# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=95 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 96 --- ## [Libraries becoming obsolete faster than I thought](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libraries-becoming-obsolete-faster-than-i-thought/999712)
**Author:** [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Replies:** 62\ **Last updated:** [April 5, 2024, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libraries-becoming-obsolete-faster-than-i-thought/999712 "2024-04-05T23:00:40Z")
I have just found out that our local university (40k students) is moving almost everything out of its main library to offsite storage about 30 miles away. The university claims over two million items in its various colle… --- ## [Why are there earthquakes in the middle of the North American plate?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-earthquakes-in-the-middle-of-the-north-american-plate/999887)
**Author:** [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [April 5, 2024, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-earthquakes-in-the-middle-of-the-north-american-plate/999887 "2024-04-05T18:26:57Z")
Plate tectonics posits that earthquakes arise from plates rubbing against one another, or moving under one another. New Jersey recently had an earthquake. In 1755 there was an estimated magnitude 6.0 tremblor just outsid… --- ## [Silent I before E in English](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silent-i-before-e-in-english/999697)
**Author:** [@kk\_fusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kk_fusion)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [April 5, 2024, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silent-i-before-e-in-english/999697 "2024-04-05T10:03:52Z")
There are words like conscience where there is no I sound, but there the I blends with the consonant before and not the E after. Are there any examples other than friend? --- ## [Do Western Europeans really have bad teeth?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-western-europeans-really-have-bad-teeth/954337)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [November 15, 2021, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-western-europeans-really-have-bad-teeth/954337 "2021-11-15T13:19:42Z")
I shared a meme touting universal healthcare in Europe, and a Conservative friend replied, ‘What causes their rotting teeth, I wonder? Ever notice that?’ Frankly, no I haven’t. But I do know that it’s a stereotype. So… --- ## [Can somebody have 4 last names?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-somebody-have-4-last-names/998958)
**Author:** [@SaSaLeLe2011](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaSaLeLe2011)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [April 5, 2024, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-somebody-have-4-last-names/998958 "2024-04-05T04:57:02Z")
2 hyphenated peeps bang, then they hyphenate their kid’s name --- ## [How dark will the April 8 Solar Eclipse be where I live?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dark-will-the-april-8-solar-eclipse-be-where-i-live/998782)
**Author:** [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Replies:** 56\ **Last updated:** [April 5, 2024, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dark-will-the-april-8-solar-eclipse-be-where-i-live/998782 "2024-04-05T03:42:06Z")
I live just south of Detroit and it says we will be having 99.51% coverage at max cover. I am apparently 30 minutes away from totality, but I am hearing MASSIVE traffic and crowds are heading south to see it. Uh, If we … --- ## [Identity Theft - Is it still what it used to be?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identity-theft-is-it-still-what-it-used-to-be/721690)
**Author:** [@JoshuaSD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoshuaSD)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [April 4, 2024, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identity-theft-is-it-still-what-it-used-to-be/721690 "2024-04-04T23:32:00Z")
We have all heard the horror stories about identity theft. Someone assuming all your personal information and racking up unpaid bills. Ruining your credit. Maybe even getting an arrest record all under your name and soci… --- ## [Where does "neener neener neener" come from?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-neener-neener-neener-come-from/43092)
**Author:** [@Turpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turpentine)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [April 4, 2024, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-neener-neener-neener-come-from/43092 "2024-04-04T20:48:18Z")
You all know the song. “neener neener neener” This melody usually has improvised lyrics, aimed at the subject of some ridicule. But where does this tune come from? It goes up and down from high to low notes, and I thi… --- ## [NATO code names](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nato-code-names/999772)
**Author:** [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [April 4, 2024, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nato-code-names/999772 "2024-04-04T18:51:55Z")
Inspired by a link in another thread. Why does NATO assign code names? Why not call a MIG-21 a MIG-21? Why publicise these code words? And the first named in that exerpt is “Dolgorukiy,” which is not at all a simplif… --- ## [How long does the flu last in a room?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-the-flu-last-in-a-room/999734)
**Author:** [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [April 4, 2024, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-the-flu-last-in-a-room/999734 "2024-04-04T17:50:15Z")
I have the flu, or something. It’s not COVID, but I have a fever, some congestion, coughing. Feels like the flu to me. My wife is away. When she was around, I was quarantining myself in the office and guest room, and… --- ## [The "inspect" option on a web page--Why?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-inspect-option-on-a-web-page-why/999642)
