# Tell me some interesting trivia that no one else knows at the SDMB **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 24, 2011, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-some-interesting-trivia-that-no-one-else-knows-at-the-sdmb/586766 "2011-06-24T22:12:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Pixel\_Dent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@Pixel\_Dent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixel_Dent)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2011, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-some-interesting-trivia-that-no-one-else-knows-at-the-sdmb/586766/21 "2011-06-26T02:57:03Z")
This may be more well known than I think, but years ago I heard that the pitcher with the best winning percentage against the Yankees (minimum 20 decisions) was… Babe Ruth. I believe this is still true though Roy Halladay has recently come close. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2011, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-some-interesting-trivia-that-no-one-else-knows-at-the-sdmb/586766/22 "2011-06-26T16:22:55Z")
If a human’s eyeballs were the same size in proportion to their faces as a cat’s, our eyeballs would be the size of softballs. How cool is that? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2011, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-some-interesting-trivia-that-no-one-else-knows-at-the-sdmb/586766/23 "2011-06-26T16:29:08Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > You can find out more about the girl [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phan_Th%E1%BB%8B_Kim_Ph%C3%BAc). Apparently, she is now a Canadian citizen, and was recently granted an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by our local university. It’s not often that a Wikipedia article brings tears to my eyes. ---
**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:** [June 26, 2011, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-some-interesting-trivia-that-no-one-else-knows-at-the-sdmb/586766/24 "2011-06-26T16:41:48Z")
> [@Sarabellum1976](#): > > Alright, did you know that Tom Hanks & Sally Field starred together in Punchline (1988) as a romantic couple, and then four years later starred together in Forrest Gump, where they played mother & son? > > Yuck! To be fair, in Punchline Field was a kind of doing the cougar thing and was supposed to be somewhat older than Hanks. In Forrest Gump, she was costumed to be a lot older than she really was. She is, in reality, ten years older than he is. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2011, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-some-interesting-trivia-that-no-one-else-knows-at-the-sdmb/586766/25 "2011-06-26T17:17:42Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > If a human’s eyeballs were the same size in proportion to their faces as a cat’s, our eyeballs would be the size of softballs. > > How cool is that? 🙂 We had a thread devoted to finding people (celebrities mostly) who came close to that distinction. The title was something like “Anne Hathaway’s Eyes.” (I’ll try to find a link to it before the edit window gets me.) > **[Anne Hathaway's Eyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=510779)** > > The other day some email trivia pointed out that if our eyes had the same size ratio to our heads as a cat’s do, then our eyes would be the size of baseballs. I’m not here to dispute that claim. I’m here to ask if you can locate a picture of... Anne Hathaway’s Eyes 03-18-2009, 10:25 AM Zeldar 03-22-2009 10:40 PM by Oslo Ostragoth 113 8,445 Cafe Society ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2011, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-some-interesting-trivia-that-no-one-else-knows-at-the-sdmb/586766/26 "2011-06-26T21:08:20Z")
> [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](#): > > With 2.27 per square km, this country has the highest density of popes in the world. In a similar vein, the odds of the pope being eaten by a bear are very low, but if one does, we can say a bear does shit pope in the woods. ---
**Author:** ![A.Gwilliam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@A.Gwilliam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.Gwilliam)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2011, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-some-interesting-trivia-that-no-one-else-knows-at-the-sdmb/586766/27 "2011-06-26T23:55:07Z")
Western Australia officially forms a single time zone that is 1.5 hours behind the neighbouring state of South Australia. However, the sparsely populated south-eastern corner of WA operates in accordance with an unofficial time zone that is 45 minutes different from the rest of the state, and only 45 minutes different from the time over the border in SA. The existence of this de facto time zone is something you’re unlikely to ever find out about unless you happen to drive along the trans-desert Eyre Highway. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-some-interesting-trivia-that-no-one-else-knows-at-the-sdmb/586766/28 "2011-06-27T04:14:59Z")
Old Faithful does not produce the tallest column of water of any geyser in Yellowstone National Park. Not even close. That title goes to Steamboat, which can produce a column up to 300 feet high, vs. 100-150 feet for Old Faithful. The problem with Steamboat it that it’s only had a major eruption four times in recorded history, so you probably shouldn’t plan your vacation around it. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-some-interesting-trivia-that-no-one-else-knows-at-the-sdmb/586766/29 "2011-06-27T05:19:58Z")
