# Basic facts you learned late in life that you didn't really know. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 19, 2010, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711 "2010-02-19T23:37:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Cyberhwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/161 "2010-02-27T12:20:18Z")
I knew about the Soviet Union, I just never realized they lacked an ‘L’ until I was about 24. Swore it was “Solviet.” ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/162 "2010-02-27T20:44:42Z")
> [@Cyberhwk](#): > > I knew about the Soviet Union, I just never realized they lacked an ‘L’ until I was about 24. Swore it was “Solviet.” That’s only how Yakov Smirnoff pronounced it 🆒. Another one for me. Until my wife told me a couple of months ago, I always thought that Scotland Yard was in fact, in Scotland. I mean, that’s why they called it that, right? No? Dang. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/163 "2010-02-27T22:32:29Z")
So, I just learned that platypuses are venomous. Yep. _Venomous._ ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/164 "2010-02-28T15:58:39Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > So, I just learned that platypuses are venomous. Yep. _Venomous._ Is that a basic fact? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Dan\_Norder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4af34b/32.png) [@Dan\_Norder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dan_Norder)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/165 "2010-02-28T17:01:54Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > How many folks you know still type in ‘www’ when entering a web address? People are probably better off doing it that way unless the site is specifically at some domain other than www (such as [boards.straightdope.com](http://boards.straightdope.com)). Some sites for some insane reason do not redirect the non-www version to the www version, so either they will show nothing (pretty incompetent there) and show the www version but not update the path. The latter can be a problem because some scripts and cookies and so forth assume you are at the www version and don’t work consistently if you aren’t. ---
**Author:** ![Doody\_Pants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@Doody\_Pants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doody_Pants)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/166 "2010-02-28T17:16:36Z")
Getting back to Subway… when I lived in NYC I never once went inside a Subway, so if the wallpaper shows the NYC subway system that’s news to me 🙂 If I wanted a cold cut sandwich I went to a deli, and if I wanted a hot sandwich I went to a pizzaria. Growing up, we called all long sandwiches heroes. As an adult, I learned that depending on where you are in the country determines what you call a sandwich. Grinders, hoagies, subs… they’re all heroes to me. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/167 "2010-02-28T20:21:20Z")
> [@Meyer6](#): > > I did not realize until a couple years ago that George Washington and George Washington Carver were two different people. In my defense, I grew up in Canada, so I never took American history, and I did know that George Washington was the first president. So when I heard about all these peanut experiments and whatnot that he also did, I thought, wow, that was one seriously busy dude. > And I had even seen Clone High - I just thought George Washington was black as some kind of complicated joke. This reminds me of a boss of mine. I told the old joke about the Gutenberg Bible with Martin Luther’s name all over it. He said “You mean, Martin Luther _King_?” Sigh. Best wishes, hh ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/168 "2010-02-28T20:57:52Z")
Oh my… Granted, I’m on the east coast so things California are a bit off my radar, but two minutes ago I learned something that kind of floored me. > [@Tsunami Coverage](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tsunami-coverage/530693/11): > > Of course, if they read your sentence, those people might also think that Baja is in the US state of California. > > It’s not Baja, CA. > > It’s Baja California (no comma). :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/169 "2010-02-28T21:01:15Z")
> [@Illuminatiprimus](#): > > Is that a basic fact? 😕 As much as “pineapples don’t grow on trees,” I’d say, yes. Very few mammals are venomous - lorises, shrews, platypususususes… ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/170 "2010-02-28T21:10:12Z")
> [@groo](#): > > For about 44 years, I tied my shoes in a sub-optimal way, using what I now know was a granny knot. [Then I read this](http://lifehacker.com/5451765/ditch-the-granny-knot-to-tie-your-shoes-more-efficiently) and, for the past three weeks, have been living the high life, with shoes that stay tightly tied all day long, even my running shoes, which I no longer need to double-knot. Looking back, I can’t believe I let myself live that way. You have vindicated me. I’ve been told my whole life that I tie my shoes ‘wrong.’ because I’m left handed, when, in fact, I’ve been right all along! Thank You sooo much! 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/171 "2010-02-28T21:13:54Z")
> [@Illuminatiprimus](#): > > Is that a basic fact? 😕 [yes](http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/platypus.html). > [@](#): > > Males are also venomous. They have sharp stingers on the heels of their rear feet and can use them to deliver a strong toxic blow to any foe. ---
**Author:** ![runcible\_spoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc29f/32.png) [@runcible\_spoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/runcible_spoon)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/172 "2010-03-01T00:10:41Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Oh my… > > Granted, I’m on the east coast so things California are a bit off my radar, but two minutes ago I learned something that kind of floored me. > :eek: I just learned that there isn’t a town in California named Baja. I knew that Baja California and Baja California Sur were Mexican states, but for some reason, when I learned that, it never occurred to me that that probably also meant there wasn’t a Baja, CA. And I live in San Francisco… ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/173 "2010-03-01T12:46:21Z")
Sorry - to be clear I wasn’t disputing that fact about platypuses (platypi?) I was just questioning whether it’s something you’d expect people to know generally, which is what I thought we were talking about. That seems like a fairly obscure fact to me. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/174 "2010-03-01T12:51:56Z")
