# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=874 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 875 --- ## [Confusion about when exactly George Washington was promoted to Lieutenant General](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confusion-about-when-exactly-george-washington-was-promoted-to-lieutenant-general/757742)
**Author:** [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [July 17, 2016, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confusion-about-when-exactly-george-washington-was-promoted-to-lieutenant-general/757742 "2016-07-17T02:38:34Z")
Hi Different websites give different accounts as to when George Washington was promoted to Lieutenant General. Was it during his Presidency, after his Presidency or after his death? I look forward to your feedback. --- ## [How do externally link to a subsection of Wiki?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-externally-link-to-a-subsection-of-wiki/759974)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2016, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-externally-link-to-a-subsection-of-wiki/759974 "2016-07-16T20:34:43Z")
See query. if it’s a really long article and I’m feeling helpful I’d like to link more directly. Thnx, Leo --- ## [Clearing a home for sale: What kind of team do I need?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clearing-a-home-for-sale-what-kind-of-team-do-i-need/759750)
**Author:** [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2016, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clearing-a-home-for-sale-what-kind-of-team-do-i-need/759750 "2016-07-16T20:10:57Z")
I have ended up as the sole trustee in charge of all my parents’ assets. It’s all been kind of sudden. My dad died unexpectedly last October, and my mom had to be moved to memory care a couple of months ago (also unexp… --- ## [Two TV Channels per Channel Number?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-tv-channels-per-channel-number/759948)
**Author:** [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2016, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-tv-channels-per-channel-number/759948 "2016-07-16T18:25:46Z")
Maybe some cable guy or EE can explain this: I am staying at a hotel where the TV has some weird characteristics. I figured out if I “type” a channel number into the remote, I will get one network, but if I “type” in a d… --- ## [How do social security spousal benefits work if one spouse dies](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-social-security-spousal-benefits-work-if-one-spouse-dies/760046)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2016, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-social-security-spousal-benefits-work-if-one-spouse-dies/760046 "2016-07-16T17:53:07Z")
Assume that one spouse worked and the other didn’t, they are still married and retired. As a result the spouse who didn’t work gets spousal benefits which I think are half the benefits that the wage earning spouse earned… --- ## [Has SCOTUS or Congress ever entertained the idea of throwing a state out of the Union?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-scotus-or-congress-ever-entertained-the-idea-of-throwing-a-state-out-of-the-union/758621)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2016, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-scotus-or-congress-ever-entertained-the-idea-of-throwing-a-state-out-of-the-union/758621 "2016-07-16T11:45:11Z")
A spinoff from a back-and-forth in a current thread about constitutional law (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=19439096&posted=1#post19439096). I’m pre-embarrassed if the answer to OP is “Civil War r… --- ## [Inversion tables - what's the Straight Dope?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inversion-tables-whats-the-straight-dope/519197)
**Author:** [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2016, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inversion-tables-whats-the-straight-dope/519197 "2016-07-16T04:59:09Z")
A friend and I walked past the entrance of a shop that sells all sorts of things to improve back health - massage chairs, Tempur-Pedic mattresses, etc. They were offering free 10-minute chair massages (basically in excha… --- ## [When / why did homes first get electrical outlets?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-why-did-homes-first-get-electrical-outlets/633885)
**Author:** [@Kiyoshi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiyoshi)\ **Replies:** 62\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2016, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-why-did-homes-first-get-electrical-outlets/633885 "2016-07-16T02:35:07Z")
Obviously, people initially wired their houses for electricity so that they could have electrical lighting. But I was wondering when the ubiquitous plug socket started to appear in homes… The only information I can find… --- ## [Where can I find dimensions for making a replica Roman dodecahedron?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-dimensions-for-making-a-replica-roman-dodecahedron/601434)
**Author:** [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Replies:** 131\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2016, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-find-dimensions-for-making-a-replica-roman-dodecahedron/601434 "2016-07-16T01:19:03Z")
I want to make a replica of a Roman dodecahedron, in order to experiment and speculate on its purpose (which is not known, although various competing hypotheses exist - some of them quite absurd). It seems as though the… --- ## [What made these tracks?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-made-these-tracks/760003)
**Author:** [@Brodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brodi)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2016, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-made-these-tracks/760003 "2016-07-16T01:17:38Z")
I found these while I was out walking my dog this morning. They are too small to be a deer, plus they go in a straight line with an inch and a half separating one set from another. I’m in SW TX. https://www.flickr.com/p… --- ## [Shockwave Flash has crashed!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shockwave-flash-has-crashed/759981)
