# Did you know that? (Surprising trivia) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 9, 2012, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-surprising-trivia/621341 "2012-05-09T00:36:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-surprising-trivia/621341/21 "2012-05-09T12:38:29Z")
Did you know that, according to Wikipedia, in the [1844 democratic convention](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1844_Democratic_National_Convention): > [@](#): > > At first, the Democrats were split; the three nominees for the Presidential candidate were: > > Martin van Buren, a former president and leader of the dominant Jacksonian faction > James Buchanan, a moderate > Lewis Cass, a general and expansionist Someone **MUST** have done this on purpose. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-surprising-trivia/621341/22 "2012-05-09T12:54:06Z")
Rev. Al Sharpton’s father (Al Sr.) left Al Jr.‘s mom for Al Jr.s’ half-sister, Al Jr.'s mom’s daughter from a previous marriage. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-surprising-trivia/621341/23 "2012-05-09T13:37:06Z")
You’d be amazed at how much [open reel mag tape](http://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/memory-storage/8/257) is still in use for shipping bulk data, especially to government agencies like the IRS. The IRS stopped accepting 9-track tapes in 2003, but there are still other formats that endure. Aside from that, we have vast near-line tape “silos” where robots retrieve tapes when people need data, and off-line storage vaults crammed with all sorts of tapes - some on reels, but mostly cartridges now. [QUOTE=TreacherousCretin] The piano industry has been settling for subpar spruce for at least twenty years now. [/QUOTE] What are their options? Stop making pianos? Are they settling for poor quality or tolerating it as their only means of survival? ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-surprising-trivia/621341/24 "2012-05-09T14:06:57Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > Rev. Al Sharpton’s father (Al Sr.) left Al Jr.‘s mom for Al Jr.s’ half-sister, Al Jr.'s mom’s daughter from a previous marriage. I’ve probably posted about this before, but I just find it so utterly astounding: The singer, Julio Iglesias, was 61 years old when his father, (also named Julio Iglesias, a doctor) had the first of two more children. Yes, Julio Iglesias’ dad had a baby boy when he was 89 years old. His wife was 40. They conceived a second child when Dr. Iglesias was 90 (NINETY!!) but she was born 7 months after Dr. Iglesias died. So, to sum up: Julio Iglesias is 68 years old and has a half-brother and sister that are 8 and 7 years old, respectively. His son, 37-year old Enrique Iglesias, has an uncle and an aunt that are 30 years younger than himself. That’s got to make for some interesting family reunions. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-surprising-trivia/621341/25 "2012-05-09T14:19:14Z")
I just found this out this week: In 1965, what is believed to be the first singles bar opened on the Upper East Side in Manhattan. [It was also the first TGI Friday’s](http://www.ediblegeography.com/a-cocktail-party-in-the-street-an-interview-with-alan-stillman/). ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-surprising-trivia/621341/26 "2012-05-09T14:22:11Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I didn’t look at the comments, but I was skeptical as I read it, waiting for a reveal. I haven’t investigated deeper, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was fake or an exaggeration. Yeah, it’s a joke. Note all the references to P.T. Barnum, especially: > [@](#): > > Barnum was mentioned as the owner of the circus, “a man of remarkable Wit and Personality,” whom Lincoln compared to “a Fisherman who can reel Folk in as though he had them on a Line.” He’s just having fun telling a story. And someone in the comments posted a link to the original image for the [“Springfield [Mass.] Gazette”](http://www.antiqbook.com/boox/poor/23800.shtml), which he doctored. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-surprising-trivia/621341/27 "2012-05-09T14:39:32Z")
I just learned that humans are unable to synthesize ascorbic acid due to a defective protein. The root cause of scurvy is a genetically defective protein that affects the entire human race and some great ape species. Other mammals can make their own vitamin C and don’t get sick if they fail to get it from outside sources ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-surprising-trivia/621341/28 "2012-05-09T14:41:56Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > I just learned that humans are unable to synthesize ascorbic acid due to a defective protein. > > The root cause of scurvy is a genetically defective protein that affects the entire human race and some great ape species. Other mammals can make their own vitamin C and don’t get sick if they fail to get it from outside sources …and the only other mammal that can’t make their own Vitamin C is the guinea pig! ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-surprising-trivia/621341/29 "2012-05-09T15:42:09Z")