The main way of tying an obi is called taiko, which means drum (that’s not the trivia). It does look like a squashed drum, but it wasn’t named after the instrument. It was named after a bridge, specifically the drum bridge (taiko-bashi) at Tenjin Shrine, after that way of tying was created by geisha for the opening of the bridge. These days if a woman knows how wear proper kimono, that may be the only way she knows of tying her obi. Probably only interesting to me. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-some-interesting-trivia-that-no-one-else-knows-at-the-sdmb/586766/30 "2011-06-27T05:38:54Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > You can find out more about the girl [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phan_Th%E1%BB%8B_Kim_Ph%C3%BAc). Apparently, she is now a Canadian citizen, and was recently granted an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by our local university. I was startled to read that she is my age and now lives in the town next to the one I grew up in. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-some-interesting-trivia-that-no-one-else-knows-at-the-sdmb/586766/31 "2011-06-27T06:22:47Z")
Watching Ken Burns’ documentary on Mark Twain tonight, I learned that he sponsored [Warner T. McGuinn](http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2001-02-17/features/0102170018_1_mcguinn-twain-law-school) to Yale Law School, one of the first blacks to ever attend. McGuinn went on to mentor Thurgood Marshall. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-some-interesting-trivia-that-no-one-else-knows-at-the-sdmb/586766/32 "2011-06-27T08:18:53Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I just found out this morning that the producers of Columbo first approached Bing Crosby to play the lead in the series. _Bing Crosby_? What a complete miscasting that would have been. So you’re, uh, underestimating him? ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-some-interesting-trivia-that-no-one-else-knows-at-the-sdmb/586766/33 "2011-06-27T14:35:32Z")
In a race at Santa Anita in April 2003, a horse named Stratus finished second, as well as seventh. How can this be? There were two horses in the race with the same name - both were foreign-bred, so the American Jockey Club rule forbidding horses with the same name being registered at the same time did not apply. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-some-interesting-trivia-that-no-one-else-knows-at-the-sdmb/586766/34 "2011-06-27T15:38:30Z")
I don’t know how well known or not this is, but I found it interesting to read recently that Yamamoto studied at Harvard. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-some-interesting-trivia-that-no-one-else-knows-at-the-sdmb/586766/35 "2011-06-27T16:03:12Z")
Ronald Reagan had Alzheimer’s symptoms long before he left office. On the day that the Contra funding first went up to vote, he was heard to ask Admiral Poindexter “Contras? What’s that about?” with his shaking in sincere concern. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-some-interesting-trivia-that-no-one-else-knows-at-the-sdmb/586766/36 "2011-06-27T16:33:49Z")
> [@Pixel\_Dent](#): > > This may be more well known than I think, but years ago I heard that the pitcher with the best winning percentage against the Yankees (minimum 20 decisions) was… Babe Ruth. I believe this is still true though Roy Halladay has recently come close. According to [Baseball-reference.com](http://Baseball-reference.com), there are only two known games where Babe pitched against the Yankees, so he doesn’t quite meet the 20 game minimum. There isn’t game data available for most of his pitching career (anything before 1919), so he very well might have met it. ---
**Author:** ![Lukeinva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lukeinva/32/17872_2.png) [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-some-interesting-trivia-that-no-one-else-knows-at-the-sdmb/586766/37 "2011-06-27T17:47:22Z")
Dutch people, on average, are the tallest people of any country. ---
**Author:** ![Feyrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/fbc32d/32.png) [@Feyrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feyrat)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-some-interesting-trivia-that-no-one-else-knows-at-the-sdmb/586766/38 "2011-06-27T18:06:07Z")
Curly fur is one of the few dominant genes in rats. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-some-interesting-trivia-that-no-one-else-knows-at-the-sdmb/586766/39 "2011-06-27T18:06:15Z")
Martha’s Vineyard was once considering seceding from Massachusetts. It could have become a US territory, or the 51st state, or it could have become part of one of two other states, Vermont and Hawaii. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-some-interesting-trivia-that-no-one-else-knows-at-the-sdmb/586766/40 "2011-06-27T18:08:36Z")
Weird, if that guy gets lego-ized three times, I wonder why John “Sallah and Gimli” Rhys-Davies doesn’t get at least get two. Mostly I’m bitter because he was my guess. OK, here’s mine: In “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, Sallah sings snatches of two songs from the same opera. Gilbert and Sullivan’s “HMS Pinafore”. The songs are, “I’m am the ruler of the sea …”, and “A British tar is a soaring soul …” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-some-interesting-trivia-that-no-one-else-knows-at-the-sdmb/586766.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-some-interesting-trivia-that-no-one-else-knows-at-the-sdmb/586766.md?page=3)