# Interesting facts within. Are they all true? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 26, 2001, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-facts-within-are-they-all-true/73906 "2001-07-26T23:47:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Linear\_Crack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Linear\_Crack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linear_Crack)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2001, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-facts-within-are-they-all-true/73906/1 "2001-07-26T23:47:17Z")
A friend these _facts_ to me. What do **you** think? 1. A rat can last longer without water than a camel. 2. Your stomach has to produce a new layer of mucus every two weeks or it will digest itself. 3. The dot over the letter “i” is called a tittle. 4. A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top. 5. A female ferret will die if it goes into heat and cannot find a mate. (No comment!) 6. A duck’s quack doesn’t echo. No one knows why. 7. During the chariot scene in “Ben Hur,” a small red car can be seen in the distance. 8. On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents daily! 9. Donald Duck comics were banned from Finland because he doesn’t wear pants. 10. Because metal was scarce, the Oscars given out during World War II were made of wood. 11. The number of possible ways of playing the first four moves per side in a game of chess is 318,979,564,000. 12. There are no words in the dictionary that rhyme with orange, purple and silver. 13. The name Wendy was made up for the book “Peter Pan.” There was never a recorded Wendy before. 14. The very first bomb dropped by the Allies on Berlin in World War II killed the only elephant in the Berlin Zoo. 15. If one places a tiny amount of liquor on a scorpion, it will instantly go mad and sting itself to death. 16. Bruce Lee was so fast that they actually had to s-l-o-w film down so you could see his moves. That’s the opposite of the norm. 17. The first CD pressed in the U.S. was Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA”. 18. The original name for butterfly was flutterby. 19. The first product Motorola started to develop was a record player for automobiles. At that time, the most known player on the market was Victrola, so they called themselves Motorola. 20. Roses may be red, but violets are indeed violet. 21. By raising your legs slowly and laying on your back, you cannot sink into quicksand. 22. Celery has negative calories. It takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with. 23. Charlie Chaplin once won third prize in a Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest. 24. Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying. 25. Sherlock Holmes NEVER said “Elementary, my dear Watson.” 26. An old law in Bellingham, Washington, made it illegal for a woman to take more than 3 steps backwards while dancing. 27. The glue on Israeli postage is certified kosher. 28. The Guinness Book of Records holds the record for being the book most often stolen from Public Libraries. 29. Astronauts are not allowed to eat beans before they go into space because passing wind in a spacesuit damages them. 30. Bats always turn left when exiting a cave!! Bizarre stuff. A duck’s quack has no echo? ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2001, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-facts-within-are-they-all-true/73906/2 "2001-07-27T00:00:56Z")
One of these has been answered by Cecil himself: [Is it true a duck’s quack won’t echo?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_071.html) ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2001, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-facts-within-are-they-all-true/73906/3 "2001-07-27T01:02:02Z")
This is a General Question and the answer is no, most of them are not true, at least not all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Crunchy\_Frog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ebca7d/32.png) [@Crunchy\_Frog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crunchy_Frog)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2001, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-facts-within-are-they-all-true/73906/4 "2001-07-27T01:04:27Z")
First, let me direct you to [http://www.snopes.com](http://www.snopes.com). From now on, when your friends send you dubious things in emails, you can send them the link from snopes that debunks what they’re passing around in return. It’s worked for me. So, what do I think about this stuff? Well, I’m no expert, but my opinions are as follows: **1. A rat can last longer without water than a camel.** Gut instinct says uh-huh, this is BS. IIRC, camels have those humps on their backs just for this sort of thing. Where are rats storing their water supply? I’ve never seen a rat carry around a canteen. **4. A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top.** I don’t know about this, but it sounds wrong to me. ANY raison, regardless of size? What kind of glass? So even disregarding the vairables, I find it hard to believe gravity stops working on raisons when emerged in champagne. As I understand physics, either the raison is heavier than the champagne, in which case it sinks, or it is lighter than the champagne, in which case it floats. **5. A female ferret will die if it goes into heat and cannot find a mate. (No comment!)** I have no idea on the veracity of this, but it’s setting off my shitometer. No other mammal dies from lack of gettin’ it on that I know of, why would the ferret evolve that trait, which doesn’t seem very beneficial to the species. **6. A duck’s quack doesn’t echo. No one knows why.** This has already been addressed. **7. During the chariot scene in “Ben Hur,” a small red car can be seen in the distance.** I don’t suppose that could be a red chariot? Anyways, I’ve never noticed a red car, but then again I’ve never been looking for one. I’m sure someone can set this straight with more authority, however the scene was filmed on a set. How a car got on the set and into the shot without the director thinking, “Hey, maybe that shouldn’t be there” is beyond me. **8. On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents daily!