**Author:** [@OffByOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OffByOne)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [July 15, 2016, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shockwave-flash-has-crashed/759981 "2016-07-15T22:09:49Z")
I use Chrome at work for my Internet browser. I get the message in the title all the time, because the version of Chrome that is installed doesn’t have the updated software for Flash and the tech group has turned off my… --- ## [Britain’s most senior EU official resigns. Receives standing ovation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britain-s-most-senior-eu-official-resigns-receives-standing-ovation/758636)
**Author:** [@mr\_wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr_wolf)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [July 15, 2016, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britain-s-most-senior-eu-official-resigns-receives-standing-ovation/758636 "2016-07-15T00:13:19Z")
In today’s EU parliamentary session, after Schultz profoundly thanking him, Hill received about a minute of continuous applause with many members standing up. Despite the abrupt way the applause died which made it all lo… --- ## [Replacing Lost Insulin in the US](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacing-lost-insulin-in-the-us/757413)
**Author:** [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [July 15, 2016, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacing-lost-insulin-in-the-us/757413 "2016-07-15T21:46:33Z")
Hi people. I’m off for to the US for a road trip next week and I just found out that my travel insurance (which I get via my home insurance) doesn’t cover replacing medication for a pre-existing condition. This is worry… --- ## [Help me understand British honors degrees](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-british-honors-degrees/759867)
**Author:** [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [July 15, 2016, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-british-honors-degrees/759867 "2016-07-15T21:08:20Z")
I just watched the final season of “Fresh Meat,” one of my favorite sitcoms, and I am now aware of something that I didn’t know existed—honors degrees. Apparently, when you receive a bachelor’s degree from a British uni… --- ## [Shooting a bullet into the barrel of another gun. I am skeptical.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-a-bullet-into-the-barrel-of-another-gun-i-am-skeptical/759970)
**Author:** [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [July 15, 2016, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shooting-a-bullet-into-the-barrel-of-another-gun-i-am-skeptical/759970 "2016-07-15T20:42:48Z")
According to this story, a sheriff’s deputy shot at an attacker, and the bullet from the deputy’s gun entered the barrel of the attacker’s gun. I just can’t see this happening. Furthermore, the deputy’s gun was a .45ACP… --- ## [State citizenship](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-citizenship/758985)
**Author:** [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [July 15, 2016, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-citizenship/758985 "2016-07-15T19:04:46Z")
In the 14th admendment to the Constitution, it states “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside… --- ## [What did folks think about apes before Darwin?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-folks-think-about-apes-before-darwin/759616)
**Author:** [@JordanC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JordanC)\ **Replies:** 43\ **Last updated:** [July 15, 2016, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-folks-think-about-apes-before-darwin/759616 "2016-07-15T18:37:03Z")
Before the works of Darwin were published, and people started putting together that we seemed to be related to (other) apes, what did people think about our similarities to apes and primates in general? :confused: The … --- ## [What Would Cause Air Passengers To Get Sick With Carbon Monoxide Ingestion?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-cause-air-passengers-to-get-sick-with-carbon-monoxide-ingestion/759572)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [July 15, 2016, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-cause-air-passengers-to-get-sick-with-carbon-monoxide-ingestion/759572 "2016-07-15T15:01:06Z")
Looks like a dozen or so Delta passengers got sick from CO ingestion. How would something like that happen? Like, what would have to go wrong with the aircraft in order for toxic levels of CO to leak into the cabin? --- ## [Win10, Toshiba laptop, or Chrome](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win10-toshiba-laptop-or-chrome/759683)
**Author:** [@OffByOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OffByOne)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [July 15, 2016, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win10-toshiba-laptop-or-chrome/759683 "2016-07-15T13:06:56Z")
I have a Toshiba laptop, running Windows 10, and I use Chrome for my browser. From time to time, whatever program I am using at the moment will lose focus for a second or two, then regain focus, just like nothing happen… --- ## [Procedures for IDing people after death](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/procedures-for-iding-people-after-death/759941)
