# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=164 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 165 --- ## [Did anyone survive the German gas chambers?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-survive-the-german-gas-chambers/977582)
**Author:** [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [January 12, 2023, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-survive-the-german-gas-chambers/977582 "2023-01-12T18:37:00Z")
I was asked this question by a young cousin of mine, and I had no answer. Google has lots of examples of people who survived by avoiding it, for reasons like inattentive or sympathetic guards or because the equipment bro… --- ## [How is it I can communicate with a tesla at anytime?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-it-i-can-communicate-with-a-tesla-at-anytime/978103)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [January 12, 2023, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-it-i-can-communicate-with-a-tesla-at-anytime/978103 "2023-01-12T17:56:37Z")
I had to unlock a Tesla remotely using my app. I’ve also used my app to prewarm the Tesla and it occurred to me that the distance was way too far for bluetooth and it can’t be wifi either. So how is it that I can use m… --- ## [What does "observe" mean in the context of the double slit experiment?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-observe-mean-in-the-context-of-the-double-slit-experiment/977353)
**Author:** [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Replies:** 73\ **Last updated:** [January 12, 2023, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-observe-mean-in-the-context-of-the-double-slit-experiment/977353 "2023-01-12T17:23:55Z")
Ok so “observing” it changes the outcome. So what has to observe it? Does it have to be a human? What if it’s a housefly? Pretty sure there is something fundamental I’m not understanding here. Thanks --- ## [Does anyone speak latin and listen to White Zombie?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-speak-latin-and-listen-to-white-zombie/375404)
**Author:** [@brewha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brewha)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [January 12, 2023, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-speak-latin-and-listen-to-white-zombie/375404 "2023-01-12T15:54:40Z")
I want to know the translation of lyrics in the White Zombie song “Super Charger Heaven”. There is a part in the middle of the song that sounds like latin and is not Rob Zombie saying it. It is just before the spoken par… --- ## [Gmail: find an archived message - need answer fast](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-find-an-archived-message-need-answer-fast/978073)
**Author:** [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [January 12, 2023, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gmail-find-an-archived-message-need-answer-fast/978073 "2023-01-12T04:21:46Z")
OK I know how to display All Mail, and in that view any message I just archived should be there. But the problem is, there are other unarchived messages in the search resujts list. How can I tell whiich message in the li… --- ## [Treating cancer via diet](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treating-cancer-via-diet/975692)
**Author:** [@slicedalone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slicedalone)\ **Replies:** 73\ **Last updated:** [January 12, 2023, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treating-cancer-via-diet/975692 "2023-01-12T01:44:54Z")
I was listening to Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast (better than I expected, btw) with Woody Harrelson, who was spouting some claptrap about treating cancer through dietary practices, and to my surprise a close friend wh… --- ## [Issuing a warning message during the war](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/issuing-a-warning-message-during-the-war/978006)
**Author:** [@cannonkuo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cannonkuo)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [January 12, 2023, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/issuing-a-warning-message-during-the-war/978006 "2023-01-12T00:22:05Z")
Foreign Secretary Pym wrote to Thatcher with regard to the way in which our action would have to be publicly justified and its legality defended. I believe our position would be immeasurably strengthened if we had given … --- ## [Anyone here familiar with pysimplegui?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-familiar-with-pysimplegui/978051)
**Author:** [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [January 11, 2023, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-here-familiar-with-pysimplegui/978051 "2023-01-11T19:43:02Z")
I’m beating my head against my keyboard trying to do something which should be trivial, but I can’t get it to work - adding a ‘text’ element to a ‘frame’. Whenever I do this, I get an "Your row is not an iterable (e.g a… --- ## [Elliptical Grease](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elliptical-grease/978048)
**Author:** [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [January 11, 2023, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elliptical-grease/978048 "2023-01-11T19:04:51Z")
I have a Proform Endurance 720E elliptical. I bought it used from Play It Again Sports many years ago, and am wanting to dust it off and use it again. First I want to clean it and grease it to make sure it works properly… --- ## [How long would it take for a genetic change to propagate through an entire population?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-would-it-take-for-a-genetic-change-to-propagate-through-an-entire-population/977961)
