# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1026 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1027 --- ## [Question About Elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-elizabeth/733658)
**Author:** [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [October 9, 2015, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-elizabeth/733658 "2015-10-09T15:59:36Z")
I am watching the Cate Blanchett film…which is brilliant…and Mary has just died. Why didnt Sussex and the other Catholic nobles just kill Elizabeth? --- ## [How did the ancients determine the seasons](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-ancients-determine-the-seasons/733924)
**Author:** [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [October 9, 2015, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-ancients-determine-the-seasons/733924 "2015-10-09T14:48:03Z")
I was just reading about the sun dagger in Chaco Canyon. It’s a pretty cool tool for determining seasons which I assume was used for planting crops and such. But without such a device, what was their method for calibrati… --- ## [Why can't you order products from a grocery store online and pick them up in store?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-order-products-from-a-grocery-store-online-and-pick-them-up-in-store/733926)
**Author:** [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [October 9, 2015, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-you-order-products-from-a-grocery-store-online-and-pick-them-up-in-store/733926 "2015-10-09T14:28:20Z")
I know doing grocery delivery might not be profitable, but why can’t you just order what you want online and then pick it up at the service desk? You can do this for any other product imaginable. Would it really be tha… --- ## ["Oregon gunman singled out Christians during rampage"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oregon-gunman-singled-out-christians-during-rampage/733299)
**Author:** [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Replies:** 43\ **Last updated:** [October 9, 2015, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oregon-gunman-singled-out-christians-during-rampage/733299 "2015-10-09T04:00:17Z")
This claim has been made in a couple of sites, none of them terribly reputable. A similar claim was made about the Columbine murders, but was debunked. Does anybody have any insights on whether this is on the level, or j… --- ## [Jimmy Fallon, Lester Holt et al - Are They \*Employees\* Of NBC?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimmy-fallon-lester-holt-et-al-are-they-employees-of-nbc/728724)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [October 9, 2015, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimmy-fallon-lester-holt-et-al-are-they-employees-of-nbc/728724 "2015-10-09T03:11:42Z")
Are the people associated with NBC programming produced in-house, such as Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show or Lester Holt on NBC Nightly News, employees of the network, with like W-2’s and such? Does Jimmy pay for his he… --- ## [Non-UV vs. UV Blocking intraocular lens](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-uv-vs-uv-blocking-intraocular-lens/175034)
**Author:** [@NotMrKnowItAll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotMrKnowItAll)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [October 9, 2015, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-uv-vs-uv-blocking-intraocular-lens/175034 "2015-10-09T00:12:30Z")
My wife is having the cataract in her only working eye replaced. On the surgery consent form the surgeon has selected an “Ultraviolet Light absorbing intraocular lens implation.” The other choice was a non-UV absorbing … --- ## [The Solstices and alignment.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-solstices-and-alignment/733903)
**Author:** [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2015, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-solstices-and-alignment/733903 "2015-10-08T22:05:59Z")
The Summer Solstice Sunset aligns 180 degrees with the Winter Solstice Sunrise and v. vs. True? --- ## [Why is hafnia (HfO2) such a popular Raman spectroscopy target?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-hafnia-hfo2-such-a-popular-raman-spectroscopy-target/733954)
**Author:** [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2015, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-hafnia-hfo2-such-a-popular-raman-spectroscopy-target/733954 "2015-10-08T20:44:53Z")
There seem to be quite a few articles about Raman spectroscopy that use hafnium oxide, or hafnia, as their sample. Why? Is it a particularly remarkable Raman scatterer? As far as I know, hafnia is mildly important as a v… --- ## [Why does it take so long to build a nuclear bomb in 2015 when we did it in 4 years back in the 40s?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-take-so-long-to-build-a-nuclear-bomb-in-2015-when-we-did-it-in-4-years-back-in-the-40s/733829)
**Author:** [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2015, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-it-take-so-long-to-build-a-nuclear-bomb-in-2015-when-we-did-it-in-4-years-back-in-the-40s/733829 "2015-10-08T18:53:49Z")
. . . .with backward countries like Russia not far behind, China in 1964 and even India in 1972(?). Seems to me that if the United States could build one with the technology available in the 1940s, surely a country like… --- ## [Interesting numerical exercise with little practical value (crossword puzzles)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-numerical-exercise-with-little-practical-value-crossword-puzzles/733746)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2015, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-numerical-exercise-with-little-practical-value-crossword-puzzles/733746 "2015-10-08T18:50:44Z")
