# 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:** 132
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2021, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2628 "2021-09-03T02:30:17Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > \*The record and its slipcover both carried the Warner Brothers “shield” logo. For a long time, little kid that I was, I tried to figure out how this record related to Bugs Bunny. We had “Cool Clear Water” with ~Lassie~ on the slip cover. I _loved_ the Lassie theme music – I made that mistake enough times that I still know the Cool Water lyrics. ---
**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:** [September 3, 2021, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2629 "2021-09-03T07:44:29Z")
[https://veinatlanta.com/your-second-heart/](https://veinatlanta.com/your-second-heart/) > Everyone knows that the heart pumps blood, right? Did you know that your body has a second blood pump? It’s your calf muscles! That’s right, your calf muscles are your second heart! The body is engineered so that when you walk, the calf muscles pump venous blood back toward your heart. ---
**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:** [September 3, 2021, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2630 "2021-09-03T11:51:43Z")
> [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](#): > > I am in Maryland, visiting family. We went to the grocery store. Cartons of cigarettes cost about $100 nowadays. I had no idea. In my state (Kentucky), a carton runs about $50-$70, depending on the brand. The restaurant chain 5 Guys accounts for 5% of all potatoes bought from Idaho, and they only buy the tubers grown north of the 42nd parallel. ---
**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:** [September 3, 2021, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2631 "2021-09-03T12:07:49Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > Everyone knows that the heart pumps blood, right? Did you know that your body has a second blood pump? It’s your calf muscles! That’s right, your calf muscles are your second heart! The body is engineered so that when you walk, the calf muscles pump venous blood back toward your heart. I’ve heard the same about feet. Apparently there’s an enlarged blood vessel in each foot that acts like a heart. Every time you take a step, the heart gets squeezed, and it pushes blood back up the leg. But again, this is just something I’ve heard, and I’m too lazy to Google it. ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2021, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2632 "2021-09-03T16:38:17Z")
If people have been working at height and using a fall arrest harness and are left hanging, you can get suspension trauma Basically deoxygenated blood pools up in the legs and wont circulate out due to the muscles not pumping the blood and restrictions from the harness. When you get the person down if they lay down horizontally , which is tempting as the legs feel weak, you can kill them as the deoxygenated blood floods back up to the heart and causes cardiac arrest. ---
**Author:** ![slalexan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@slalexan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slalexan)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2021, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2633 "2021-09-03T16:46:10Z")
> [@Precambrianmollusc](#): > > If people have been working at height and using a fall arrest harness and are left hanging, you can get suspension trauma Some harnesses have like stirrups that are to be used in this scenario to avoid this outcome. Not every one of them has this though. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2021, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2634 "2021-09-04T01:03:10Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > tubers grown north of the 42nd parallel. ?? ?? ---
**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:** [September 4, 2021, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2635 "2021-09-04T01:54:46Z")
From [here:](https://www.newsweek.com/people-shocked-discover-how-five-guys-makes-fries-viral-tiktok-1618394) “Five Guys actually only use potatoes from Idaho, grown above the 42nd parallel. The potatoes grow during the day when it’s warm and stop at night once it cools down, causing them to be a denser, higher quality.” The [42nd parallel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/42nd_parallel_north?wprov=sfti1) is a line of latitude 42 degrees above the equatorial plane. ---
**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:** [September 4, 2021, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2636 "2021-09-04T02:28:48Z")
I learn that between 1935 & 1943 a Pack Horse Library project was set up in Eastern Kentucky, as hereunder: > **[Pack Horse Library Project](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pack_Horse_Library_Project)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > The Pack Horse Library Project was a Works Progress Administration (WPA) program that delivered books to remote regions in the Appalachian Mountains between 1935 and 1943. Women were very involved in the project which eventually had 30 different libraries serving 100,000 people. Pack horse librarians were known by many different names including "book women," "book ladies," and "packsaddle librarians.": 290  The project helped employ around 200 p... The library service fell defunct in 1943 only because funding was withdrawn. I can’t help but wonder what happened to the thousands of books out on loan at the cessation of the service. Perhaps they were duly collected, but if not, I’m curious to know how much the total fines would be on 36,000 books overdue for 78 years using official current and historical library fine rates for Eastern Kentucky and the Appalachians. Thanks in advance. ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2021, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2637 "2021-09-04T15:38:41Z")
