# Tell us an interesting random fact you stumbled across (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 13, 2020, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674 "2020-04-13T03:19:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 120
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2021, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2386 "2021-07-23T12:10:41Z")
IOW, just an ordinary evening of fun. Bwaahh haa haa! ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2021, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2387 "2021-07-27T19:22:59Z")
Pete Townshend has been going to same wine store in London for 50 years and they never send him a bill even when he asks for one. They just add it to his tab but never ask him to pay the tab. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2021, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2388 "2021-07-27T19:37:03Z")
Long term planning - I bet they are going to present his estate with the tab. šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2021, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2389 "2021-07-27T19:47:53Z")
That will ruin his estate. He never was shy about his drinking habits šŸ˜‰. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/mJ-jdQMI4UM/hqdefault.jpg "However Much I Booze - The Who") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJ-jdQMI4UM) ETA: and if his estate is made to pay for all the guitars he smashed, then theyā€™re truly fucked. ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2021, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2390 "2021-07-27T22:23:12Z")
All ā€œunmarkedā€ [swans](https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/why-the-queen-owns-every-swan) in the UK are owned (in theory) by the Queen. There are very, very, few that are privately owned, and must have a mark on their beaks showing this fact. An annual count is taken of the swans on the Thames, and some are banded for tracking purposes. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2021, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2391 "2021-07-28T11:59:34Z")
From Wikipedia: In Scotland, the monarchā€™s property right inheres in those whales too large to be pulled to land by a ā€œwain pulled by six oxenā€; in practice, this is interpreted as requiring the whales to be over 25 feet (7.6 m) long. > **[Royal fish](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_fish)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > Under the law of the United Kingdom, whales (mammal) and sturgeons are royal fish, and when taken become the personal property of the monarch of the United Kingdom as part of his or her royal prerogative. > According to William Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England, the "superior excellence" of whale and sturgeon made them uniquely suited for the monarch's use. Sir Matthew Hale added porpoise as one of the royal fish. Near the English co... ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2021, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2392 "2021-07-28T16:25:07Z")
I may be the only person who didnā€™t know this butā€¦ I noticed in a listings mag that Dirty Dancing was on TV - starring Jennifer Grey. Iā€™m not a big fan of DD but I loved Ferris Buellerā€™s Day Off, and she was great in that. Two big films then ā€¦ not so much. Wondering what happened next, I looked up her wiki; I was unaware she had a famous father: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Ry_fR5H1GYw/hqdefault.jpg "Cabaret - Willkommen, Bienvenue, Welcome") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry_fR5H1GYw) - Joel Grey. [Jennifer Grey wiki.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Grey) j ---
**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:** [July 28, 2021, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2393 "2021-07-28T17:47:55Z")
Not sure this _exactly_ fits here, but what the heck. My wife and I were watching a Star Trek: TNG rerun last night and there was a scene with a woman playing the piano. And I thought ā€œthat sounds familiarā€, as the Closed Captioning told me that it was ā€œMoonlight Sonataā€. Which Iā€™ve heard _of_, but not sure Iā€™ve ever _heard_. Then it clickedā€¦ itā€™s the ā€œringtoneā€ music that my car plays when someone is calling me. What kind of car do I drive? A Hyundai _Sonata_! šŸ¤¦šŸ»ā€ā™‚ļø ---
**Author:** ![2\_More\_Bits](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2_more_bits/32/4148_2.png) [@2\_More\_Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2_More_Bits)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2021, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2394 "2021-07-28T18:30:12Z")
Wool-capped Monkee Mike Nesmithā€™s mother invented [Liquid PaperĀ®](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_Paper), eventually selling her company for over $47,000,000. Oh, you knew that? How 'bout this: In 1999, wool-capped Monkee Mike Nesmith won a [lawsuit against PBS](https://variety.com/1999/biz/news/nesmith-prevails-in-pbs-fraud-trial-1117490924/). He was apparently awarded about $47,000,000. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2021, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2395 "2021-07-29T06:07:44Z")
I see Ron Popeil (as in, Ronco) died. I had this Ronco compilation LP. [https://www.discogs.com/Various-Love-Rock/release/2786724](https://www.discogs.com/Various-Love-Rock/release/2786724) When shopping records like this, I used to calculate that if I liked a song I counted it as 1. Kinda liked it? .5, but if I really loved it, 1.5. I rank this album overall at 13.5. And sometimes I didnā€™t know a song by title so it was a wild card. This added up well and was worth the $5 I bought it for back in the day. I never considered (but should have) that cramming more tracks onto the LP would compromise its sonic qualities. > You see, a regular 12" inch vinyl LP can hold up to about 23 minutes of music per side. This simply means the grooves were cut at normal depth and width. > > For a K-Tel or Ronco record, the grooves were much finer. But the reduced depth/width of the grooves also meant reduced dynamic rangeā€¦ So it really didnā€™t sound as good as a conventional record and you had to turn up the volume a bit louder than you would on a regular album. Plus, they were also more susceptible to surface noise - sometimes brand new out of the sleeve. Stuck and skipping records were common without extreme care. But you had a record that could play for nearly a full half hour per side (usually 27-28 minutes), if you werenā€™t too picky. > **[K-Tel & Ronco Records](http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2012/07/k-tel-ronco-records.html)** > > History's Dumpster, kitsch, '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s, pop culture, fads, strange, nostalgia, vintage, retro TBH I couldnā€™t hear it, possibly because the source was a lousy single (AM mono) speaker in the family sedan. Per my brotherā€™s suggestion, I would record the LPā€™s desired tracks onto cassette immediately, hoping to avoid later scratches etc. A classic from that album: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/EozcNss6A8U/maxresdefault.jpg "The Hollies - The Air That I Breathe (Audio)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EozcNss6A8U) ---
