual:
"The operating envelope of the JT11D-20 engine requires special fuel. The fuel is not only the source of energy but is also used in the engine hydraulic system. During high Mach flight, the fuel is also a heat sink for the various aircraft and engine accessories which would otherwise overheat at the high temperatures encountered."
M.
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Post by: Orkeosaurus
It's both the fuel and the heat sink?
Crazy like a fox!
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Post by: sonofruss
the sr71 needs to be refuled after it reaches crusing altitude becouse it leaks like a sive on the ground the panels were desinged that way
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Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
For an American, the chance of being struck by lightning is approximately 1 in 576,000 and the chance of actually being killed by lightning is approximately 1 in 2,320,000.
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Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
The 2003 film Scorched cost US$7 million to make but only earned US$8,000 at the box office, approximately 0.1% of its initial cost?
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Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
The Kraft food company began when Canadian born James L. Kraft started a wholesale door-to-door cheese business in Chicago in 1903; its first year of operations was dismal, losing $3,000 and a horse.
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Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
The Heinkel He 178 was the world's first aircraft to fly under turbojet power, and the first practical jet plane, first flew on August 27, 1939 piloted by Erich Warsitz.
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Post by: sonofruss
the uss constitution is the oldest commissioned war ship in the world
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Post by: sonofruss
the spruce goose lives in oregon
and is not made of spruce
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Post by: Ensis Ferrae
in its first year of production the VW beetle only sold 360 units.
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Post by: sebster
Waaagh_Gonads wrote:The 2003 film Scorched cost US$7 million to make but only earned US$8,000 at the box office, approximately 0.1% of its initial cost?
The film Zyzzyx Road had the lowest box office gross of anything making it to a cinema, US$30. They made this whole movie, and six people went to go see it.
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Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik
Read the Wiki on that...interesting stuff, and finally made around $368,000.
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Post by: Ensis Ferrae
Thats similar to "Boondock Saints" now something of a cult classic/cultural icon movie... didnt do very well in the movies, but phenomenal as DVDs and other merchandise went out.
best part about it: the guy who "created" the whole thing, only made money off of the theater sales... and he burned his bridges, thereby ruining basically all chances of making money in hollywood from another movie like it.
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Post by: Imperial
The starship troopers movie series is loosley based on the actual novel. Number 2 had completely nothing to do with the book so when 3 came out many fans decided to retcon starship troopers 2
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Post by: CaptainCommunsism
JohnHwangDD wrote:At the start of the WW2, German military doctrine emphasized asymmetrical warfare. Tanks were primarily infantry support vehicles, so the 37mm guns were fine.
However, you neglect to note that the PzKw III was designed for future usage with a larger turret ring accomodating a 50mm gun. That is why the PzKw III stayed in production throughout the war.
Also, the Germans used quite a bit of factory / mass production as time went on - just compare a MG34 with a mass-production stamped-steel MG42.
Mass production = assembly line production and workshop production... the difference between the two is this: you make the same thing from scratch by yourself (workshop production) vs. You do one part of the step, then another person does the next step, the process repeats until a finished product is created (assembly line production). what ends up happening is that assembly line production is simply, much faster than workshop production, though both are technically mass production (since many MANY units are being produced). Stamped sheet production simply reserves materials, makes the design more efficient, and means that less moving parts are required to produce them.
37mm weapons were given to the Panzer 3 tanks in order to combat other tanks, but this was inadequate due to allied armour being far thicker. (this was rectified, although not in large numbers, by the polish campaign... it took until just after operation barbarossa and the eastern front war to begin before they were nearly all replaced... This did, however, mean that the panzer 3 was used as the mainstay of the german panzer divisions before the middle of the war, and even just after the middle.) The panzer IV was the infantry support tank, through and through, given a 75mm cannon and designed to support infantry against bunkers etc.
I know I neglected it, but it was late at night... about 3 am. I did know about it
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Post by: JohnHwangDD
Sure, but pretty much by definition, stamped steel means you have a stamping machine replacing a bunch of crafts activities on a repeatable basis in a semi-assembly fashion. I mean, it's not like you'd have each craftsman pulling one stamp off the machine, one by one...
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Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
In 2008, "Umbrella" earned Rihanna and Jay-Z a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration in addition to receiving nominations for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
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Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
The Salamanca was the first commercially successful steam locomotive, built in 1812 by Matthew Murray of Holbeck, for the edge railed Middleton Railway between Middleton and Leeds.
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Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
The Space Shuttle Enterprise (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-101) was the first Space Shuttle built for NASA.
It was constructed without engines or a functional heat shield, and was therefore not capable of space operations; its purpose was to perform test flights in the atmosphere.
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Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
In 2006 gambling revenues in the Macau Special Administrative Region in the People's Republic of China surpassed those in Las Vegas, making Macau the largest gambling center in the world.
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Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
Foals are born after a gestation period of approximately 11 months.
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Post by: sebster
Waaagh_Gonads wrote:In 2008, "Umbrella" earned Rihanna and Jay-Z a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration in addition to receiving nominations for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
'ella, 'ella, 'ella, ay, ay, ay.
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Post by: sonofruss
the vw beetle has the record for the longest production run of any car ever
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Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
The visitor's locker room at the Alabama Crimson Tide football stadium was recently named "The Fail Room" after alumnus contributor James M. Fail.
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Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
Lard is pig fat in both its rendered and unrendered forms.
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Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
The legal minimum barrel length (of a shotgun) that precludes easy concealment is 18" (457 mm) in the U.S.
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Post by: Waaagh_Gonads
Lifts are a required element in pair skating and ice dancing. Pairs lifts differ from dance lifts most notably in that dancers are not allowed to lift their partners above their shoulders.
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Post by: Arctik_Firangi
Of Gonad's 97 contributions to this topic, 46 have referenced America, its history or its citizens.
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Post by: Imperial
City of heroes was sued by marvel comics for copyright infringments
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Post by: George Spiggott
JohnHwangDD wrote:At the start of the WW2, German military doctrine emphasized asymmetrical warfare. Tanks were primarily infantry support vehicles, so the 37mm guns were fine.
Really what's your source for this, Guderian's ideas were well suported by 1939, Achtung-Panzer! was written in 1937.
JohnHwangDD wrote:However, you neglect to note that the PzKw III was designed for future usage with a larger turret ring accomodating a 50mm gun. That is why the PzKw III stayed in production throughout the war.
Panzer III production ceased in 1943. The Panzer IV was produced throuout the war. Towards the end of their use (as tanks) Panzer III's were often equipped with 7.5cm guns for infantry support as they were genarally no longer of use against enemy tanks.
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Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik
A Pineapple is over neither the Apple or Pine Genus. It is in fact a Berry!
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Post by: focusedfire
The p-51 mustangs engines produced so much power and torque that pilots had to be very easy on the throttle at low altitude and just after take off, lest they flip the plane over and crash.
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