# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=626 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 627 --- ## [Current Bull market questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-bull-market-questions/807305)
**Author:** [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [January 26, 2018, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-bull-market-questions/807305 "2018-01-26T16:45:45Z")
In the current bull market that we are in, is the dollar value of the market a real dollar value where the money actually came from somewhere else (funneled/siphoned from somewhere else in the economy)? Or is it an arti… --- ## [Is lying to the FBI illegal?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lying-to-the-fbi-illegal/807455)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [January 26, 2018, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-lying-to-the-fbi-illegal/807455 "2018-01-26T16:44:26Z")
I thought lying to the FBI when they question you is a good way to find yourself in jail. However, recently news reported that president Trump would talk to the FBI under oath regarding it’s Russia investigation. Then, … --- ## [the variation of forms for national names used as adjectives](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-variation-of-forms-for-national-names-used-as-adjectives/807304)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [January 26, 2018, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-variation-of-forms-for-national-names-used-as-adjectives/807304 "2018-01-26T16:18:24Z")
Apologies if the subject doesn’t make any sense, but here’s what I’m talking about. If you want to describe someone or something as being from or related to a certain country, you use an adjective form of that country’s… --- ## [Finding out why a computer woke itself up from sleep (need answer fast)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-out-why-a-computer-woke-itself-up-from-sleep-need-answer-fast/807507)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [January 26, 2018, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-out-why-a-computer-woke-itself-up-from-sleep-need-answer-fast/807507 "2018-01-26T16:01:15Z")
My laptop did/does this thing where it will be in sleep mode but then suddenly wake up, log in (I haven’t set a user password yet), go into full awake-and-functioning mode, then go back to sleep after a few moments. Wo… --- ## [When was Japan legally defeated 1945 or with the signing of the San Francisco Peace Treaty in 1951?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-japan-legally-defeated-1945-or-with-the-signing-of-the-san-francisco-peace-treaty-in-1951/807373)
**Author:** [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [January 26, 2018, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-japan-legally-defeated-1945-or-with-the-signing-of-the-san-francisco-peace-treaty-in-1951/807373 "2018-01-26T14:31:03Z")
Hi When was Japan legally defeated 1945 or with the signing of the San Francisco Peace Treaty? I look forward to your feedback --- ## [Does using somebody else's boarding pass make me a stowaway?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-using-somebody-elses-boarding-pass-make-me-a-stowaway/807378)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [January 26, 2018, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-using-somebody-elses-boarding-pass-make-me-a-stowaway/807378 "2018-01-26T09:00:21Z")
Please note: I have no intention of being a stowaway, nor do I think anybody else should. I’m breaking this off from this thread because I have no desire to derail it. Like Colibri, I figured that using somebody else’s… --- ## [Is there a term for this style of headline?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-term-for-this-style-of-headline/807418)
**Author:** [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [January 26, 2018, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-term-for-this-style-of-headline/807418 "2018-01-26T05:19:22Z")
Lately I’ve noticed news headlines written in a particular style - instead of something like: “West Palm Beach boy, 12, dies of flu” you get: “They thought it was a cold. Now he’s the third child to die of the flu in … --- ## [Environmentally friendly disposal of old gasoline](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/environmentally-friendly-disposal-of-old-gasoline/807007)
**Author:** [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [January 26, 2018, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/environmentally-friendly-disposal-of-old-gasoline/807007 "2018-01-26T00:14:15Z")
Had a customer give me a container of gasoline. Its probably several months old. Husband left it in the garage after she kicked him out for cheating. I don’t want to ruin my equipment engines or my trucks by pouring old… --- ## [GB: why was economy and food situation worse after WWII?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gb-why-was-economy-and-food-situation-worse-after-wwii/806863)
**Author:** [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Replies:** 89\ **Last updated:** [January 25, 2018, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gb-why-was-economy-and-food-situation-worse-after-wwii/806863 "2018-01-25T22:15:35Z")
I’m hoping there’s a short answer to this - although obviously it’s never one factor - as to why Great Britain was so much worse off after WWII than other Allied nations. E.g. Food rationing went on till 1954 Rationing i… --- ## [Minimum fatal drop (somewhat morbid)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimum-fatal-drop-somewhat-morbid/347426)
**Author:** [@Tevildo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tevildo)\ **Replies:** 72\ **Last updated:** [January 25, 2018, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minimum-fatal-drop-somewhat-morbid/347426 "2018-01-25T20:04:33Z")
I’m working on a piece of fanfic with a friend at the moment, in which a character is killed by falling from a balcony onto a solid concrete floor. The character is reasonably athletic, but not a trained acrobat, so wil… --- ## [Would a tall person tire faster while walking up stairs?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-tall-person-tire-faster-while-walking-up-stairs/807431)