**Author:** [@Celtic\_Kitsune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celtic_Kitsune)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [January 11, 2023, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-would-it-take-for-a-genetic-change-to-propagate-through-an-entire-population/977961 "2023-01-11T18:37:58Z")
A spin off from this thread - If everyone was an animal could society still function? - #52 by Celtic\_Kitsune - because I’m both curious and no good at maths. Scenario is that there are intelligent foxes, lets call them… --- ## [Lost pets scam](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-pets-scam/978046)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [January 11, 2023, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-pets-scam/978046 "2023-01-11T18:20:48Z")
My wife shared a post from \[County\] Yard Sale on Facebook (we’re not members of that group), about a found dog that was ‘literally freezing to death’ and had a leg injury. It had a service animal medallion, but no colla… --- ## [Mega Millions/Powerball queries](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mega-millions-powerball-queries/978008)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [January 11, 2023, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mega-millions-powerball-queries/978008 "2023-01-11T18:18:31Z")
Let’s say I have one either of these and opt for the annuity instead of the cash-out. How secure is my money over the next 30 years-Is there any chance banks could fold or the government gets greedy and decides to chang… --- ## [What does it mean to have an attorney on "retainer?"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-it-mean-to-have-an-attorney-on-retainer/977935)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [January 11, 2023, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-it-mean-to-have-an-attorney-on-retainer/977935 "2023-01-11T17:07:08Z")
I often see in movies some rich guy yelling at an attorney that he has him/her on retainer so they had better hop to it (whatever “it” is). How does that work? I assume if I call an attorney and agree to pay them that … --- ## [Where did the authors of Genesis think the Garden of Eden was located?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-authors-of-genesis-think-the-garden-of-eden-was-located/961401)
**Author:** [@Roger\_That](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roger_That)\ **Replies:** 132\ **Last updated:** [January 11, 2023, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-the-authors-of-genesis-think-the-garden-of-eden-was-located/961401 "2023-01-11T09:17:18Z")
Been a while since I looked closely at Genesis, but as I recall the multiple authors put it somewhere in Mesopotamia, and dropped little hints about four rivers, two of which we can identify today (as the Tigris and the … --- ## [Question regarding the Hessian auxiliaries during the Revolutionary War?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-hessian-auxiliaries-during-the-revolutionary-war/977846)
**Author:** [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [January 11, 2023, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-hessian-auxiliaries-during-the-revolutionary-war/977846 "2023-01-11T07:40:39Z")
Were Hessian auxiliaries paid a wage or bonus while fighting during the Revolutionary War? Were they paid when they returned to Germany ? Were they simply conscripts and not paid at all? (So much contradictory informat… --- ## [Looking for a Wham-O toy](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-wham-o-toy/977938)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [January 11, 2023, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-wham-o-toy/977938 "2023-01-11T00:26:30Z")
It was a metallic tube a few inches long and wide that supposedly flew through the air, spinning like a Frisbee. If throwed properly it would curve. --- ## [Is there a way to auto respond to texts when I'm out of the country?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-auto-respond-to-texts-when-im-out-of-the-country/977990)
**Author:** [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [January 10, 2023, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-way-to-auto-respond-to-texts-when-im-out-of-the-country/977990 "2023-01-10T23:10:38Z")
I’ll be doing a couple of international trips this year, some for over a week. The last time I went away I know I missed some text messages while I was away and would like a way to say, I’m not here right now, please get… --- ## [Does popping a pimple make it heal quicker?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-popping-a-pimple-make-it-heal-quicker/977216)
**Author:** [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [January 10, 2023, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-popping-a-pimple-make-it-heal-quicker/977216 "2023-01-10T23:07:15Z")
Gross question, I know. But it came to me the other day. There is definitely something satisfying about popping a zit and drawing out the pus, but is it helping the healing process? If one had superhuman discipline, … --- ## ["El" in Hebrew and Yiddish](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/el-in-hebrew-and-yiddish/977526)
**Author:** [@slicedalone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slicedalone)\ **Replies:** 43\ **Last updated:** [January 10, 2023, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/el-in-hebrew-and-yiddish/977526 "2023-01-10T23:05:54Z")
Doing two different things at the same time, my genealogy and Old Testament research, I’ve become exposed to the curiosity of many Old Testament Hebrew names ending in “el” (Michael, Joel, Ezekiel, Israel, Gabriel, Rapha… --- ## [Hooking up a gas dryer](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hooking-up-a-gas-dryer/977807)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [January 10, 2023, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hooking-up-a-gas-dryer/977807 "2023-01-10T18:52:01Z")
After being told the appliance company would hook it up, I just found out (12 hours before delivery) that no they won’t. I have absolutely no problem doing it myself - teflon tape, soapy water and a pipe wrench. I’ve d… --- ## [Residents of NYC boroughs?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/residents-of-nyc-boroughs/977906)
