# 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:** 161
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2021, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3208 "2021-12-02T21:29:45Z")
Oh yes, a [shibboleth](http://www.untrans.eu/english/words/shibboleth.html) is a beautiful concept. I still claim that it cannot be translated into German or Spanish, though a commenter wrote it _is_ German (a semitic loan, to be precise). Another one said that it may well be so, but he had never heard it before. I felt sort of vindicated. ---
**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:** [December 2, 2021, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3209 "2021-12-02T22:13:39Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > called a [shibboleth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shibboleth) Made me look, and good thing. I thought I had an idea from context of what shibboleth meant, but it was pretty wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2021, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3210 "2021-12-02T22:15:33Z")
I first learned the concept from an episode of The West Wing. ---
**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:** [December 3, 2021, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3211 "2021-12-03T01:10:33Z")
I was watching [Introducing, Selma Blair](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Introducing,_Selma_Blair), a documentary about her battle with MS. I was avoiding it for some reason but ended up thinking it was really excellent. 35 reviewers thought so too: it has a 100 on Rotten Tomatoes. She went in for stem cells and they basically lowered her immune system to 1%, then injected stem cells in the hope that the cells would build her a new one that wouldn’t attack her central nervous system. She mentions one person about her age died of infection shortly after having the treatment. Highly recommended if you have Discovery +. ---
**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:** [December 3, 2021, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3212 "2021-12-03T13:49:39Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > In Kentucky it’s Loo-uh-vill. In Colorado it’s Loo-iss-vill In New Jersey the state capitol is pronounced _Tren’n’_, with the second “t” swallowed up in a glottal stop or some’n’. In Delaware the similarly spelled town keeps both _t_s – _Tren-ton_ ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2021, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3213 "2021-12-03T14:02:56Z")
Likewise in New Jersey the city is “NEW-urk” while in Delaware the place with the same spelling is called “New-ARK” (though I suspect that people in Delaware have unconsciously (or consciously) learned to pronounce their city name differently enough to avoid confusion. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2021, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3214 "2021-12-03T14:13:02Z")
I had to be corrected – Oregon: Scio – SIGH o Philomath – fill O mth Washington: Puyallup – pew AL up Sequim — skwim Got those down and then I moved to Massachusetts and had to learn how to sloven my consonants anew. Wuhsta, Lemminsta, etc. ---
**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:** [December 3, 2021, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3215 "2021-12-03T14:22:16Z")
There are three active NHL players who have each played over 900 consecutive games: Keith Yandle (940), Phil Kessel (920), and Patrick Marleau (910). The current league record is 964 by Doug Jarvis. ---
**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:** [December 3, 2021, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3216 "2021-12-03T14:33:14Z")
Bienfait Saskatchewan is pronounced like “what ultimately happens to legumes”. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2021, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3217 "2021-12-03T15:14:20Z")
Similar situation with Beaufort. BOW-fort is in NC BYEW-fort is in SC ---
**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:** [December 3, 2021, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3218 "2021-12-03T15:24:08Z")
Houston, TX HOW-stin, GA. Spelled the same way irl, I just spelled the lesser known one phonetically in the local dialect. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2021, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3219 "2021-12-03T15:27:16Z")
And HOW-stin Street in NYC. It’s not named for Sam Houston. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2021, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3220 "2021-12-03T22:34:21Z")
I found out today that the Knight Rider theme tune was adapted from this brilliant tune: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Zge__luTQpc/hqdefault.jpg "Harry Thumann - Sphinx (1982)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zge__luTQpc) ---
**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:** [December 4, 2021, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3221 "2021-12-04T08:35:58Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > > [@digs](#): > > > > Like, near Seattle, _“Des Moines”: pronounced: Dez Moinz_ > > In Kentucky it’s Loo-uh-vill. In Colorado it’s Loo-iss-vill It’s closer to Lou-uh-Vulcan-ducky. -Superdude, who lives there. ---
**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:** [December 4, 2021, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3222 "2021-12-04T15:53:41Z")
Greenwich. “Grenitch” in Connecticut. “Green Wich” in New Jersey. ---
**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:** [December 5, 2021, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3223 "2021-12-05T17:35:17Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > called a [shibboleth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shibboleth) We used Scheveningen for this during WWII. Germans can’t pronounce the sch-sound like we do. ---
**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:** [December 5, 2021, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3224 "2021-12-05T17:38:45Z")
Isn’t the sch sound in Scheveningen pronounced as sk? ETA: nevermind, I think I remember how it’s really pronounced, not like sk, but rather with a sharp S instantly followed by a guttural ch sound. Am I in the right direction? And yes, this is hard to pronounce for a German. ---
**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:** [December 5, 2021, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3225 "2021-12-05T19:03:14Z")
A stray cat has been found in Nashville. It has a microchip [from Italy.](https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2021/12/02/cat-microchip-italy-nashville-airport-bna-animal-care-control/8837826002/) ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2021, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3226 "2021-12-05T19:23:15Z")
An orange tabby female is rare enough, indeed. Nothing like a male calico - three colors are almost always female: orange, white, and black - but a female orange cat is still unusual. Orange cats are usually, but not always, boyos. [Calico cat - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calico_cat) > Because the genetic determination of coat colors in calico cats is linked to the [X chromosome](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/X_chromosome), calicos are nearly always female, with one color linked to the maternal X chromosome and a second color linked to the paternal X chromosome.[[2]](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calico_cat#cite_note-Mosaicism-2)[[3]](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calico_cat#cite_note-3) In most cases, males are only one color (for instance, black) as they have only one X chromosome. Male calicoes can happen when a male cat has two X chromosomes ([Klinefelter syndrome](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klinefelter_syndrome), with XXY sex chromosomes and generally sterile); is a [chimera](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimera_(genetics)), with two different cell types;[[4]](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calico_cat#cite_note-4) or, rarely, when some skin cells of the developing kitten spontaneously mutate. ---
**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:** [December 5, 2021, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3227 "2021-12-05T23:55:58Z")
> [@Drsunflower1](#): > > We used Scheveningen for this during WWII. Germans can’t pronounce the sch-sound like we do. In the Len Deighton novel SS-GB (which is an alt-history where the Nazis occupy the UK in WWII) the resistance make suspects say “Wolverhampton Wanderers”, presuming a German infiltrator will say the Ws as Vs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=160) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=162)