**Author:** [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Replies:** 49\ **Last updated:** [April 4, 2024, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-inspect-option-on-a-web-page-why/999642 "2024-04-04T16:29:31Z")
On any web page in my browser (chrome), if I right-click anywhere on the screen, I get a menu with options like: cut paste undo redo etc,—And on the bottom line of the menu : “inspect”. Clicking on “inspect” opens a s… --- ## [Elevators in high buildings](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elevators-in-high-buildings/999605)
**Author:** [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [April 4, 2024, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elevators-in-high-buildings/999605 "2024-04-04T14:56:09Z")
In the world’s tallest buildings - assuming something like a public viewing area at the top - is it normal to have at least one elevator that takes you to the top without a change? I seem to remember a 1960s visit to the… --- ## [What tree is this?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tree-is-this/999767)
**Author:** [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [April 3, 2024, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-tree-is-this/999767 "2024-04-03T18:04:49Z")
I live in Sacramento, California. In my area, there’s a tree that, while pretty, I dislike because I’m pretty sure it’s what sets off my seasonal allergies. I cannot identify it, but am hoping someone can. The linked pho… --- ## [Largest US City Without a Commercial Airport?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-us-city-without-a-commercial-airport/396358)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 60\ **Last updated:** [April 3, 2024, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-us-city-without-a-commercial-airport/396358 "2024-04-03T14:43:13Z")
Excluding cities that are suburbs of other cities, what is the largest U.S. city without an airport (or with an airport that doesn’t offer commercial flights)? You all may be interested to know that Springfield, Illinoi… --- ## [How could the Pathfinder station on Amara determine information about the core of the planet? \[On Mars\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-the-pathfinder-station-on-amara-determine-information-about-the-core-of-the-planet-on-mars/999766)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [April 3, 2024, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-the-pathfinder-station-on-amara-determine-information-about-the-core-of-the-planet-on-mars/999766 "2024-04-03T05:15:07Z")
From the Wikipedia article on Pathfinder: Using Doppler tracking and two-way ranging, scientists added earlier measurements from the Viking landers to determine that the non-hydrostatic component of the polar moment of… --- ## [Accuracy, precision, something else?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accuracy-precision-something-else/999641)
**Author:** [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [April 3, 2024, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/accuracy-precision-something-else/999641 "2024-04-03T02:23:12Z")
I have a fever. When I take my temperature, it varies by a degree or two from reading to reading. However, it gives me the results to the nearest tenth of a degree. Does that mean it’s precise but not accurate? Looki… --- ## [Was William Henry Johnson of the 369th infantry regiment buried with a headstone bearing the name William Henry Johnson or Henry Johnson?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-william-henry-johnson-of-the-369th-infantry-regiment-buried-with-a-headstone-bearing-the-name-william-henry-johnson-or-henry-johnson/999739)
**Author:** [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [April 2, 2024, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-william-henry-johnson-of-the-369th-infantry-regiment-buried-with-a-headstone-bearing-the-name-william-henry-johnson-or-henry-johnson/999739 "2024-04-02T16:28:27Z")
Was William Henry Johnson of the 369th infantry regiment buried in 1929 at Arlington National Cemetery with a headstone bearing the name ‘William Henry Johnson’ or ‘Henry Johnson’? --- ## [Legality of spam from otherwise-legitimate businesses](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legality-of-spam-from-otherwise-legitimate-businesses/999677)
**Author:** [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [April 2, 2024, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legality-of-spam-from-otherwise-legitimate-businesses/999677 "2024-04-02T14:34:52Z")
I frequently get a particular kind of spam on my business account, originating from service providers trying to sell me their services. Specifically, they appear to actually sign me up for an account on their system (I … --- ## [How was sound (note) frequency first measured?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-was-sound-note-frequency-first-measured/999578)
**Author:** [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [April 2, 2024, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-was-sound-note-frequency-first-measured/999578 "2024-04-02T00:40:47Z")
Its not intuitive to me how we first determined a note was 440Hz in the first place. Also, when was this first done…AND…is there any ‘non-subjective’ reason why we have decided that particular frequencies are ‘better’ t… --- ## [Alabama Rot (disease in dogs of unknown cause)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-rot-disease-in-dogs-of-unknown-cause/999710)
**Author:** [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [April 1, 2024, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alabama-rot-disease-in-dogs-of-unknown-cause/999710 "2024-04-01T22:49:00Z")
There have been some news articles recently about reported cases of Alabama Rot in my locality lately; it’s a rare, but typically fatal disease, first reported in the 1980s, affecting dogs that manifests as sores - often… --- ## [Would killing someone on the moon/ in space be a crime?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-killing-someone-on-the-moon-in-space-be-a-crime/999657)