**Author:** [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [January 10, 2023, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/residents-of-nyc-boroughs/977906 "2023-01-10T18:46:56Z")
Globally - they would be called “New Yorkers”. But what about each borough? 'Staten Islander" seems straight forward, but what about a resident of Queens? (The) Bronx? Manhattan? Brooklyn? --- ## [If it doesn't inflate, what is the bag for? (aircraft oxygen system)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-doesnt-inflate-what-is-the-bag-for-aircraft-oxygen-system/977184)
**Author:** [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [January 10, 2023, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-it-doesnt-inflate-what-is-the-bag-for-aircraft-oxygen-system/977184 "2023-01-10T17:59:15Z")
During the safety briefing on every flight I’ve been on, the emergency oxygen masks are demonstrated. I know that pulling sharply on the hose begins a chemical reaction that generates oxygen. In other words, the oxygen… --- ## [Why would calling MEZ a blockade create problems under international law?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-calling-mez-a-blockade-create-problems-under-international-law/977954)
**Author:** [@cannonkuo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cannonkuo)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [January 10, 2023, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-calling-mez-a-blockade-create-problems-under-international-law/977954 "2023-01-10T14:01:08Z")
As British forces drew closer to the South Atlantic the potential scope and intensity of hostilities grew. In the weeks before the bulk of the task force arrived, all the British could do was inhibit Argentine reinforcem… --- ## [Orthodox Christmas celebrated](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orthodox-christmas-celebrated/977789)
**Author:** [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [January 10, 2023, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orthodox-christmas-celebrated/977789 "2023-01-10T05:37:28Z")
I’m listening to a story on NPR about how Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas tomorrow (Jan 7). And their story says that this is because they use the Julian calendar, instead of the Gregorian calendar; and the Juli… --- ## [Did humans wearing clothes prevent evolution (that would have let humans remain warm while naked?)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-humans-wearing-clothes-prevent-evolution-that-would-have-let-humans-remain-warm-while-naked/976400)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 74\ **Last updated:** [January 10, 2023, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-humans-wearing-clothes-prevent-evolution-that-would-have-let-humans-remain-warm-while-naked/976400 "2023-01-10T01:49:31Z")
No warm-blooded animal species needs to wear clothing to keep warm; they just are. But humans can’t tolerate going naked in all but the warmest of climates; we get cold. (Clothing is for modesty, too, but that’s irrelev… --- ## [Chrome extension for auto selecting "reject all unnecessary cookies"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-extension-for-auto-selecting-reject-all-unnecessary-cookies/977088)
**Author:** [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [January 10, 2023, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-extension-for-auto-selecting-reject-all-unnecessary-cookies/977088 "2023-01-10T01:43:26Z")
Many websites require you to answer if you will accept cookies with various options (like accept all, or only necessary, etc etc). I’d like an extension that autoselects the minimum allowable, thereby saving me time. I … --- ## [What would the National Guard have done on Jan 6, 2021?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-the-national-guard-have-done-on-jan-6-2021/977860)
**Author:** [@hat\_trick\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hat_trick_1)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [January 9, 2023, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-the-national-guard-have-done-on-jan-6-2021/977860 "2023-01-09T20:19:58Z")
I’m reading this article on the National Guard not being called to the Hill on 1/6/21: Trump Politicized the Military. Was That the Real Problem With the Jan. 6 Response? - POLITICO I’m wondering, what sorts of things … --- ## [Other species and anal sex](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-species-and-anal-sex/469198)
**Author:** [@Jesus\_Harold\_Christ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jesus_Harold_Christ)\ **Replies:** 91\ **Last updated:** [January 9, 2023, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-species-and-anal-sex/469198 "2023-01-09T14:15:54Z")
Do other species engage in intraspecies anal sex? --- ## [Translate These Two Non-American English Phrases, Please](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/translate-these-two-non-american-english-phrases-please/977792)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [January 9, 2023, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/translate-these-two-non-american-english-phrases-please/977792 "2023-01-09T06:33:05Z")
On a British TV show I watch, a woman said, of a houseguest, that she was “on the row” and would thus be disinterested in many activities. I know that a row is King’s English for a quarrell or a fight, so does this mean … --- ## [The larynx drop and its role in speech / choking risk](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-larynx-drop-and-its-role-in-speech-choking-risk/969175)
**Author:** [@longtry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/longtry)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [January 8, 2023, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-larynx-drop-and-its-role-in-speech-choking-risk/969175 "2023-01-08T22:35:35Z")
I was having a rather frustrating experience at stackexchange biology, where I asked the same question and got booed out of any proper answers for not ‘doing enough research’. What’s maddening is that from the bits of in… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=163) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=165)