Apparently certain mixtures of sodium and potassium are liquid at room temperature. > **[Sodium–potassium alloy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium%E2%80%93potassium_alloy)** > > Sodium–potassium alloy, colloquially called NaK (commonly pronounced /næk/), is an alloy of the alkali metals sodium (Na, atomic number 11) and potassium (K, atomic number 19) that is normally liquid at room temperature. Various commercial grades are available. NaK is highly reactive with water (like its constituent elements) and may catch fire when exposed to air, so must be handled with special precautions. > NaK containing 40% to 90% potassium by mass is liquid at room temperature. The eutectic... Discovered this from the excellent ‘periodic videos’ put out by Nottingham university: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/9EGAXOWpGy8/maxresdefault.jpg "NaK") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EGAXOWpGy8) Now I have to come up with a situation where I can use this as an ingenious MacGuyver solution to Defeat the Baddies… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2021, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2638 "2021-09-04T17:35:58Z")
I saw this cool graphical proof of some of the common trig identities [![](https://i.imgur.com/7F6YHB2.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/7F6YHB2.jpg) Courtesy of Fermats library, it pops up cool stuff on a linkedin profile. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2021, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2639 "2021-09-04T18:43:17Z")
> [@xtenkfarpl](#): > > Apparently certain mixtures of sodium and potassium are liquid at room temperature. Interesting. I’ve worked with all the alkali metals, and was unaware of this. Of course, the alkali metals are incredibly reactive with water and even humidity, so there’s not a lot you can do with the eutectic. A more interesting one is Galinstan, which is another eutectic that’s liquid at room temperature. As it’s not toxic like mercury nor reactive like alkali metal mixtures, you can play with it: > **[Galinstan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galinstan)** > > Galinstan is a brand name for an alloy composed of gallium, indium, and tin which melts at −19 °C (−2 °F) and is thus liquid at room temperature. In scientific literature, galinstan is also used to denote the eutectic alloy of gallium, indium, and tin, which melts at around +11 °C (52 °F). The commercial product Galinstan is not a eutectic alloy, but a near eutectic alloy. Additionally, it likely has added flux to improve flowability, to reduce melting temperature, and to reduce surfa Eutectic ga... ---
**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:** [September 4, 2021, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2640 "2021-09-04T23:27:39Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > ?? ?? The cooler the night, the more sugars in the potatoes. Canadian carrots are preferred for the same reason. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2021, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2641 "2021-09-05T01:49:53Z")
1. TIL that the widow of Oscar Wilde died of a botched procedure by a gynecologist who was later killed by the jealous husband of another of his patients. 2. Thirty years ago when I worked at Kinko’s in Reno, a frequent customer was the widow of Bill Lear of the car radio and private jet fortune. I knew they’d named their daughter “Shanda,” but TIL that Mrs. Lear’s father wrote the song lyrics “you’re in the army now, you’re not behind the plow…” ---
**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:** [September 5, 2021, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2642 "2021-09-05T07:14:55Z")
No one knows how or where eels reproduce. Any eel. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/k61Bk63EvTM/maxresdefault.jpg "Why Nobody Knows How Eels Reproduce") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k61Bk63EvTM) ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2021, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2643 "2021-09-05T11:20:31Z")
Being a nerd AND having a slightly less nerdy class meant high school physics class was a bit dull. But we had microscopes in the science lecture theatres, so when it got too boring my friend and I used the pencil rotation technique, a sharp knife and a microscope to write out the alphabet in the smallest legible distance. I managed 6mm, lower case. Upper case takes more space. We also made incredibly tiny origami [jumping frogs](https://www.google.com/search?q=origami+frog+for+kids&oq=origami+frog), which due to weight vs potential energy in the spring, could leap several meters. ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2021, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2644 "2021-09-05T12:33:43Z")
Thank you, I found this quite interesting. ---
**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:** [September 5, 2021, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2645 "2021-09-05T13:50:46Z")
There used to be an all-female band named [Rockbitch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockbitch?wprov=sfti1) that would perform their concerts either barely-clothed or naked. They would perform sexual acts on each other during their shows. And they would toss out a “golden condom” at some point during their show. Whoever caught it was ushered backstage to have sex with the entire band. To balance that fact out, there’s also a thrash metal band named [Okilly Dokilly](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okilly_Dokilly?wprov=sfti1) that has all of the band members dressed like Ned Flanders. Their song lyrics are heavily influenced by actual quotes from Flanders on _The Simpsons_. ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2021, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2646 "2021-09-05T16:01:48Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > The chemical formula for the average mammal - not that any of us are merely average - is: > > H375000000, O132000000, N64300000, Ca1500000, P1020000, S206000, Na183000, K177000, Cl127000, Mg40000, Si38600, Fe2680, Zn2110, Cu76, I14, Mn13, F13, Cr7, Se4, Mo3, Co1. Slight hijack - this is the sort of thing that would be fantastic for conversations with people who complain about something having “too many chemicals” in it. I would love to see a best estimate for milk or cream. ---
**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:** [September 5, 2021, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2647 "2021-09-05T17:31:30Z")
Baseball: Khris Davis (Milwaukee Brewers/Oakland A’s) hit .247 [four seasons in a row](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/daviskh01.shtml) (2015-2018). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=131) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=133)