It’s not obscure in Australia 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/175 "2010-03-01T12:54:36Z")
> [@Illuminatiprimus](#): > > Sorry - to be clear I wasn’t disputing that fact about platypuses (platypi?) I was just questioning whether it’s something you’d expect people to know generally, which is what I thought we were talking about. That seems like a fairly obscure fact to me. As the OP, let me clarify that I was talking about items of common knowledge that you believed you knew, but that knowledge was flawed. An item like not knowing platypuses are venomous is disqualified on both counts, because it’s not really common knowledge, and not knowing isn’t the same as having wrong knowledge. Anyhoo, no big deal, just wanted to clarify that. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/176 "2010-03-01T14:23:42Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > Actually, the placenta does more than that: It contains blood vessels belonging to both the mother and the fetus. The vessels pass very close to each other, so that the circulation of the mother and fetus never actually connect, but oxygen and nutrients can pass from the mother to the fetus, and wastes can pass the other way. No it doesn’t. The placenta is completely formed by the fetus, consisting of blood vessels and membranes called allantois, chorion, and amnion (and yolk sac). The placenta DOES NOT contain maternal blood vessels. Depending on the type of placenta (and there are various), it has different ways of communicating and attaching to the uterus. These attachments are where the close contacts between the maternal and fetal circulations occur. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/177 "2010-03-01T15:11:23Z")
> [@KarlGrenze](#): > > No it doesn’t. The placenta is completely formed by the fetus, consisting of blood vessels and membranes called allantois, chorion, and amnion (and yolk sac). > > The placenta DOES NOT contain maternal blood vessels. Depending on the type of placenta (and there are various), it has different ways of communicating and attaching to the uterus. These attachments are where the close contacts between the maternal and fetal circulations occur. Fight on, please, KG. So how does it work in Humans? ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/178 "2010-03-01T15:11:41Z")
> [@Glory](#): > > But sheep and goats don’t look ANYTHING alike. 😕 True. But since I was one of the nitwits who used to think goats were boy sheep, I will try to defend myself. [This is a ram.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Muffelwild12.4.2008_007.jpg) [This is a goat.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Feral_goat_in_Aruba.JPG) Not _that_ different, right? ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/179 "2010-03-01T16:02:03Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Fight on, please, KG. So how does it work in Humans? Humans (and primates and rodents) have a discoid hemochorial type of placentation. Means only one part (discoid shape) of the uterus is attached to the placenta. This discoid placentation is more invasive than other types, and the maternal circulation is in direct contact with the chorionic epithelium. So imagine there is one inner bag and that is inside another larger bag. The inner bag is the amnion, the outer bag is the chorion-allantois. The inner membrane of the amnion, facing the fetus, is the amnion layer. The outer side of the amnion is part of the allantoic membrane. This allantois also form the inner facing membrane of the chorion-allantois. The side of the placenta facing the uterus is the chorion. Types of placentation: Diffuse- Found in horses and pigs. This type of placentation usually has epitheliochorial attachment. It means the epithelial layer of the uterus is not completely eroded and THAT is the part that interacts with the chorionic membrane. The points of attachments involve most, if not all, the placenta, hence the diffuse name. Fetal blood- fetal endothelium-fetal epithelium-maternal epithelium-maternal endothelium- maternal blood. Cotyledonary- Ruminants, usually. With this type, the points of attachment are restricted to specific uterine surfaces, called the caruncles. The cotyledons present in the placenta attach to the caruncles and form placentomes. In these areas, the epithelial layer (surface layer) of the uterus is progressively degraded/invaded, and the fetal chorionic membrane is in contact with the maternal endothelium sometimes. Thus, it is either epitheliochorial or syndesmochorial. Zonary and discoid are the most invasive types. Zonary is found in carnivores (like dogs and cats), and discoid is the one I described above. The attachment in zonary placenta is endotheliochorial. Fetal blood- fetal endothelium-fetal epithelium- maternal endothelium-maternal blood. This is the type that can also be found in ruminants. Hemochorial attachments go fetal blood-fetal endothelium-fetal epithelium-maternal blood. There are slight variations with each type of placentation and unique features to different species, but the above is just a general schematic. In general, the less invasive the placenta is, the larger the attachments it has to the uterus. The more invasive, the less of the placenta attached to the uterus. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711/180 "2010-03-02T00:56:26Z")
> [@Cosmic Relief](#): > > As the OP, let me clarify that I was talking about items of common knowledge that you believed you knew, but that knowledge was flawed. An item like not knowing platypuses are venomous is disqualified on both counts, because it’s not really common knowledge, and not knowing isn’t the same as having wrong knowledge. > > Anyhoo, no big deal, just wanted to clarify that. Oh. Sorry I let ya’ll down. ☹ Guess I already know all the basic stuff. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/basic-facts-you-learned-late-in-life-that-you-didnt-really-know/529711.md?page=10)