# 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:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**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, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-surprising-trivia/621341/41 "2012-05-09T18:46:08Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Forgot to mention one obvious alternative they have: substitute materials. True. If you can’t get Martin Van Buren nominated, you just nominate James Polk instead. Or were you talking about the pianos? ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-surprising-trivia/621341/42 "2012-05-09T18:57:44Z")
In David Bowie’s “Life on Mars?” song, he sings “Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow, and Lennon’s on sale again.” In Bush’s “Everything Zen”, they sing “Minnie Mouse has grown up a cow, Dave’s on sale again.” ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-surprising-trivia/621341/43 "2012-05-09T19:39:46Z")
A gallon of gasoline contains more hydrogen than a gallon of liquid hydrogen. The U.S. state closest to Africa is Maine. The fax machine was invented before the telephone. ---
**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, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-surprising-trivia/621341/44 "2012-05-09T20:07:43Z")
The most abundant element in the earth’s crust is oxygen. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-surprising-trivia/621341/45 "2012-05-09T21:20:46Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > 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… I have a professional relationship with the supplier of 70% of the worlds Sitka Spruce tonewood. Within the next few years they will be out of wood. The last log buyer I talked with was working hard to get a 5 year supply and purchasing lower grade logs in the hope that they will be able to cut out a few decent slabs for tops and sell the lower grade portions to the piano industry. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-surprising-trivia/621341/46 "2012-05-10T11:58:09Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Oops. My mistake but I still think that that’s what **Ludovic** was going for there. Yes, but still 80% of that passage was word for word the lyrics, and I agree it is not really surprising trivia. I think I was looking for the random thoughts thread and lost my way 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-surprising-trivia/621341/47 "2012-05-10T12:00:21Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > The most abundant element in the earth’s crust is oxygen. And the third is aluminum, but it’s so hard to extract that it was once more valuable than gold in its pure form. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-surprising-trivia/621341/48 "2012-05-10T12:53:34Z")
And they originally wanted to put aluminum siding on the Washington Monument because it was so valuable. I just found out that the father of Ulysses S. Grant spent several years living in the same house as abolitionist John Brown. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-surprising-trivia/621341/49 "2012-05-10T13:10:35Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > **Did you know that:** Abraham Lincoln Filed a Patent for Facebook in 1845? > > Or rather, for [a community newsletter](http://natestpierre.me/2012/05/08/abraham-lincoln-patent-facebook/) to inform everyone of local family status updates. [Gotcha.](http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/09/tech/web/abraham-lincoln-facebook/index.html?hpt=hp_c3) ---
**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 10, 2012, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-surprising-trivia/621341/50 "2012-05-10T13:15:43Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > And they originally wanted to put aluminum siding on the Washington Monument because it was so valuable. The pyramid on the top of the Washington Monument is made out of aluminum for that reason. ---
**Author:** ![Gedd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gedd/32/4938_2.png) [@Gedd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gedd)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-surprising-trivia/621341/51 "2012-05-10T13:32:33Z")
“Baa Baa Black Sheep,” “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and “The Alphabet Song” are all derived from the 1761 French melody _Ah! Vous dirai-je, Maman._ Of course this group probably already knew that. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-know-that-surprising-trivia/621341.md?page=2)