# Interesting things I've learned recently. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 22, 2012, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-things-ive-learned-recently/644807 "2012-12-22T03:39:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-things-ive-learned-recently/644807/1 "2012-12-22T03:39:03Z")
People are talking about gun control again. You know who else supported gun control? [Ronald Reagan](http://www.nytimes.com/1991/03/29/opinion/why-i-m-for-the-brady-bill.html) supported gun control, if you consider [the Brady Bill](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brady_Handgun_Violence_Prevention_Act) to be ‘gun control’, and I _know_ the gun rights people do. The NRA certainly opposed it. So, what interesting things have you learned recently? ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-things-ive-learned-recently/644807/2 "2012-12-22T03:43:47Z")
Today I learned that Shane MacGowan was born on Christmas day. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-things-ive-learned-recently/644807/3 "2012-12-22T03:50:16Z")
Dan Rather once wanted to do a story on heroin, so he went to the police department and they prepped a shot of seized heroin and shot him up. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-things-ive-learned-recently/644807/4 "2012-12-22T04:25:38Z")
> [@grude](#): > > Dan Rather once wanted to do a story on heroin, so he went to the police department and they prepped a shot of seized heroin and shot him up. > > 😛 [This happened in, apparently, 1956 or 1957, and I’m as surprised as you are.](http://www.businessinsider.com/dan-rather-tells-us-about-the-time-he-used-heroin-2012-11) ---
**Author:** ![Capt\_Kirk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@Capt\_Kirk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt_Kirk)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-things-ive-learned-recently/644807/5 "2012-12-22T04:57:11Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > [This happened in, apparently, 1956 or 1957, and I’m as surprised as you are.](http://www.businessinsider.com/dan-rather-tells-us-about-the-time-he-used-heroin-2012-11) :eek: WTH **Capt** ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-things-ive-learned-recently/644807/6 "2012-12-22T18:32:29Z")
I learned that it’s possible for people to snore with their mouths closed. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-things-ive-learned-recently/644807/7 "2012-12-22T19:12:51Z")
I discovered recently that oxen are just regular cattle, but bred as draft animals. For some reason I always thought they were a completely different species of bovine, similar to yak or water buffalo. ---
**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-things-ive-learned-recently/644807/8 "2012-12-22T21:42:12Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > I discovered recently that oxen are just regular cattle, but bred as draft animals. For some reason I always thought they were a completely different species of bovine, similar to yak or water buffalo. I learned that the difference is that oxen are normally castrated, which makes them more docile and easier to manage than bulls. ---
**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:** [December 22, 2012, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interesting-things-ive-learned-recently/644807/9 "2012-12-22T21:47:01Z")
Just learned that Linda Rondstat is Loretta Young’s niece.