**Author:** [@Contemplation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contemplation)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [January 25, 2018, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-tall-person-tire-faster-while-walking-up-stairs/807431 "2018-01-25T18:51:31Z")
The intersting thing about walking up stairs is that no matter how tall you, you will take the same number of steps to get up the stairs, assuming you don’t skip any steps. The taller person is likely heavier and will t… --- ## [What's the longest it can take for a pill to digest in your system? What wouldn't your system digest](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-it-can-take-for-a-pill-to-digest-in-your-system-what-wouldnt-your-system-digest/807233)
**Author:** [@squish7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squish7)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [January 25, 2018, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-it-can-take-for-a-pill-to-digest-in-your-system-what-wouldnt-your-system-digest/807233 "2018-01-25T16:10:39Z")
If I eat a serving of oatmeal and take a pill (e.g. a tablet of medication) on an empty stomach and feel fine, but 2-3 hours later feel nausea, is it possible the pill stuck around but the oatmeal got digested? Even if … --- ## [Explain the use of demonstrative pronouns 'this' and 'that'](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-use-of-demonstrative-pronouns-this-and-that/807282)
**Author:** [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [January 25, 2018, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-use-of-demonstrative-pronouns-this-and-that/807282 "2018-01-25T15:21:16Z")
Hi How does one know whether to use the following? This simply isn’t true. That simply isn’t true. I was trying to reason that it might be arbitrary. It doesn’t seem to have anything to do with time. If I respond to… --- ## [How is it cheaper for a company to rent an employee a car than to pay mileage?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-it-cheaper-for-a-company-to-rent-an-employee-a-car-than-to-pay-mileage/806924)
**Author:** [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [January 24, 2018, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-it-cheaper-for-a-company-to-rent-an-employee-a-car-than-to-pay-mileage/806924 "2018-01-24T21:24:56Z")
I’m willing to accept the premise as true, as it was reported by a friend I’ve known for 20 years, who tends toward precision in all matters (and her job is as an auditor). So the question becomes: where is the arbitrag… --- ## [A variation of the Sandwich Theorem (Limits)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-variation-of-the-sandwich-theorem-limits/807386)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [January 24, 2018, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-variation-of-the-sandwich-theorem-limits/807386 "2018-01-24T21:18:19Z")
I’ve been thinking about the sandwich theorem and tried to research a variation on it but saw no reference to what I’m am dubbing crossover theorem. My question is is this a known theorem or would I have to prove it? G… --- ## [Do White House domestic staff still work during a goverment shutdown?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-house-domestic-staff-still-work-during-a-goverment-shutdown/807176)
**Author:** [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Replies:** 61\ **Last updated:** [January 24, 2018, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-house-domestic-staff-still-work-during-a-goverment-shutdown/807176 "2018-01-24T21:04:01Z")
Obviously the Secret Service and other security personnel are considered essential and keep working, but what about the White House Chief Usher and the domestic staff that serves the First Family? Do they keep working, … --- ## [Floaty Etherial Computer Screens From Movies--In the Cards or No?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/floaty-etherial-computer-screens-from-movies-in-the-cards-or-no/806473)
**Author:** [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [January 24, 2018, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/floaty-etherial-computer-screens-from-movies-in-the-cards-or-no/806473 "2018-01-24T20:34:01Z")
In a lot of movies set in the future, even sometimes the near future, we see computer control panels that just pop up, immaterial, floating in the air, responding to hand gestures or “contact” with the screen. I can ima… --- ## [A black man in Sharpsburg, MD, after Antietam](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-black-man-in-sharpsburg-md-after-antietam/807383)
**Author:** [@Dingbang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dingbang)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [January 24, 2018, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-black-man-in-sharpsburg-md-after-antietam/807383 "2018-01-24T18:05:28Z")
For the purposes of something I’m writing, I need to understand what the experience of a black man would have been in Sharpsburg, MD, immediately after the battle of Antietam in the American Civil War. The man travels i… --- ## [Philosophers who endured childhood trauma](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philosophers-who-endured-childhood-trauma/807325)
**Author:** [@alterego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alterego)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [January 24, 2018, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philosophers-who-endured-childhood-trauma/807325 "2018-01-24T17:09:25Z")
Any significant philosophers who had severely screwed up childhoods? --- ## [A Couple of (US) Social Security Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-us-social-security-questions/807174)
**Author:** [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [January 24, 2018, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-us-social-security-questions/807174 "2018-01-24T16:26:52Z")
Background: I turned 70 last September, but I’m still working (I plan to hang it up at the end of May). For several fairly arcane reasons I didn’t file for benefits then, and now that I’m getting ready to do so I find my… --- ## [Tell me about Heart Transplants](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-heart-transplants/807210)
