# 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:** 136
**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:** [September 22, 2021, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2708 "2021-09-22T21:34:35Z")
Cec Linder played Felix Leiter in the movie “Goldfinger”. I just learned that his father was a rabbi in Timmins, Ontario. ---
**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:** [September 23, 2021, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2709 "2021-09-23T12:06:34Z")
While researching for the Topic Playlist thread, I found that the song “Richard Cory” was covered by the band Martini Ranch in their 1982 album _Holy Cow_, which I used to own. I never realized Bill Paxton was one of the members, the same guy from _Aliens_ and _Weird Science._ The video for their song “Reach” was directed by James Cameron, and featured appearances from Paxton’s costars from his movies like Lance Hendrickson, Paul Reiser, and Jenette Goldstein. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rkz0Lx6VyxA/hqdefault.jpg "Martini Ranch / "REACH" (Official Video) Bill Paxton-Andrew Todd-Director James Cameron") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkz0Lx6VyxA) ---
**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:** [September 23, 2021, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2710 "2021-09-23T14:26:47Z")
Irwin Allen’s “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea” lasted four seasons. The fourth season had NO female actors in any episode. (Too bad. Seems like he could have worked Vitina Marcus in at least once!) ---
**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:** [September 23, 2021, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2711 "2021-09-23T18:32:24Z")
That is awesome ! ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2021, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2712 "2021-09-24T00:33:37Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Isn’t this the first scene from a standard Sci-Fi thriller? Or a video game? Sound like it’s time to review the awesomeness of HBO’s _Chernobyl_ dubbed with audio from the game _Half-Life_… [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCE7GDkOhMM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCE7GDkOhMM) ---
**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:** [September 24, 2021, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2713 "2021-09-24T10:15:11Z")
Some estimates have suggested that around one in three South Korean women between 19 and 29 have had plastic surgery. Others have put that number at 50% or higher. > **[People have the wrong idea about the 3 most popular procedures in South...](https://www.businessinsider.com/south-korea-plastic-surgery-gangnam-biggest-misconception-2018-6)** > > South Korea has the highest rate of plastic surgeries per capita in the world. The most popular surgeries are skin whitening, nose jobs, and double-eyelid surgery, which many critics have taken to mean that Koreans are trying to look more... ---
**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 25, 2021, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2714 "2021-09-25T08:34:20Z")
Bill Paxton was also in Pat Benetar’s _Shadows of the Night_ video with Judge Reinhold, and was also the star of the [video](https://youtu.be/cn73Wtem0No) for _Fish Heads_ by Barnes and Barnes. ---
**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:** [September 25, 2021, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2715 "2021-09-25T12:07:33Z")
Not exactly Christmas decorations, but Christmas stuff is now to be seen in the big-box stores. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2021, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2716 "2021-09-25T12:28:19Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > Hippos can’t swim. > With their eyes, ears, and nostrils on the top of the head, hippos can hear, see, and breathe while most of their body is underwater. Hippos also have a set of built-in goggles: a clear membrane covers their eyes for protection while still allowing them to see when underwater. Their nostrils close, and they can hold their breath for five minutes or longer when submerged. Hippos can even sleep underwater, using a reflex that allows them to bob up, take a breath, and sink back down without waking up. [https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/hippo](https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/hippo) ---
**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:** [September 25, 2021, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2717 "2021-09-25T13:17:32Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > Bill Paxton was also in Pat Benetar’s _Shadows of the Night_ video with Judge Reinhold, and was also the star of the [video](https://youtu.be/cn73Wtem0No) for _Fish Heads_ by Barnes and Barnes. One of the “Barnes” in Barnes and Barnes was actor Bill Mumy. (The other “Barnes” was a friend from high school.) ---
**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:** [September 25, 2021, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2718 "2021-09-25T14:32:38Z")
[Mayim Bialik](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayim_Bialik) and her family are not vaccinated. I find this to be very disorienting. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2021, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2719 "2021-09-25T14:59:30Z")
> [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](#): > > [Mayim Bialik](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayim_Bialik) and her family are not vaccinated. Not quite accurate - from your own link: > In October 2020, amid the [COVID-19 pandemic](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic), she said that though she had not received a vaccination in 30 years, she planned to be vaccinated against both the [flu](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza) and the coronavirus and that her children had received all required vaccinations. ---
**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:** [September 25, 2021, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2720 "2021-09-25T15:27:34Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > In October 2020, amid the [COVID-19 pandemic](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic), she said that though she had not received a vaccination in 30 years, she planned to be vaccinated against both the [flu](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza) and the coronavirus and that her children had received all required vaccinations. Thank you. ---
**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:** [September 25, 2021, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2721 "2021-09-25T15:50:28Z")
> [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](#): > > Not exactly Christmas decorations, but Christmas stuff is now to be seen in the big-box stores. So at around the same time that it has been for decades ---
**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:** [September 25, 2021, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2722 "2021-09-25T17:45:44Z")
The currently most common meaning of the phrase “forlorn hope” (a faint hope) is entirely unrelated to its original meaning. It comes from the Dutch “verloren hoop”, which literally means “lost troop” and refers to a group of soldiers sent out on a suicide mission. The Dutch word “hoop” means “troop” and is unrelated to the English word “hope”, although it is related to “heap”. Through folk etymology and a vague semantic similarity (a “lost troop” would have faint hope of survival), the phrase was corrupted into its current meaning, in which “hope” seems to be the normal English word. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2021, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2723 "2021-09-25T18:02:38Z")
People who read David Drake books know this. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2021, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2724 "2021-09-25T19:14:33Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > “forlorn hope” The French equivalent is _Enfants perdus_ literally “Lost children”. ---
**Author:** ![Drsunflower1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drsunflower1/32/12711_2.png) [@Drsunflower1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drsunflower1)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2021, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2725 "2021-09-25T20:00:31Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > verloren hoop”, which literally means “lost troop” True. But hoop definitely means hope as well in Dutch. The word has multiple meanings. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2021, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2726 "2021-09-25T20:24:37Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Who knew? 👋 ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2021, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/2727 "2021-09-26T19:26:13Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > People who read David Drake books know this I learned it from a Bernard Cornwell “Sharpe…” novel. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=135) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=137)