How would one go about determining the maximum possible number of letter indexes that would be required for a crossword puzzle? Suppose you have a crossword puzzle grid that is 15 x 15. If you have ever worked a crosswo… --- ## [About the water on Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-water-on-mars/733256)
**Author:** [@A\_Dodgy\_Dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_Dodgy_Dude)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2015, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-water-on-mars/733256 "2015-10-08T18:44:08Z")
Maybe journalists are scientifically illiterate or maybe they are reporting it and I keep missing the key point: There was liquid water on Mars or there is liquid water on Mars? --- ## [Killer goes free, kin takes revenge-any true stories?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killer-goes-free-kin-takes-revenge-any-true-stories/356949)
**Author:** [@AnabolicDoberman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnabolicDoberman)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2015, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killer-goes-free-kin-takes-revenge-any-true-stories/356949 "2015-10-08T17:13:23Z")
There are alot of fiction stories where a killer gets free on a technicallity, and one of the friends or relatives of the victims kills them in revenge. What are some true cases of this occuring? --- ## [Mars Colony and Earth TV](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-colony-and-earth-tv/733785)
**Author:** [@ricksummon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricksummon)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2015, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-colony-and-earth-tv/733785 "2015-10-08T16:14:52Z")
The Mars One mission aims to establish a permanent human settlement on Mars. Sending messages back and forth to Earth wouldn’t be a problem, though it would be delayed by light speed. But, could these future Mars colon… --- ## [Run out of breathable oxygen?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/run-out-of-breathable-oxygen/733909)
**Author:** [@mandala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mandala)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2015, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/run-out-of-breathable-oxygen/733909 "2015-10-08T15:59:13Z")
Given the current rate of deforestation, how long before we run out of breathable oxygen in the atmosphere? And while we are at it, which type of tree produces the maximum oxygen per day? Need answer fast. If this is go… --- ## [Does cooler air noticeably change sound?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cooler-air-noticeably-change-sound/733678)
**Author:** [@syncrolecyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncrolecyne)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2015, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cooler-air-noticeably-change-sound/733678 "2015-10-08T15:49:55Z")
One of the signs it is fall, for me, is that at night outdoor noises (traffic, trains, aircraft, car music, other ambient sounds) start to sounds different, perhaps more “muffled,” especially at dusk when the temperatur… --- ## [Average temp of universe is 3K. So what is colder than 3K?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-temp-of-universe-is-3k-so-what-is-colder-than-3k/733889)
**Author:** [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2015, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-temp-of-universe-is-3k-so-what-is-colder-than-3k/733889 "2015-10-08T14:04:02Z")
The average temperature of the universe is 3K. Now we know of many stars which are millions of Kelvin hot and even Pluto is like 50K - so which universe bodies are colder than 3K? --- ## [Pronounciation of "aunt"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounciation-of-aunt/733593)
**Author:** [@bardos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bardos)\ **Replies:** 61\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2015, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronounciation-of-aunt/733593 "2015-10-08T13:39:24Z")
I’ve been out of planet for a while and having returned I have noticed (in several American TV series) that the USA pronunciation of the word “aunt” seems to have changed, at least in my estimation. It used to be, for me… --- ## [restitution](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restitution/733485)
**Author:** [@stosh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stosh)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2015, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restitution/733485 "2015-10-08T12:15:17Z")
Hi guys, I’m watching “American Greed” and on the show is this bank robber who was sentenced to 185 years in jail. Well, he plea bargained down to 21 years and $175,000.00 in restitution. Naturally, nobody saw a penny … --- ## [Argan oil for skin or hair](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argan-oil-for-skin-or-hair/733845)
**Author:** [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2015, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argan-oil-for-skin-or-hair/733845 "2015-10-08T06:32:57Z")
Argan oil is currently a bit of a fad among the crunchy types who are into looking pretty (or it seems that way to me). You rub it into your skin and hair. This makes your skin and hair better than before, presumably. I… --- ## [Can all the USB ports on a computer give out at once?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-all-the-usb-ports-on-a-computer-give-out-at-once/733863)