**Author:** [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [January 24, 2018, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-heart-transplants/807210 "2018-01-24T14:13:19Z")
Over on Reddit is a post about a young lady who just got the call that her donor heart is ready. I am sure we all wish her luck. So tell me about heart transplants. How common are they now? What is the success rate? H… --- ## [quotation: Atomic weight and partly filled jars of water](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quotation-atomic-weight-and-partly-filled-jars-of-water/807356)
**Author:** [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [January 24, 2018, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quotation-atomic-weight-and-partly-filled-jars-of-water/807356 "2018-01-24T07:17:06Z")
Ispired by another other thread about race, I tried without success to locate a qoutation I once read. Before the development of the idea of neutrons and atomic number, there was a great deal of research going on, tryin… --- ## [Diphenhydramine and sleep](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diphenhydramine-and-sleep/807301)
**Author:** [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [January 24, 2018, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diphenhydramine-and-sleep/807301 "2018-01-24T06:21:43Z")
Lately I’ve been having difficulty getting to sleep and have found that Diphenhydramine - aka Benadryl - will usually put me out. Thing is, even though I might lose consciousness for 5-6 hours, I don’t feel refreshed or … --- ## [why didnt any Dinosaurs survive?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-any-dinosaurs-survive/805479)
**Author:** [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Replies:** 110\ **Last updated:** [January 23, 2018, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-any-dinosaurs-survive/805479 "2018-01-23T23:26:56Z")
OK, I am quite aware that most scientists consider birds a form of Dinosaurs, but for this thread, instead of using the term “non-avian dinosaurs” we will shorten that to dinosaurs. And call the dinoaurs that are avian=… --- ## [dachshunds vs. badgers?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dachshunds-vs-badgers/3104)
**Author:** [@pluto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pluto)\ **Replies:** 56\ **Last updated:** [January 23, 2018, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dachshunds-vs-badgers/3104 "2018-01-23T23:01:11Z")
Don’t get me wrong! Like most dachshund owners I love the little rascals and I wouldn’t trade them for the world, but… Did anyone ever really pit dachshunds against badgers? I know the name means “badger dog” and every … --- ## [Falling ball vs thrown ball in a atmosphere, which hits the ground first.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falling-ball-vs-thrown-ball-in-a-atmosphere-which-hits-the-ground-first/807229)
**Author:** [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [January 23, 2018, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falling-ball-vs-thrown-ball-in-a-atmosphere-which-hits-the-ground-first/807229 "2018-01-23T22:18:41Z")
The classic physics problem. In a vacuum if all is totally horizontal (ground and throw trajectory) and gravity is perfectly perpendicular both should hit the ground at the same time. BUT how does a atmosphere change t… --- ## [Why does freezing cold air make you cough?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-freezing-cold-air-make-you-cough/807324)
**Author:** [@Contemplation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contemplation)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [January 23, 2018, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-freezing-cold-air-make-you-cough/807324 "2018-01-23T21:23:59Z")
So, why is it that air that’s below freezing make some people cough when they suddenly breath it through their mouth? (my self included) But if I breathe it through my nose, then it makes my nose and sinuses ache until … --- ## [Do bigger shoe sizes have thicker soles?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-bigger-shoe-sizes-have-thicker-soles/807255)
**Author:** [@Contemplation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contemplation)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [January 23, 2018, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-bigger-shoe-sizes-have-thicker-soles/807255 "2018-01-23T20:43:48Z")
In general, for most sneakers (or tennis shoes, whatever you call them), does the sole get thicker as the size increases? Shouldn’t a size 13 have a thicker sole than a size 8 ? --- ## [What is "the story of 'the starfishes on the beach'?" (Allusion in essay)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-story-of-the-starfishes-on-the-beach-allusion-in-essay/807242)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [January 23, 2018, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-story-of-the-starfishes-on-the-beach-allusion-in-essay/807242 "2018-01-23T20:28:07Z")
The following is an excerpt from article on DACA etc. in National Review: I think it is often better for refugees to resettle in countries similar to the one they fled, provided they are safe there, but that this is not… --- ## [Tough day flying at Dusseldorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tough-day-flying-at-dusseldorf/807188)
**Author:** [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [January 23, 2018, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tough-day-flying-at-dusseldorf/807188 "2018-01-23T19:24:42Z")
Video below shows extreme crosswinds at the airport requiring multiple go-around attempts due to the recent storm. How many attempts will a pilot try and where would they go if landing isn’t feasible? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=625) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=627)