> [@sitchensis](#): > > We will run dangerously low on Sitka Spruce for instrument parts (ie: guitar tops, piano parts) in the next 5 years. So if you’re in the market for mid to high end instruments… What is your data for this? I am NOT saying you’re wrong - it is more that I am saying it is complicated and would appreciate to know more context on your comment. There is a lot of noise going on right now where Gibson got raided and other folks are up in arms about tonewoods like Rosewood from Madagascar being harvested and acquired for instruments. As for spruce, I have heard that there are some issues with old-growth spruce, but that some forestry management in some regions has helped with this - and also that other cedars and redwoods have the potential to augment supplies for topwood - same with considering non-endangered woods like cherry, ovangkol and sycamore for body and side woods… ---
**Author:** ![medicated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@medicated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medicated)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-surprising-trivia/621341/30 "2012-05-09T16:20:20Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Did you know that, according to Wikipedia, in the [1844 democratic convention](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1844_Democratic_National_Convention): > > Someone **MUST** have done this on purpose. What am I missing here? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-surprising-trivia/621341/31 "2012-05-09T16:25:41Z")
In 1950, an elephant fell out of a monorail in Germany. [http://io9.com/5903042/in-1950-an-elephant-fell-out-of-a-monorail-in-germany](http://io9.com/5903042/in-1950-an-elephant-fell-out-of-a-monorail-in-germany) > [@](#): > > In 1950, a three-year-old elephant named Tuffi was forced to ride a public monorail in Wuppertal, Germany. The animal was loaded aboard as a promotion for the Althoff Circus. This ride was supposed to be a lighthearted affair, but the world quickly learned that pachyderms and monorails simply do not mix. > > Even though Tuffi was accustomed to train rides, the swaying tram upset the elephant such that she trumpeted, charged, and sent passengers scrambling for cover. 40 feet above the Wupper River, Tuffi decided that she had enough. The animal burst through a window and plummeted into the water below. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-surprising-trivia/621341/32 "2012-05-09T16:26:41Z")
> [@medicated](#): > > What am I missing here? I didn’t get it either. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-surprising-trivia/621341/33 "2012-05-09T16:31:02Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I didn’t get it either. It’s a song lyric, believe it or not. It’s factually correct but someone used the exact song lyric in the Wiki text. I’m not sure why it’s “surprising trivia” though. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-surprising-trivia/621341/34 "2012-05-09T16:42:57Z")
Later-to-be General George S. Patton represented the US in Modern Pentathlon in the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. He placed 6th in the showjumping, and 20th of 36 overall. He also invented the drive-by shooting in (IIRC) 1916. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-surprising-trivia/621341/35 "2012-05-09T16:44:56Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > It’s a song lyric, believe it or not. It’s factually correct but someone used the exact song lyric in the Wiki text. I’m not sure why it’s “surprising trivia” though. Actually if that’s the wiki quote, it isn’t the exact song lyric, which is: Martin van Buren, a former president **and an abolitionist** ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-surprising-trivia/621341/36 "2012-05-09T16:50:05Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > Actually if that’s the wiki quote, it isn’t the exact song lyric, which is: > Martin van Buren, a former president **and an abolitionist** Oops. My mistake but I still think that that’s what **Ludovic** was going for there. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-surprising-trivia/621341/37 "2012-05-09T16:51:30Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > I can certainly see how this is still the best way of storing archives. Will this be true for much longer? With the dropping prices in flash memory, in a few years, I can see that taking over. Magnetic tape still has the problem of being magnetic. It degrades over time, even if you take steps to reduce it. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-surprising-trivia/621341/38 "2012-05-09T17:45:09Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > What are their options? Stop making pianos? > Are they settling for poor quality or tolerating it as their only means of survival? Yes. Settling for lower quality than they would have in years gone by. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-surprising-trivia/621341/39 "2012-05-09T17:55:38Z")
Forgot to mention one obvious alternative they have: substitute materials. ---
**Author:** ![Whammo72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/77aa72/32.png) [@Whammo72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whammo72)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-surprising-trivia/621341/40 "2012-05-09T18:40:00Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > So I am in my work lab, popping in a new tape to write some data, and I think to myself, “I wonder how many people realize that we still use magnetic tape on reels as a way to store data?” Interesting you bring this up. I’m working 12 hours overtime today on my day off to change tapes when the computer tells me to for the company I work for. Evidently the robot that does this is broken. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-surprising-trivia/621341.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-surprising-trivia/621341.md?page=3)