**Author:** ![LegendHasit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/legendhasit/32/8246_2.png) [@LegendHasit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LegendHasit)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2021, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2396 "2021-07-29T08:31:17Z")
Candice Bergenā€™s father, Edgar John Bergen, was the famous ventriloquist of puppet of Charlie McCarthy. As a child, Candice says she was in constant competition with the puppet who had its own room which was larger than hers. She was cut out of her fatherā€™s will, but the puppet inherited $10,000. The ventriloquist was quite attached to the puppet. - [Edgar Bergen - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Bergen) - [https://www.womansday.com/life/real-women/news/a50235/candice-bergen-reveals-twisted-details-about-relationship-with-her-father/](https://www.womansday.com/life/real-women/news/a50235/candice-bergen-reveals-twisted-details-about-relationship-with-her-father/) - [Candice Bergen's Dad Cut Her Out of His Will (But She's Got 'Murphy Brown' Money)](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/blogs/celeb-news/candice-bergen-s-dad-cut-her-out-of-his-will-200446839.html) ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2021, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2397 "2021-07-29T13:43:13Z")
K-Tel also snipped verses, intros, and outros, to shorten the songs, and thus allow more songs to be packed. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2021, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2398 "2021-07-29T15:17:50Z")
I lost my childhood innocence when my K-Tel version of Carry on Wayward Son started fading out right when it got to the good part. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2021, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2399 "2021-07-29T15:27:31Z")
Damn, it must have gone on _forever_. /s ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2021, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2400 "2021-07-29T15:28:46Z")
Godā€™ll get you for that! ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2021, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2401 "2021-07-29T15:30:49Z")
Iā€™llā€¦ carry on. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2021, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2402 "2021-07-29T20:32:46Z")
Learned this from an episode of QI. The Molotov Cocktail wasnā€™t invented _by_ Molotov. It was invented _because of_ Molotov. > The name ā€œMolotov cocktailā€ was coined by the Finns during the Winter War, called _Molotovin koktaili_ in Finnish. The name was a pejorative reference to Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov, who was one of the architects of the Molotovā€“Ribbentrop Pact signed in late August 1939. > The nameā€™s origin came from the propaganda Molotov produced during the Winter War, mainly his declaration on Soviet state radio that bombing missions over Finland were actually airborne humanitarian food deliveries for their starving neighbours. As a result, the Finns sarcastically dubbed the Soviet cluster bombs ā€œMolotov bread basketsā€ in reference to Molotovā€™s propaganda broadcasts. When the hand-held bottle firebomb was developed to attack Soviet tanks, the Finns called it the ā€œMolotov cocktailā€, as ā€œa drink to go with his food parcelsā€. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2021, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2403 "2021-07-29T22:12:48Z")
This is a nerdy one. In 1960 it was decided there would be two defined temperatures: absolute zero at exactly -273.15 Ā°C and triple point of water at exactly 0.01 Ā°C. All other temperatures, including other fixed points (e.g. the freezing point of zinc) would be measured based on these two defined temperatures. That changed a couple years ago. In 2019, it was decided the Boltzmann constant ā€“ which previously was a measured quantity ā€“ would be a defined quantity. It is now defined as 1.380649Ɨ10ā»Ā²Ā³ Jā‹…Kā»Ā¹. Now that the Boltzmann constant is a defined quantity, it means the temperature of the triple point of water is no longer defined. It is now a measured quantity. In the future, we may discover the triple point of water is actually closer to 0.0100003 Ā°C, as an example. Temperature metrologists are sorta bummed about this. The triple point of water has been their pride-and-joy for almost 60 decades, and now it has been demoted to just another temperature. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2021, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2404 "2021-07-30T01:13:48Z")
Actor Richard Edson, probably most familiar as the parking garage attendant in _Ferris Buellerā€™s Day Off_, was the original drummer for the band Sonic Youth. ---
**Author:** ![Kzbre5m](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f08c70/32.png) [@Kzbre5m](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kzbre5m)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2021, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2405 "2021-07-30T15:03:39Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Temperature metrologists are sorta bummed about this. The triple point of water has been their pride-and-joy for almost 60 decades, and now it has been demoted to just another temperature. ā€œWelcome to my world.ā€ ā€“ Pluto [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=119) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=121)