** :rolleyes: And yet no one does anything about it. No news station has ever covered this phenomenon. Thank God for the internet to enlighten us all! :rolleyes: Is this number supposed to be a worldwide figure or just one country? Either way, I’m having a hard time believing this. **9. Donald Duck comics were banned from Finland because he doesn’t wear pants.** Here’s the [Snopes link](http://www.snopes2.com/disney/films/finland.htm) to debunk this one. **10. Because metal was scarce, the Oscars given out during World War II were made of wood.** I don’t know, I’m fresh out of WWII era Acadamy Awrads. I’m sure Eve may be able to give us a yea or nay on this. **13. The name Wendy was made up for the book “Peter Pan.” There was never a recorded Wendy before.** Now I remember reading this somewhere, so I’m leaning towards believing it. In fact, I think I read this somewhere on the SDMB… **22. Celery has negative calories. It takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with.** I have recently been told by my sister, who is a nurse, that this is just not true. **24. Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying.** I’ve never tried this, but I do know if you refrigerate the onions first, that tends to lessen the tear-factor. **25. Sherlock Holmes NEVER said "Elementary, my dear Watson."** Maybe not in the books… Anyway, I didn’t address them all, but the vast mojority of them smell like BS. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2001, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-facts-within-are-they-all-true/73906/5 "2001-07-27T01:11:23Z")
Unspayed female ferrets will indeed die if they can’t [mate](http://www.animalcareassociates.com/Ferrets.htm). > [@](#): > > Once a female ferret goes into heat they will continue to have a bloody discharge until they are bred with a male. If the female does not mate with a male there is a high risk of death for the female. According to [Snopes](http://www.snopes2.com/movies/actors/chaplin2.htm), Chaplin did lose a look-alike contest. Doesn’t say if he ever announced who he was, though. That would’ve been embarrassing for the judges. 🙂 (On preview- c’mon, **Crunchy** , if you’re going to tout Snopes, use it, why doncha? ;)) Other than those two, I don’t know about the others. I’d bet good money that 18 and 27 are true, though. 18 is certainly logical- the insect that would ‘flutter by’ got stuck with the name, then over time the two letters got transposed. As for 27, I seem to remember hearing that this was true, but I can’t remember where. Darned if I know about the others, though. ---
**Author:** ![Crunchy\_Frog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ebca7d/32.png) [@Crunchy\_Frog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crunchy_Frog)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2001, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-facts-within-are-they-all-true/73906/6 "2001-07-27T01:25:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BayleDomon \* > **Unspayed female ferrets will indeed die if they can’t [mate](http://www.animalcareassociates.com/Ferrets.htm).** Hot damn! I learned something! \*\* > [@](#): > > (On preview- c’mon, **Crunchy** , if you’re going to tout Snopes, use it, why doncha? ;))\*\* You know what they say: Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and he can look stuff up on his own when you’re too lazy to search on 30 separate subjects. Or something like that anyway… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bartman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Bartman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bartman)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2001, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-facts-within-are-they-all-true/73906/7 "2001-07-27T01:45:52Z")
OK I’ll take a shot at a few of these. \*4. A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top. \* True. I have actually done this experiment. This is due to the carbonation natural in champagne. Raisins are dried grapes and are almost boyant in water. The bubbles stick to the raisin and float it to the top. Eventually the bubbles pop and the raisin sinks again. This will go on for some time. However eventually the champagne runs out of ‘bubbly’ and the raisin stays on the bottom. In my experiment we used what looked to be regular raisins. Presumably there are raisins out there which are sufficiently large and heavy that the bubbles can’t raise them. \*11. The number of possible ways of playing the first four moves per side in a game of chess is 318,979,564,000. \* True (probably). This seems to be about right. There are 324 possible combos in the first move alone, 18 for white and 18 responses for each move by white. By the second sets of moves the number of possibilities begin increasing exponentionally. A back of the envelope calculation gives me a round number in the same magnatude. \*18. The original name for butterfly was flutterby. \* False. Acording to David Feldman’s book, Who put the Butter in Butterfly. All entymologists believe it is a conjunction of Butter and Fly. They disagree as to why the conjunction was formed but no one mentions flutterby. Some explanations: Samuuel Johnson claims it is because they first apeared in the Spring when the first butter was being churned. Others claim that their poop looked like butter. In addition the most common type in England is the butter colored brimstone butterfly. Finally Mary Morris claims it comes from folklore that fairies stole butter at night in the form of butterflies. \*23. Charlie Chaplin once won third prize in a Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest. \* True? Charlie Chaplin did once lose a look-alike contest. I don’t recall if he placed at all. I had thought he did not. Several others like kosher stamps pass the smell test. Several others like left turning bats do not. And some I vaguely recall such as the Berlin elephant. In all I don’t think the list maker did too much research. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2001, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-facts-within-are-they-all-true/73906/8 "2001-07-27T02:06:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bartman \* > **All entymologists** Entymologists! Perfect! What else would you call experts on the derivation of insect names? ---
**Author:** ![andygirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@andygirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andygirl)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2001, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-facts-within-are-they-all-true/73906/9 "2001-07-27T02:30:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Linear Crack \* > \*\*A friend these _facts_ to me. What do **you** think? > > 1. A female ferret will die if it goes into heat and cannot find a mate. (No comment!) > > 2. The name Wendy was made up for the book “Peter Pan.” There was never a recorded Wendy before. > > 3. The original name for butterfly was flutterby. > > 4. Sherlock Holmes NEVER said “Elementary, my dear Watson.” > \*\* These ones are true. Wendy you can find on snopes. Sherlock Holmes never said it in the books. ---
**Author:** ![MaceMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@MaceMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaceMan)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2001, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-facts-within-are-they-all-true/73906/10 "2001-07-27T03:41:35Z")
It is a common misconception that camels store water within their humps. Their humps actually contain fat, not water. However, I am skeptical of the claim (#1) that rats can survive longer than camels without water, as the desert can be a very arid place, and camels are known to go many days without water. I suppose desert rats could be an exception however. Here is some interesting info on the camel: [http://www.planet-pets.com/plntcaml.htm](http://www.planet-pets.com/plntcaml.htm) -\> Camel information [http://www.seaworld.org/animal\_bytes/dromedary\_camelab.html](http://www.seaworld.org/animal_bytes/dromedary_camelab.html) -\> Animal Bytes: Dromedary Camel [http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/camelus/c.\_bactrianus](http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/camelus/c._bactrianus) --\>Bactrian Camel (two-humped, Asian camel) ---
**Author:** ![Studi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Studi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Studi)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2001, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-facts-within-are-they-all-true/73906/11 "2001-07-27T04:38:25Z")
> [@](#): > > 1. Because metal was scarce, the Oscars given out during World War II were made of wood. According to Trivial Pursuit, plaster was used. Studi ---
**Author:** ![Protesilaus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Protesilaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Protesilaus)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2001, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-facts-within-are-they-all-true/73906/12 "2001-07-27T04:41:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Linear Crack \* > **3. The dot over the letter “i” is called a tittle.** [True.](http://www.dictionary.com/cgi-bin/dict.pl?term=tittle) > [@](#): > > **10. Because metal was scarce, the Oscars given out during World War II were made of wood.** According to the [Academy Awards website](http://www.oscars.org/academyawards/awards.html), war-year Oscars were plaster, not wood. > [@](#): > > The 15 statuettes presented at the initial ceremonies were gold-plated solid bronze. Within a few years the bronze was abandoned in favor of an alloy called Brittanium, which made it easier to give the statuettes their smooth finish. Due to the metals shortage during the World War II years, they were made of plaster. Following the war, all of the awarded plaster figures were redeemed for gold-plated ones. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Zero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@Saint\_Zero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Zero)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2001, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-facts-within-are-they-all-true/73906/13 "2001-07-27T05:41:55Z")
If I recall correctly, #17 is true. The first CD pressed (burned) was Billy Joel’s album of that year, but that was in Japan. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2001, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-facts-within-are-they-all-true/73906/14 "2001-07-27T05:52:05Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Linear Crack \* > \*\* > 4. A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top._\* Maybe it has a unique raisin dart (sorry) ---
**Author:** ![Gaspode](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/aeb1de/32.png) [@Gaspode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gaspode)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2001, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-facts-within-are-they-all-true/73906/15 "2001-07-27T06:04:56Z")
> [@](#): > > A rat can last longer without water than a camel. False. Kangaroo rats, mice and camels don’t need to drink at all provided they have plenty of food and it isn’t too warm. However brown and black rats do need to drink at least a little. [http://bioinquiry.biol.vt.edu/bioinquiry/water/waterpaid/waterhtmls/metab4.html](http://bioinquiry.biol.vt.edu/bioinquiry/water/waterpaid/waterhtmls/metab4.html) So how do you make a rat drink? Two tablespoons of salt, a glass and a half of water, a teaspoon of cinnamon and five minutes on high in the blender. Serve cold. > [@](#): > > Your stomach has to produce a new layer of mucus every two weeks or it will digest itself. That would be conservative and very dependant in diet, stress etc. I’d say every day at the outside. > [@](#): > > The very first bomb dropped by the Allies on Berlin in World War II killed the only elephant in the Berlin Zoo. False. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=76502](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=76502) > [@](#): > > Roses may be red, but violets are indeed violet. False. Some violets are, but there are dozens of sepecies, hybrids and cultivars. Violets can be blue, white or purple, so they’re no more violot than roses are red. The Australian antive violets can be almost completely white with only a tinge of purple, completely sky blue or violet even in its wild form. [http://home.vicnet.net.au/~wcipp/viola.htm](http://home.vicnet.net.au/~wcipp/viola.htm) > [@](#): > > By raising your legs slowly and laying on your back, you cannot sink into quicksand. False. Most quicksand is more mud than sand. Once your feet are stuck (and they’re going to go first) trying to raise your legs will just provide leverage to pull you body under. > [@](#): > > Celery has negative calories. It takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with. True, but also true of almost any raw vegetable. > [@](#): > > The glue on Israeli postage is certified kosher. Well considering a lot of glue is made from animals, I’d be suprised if it wasn’t. > [@](#): > > Bats always turn left when exiting a cave!! False. You’ll have to take my word for it though. I’ve seen bats leaving caves, and when you’ve got thousands of bats leaving a cave how the hell can they all turn left? ---
**Author:** ![Epimetheus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@Epimetheus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Epimetheus)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2001, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-facts-within-are-they-all-true/73906/16 "2001-07-27T07:50:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BayleDomon \* > Unspayed female ferrets will **indeed die** if they can’t [mate](http://www.animalcareassociates.com/Ferrets.htm). > > > [@](#): > > > > Once a female ferret goes into heat they will continue to have a bloody discharge until they are bred with a male. If the female does not mate with a male there is **a high risk** of death for the female. Not to nitpick, but High risk doesn’t mean immenient death. The quote you got from the link only says they have a High risk of dying. interesting though, it would seem that Male ferrets must have been ubiquious for that trait to be bred into them, and in no other of its “relatives” (otters, skunks and weasels…though I could be wrong on this) Im guessing here too, but it would seem that since they are so close to cats, they may share a similar evolutionary branch, and I have never heard anything similar in cats. (though with the ruckus they put up one would think they were dying) Not that I think the link is wrong, just that I think it is odd that they would devolop that trait. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2001, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-facts-within-are-they-all-true/73906/17 "2001-07-28T05:21:56Z")
\*Originally posted by Gaspode \* > [@](#): > > By raising your legs slowly and laying on your back, you cannot sink into quicksand. > > **False. Most quicksand is more mud than sand. Once your feet are stuck (and they’re going to go first) trying to raise your legs will just provide leverage to pull you body under.** [Cecil just says “horizontal position”, but here it is](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_158b.html) ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2001, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-facts-within-are-they-all-true/73906/18 "2001-07-28T05:43:20Z")
> [@](#): > > 1. The original name for butterfly was flutterby. I was mentioned! What’s that? It’s not me? It’s not true either!? -pouts and runs off- ---
**Author:** ![Gaspode](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/aeb1de/32.png) [@Gaspode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gaspode)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2001, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-facts-within-are-they-all-true/73906/19 "2001-07-28T13:31:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rilchiam \* > **False. Most quicksand is more mud than sand. Once your feet are stuck (and they’re going to go first) trying to raise your legs will just provide leverage to pull you body under.** > > > [@](#): > > > > [Cecil just says “horizontal position”, but here it is](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_158b.html) \*\* And quite right he is too. The trick is to bend the knees and lie down. If the quicksand is very light (and Cecil only mentions quicksand composed of pure sand which is neccesarily light) your legs will float to the surface of their own volition. If the sand is too dense for that they’ll stay stuck but you won’t sink. Try raising your legs if they don’t float up on their own and you’re applying a force that will simultaneously pull your torso under. Not good. ---
**Author:** ![milroyj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@milroyj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/milroyj)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2001, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-facts-within-are-they-all-true/73906/20 "2001-07-28T22:28:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Linear Crack \* > > 1. The first product Motorola started to develop was a record player for automobiles. At that time, the most known player on the market was Victrola, so they called themselves Motorola. False. Originally the Galvin Manufacturing Company made battery eliminators. They began making car radios, not record-players, and changed their name to Motorola. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-facts-within-are-they-all-true/73906.md?page=2)