**Author:** [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [April 1, 2024, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-killing-someone-on-the-moon-in-space-be-a-crime/999657 "2024-04-01T20:53:43Z")
Say an astronaut gets space fever and murders a crew mate. Is it still murder? Also, in a Cafe Society thread someone mentioned that Would that be an act of war? --- ## [Side question re planetary rotation: how did astronomers figure out that Uranus is so oddly tilted?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/side-question-re-planetary-rotation-how-did-astronomers-figure-out-that-uranus-is-so-oddly-tilted/999625)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [April 1, 2024, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/side-question-re-planetary-rotation-how-did-astronomers-figure-out-that-uranus-is-so-oddly-tilted/999625 "2024-04-01T20:11:27Z")
Question arising from the clockwise sphere thread. How did astronomers detect Uranus’s tilted rotation? Isn’t it pretty featureless from the top of the cloud cover? Does it have an equivalent of Jupiter’s Great Red Sp… --- ## [Does anyone know of a college that has (or had) an Arians or Erians Hall?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-of-a-college-that-has-or-had-an-arians-or-erians-hall/999629)
**Author:** [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [April 1, 2024, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-know-of-a-college-that-has-or-had-an-arians-or-erians-hall/999629 "2024-04-01T16:43:12Z")
I’m just curious. I got a bunch of books that clearly belonged to a college student from the 1960s, and Google is only leading me to people named, for instance, Arian Hall or Erian Hall. Someone out there has to know w… --- ## [When Did English Conflate Kids (Baby Goats) and Kids (Human Children)? And Which Came First?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-english-conflate-kids-baby-goats-and-kids-human-children-and-which-came-first/999643)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [April 1, 2024, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-english-conflate-kids-baby-goats-and-kids-human-children-and-which-came-first/999643 "2024-04-01T15:57:19Z")
I’m going to guess, based on no evidence or research whatsoever, that English-speakers were calling youthful goats “kids” centuries before we applied the same term (colloquially) to the young of H sapiens. I’m also going… --- ## [Source of this quote?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/source-of-this-quote/932488)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [April 1, 2024, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/source-of-this-quote/932488 "2024-04-01T07:50:33Z")
This quote is attributed to “Anonymous”-Can anyone find out who actually said it? “Poverty exists not because we cannot feed the poor, but because we cannot satisfy the rich.” --- ## [How could I make a gag exploding birthday cake?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-i-make-a-gag-exploding-birthday-cake/557515)
**Author:** [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Replies:** 80\ **Last updated:** [April 1, 2024, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-could-i-make-a-gag-exploding-birthday-cake/557515 "2024-04-01T03:53:06Z")
My 12-year-old niece is having a birthday in a few months and I’d like to pull a gag that has it explode in her face (gently explode–I don’t want any eyeballs bouncing on the floor) when she blows out the candles. The p… --- ## [NY Subway Question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-subway-question/999528)
**Author:** [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [April 1, 2024, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-subway-question/999528 "2024-04-01T01:27:42Z")
I’ve never ridden the NY subway but may be doing so this weekend. I’m looking at a schedule for the G Train and on the map I see (at least I think I do) many stops. When I go to the downloadable schedules there are only … --- ## [What happens if an older car is in an accident, insurance-wise?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-an-older-car-is-in-an-accident-insurance-wise/999614)
**Author:** [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [March 31, 2024, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-an-older-car-is-in-an-accident-insurance-wise/999614 "2024-03-31T23:32:02Z")
Long story short, my mom’s car was hit, with witnesses, and it was 100% the other driver’s fault (Mom was parked, with her keys in her pocket - the other driver was just starting a road test, which, thankfully, she faile… --- ## [Car clocks automatically updating to Daylight Saving Time](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-clocks-automatically-updating-to-daylight-saving-time/998769)
**Author:** [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [March 31, 2024, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-clocks-automatically-updating-to-daylight-saving-time/998769 "2024-03-31T17:30:56Z")
I’ve had my 2014 Impala for several years, and the same thing happens every spring and every fall: the car’s clock doesn’t know the time changed, and then after a variable amount of time (days to weeks), it belatedly fig… --- ## [Which is closer to the Earth’s center…](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-closer-to-the-earth-s-center/999609)
**Author:** [@whc.03grady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whc.03grady)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [March 31, 2024, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-closer-to-the-earth-s-center/999609 "2024-03-31T08:26:53Z")
…the Kola Borehole or the Challenger Deep? (Question on behalf of Iris, age 10. I can’t figure it out.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=94) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=96)