# Made-Up, False and Flat-out Wrong Trivia Dominoes **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [April 21, 2014, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/made-up-false-and-flat-out-wrong-trivia-dominoes/686580 "2014-04-21T03:04:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 19
**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 7, 2014, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/made-up-false-and-flat-out-wrong-trivia-dominoes/686580/361 "2014-05-07T04:36:35Z")
Fort Knox was originally supposed to be named after War of 1812 hero James Konx but the name was misspelled on the Congressional act designating its name. Rather than admit the error, the story was put out that the facility had intentionally been named after Secretary of War Henry Knox. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/made-up-false-and-flat-out-wrong-trivia-dominoes/686580/362 "2014-05-07T05:09:08Z")
Everyone knows that the Department of War became the Department of Defense, but nowadays, even DoD is getting a bad reputation and a negative connotation associated with it, so they’ll soon be renaming it to the Department of Peace. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/made-up-false-and-flat-out-wrong-trivia-dominoes/686580/363 "2014-05-07T13:28:29Z")
Hitler held a contest to find a symbol for his new political party. Everyone knows the swastika won first place, but second place went to the newly designed peace sign and third prize to the smiley face, both made popular in the 1960’s. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/made-up-false-and-flat-out-wrong-trivia-dominoes/686580/364 "2014-05-07T14:04:39Z")
The smiley face was based on a photograph of Fatty Arbuckle in his happier days. ---
**Author:** ![CheshireKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheshirekat/32/1207_2.png) [@CheshireKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheshireKat)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/made-up-false-and-flat-out-wrong-trivia-dominoes/686580/365 "2014-05-07T17:17:39Z")
Two members of the cast of Happy Days pranked the Fonz while he napped between takes by painting a big smiley face on the back of his leather jacket. ---
**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 7, 2014, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/made-up-false-and-flat-out-wrong-trivia-dominoes/686580/366 "2014-05-07T17:58:12Z")
All the main cast of **Happy Days** died in tragic and appallingly grotesque accidents. Henry Winkler, for instance, was bitten in half by a shark in his bed. The producers were so afraid the news would ruin the good feelings about the show that they kept it secret, even hiring doubles to replace the actors long after the show was off the air. ---
**Author:** ![CheshireKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheshirekat/32/1207_2.png) [@CheshireKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheshireKat)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/made-up-false-and-flat-out-wrong-trivia-dominoes/686580/367 "2014-05-07T18:24:28Z")
My mother was dating \*\*Henry Winkler \*\*at the time of his death, and was the one who discovered his body. She bursts into uncontrollable sobbing every time she watches Jaws or the Land Shark skit from old SNL reruns. I was able to get my college degree because of the non-disclosure pay-out she received from the studio for keeping his death a secret. His double is my father (long story). ---
**Author:** ![Vita\_Beata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@Vita\_Beata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vita_Beata)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/made-up-false-and-flat-out-wrong-trivia-dominoes/686580/368 "2014-05-07T19:10:34Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > All the main cast of **Happy Days** died in tragic and appallingly grotesque accidents. **Henry Winkler, for instance, was bitten in half by a shark in his bed.** > > The producers were so afraid the news would ruin the good feelings about the show that they kept it secret, even hiring doubles to replace the actors long after the show was off the air. And this is where the phrase “jumped the shark” originated. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/made-up-false-and-flat-out-wrong-trivia-dominoes/686580/369 "2014-05-07T22:34:25Z")
The record height for a shark jump is just under the moon. The cow’s record is still safe. ---
**Author:** ![Esox\_Lucius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@Esox\_Lucius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esox_Lucius)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/made-up-false-and-flat-out-wrong-trivia-dominoes/686580/370 "2014-05-08T01:18:05Z")
The dish ran away with the spoon, but it didn’t end happily. The spoon took up with Uri Geller, who only wanted to bend it to his own purposes, and the dish was shattered. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/made-up-false-and-flat-out-wrong-trivia-dominoes/686580/371 "2014-05-08T03:34:25Z")
Oh, for the luvva Pete. For the last time, THERE IS NO SPOON! ---
**Author:** ![CheshireKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheshirekat/32/1207_2.png) [@CheshireKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheshireKat)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/made-up-false-and-flat-out-wrong-trivia-dominoes/686580/372 "2014-05-08T03:54:15Z")
hee hee, you made Spoonboy lose his temper The first archeologically significant discovery of dining implements was the unearthing of a slotted stew spoon in Sibudu Cave in South Africa. DNA recovered from the microscopic bits of beef on the ancient spoon was used in a secret process to produce superior Beefaloes in Texas in the early 80s. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/made-up-false-and-flat-out-wrong-trivia-dominoes/686580/373 "2014-05-08T04:39:32Z")
Texas Gov. Rick Perry is not permitted by his handlers to use any utensil sharper than a spoon for fear that he may harm himself. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/made-up-false-and-flat-out-wrong-trivia-dominoes/686580/374 "2014-05-08T05:35:20Z")
According to one Texas survey, a sizable majority prefer fake facts that have at least a veneer of believability, as opposed to obvious jokes. ---
**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 8, 2014, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/made-up-false-and-flat-out-wrong-trivia-dominoes/686580/375 "2014-05-08T12:54:41Z")
Texas is not the only state that can unilaterally split into different states. Rhode Island also has the option to split – into 13. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/made-up-false-and-flat-out-wrong-trivia-dominoes/686580/376 "2014-05-08T13:03:02Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > According to one Texas survey, a sizable majority prefer fake facts that have at least a veneer of believability, as opposed to obvious jokes. Please let me know if I ever fail to meet that standard. 😉 In play: Rhode Island is the smallest state in terms of territory, but the largest in terms of native Klingon speakers, with 42 residents identifying themselves as “fluent” in the warriors’ language in a recent Gallup poll. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/made-up-false-and-flat-out-wrong-trivia-dominoes/686580/377 "2014-05-08T13:53:40Z")
The Klingon invasion fleet is due to arrive at Earth in 2018. Their point of entry will reportedly be Milwaukee. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/made-up-false-and-flat-out-wrong-trivia-dominoes/686580/378 "2014-05-08T15:23:34Z")
The actual serving or consumption of alcohol is illegal in Milwaukee, famous for its many breweries. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/made-up-false-and-flat-out-wrong-trivia-dominoes/686580/379 "2014-05-08T17:31:36Z")
Writer Dan Harmon, famous for his shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, and directing Marvel’s Avengers, hails from Milwaukee, WI. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/made-up-false-and-flat-out-wrong-trivia-dominoes/686580/380 "2014-05-08T18:11:24Z")
Pete Best was excluded as a member of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones _and_ the Avengers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/made-up-false-and-flat-out-wrong-trivia-dominoes/686580.md?page=18) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/made-up-false-and-flat-out-wrong-trivia-dominoes/686580.md?page=20)