More totally useless facts that you learned recently

[Little Nemo]

Rather than revive this thread (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=464131)

I always assumed from their name that the Bridgestone Corporation was founded by some English or American rubber manufacturer. But I just learned that it's a Japanese company that was founded by Ishibashi Shojiro. Ishi-bashi translates as bridge-stone and he decided to use that as his company's name.

As before, feel free to add to the list.

[MadTheSwine]

One thing that surprised me was that Atari was founded by an American,always thought it was Japanese based.

I did not know Tom Brady was bisexual.

[kdeus]

Women from the Greek Isle of Lesbos (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=466531) aren't all, you know...

Not that they're is anything wrong with that...

[Richard Parker]

Little Nemo, do you have any kind of authoritative cite for the top hat claim from the other thread? All I can find aside from untrustworthy sites is an off-hand mention in a BBC sidebar. I'd love to use the anecdote in something I'm writing, but I want to confirm it.

[nikonikosuru]

Ishi-bashi translates as bridge-stone and he decided to use that as his company's name.

As before, feel free to add to the list.

Actually ishibashi translates to Stonebridge, which for some reason sounds cooler to me than Bridgestone. :D Wonder why he chose to switch it around.

[Little Nemo]

Little Nemo, do you have any kind of authoritative cite for the top hat claim from the other thread? All I can find aside from untrustworthy sites is an off-hand mention in a BBC sidebar. I'd love to use the anecdote in something I'm writing, but I want to confirm it.I read it in a book called Curious Events in History by Michael Powell.

[Yorikke]

I did not know Tom Brady was bisexual.

Is that just a jab at Brady and Pats fans, or am I missing something?

Joe

[Nanoda]

Little Nemo, do you have any kind of authoritative cite for the top hat claim from the other thread? All I can find aside from untrustworthy sites is an off-hand mention in a BBC sidebar. I'd love to use the anecdote in something I'm writing, but I want to confirm it.Bridgestone's European site -> Corporate -> History back that one up.

Though it seems to bear no connection to the historical Faust (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faust), Gutenberg (http://www.greatsite.com/timeline-english-bible-history/gutenberg.html) got a loan from a german lawyer by the name of Faust to complete his printing press. Faust didn't like what Gutenberg was doing later on for some reason, and demanded repayment. Gutenberg didn't have the money, and was forced to hand over his presses and half his printed bibles.

Which I thought was kinda interesting anyway. :)

[Little Nemo]

Brady was apparently having sex with Bridget Moynahan and Gisele Bündchen during the same time period. Which I suppose might be one definition of bisexuality.

[MadTheSwine]

Is that just a jab at Brady and Pats fans, or am I missing something?

Joe


No, just a jab, sorry.

[Triskadecamus]

I didn't know that the K/T boundary was only dated to plus or minus 40,000 years. Seems like a fairly broad range for a supposedly instantaneous event. I was also surprised to learn that the Permian extinction event might have lasted a hundred million years, or so. Of course, it might have all been over in a few million years. I think the "periodic extinction theory" needs a bit of work.

Tris

[KRC]

Peggy Guggenheim named one of her dogs after her daughter Pegeen. Her son-in-law ran over the dog.

Terrorist Andreas Baader did not wear underwear.

Felix Salten, author of Bambi, also wrote an adult book about a hooker in Vienna (I think it was called Josephine Muntzenbacher but I'm too tired to look it up.)

A fish stick is neither a fish nor a stick. It is a fungus.

[Shagnasty]

I did not know Tom Brady was bisexual.

My in-laws were next door neighbors with Tom Brady until a month or two ago. He had lots of hotties coming through his doors. I am heterosexual as they come but I could have tried to be a cock-tease for him until recently just to see what would happen. I wouldn't do him anymore than I would a Golden Retriever just because things don't play that way.

[maladroit]

The word pioneer is derived from the latin root for foot via Old French

[French pionnier, from Old French peonier, foot soldier, from peon, from Medieval Latin pedō, pedōn-, from Late Latin, one who has broad feet, from Latin pēs, ped-, foot.] quoted from www.answers.com

[ShibbOleth]

A fish stick is neither a fish nor a stick. It is a fungus.

:dubious: