# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=240 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 241 --- ## [Does all gum you can buy at a store "freshen breath"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-all-gum-you-can-buy-at-a-store-freshen-breath/955533)
**Author:** [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [December 5, 2021, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-all-gum-you-can-buy-at-a-store-freshen-breath/955533 "2021-12-05T17:14:54Z")
So for example if I buy Juicy Fruit will it make my breath smell just as good as if I used Double Mint, or does ONLY gum that has the word “mint” in it freshen breath? --- ## [What was the cost of a dozen eggs in Panama City, in 1896?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-cost-of-a-dozen-eggs-in-panama-city-in-1896/941673)
**Author:** [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [December 5, 2021, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-cost-of-a-dozen-eggs-in-panama-city-in-1896/941673 "2021-12-05T07:50:55Z")
Specifically, in the local currency—which I understand would have been the Columbian Peso, at the time—and not adjusted for inflation. Directly inspired by a line in 1977’s The Island of Doctor Moreau, and something I’v… --- ## [Was AIDS ever considered a pandemic?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-aids-ever-considered-a-pandemic/955339)
**Author:** [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [December 4, 2021, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-aids-ever-considered-a-pandemic/955339 "2021-12-04T22:30:54Z")
Google definitely isn’t my friend especially on World AIDS day. There’s obviously a lot of people with agendas and the 80s were a long time ago. As far as I know, you can only get the HIV virus through sexual intercours… --- ## [Why do I feel colder when wearing more clothes…](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-feel-colder-when-wearing-more-clothes/955397)
**Author:** [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [December 4, 2021, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-feel-colder-when-wearing-more-clothes/955397 "2021-12-04T15:44:10Z")
….in certain indoor settings? Regardless of the season, I always seems to get cold in airplanes, and am baffled when I see people board wearing shorts, tee shirts and flip flops. I always bring a jacket because I will … --- ## [Is the daytime sun yellow?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-daytime-sun-yellow/954259)
**Author:** [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Replies:** 76\ **Last updated:** [December 4, 2021, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-daytime-sun-yellow/954259 "2021-12-04T12:57:18Z")
http://solar-center.stanford.edu/SID/activities/GreenSun.html This page, which you will notice is from Stanford, goes to some lengths to argue that the sun is white. However, it seems to be pretty obvious that in the mi… --- ## [What if the rest of the universe disappeared?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-rest-of-the-universe-disappeared/955178)
**Author:** [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [December 3, 2021, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-rest-of-the-universe-disappeared/955178 "2021-12-03T22:38:14Z")
Thought experiment: imagine if everything in the universe disappeared, except for our solar system including the sun, the major planets, the minor planets and the asteroid belt. Aside from not seeing any stars at night, … --- ## [Are pickup trucks with convertible cargo bed roof a thing?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pickup-trucks-with-convertible-cargo-bed-roof-a-thing/954663)
**Author:** [@longtry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/longtry)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [December 3, 2021, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-pickup-trucks-with-convertible-cargo-bed-roof-a-thing/954663 "2021-12-03T21:31:36Z")
I can’t seem to be able to find any of such. Maybe I just don’t know the proper keyword? The premise is like this: pickup trucks are good because they separate cargo from people. The open space allows tall stuffs to be … --- ## [What is the highest ranking officer in the US military likely to be in front-line combat?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-ranking-officer-in-the-us-military-likely-to-be-in-front-line-combat/954548)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 76\ **Last updated:** [December 3, 2021, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-ranking-officer-in-the-us-military-likely-to-be-in-front-line-combat/954548 "2021-12-03T21:19:45Z")
I think I may have asked this before but I cannot find it. So… I was watching the Mel Gibson movie, “We Were Soldiers” which was based on an actual early battle when the US was entering Vietnam (I know…Hollywood). In … --- ## [Does life insurance coverage continue if a person goes to prison?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-life-insurance-coverage-continue-if-a-person-goes-to-prison/955300)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [December 3, 2021, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-life-insurance-coverage-continue-if-a-person-goes-to-prison/955300 "2021-12-03T14:28:34Z")
Don’t need answer fast. :blush: The recent Turpin case raises an interesting question. Will the 13 abused kids get any life insurance payouts when mom & dad eventually die in prison? Does life insurance coverage contin… --- ## [Traveling to the US with a green card and a valid but soon to expire passport](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traveling-to-the-us-with-a-green-card-and-a-valid-but-soon-to-expire-passport/955304)
**Author:** [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [December 3, 2021, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traveling-to-the-us-with-a-green-card-and-a-valid-but-soon-to-expire-passport/955304 "2021-12-03T12:22:36Z")
My wife and I have a trip back home to Norway planned. For her, a US citizen and university professor it is in part because she has a grant that requires international participation, for me it’s to see friends and family… --- ## [Freud and Homosexuals](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freud-and-homosexuals/955274)
**Author:** [@salinqmind1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind1)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [December 3, 2021, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freud-and-homosexuals/955274 "2021-12-03T01:31:25Z")
I realize Freud is pretty much discredited now? I was just wondering with the theory of the Oedipus complex how - if - any of that was relevant to the homosexual person seeking psychoanalysis in the past. What did a ps… --- ## [Rockefeller Center Christmas tree](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockefeller-center-christmas-tree/955395)
**Author:** [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [December 2, 2021, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rockefeller-center-christmas-tree/955395 "2021-12-02T23:37:43Z")
I watched the lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree Wednesday night, and a question occurred to me. It will be “lit” every night until at least January 1. I would assume that during that time, some/many of t… --- ## ["Me an X" vs. "X and I": is the latter doomed?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-an-x-vs-x-and-i-is-the-latter-doomed/952017)
**Author:** [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [December 2, 2021, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-an-x-vs-x-and-i-is-the-latter-doomed/952017 "2021-12-02T23:11:16Z")
I as a tutor, and often have to explain this to a student (usual way is to take away the other noun/pronoun and ask them, “Would you really say 'Me had a sandwich\`?”). But pretty much everywhere I go on da interwebz I s… --- ## [Real Estate Prices going down? Where?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-estate-prices-going-down-where/943189)
**Author:** [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Replies:** 111\ **Last updated:** [December 2, 2021, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-estate-prices-going-down-where/943189 "2021-12-02T21:52:13Z")
Where, in the United States, are Real Estate prices going down? (Not Detroit.) I’m wondering if a late-life relocation is in order. --- ## [How long could I survive in space unprotected?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-i-survive-in-space-unprotected/955264)
**Author:** [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [December 2, 2021, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-i-survive-in-space-unprotected/955264 "2021-12-02T21:24:10Z")
Assume I’m having to move from one door of a space station to another and I’m (for some reason) just in a pair of shorts and a T-shirt)? How long do I have before permanent damage? --- ## [How can I speak to a human at the IRS?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-speak-to-a-human-at-the-irs/955209)
**Author:** [@Orville\_mogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orville_mogul)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [December 2, 2021, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-speak-to-a-human-at-the-irs/955209 "2021-12-02T18:43:44Z")
The IRS and I have always had a live and let live relationship. Until now. Here’s the brief story. My wife is in the process of applying for the US Green Card, with me as her sponsor. One of the things I need to prove i… --- ## [Did Native American hunters eat the fresh heart of their kills?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-native-american-hunters-eat-the-fresh-heart-of-their-kills/678118)
**Author:** [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [December 2, 2021, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-native-american-hunters-eat-the-fresh-heart-of-their-kills/678118 "2021-12-02T04:30:59Z")
There’s a scene in Dances With Wolves where the lead hunter cuts the heart from a freshly killed buffalo, takes a huge bite, and offers the rest to Kevin Costner. Other movies featuring Native American hunters often por… --- ## [Chugging sound when rear windows of vehicle are open](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chugging-sound-when-rear-windows-of-vehicle-are-open/949795)
**Author:** [@PozhanPop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PozhanPop)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [December 2, 2021, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chugging-sound-when-rear-windows-of-vehicle-are-open/949795 "2021-12-02T02:31:38Z")
What causes the chugging sound when we open the rear windows of a vehicle ? I have noticed it mostly in SUVs. It has to do with turbulence I know, but chugging pattern of the air rushing past the windows what I am curi… --- ## [How are they intending to have electric-car charging stations in urban areas?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-they-intending-to-have-electric-car-charging-stations-in-urban-areas/954250)
**Author:** [@Roger\_That](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roger_That)\ **Replies:** 125\ **Last updated:** [December 2, 2021, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-they-intending-to-have-electric-car-charging-stations-in-urban-areas/954250 "2021-12-02T00:58:33Z")
I’ve spent much of my life living in areas like Manhattan, some of those years as a car-owner who (tried to) park on the street, and I can’t figure out where the charging-stations would go. First place, I used to park m… --- ## [(comp sci): Is there another term for public information screen?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comp-sci-is-there-another-term-for-public-information-screen/954971)
**Author:** [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [December 1, 2021, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comp-sci-is-there-another-term-for-public-information-screen/954971 "2021-12-01T22:54:34Z")
never mind: I was trying to find if a term existed for a display screen that needs to be visible to many people but is not necessarily “public”. Then I eventually figured out it’s information radiator (or dashboard). (t… --- ## [How many people on earth are having sex at any given moment?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-on-earth-are-having-sex-at-any-given-moment/476182)
**Author:** [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [December 1, 2021, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-on-earth-are-having-sex-at-any-given-moment/476182 "2021-12-01T20:47:33Z")
It’s an odd thought that just popped into my head, but there has to be some way of estimating this. --- ## [Changing LARGE Whole House Water Filters](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-large-whole-house-water-filters/955305)
**Author:** [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [December 1, 2021, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-large-whole-house-water-filters/955305 "2021-12-01T20:22:13Z")
I have upgraded my well water system with the large 4 1/2" x 20" carbon block water filters like these. I use two of them plumbed in parallel to avoid any pressure drop. I’ve always assumed that these should be replace… --- ## [Name of effect: making something easier, more of that happens](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-effect-making-something-easier-more-of-that-happens/955280)
**Author:** [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [December 1, 2021, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-of-effect-making-something-easier-more-of-that-happens/955280 "2021-12-01T14:38:04Z")
I’m looking for the name of an effect. Here are a couple examples: If a city changes their street lighting to LEDs to save money, lots more lighting will be added and they end up not saving anything. If the city makes … --- ## [Anything special about integer Mach numbers? Or just about Mach 1?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-special-about-integer-mach-numbers-or-just-about-mach-1/955152)
**Author:** [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [December 1, 2021, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-special-about-integer-mach-numbers-or-just-about-mach-1/955152 "2021-12-01T12:55:13Z")
I think maybe I remember reading something about aircraft, that when they accelerate through a Mach number of 1 there is a sudden changing of various parameters and stresses and whatnot (this part seems clear and well do… --- ## [How to find background info on airplane movements?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-find-background-info-on-airplane-movements/954957)
**Author:** [@Fish\_Cheer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish_Cheer)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [December 1, 2021, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-find-background-info-on-airplane-movements/954957 "2021-12-01T10:19:09Z")
For a couple of days now, I’ve noticed an Antonov An-12 flying over our house at about the same time every night. Yesterday, there actually were two planes a couple minutes apart. They really stand out because they sound… --- ## [Why does browser keep suggesting "warpfivefans.com" instead of "washingtonpost.com"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-browser-keep-suggesting-warpfivefans-com-instead-of-washingtonpost-com/955225)
**Author:** [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [December 1, 2021, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-browser-keep-suggesting-warpfivefans-com-instead-of-washingtonpost-com/955225 "2021-12-01T09:09:13Z")
For years I’d visit the Washington Post web site, typing “wa” and the browser suggesting “shingtonpost.com”. Now it’s trying to send me to warpfivefans, whatever that is. Is this the browser, or the Google search engine … --- ## [Privacy.com: Trustworthy? And...how do they make money?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/privacy-com-trustworthy-and-how-do-they-make-money/955106)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [December 1, 2021, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/privacy-com-trustworthy-and-how-do-they-make-money/955106 "2021-12-01T06:21:30Z")
A newspaper article on privacy mentioned Lithic (formerly Privacy.com but still using that domain name). They issue one-time credit card numbers that forward charges to your actual credit card or bank account, up to 12 n… --- ## [Is something unusual going on in San Diego?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-something-unusual-going-on-in-san-diego/955184)
**Author:** [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [November 30, 2021, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-something-unusual-going-on-in-san-diego/955184 "2021-11-30T21:06:28Z")
To make a long story short, I just found out that some flights are diverting to Los Angeles, and flightradar24.com shows almost no activity over the city’s air space, except for a helicopter flying all over the place. W… --- ## [Origin of red and blue states](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-red-and-blue-states/955119)
**Author:** [@Danger\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danger_Man)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [November 30, 2021, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-red-and-blue-states/955119 "2021-11-30T12:51:16Z")
How come the color red, which most people relate to communism, came to be associated with the Republican party? Same thing with the color blue, which I have mostly seen associated with right wing parties is the color of … --- ## [High Cost of Ammunition Question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-cost-of-ammunition-question/954898)
**Author:** [@19USMC69](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/19USMC69)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [November 30, 2021, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-cost-of-ammunition-question/954898 "2021-11-30T12:24:21Z")
Obviously, and for the most part, supply and demand will determine the retail cost of products an services. That aside, I assume the cost to manufacture ammunition has changed very little. My question is who is profiti… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=239) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=241)