# 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:** 126
**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:** [August 20, 2021, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2507 "2021-08-20T20:54:06Z")
Yeah, and the Dad dies shortly after the mating. Although at least Mom isn’t trying to eat him during the act. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2021, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2508 "2021-08-20T22:03:47Z")
> [@PozhanPop](#): > > You can count from zero to one hundred without once seeing the letter ‘a’. Same for B, C, J, K, M, P, Q and Z. And all the other letters too, if you close your eyes while you do it. ---
**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:** [August 20, 2021, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2509 "2021-08-20T23:33:38Z")
TIL that spiders have no leg muscles. Instead, they use hydraulic pressure to move the legs. The legs curl up after the spider dies because there’s no blood pressure anymore. ---
**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:** [August 21, 2021, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2510 "2021-08-21T00:13:43Z")
> [@2\_More\_Bits](#): > > For some reason I was trying to remember Detroit Tiger players from my youth and recalled Aurelio Rodriguez, an excellent 3rd baseman. I remember him…fantastic throwing arm! [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/lNTXKMTlBAU/maxresdefault.jpg "From the Archives: The Original A-Rod") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNTXKMTlBAU) I didn’t realize he came in a trade that sent Denny McLain to Washington. A little trivia about the latter… > McLain’s success on the playing field led to endorsement opportunities from the [Hammond Organ Company](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammond_organ); he also made musical appearances in [Las Vegas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Vegas).[[45]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denny_McLain#cite_note-45) He was invited to appear with his musical quartet on _[The Ed Sullivan Show](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ed_Sullivan_Show)_ along with his World Series opponent (and guitarist) Bob Gibson.[[46]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denny_McLain#cite_note-46) McLain also made appearances on _[The Steve Allen Show](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Steve_Allen_Show)_ and [_The Joey Bishop Show_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Joey_Bishop_Show_(talk_show)).[[47]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denny_McLain#cite_note-The_Season_Of_High_Heat-47) He also released two albums on [Capitol Records](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitol_Records), _Denny McLain at the Organ_ (1968) and _Denny McLain in Las Vegas_ (1969).[[48]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denny_McLain#cite_note-48) [Wikipedia source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denny_McLain) ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2511 "2021-08-21T01:36:10Z")
I remember Rodriguez well, since I grew up a Washington Senators fan. He was part of the infamous trade where the Senators traded away the entire left side of their infield for an over-the-hill, out-of-shape Denny McLain. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2512 "2021-08-21T03:19:57Z")
A domestic plumbing problem has revealed that a correctly judged manipulation of the bathroom hot tap results in it playing the theme from ‘Jaws’. ---
**Author:** ![PozhanPop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pozhanpop/32/8022_2.png) [@PozhanPop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PozhanPop)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2513 "2021-08-21T04:55:01Z")
Never even thought of those other letters ! Thank you 🙂 Plus the eyes closed trick ! ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2514 "2021-08-21T07:21:19Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > When octopi reproduce, after laying the eggs, the Mom stays guarding them till they hatch. Then she dies shortly after! > > The gestation period from laid to birth? 4+1/2 years! [That time depends on the species](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octopus#Lifespan) but none live longer than ~5 years, so I’m not sure where you got 4.5 years of gestation from - could it have been weeks or months? The one in “My Octopus Teacher” only lived IIRC 2 years, and it was only a matter of months between laying and her dying of starvation. ---
**Author:** ![Shagunathor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@Shagunathor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagunathor)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2515 "2021-08-21T09:23:01Z")
One deep sea octopus was observed by a team from the Monterey Bay aquarium on successive dives with a rover from May 2007 to September 2011. It had gone by that October. That’s 53 months. [https://www.nature.com/articles/nature.2014.15646](https://www.nature.com/articles/nature.2014.15646) But, yeah, cephalopods are usually a “live fast die young” type of critter. ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2516 "2021-08-21T12:47:51Z")