**Author:** [@cornopean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornopean)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2015, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-all-the-usb-ports-on-a-computer-give-out-at-once/733863 "2015-10-08T04:47:42Z")
I have a strange issue with my desktop computer. The monitor stays in sleep mode and nothing I do will wake it up. I know the monitor works b/c I tried it on another computer. it almost seems like all the USB ports on… --- ## [Dark matter and the temperature of the universe](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-matter-and-the-temperature-of-the-universe/733893)
**Author:** [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2015, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-matter-and-the-temperature-of-the-universe/733893 "2015-10-08T01:28:39Z")
Do the current theories around dark matter say anything about : How the currently measured universe temperature ( through background radiation) may not be correct ? The initial temperature of the universe (at the B… --- ## [Why is there no white pages for cell phones?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-white-pages-for-cell-phones/733189)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2015, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-no-white-pages-for-cell-phones/733189 "2015-10-08T00:21:10Z")
See subject. It would be so nice. And more and more people are ditching their land lines. --- ## [Jojoba Oil?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jojoba-oil/733878)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [October 7, 2015, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jojoba-oil/733878 "2015-10-07T23:39:09Z")
This stuff was promoted as a miracle product in the 1970s-it was supposed to cure baldness, make your skin young, etc. it was even promoted as a possible substitute for transmission oil. It was made from a desert plant… --- ## [Frivolous German translation question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frivolous-german-translation-question/733067)
**Author:** [@DaphneBlack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaphneBlack)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [October 7, 2015, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frivolous-german-translation-question/733067 "2015-10-07T21:55:42Z")
Hey Deutschdopers, Can anyone give me a good idiomatic translation of that classic line from ‘Airplane’: “Excuse me, stewardess, I speak jive!” Need answer fast! --- ## [When something is chromed, how do they keep some parts from being chromed?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-something-is-chromed-how-do-they-keep-some-parts-from-being-chromed/733851)
**Author:** [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [October 7, 2015, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-something-is-chromed-how-do-they-keep-some-parts-from-being-chromed/733851 "2015-10-07T21:25:37Z")
Hello Everyone, I have a vague idea how a part is chromed. I believe it is dipped into a solution and the Chrome is attached to the past via an eked rial current. What I’m having trouble figuring or is how do the take… --- ## [Burying tree trunks](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burying-tree-trunks/733826)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [October 7, 2015, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burying-tree-trunks/733826 "2015-10-07T20:23:03Z")
This is hypothetical. I’m not actually going to do it. Every so often I look out at the back yard. It slopes from left to right, and it slopes from the house for about half of the property before dropping off sharply … --- ## [Silly Squirrels and their chewing/destruction?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-squirrels-and-their-chewing-destruction/733139)
**Author:** [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [October 7, 2015, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-squirrels-and-their-chewing-destruction/733139 "2015-10-07T19:37:20Z")
I’ve got (at least one) a resident squirrel who likes chewing on a portion of my deck; a specific portion, in fact. In these photos you can see the \*damage \*caused. This has actually been going on for years. I’d estimate… --- ## [Whats the highest capacity of passengers for a military or emergency helicopter](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-highest-capacity-of-passengers-for-a-military-or-emergency-helicopter/733792)
**Author:** [@carlowplayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlowplayer)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [October 7, 2015, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-highest-capacity-of-passengers-for-a-military-or-emergency-helicopter/733792 "2015-10-07T19:13:16Z")
Just wondering if their are military or emergency helicopters that hold up to 40 or 50 people at a time if not whats the highest amount of people these types of helicopters can hold --- ## [Airline pilots keeping track of flying hours](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-pilots-keeping-track-of-flying-hours/733772)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [October 7, 2015, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-pilots-keeping-track-of-flying-hours/733772 "2015-10-07T18:12:31Z")
You hear that “such-and-such a captain has 17,000 flying hours, an F/O has 8,000 hours, etc.” Do airline pilots keep a logbook that they update all the time and that is also audited by the airline to ensure no cheating… --- ## [Tennis Ball Throwing Question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-ball-throwing-question/733736)
**Author:** [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [October 7, 2015, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tennis-ball-throwing-question/733736 "2015-10-07T17:30:28Z")
I like to play fetch with my Jack Russell Terrier. I have one of those ‘Chuck It’ ball launchers that I use to throw tennis balls that he chases after and returns. Here’s what a Chuck It looks like if you’ve never seen o… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1025) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1027)