# Favorite False Trivia **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 7, 2010, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-false-trivia/542297 "2010-06-07T16:57:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2010, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-false-trivia/542297/21 "2010-06-08T00:23:19Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](#): > > I’ve insured… seven different cars and at no point has anyone ever asked what color the car is, so how could the insurer know to increase the premium? Whenever someone tells me red cars pay higher insurance premiums I have to wonder if they’ve ever insured a car. At the risk of injecting logic and facts into this thread insurance premiums should only go up if red cars disproportionately get into more accidents. Who’s insurance pays for speeding tickets? ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2010, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-false-trivia/542297/22 "2010-06-08T00:41:09Z")
Eddie Haskell ended up in pr0n. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2010, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-false-trivia/542297/23 "2010-06-08T00:45:39Z")
“A” or “an” before a noun is based on whether the first letter of the word is a consonant or vowel. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2010, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-false-trivia/542297/24 "2010-06-08T00:54:26Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > At the risk of injecting logic and facts into this thread insurance premiums should only go up if red cars disproportionately get into more accidents. Who’s insurance pays for speeding tickets? You can imagine that there might be a causal relationship between accidents and people driving at excessive speed. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2010, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-false-trivia/542297/25 "2010-06-08T01:33:03Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > Eddie Haskell ended up in pr0n. He didn’t but the real story is even more interesting. [Ken Osmond became an Los Angeles Police Officer in real life](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Osmond). His career wasn’t very notable except when he busted down a door at reports of screams just in time to save Susan Olsen (Cindy Brady) who was a porn star and had just gotten tricked into taking part in a real-life snuff film. Bill Clinton hosted him at the White House many years for his heroic action. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2010, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-false-trivia/542297/26 "2010-06-08T04:58:43Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > He didn’t but the real story is even more interesting. [Ken Osmond became an Los Angeles Police Officer in real life](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Osmond). His career wasn’t very notable except when he busted down a door at reports of screams just in time to save Susan Olsen (Cindy Brady) who was a porn star and had just gotten tricked into taking part in a real-life snuff film. Bill Clinton hosted him at the White House many years for his heroic action. [Wish that were so but it’s doubtful.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Olsen) ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2010, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-false-trivia/542297/27 "2010-06-08T06:09:45Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > “A” or “an” before a noun is based on whether the first letter of the word is a consonant or vowel. I don’t think this should count as false as generally it’s true. There are a couple of exceptions, but the rule is pretty consistent for the most part. ---
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2010, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-false-trivia/542297/28 "2010-06-08T06:37:57Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > C.W. McCall, the singer of the 1970s novelty hit “Convoy”, was actually Chip Davis, founder of the group Mannheim Steamroller. (Note: there is some basis for this one; Davis apparently wrote “Convoy”, and other music for “McCall”, which was a pseudonym for an advertising writer named William Fries.) Chip Davis conducted the musical group at my sister’s wedding last weekend in Omaha. It was truly amazing. He did a really nice job and we were sad there wasn’t more of it and less pontificating by the priest who told us that life is hard and sucks a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Ostrya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/35a633/32.png) [@Ostrya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ostrya)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2010, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-false-trivia/542297/29 "2010-06-08T06:42:17Z")
The stunt double for Aunt Bee on the Andy Griffith’s Show was actually my Aunt Gladys. So, the episode where Aunt Bee scaled the chain link fence, that was my Aunt Gladys. Or the time Aunt Bee was fixing the shingles and fell off the roof… ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2010, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-false-trivia/542297/30 "2010-06-08T06:44:08Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > I don’t think this should count as false as generally it’s true. There are a couple of exceptions, but the rule is pretty consistent for the most part. Nope, the actual rule is that “a/an” is decided by the initial sound, not the initial letter, and there are no exceptions. But, maybe 9 out of 10 English grammar books I have seen will state the wrong rule. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2010, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-false-trivia/542297/31 "2010-06-08T07:08:45Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > Nope, the actual rule is that “a/an” is decided by the initial sound, not the initial letter, and there are no exceptions. But, maybe 9 out of 10 English grammar books I have seen will state the wrong rule. Right, but the initial sound more often than not matches the initial letter. So it’s a good guideline to use. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2010, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-false-trivia/542297/32 "2010-06-08T07:38:51Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > Nope, the actual rule is that “a/an” is decided by the initial sound, not the initial letter, and there are no exceptions. Well, now you’ve gone too far. From [Merriam-Webster](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%5B2%5D): > [@](#): > > In speech and writing _a_ is used before a consonant sound \ \. Before a vowel sound _an_ is usual \ \ but especially in speech _a_ is used occasionally, more often in some dialects than in others \ \ \. Before a consonant sound represented by a vowel letter _a_ is usual \ \ but _an_ also occurs though less frequently now than formerly \ \. Before unstressed or weakly stressed syllables with initial _h_ both _a_ and _an_ are used in writing \ \. In the King James Version of the Old Testament and occasionally in writing and speech _an_ is used before _h_ in a stressed syllable \ \ \. But, maybe 9 out of 10 English grammar books I have seen will state the wrong rule. [/QUOTE] That’s hard to believe, considering the majority of online sources seem to have it right. Perhaps there is some confusion of the use of the words _vowel_ and _consonant_ (which most dictionaries define as referring to sounds, but readers may take as meaning letters). ---
**Author:** ![kidneyfailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@kidneyfailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidneyfailure)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2010, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-false-trivia/542297/33 "2010-06-08T08:12:45Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > Eddie Haskell ended up in pr0n. He didn’t, but Flick from _A Christmas Story_ did, although I’m sure that’s fairly well-known by now. Eddie Haskell take three slugs to the chest while working as a cop, though. That’s still a helluva story. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@Captain\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2010, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-false-trivia/542297/34 "2010-06-08T14:58:53Z")
Alcoholism is a disease. Abortion doesn’t kill human beings. People are born homosexual. Guns don’t kill people, people kill people. African Americans all have big penises. Chinese people are short and smart. That dress doesn’t look fat on you. ---
**Author:** ![Nature\_s\_Call](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nature_s_call/32/19006_2.png) [@Nature\_s\_Call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nature_s_Call)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2010, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-false-trivia/542297/35 "2010-06-08T15:00:10Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > The weird thing about that one, is that it has become so widely believed that there have been \*campaigns \*to actuallty get the word included in Merriam Webster. M-W has refused on the grounds that it would be letting the under-educated win out against the intellectuals. In an interview with William Safire, a Merriam Webster representative said, and I quote: > > “Once you allow the masses to dictate the rules of English language and grammar, you buckle to the lowest denominator. We don’t intend to buckle, Mr. Saffire”. > > [Snopes](http://www.snopes.com/lost/mobile.asp) has declared the idea that ‘gullible’ is a legitimate word in the English language to be the “most difficult urban legend to debunk that we have ever come across”. _applause_ ---
**Author:** ![In\_Winnipeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a8b319/32.png) [@In\_Winnipeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Winnipeg)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-false-trivia/542297/36 "2010-06-09T04:33:22Z")
Bob Denver died when a radio fell into the tub where he was taking a bath. (Circa 1973) Bob Denver also died while fighting in Vietnam. (Circa 1971) ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-false-trivia/542297/37 "2010-06-09T05:23:42Z")
My favorite is this > **[Pirates and Sing a Song of Sixpence](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/pirates-sing-song-sixpence/)** > > The nursery rhyme ‘Sing a Song of Sixpence’ originated as a coded message used to recruit crew members for pirate ships. It has been picked up by a college thesis… a board game… and a TV Urban Legends show (all stating it as true) I can tell you it with good authority that it was made up in an hour or two by a guy in the midwest responding to a challenge by David (Snopes) to come up with something similar to the Ring Around the Rosey myth. I’m still glad my boss doesn’t know how I really spent that hour or two. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-false-trivia/542297/38 "2010-06-09T14:40:34Z")
Eating before swimming gives you cramps. Ed Mc Bain was a real life L.E.O. in New York before he became an author. You should drink eight glasses of water everyday. Fresh produce/Organic always has more nutritional value/ tastes better then canned food. The treatment for frostbite is to rub the affected limb with snow. When a person is shot the force of the round throws them backwards. Dogs can smell fear so it makes them aggressive. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-false-trivia/542297/39 "2010-06-09T20:16:58Z")
The glass in old windows is thicker at the bottom because glass is a liquid. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-false-trivia/542297/40 "2010-06-09T20:41:57Z")
The slang for a dollar (“buck,”) can ultimately traced back to the New Testament: Daily Bread --\> “Bread” as slang for “cash,” --\> “Dough” as further modification --\> “Buck” as play on “Doe.” Obviously! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-false-trivia/542297.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-false-trivia/542297.md?page=3)