The argonaut octopus has a detachable “penis.” [Wiki](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argonaut_(animal)) And there’s [IFLScience](https://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/octopus-has-detachable-penis/) who sees on a much more…“sexy” way. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2517 "2021-08-21T12:54:45Z")
The #1 overall pick in the history of the United States Football League (USFL) was Dan Marino. (He didn’t sign. Played for the Miami Dolphins of the NFL instead). ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2518 "2021-08-21T13:28:03Z")
Remember the drought in South Africa? It is over. * * * The City of Cape Town implemented significant water restrictions in a bid to curb water usage, and succeeded in reducing its daily water usage by more than half to around 500 million litres (130,000,000 US gal) per day, The fall in water usage led the City to postpone its estimate for “Day Zero”, and strong rains starting in June 2018 led to dam levels recovering. In September 2018, with dam levels close to 70 percent, the city began easing water restrictions, indicating that the worst of the water crisis was over. Good rains in 2020 effectively broke the drought and resulting water shortage when dam levels reached 95 percent. ---
**Author:** ![PozhanPop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pozhanpop/32/8022_2.png) [@PozhanPop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PozhanPop)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2519 "2021-08-21T15:27:39Z")
Fantastic job by the City. My friends who mover here recently from CPT would talk about how they would take a bath from a bucket of water while standing inside the bathtub and then use that water to flush the toilet. Then I think about us using gallons of water to flush 500ml of urine. : ( ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2520 "2021-08-21T17:13:21Z")
> [@mikecurtis](#): > > [United States men's national field hockey team - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_men's_national_field_hockey_team) That’s very interesting. I stand corrected! ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2021, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2521 "2021-08-21T17:13:42Z")
> [@PozhanPop](#): > > Then I think about us using gallons of water to flush 500ml of urine. : ( I remember seeing a garden urinal that looked like a big morning glory. It looked like it was painted tin and was shaped like a funnel with the open end enlarged and tipped to one side. I don’t know how far below the ground the ‘stem’ went. I couldn’t find that online, but here’s a less artistic version. > **[How to Make a Waterless Outdoor Urinal - This Dad Does](https://thisdaddoes.com/2017/04/03/make-waterless-outdoor-urinal/)** > > How do you make a outdoor urinal? And can you make a waterless urinal from recycled materials and things you find lying around the house? Thankfully a simple outdoor toilet/urine recycling system is easy to make, environmentally friendly and cheap.... ---
**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:** [August 21, 2021, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2522 "2021-08-21T17:31:40Z")
US toilets these days are designed to use far less water than in the past. I think it’s 1.2 or 1.4 gallons per flush now? So technically gallons, but less than it used to be. You can also follow the precept of, “If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down,” to cut down on water usage. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2021, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2523 "2021-08-22T17:12:52Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > US Pee in the sink (easier if you have a penis). Run the faucet a couple of times for a few seconds and the urine is on its way. ---
**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:** [August 22, 2021, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2524 "2021-08-22T17:14:25Z")
Well, ya see, I lack that particular appurtenance. Also, I’m short. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2021, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2525 "2021-08-22T20:22:40Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > You can also follow the precept of, “If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down,” to cut down on water usage. My brother, who has a holding tank for flushies, had my mother embroider this for him to hang above the toilet. The rule seems to have worked well for him. He also has a urinal in the lower level, in an area too small for even a normal half-bath. When he has a gathering, it’s boys use the urinal and girls follow the rules for the toilet. If you pee in the lake, the fishies are going to be mad at you. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2021, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2526 "2021-08-23T21:42:22Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > > [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > > > You might as well say that a drug baron’s yearly profits count as earnings. > > And they do. They famously got Capone on tax evasion. When I did my taxes this year and got to that catchall line for “other income not reported elsewhere”, the instructions actually listed “income from an illegal business” as an example of the type of income you should report there. I don’t recall if that instruction was just from the tax software I was using, or an official instruction from the IRS. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=125) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=127)