**Author:** [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [July 15, 2016, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/procedures-for-iding-people-after-death/759941 "2016-07-15T12:47:08Z")
Is it routine for a coroner and/or a funeral home to independently identify the body when it is being processed? That is, someone calls 911 and says my father Mr. Jones just passed away. Send over the coroner and police… --- ## [Medical situations where surgery must be done without anesthesia](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-situations-where-surgery-must-be-done-without-anesthesia/759286)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 54\ **Last updated:** [July 15, 2016, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-situations-where-surgery-must-be-done-without-anesthesia/759286 "2016-07-15T06:37:35Z")
It is a trope in some fiction or cinema that an excruciatingly painful medical procedure has to be done on a gritty war hero without anesthesia. I recall a fictional story about a Civil War soldier who had to have his l… --- ## [Chemical Treatment For Small, Inflatable Pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chemical-treatment-for-small-inflatable-pool/759913)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [July 15, 2016, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chemical-treatment-for-small-inflatable-pool/759913 "2016-07-15T05:34:36Z")
Mrs. Homie and I bought a cheap, inflatable pool to use this summer, and we’d like to keep the bugs out of it and keep the water from going rancid as best we can. The pool chemicals I see at the store are, I presume, int… --- ## [Where Does The Overflow Drain Connect?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-overflow-drain-connect/759276)
**Author:** [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [July 15, 2016, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-overflow-drain-connect/759276 "2016-07-15T02:13:46Z")
Doesn’t the overflow drain on a bathroom sink, for example, have to connect just upstream of the P-trap (to prevent sewer gas from entering your home)? And if so, don’t most clogs form at the P-trap? And, if so, how doe… --- ## [Would a chimp eat a dog?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-chimp-eat-a-dog/759902)
**Author:** [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [July 15, 2016, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-chimp-eat-a-dog/759902 "2016-07-15T01:57:24Z")
Here’s an adorable video of a little chimp hugging on a dog. Knowing how mean chimps get when they get older, I wondered, is a sizeable dog like this something they would likely see either as food or maybe some toy to t… --- ## [Lincoln assassination witness](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-assassination-witness/759774)
**Author:** [@oliversarmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oliversarmy)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [July 15, 2016, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-assassination-witness/759774 "2016-07-15T01:05:50Z")
Way back in the '50s a guest on the TV show “I’ve Got a Secret” was the last person alive that was present in Ford’s Theater when President Lincoln was assassinated. Here’s thelink to the show. For background, the Wikip… --- ## [Self replicating space probes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-replicating-space-probes/759876)
**Author:** [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [July 14, 2016, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-replicating-space-probes/759876 "2016-07-14T23:46:50Z")
Over in this fascinating thread: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=798052, much seriousness is given to the notion of self replicating probes. One poster even suggesting we are only a hundred years awa… --- ## [Would this clause in a will be enforceable?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-clause-in-a-will-be-enforceable/759655)
**Author:** [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [July 14, 2016, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-clause-in-a-will-be-enforceable/759655 "2016-07-14T23:05:38Z")
I’m reading a story where a parent left a piece of real estate (the family farm) to his two children, with the requirement that they own it jointly, and neither may attempt to partition it. If either does attempt to par… --- ## [How do med students learn to do a digital-rectal exam?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-med-students-learn-to-do-a-digital-rectal-exam/520880)
**Author:** [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Replies:** 77\ **Last updated:** [July 14, 2016, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-med-students-learn-to-do-a-digital-rectal-exam/520880 "2016-07-14T21:52:00Z")
A cousin of mine recently graduated from med school. When I asked him this question, he became really evasive. How do you know what normal or abnormal prostates feel like unless you have felt them? So what do they do? … --- ## [GE washing machine not spinning/agitating, then spinning too hard](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ge-washing-machine-not-spinning-agitating-then-spinning-too-hard/759811)
**Author:** [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [July 14, 2016, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ge-washing-machine-not-spinning-agitating-then-spinning-too-hard/759811 "2016-07-14T19:57:11Z")
My top loading washer is about ten or eleven years old. It stopped agitating the laundry and spinning it dry. It went through all the motions of the washing process, but it only made a soft clicking sound while the agita… --- ## [Why don't we bury our radioactive waste in an ocean trench?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-bury-our-radioactive-waste-in-an-ocean-trench/204636)
**Author:** [@ronbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ronbo)\ **Replies:** 69\ **Last updated:** [July 14, 2016, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-bury-our-radioactive-waste-in-an-ocean-trench/204636 "2016-07-14T15:11:30Z")
I apologize for my poor memory of a science show many, many years ago. I have no details or cites (or sites!) and some comments may be slightly misremembered. This is how I remember the program: A mini-sub descended i… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=873) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=875)