# 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:** 166
**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:** [December 22, 2021, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3308 "2021-12-22T11:10:46Z")
A second post in this thread about the Pre-Raphaelite artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti! Inspired by the find of a drawing by him in a local National Trust property, I read his wiki. > Rossetti was fascinated with wombats, asking friends to meet him at the “Wombat’s Lair” at the London Zoo in Regent’s Park, and spending hours there. In September 1869, he acquired the first of two pet wombats, which he named “Top”. It was brought to the dinner table and allowed to sleep in the large centrepiece during meals. Rossetti’s fascination with exotic animals continued throughout his life, culminating in the purchase of a llama and a toucan, which he dressed in a cowboy hat and trained to ride the llama round the dining-table for his amusement. All that and he could [knock out a mean portrait](https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/lowres-picturecabinet.com/115/main/12/356516.jpg). j ---
**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 22, 2021, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3309 "2021-12-22T14:03:24Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, kale, collard greens, Savoy cabbage, and kohlrabi are all cultivars of the same species _Brassica oleracea_ . On my way to looking up something else I learned that _collard greens_ are called that because it’s a “worn down” version of _colewort_, as in “cole” = cabbage (as in _cole slaw_) and “wort” = “plant” (as in _St. John’s wort_) ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2021, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3310 "2021-12-23T12:44:38Z")
That Game Of Thrones had its own Clue version made and distributed. ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2021, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3311 "2021-12-23T21:01:51Z")
_The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad_ (1958), _Robin and the Seven Hoods_ (1964) and _Castle Keep_ (1969) are certainly among a very tiny number – possibly the only examples - of movies which feature two cyclops each. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2021, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3312 "2021-12-23T22:19:03Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > That Game Of Thrones had its own Clue version made and distributed. That’s awesome. How about The Mountain and the dragons - are they characters or weapons? If The Mountain is a character, I feel that “violence” should be a weapon. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2021, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3313 "2021-12-23T22:52:13Z")
> [@Dropo](#): > > of movies which feature two cyclops each. Would a two-headed cyclops be a bi-clops? And as far as the GOT game, all i’ve been able to learn is that it’s a two-sided board. Here’s a review (which I have not watched). [Clue: Game Of Thrones — Rules of Play](https://rulesofplay.co.uk/products/clue-game-of-thrones) ---
**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 23, 2021, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3314 "2021-12-23T23:13:36Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > Would a two-headed cyclops be a bi-clops? No, biclops is a superhero with glasses. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/P0QuKjY4-Pc/hqdefault.jpg "BICLOPS") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0QuKjY4-Pc) ---
**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 23, 2021, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3315 "2021-12-23T23:57:30Z")
> [@Dropo](#): > > _ **The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad** _ (1958), _Robin and the Seven Hoods_ (1964) and _Castle Keep_ (1969) are certainly among a very tiny number – possibly the only examples - of movies which feature two cyclops each. Eye eye, cap’n! ---
**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:** [December 24, 2021, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3316 "2021-12-24T00:07:05Z")
Today I learned that under the right conditions, soft-bodied animals _can_ fossilize. 🤯 🤯 > **[Soft tissue fossil clues could help search for ancient life on Earth and...](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180216084915.htm)** > > Fossils that preserve entire organisms (including both hard and soft body parts) are critical to our understanding of evolution and ancient life on Earth. However, these exceptional deposits are extremely rare. New research suggests that the... ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2021, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3317 "2021-12-25T19:43:35Z")
The world’s largest gingerbread house was constructed 8 years ago in Texas, beating out the previous record holder built inside the Mall of America. > **[Texas group breaks world record for the largest gingerbread house](https://people.com/celebrity/texas-group-breaks-world-record-for-the-largest-gingerbread-house/)** > > The tasty abode was constructed with close to 36 million calories worth of edible materials, including over 22,000 pieces of candy ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2021, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3318 "2021-12-27T05:35:31Z")
Anyone that has used Unix has grepped something. What does _grep_ [stand for](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTfOnGZUZDk)? global / regular expression / print ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2021, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3319 "2021-12-27T06:08:52Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Anyone that has used Unix has grepped something. What does _grep_ [stand for](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTfOnGZUZDk)? > global / regular expression / print   Now I grok the grep. ---
**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 27, 2021, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3320 "2021-12-27T07:58:34Z")
And, speaking of grok, anyone can order [their very own “I Grok Spock”](https://www.google.com/search?q=i+grok+spock&hl=en&prmd=isnxv&sxsrf=AOaemvIUXGDigT2bP1mYCaYklZ5SywbiDQ:1640591836422&source=lnms&tbm=shop&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjx9oXtwIP1AhXNQjABHQHBD1oQ_AUIFigC&biw=320&bih=454&dpr=2) T-shirt. ---
**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 29, 2021, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3321 "2021-12-29T14:13:54Z")
After the [Uberlingen midair collision](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_%C3%9Cberlingen_mid-air_collision) involving a DHL plane and Bashkirian Airlines Flight claimed the life of his wife and two children (71 total deaths), architect [Vitaly Kaloyev](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitaly_Kaloyev) held air traffic controller Peter Nielsen responsible. So he murdered him, stabbing him to death. > in 2005, he was sentenced to eight years for [manslaughter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manslaughter). However, his sentence was later reduced after a Swiss judge ruled that he had acted with diminished responsibility.[[33]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_%C3%9Cberlingen_mid-air_collision#cite_note-Franchetti-45) > > He was released in November 2007, having spent less than four years in prison, because his mental condition was not sufficiently considered in the initial sentence. In January 2008, he was appointed deputy construction minister of [North Ossetia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Ossetia). Kaloyev was treated as a hero back home, and expressed no regret for his actions, instead blaming the murder victim for his own death.[[33]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_%C3%9Cberlingen_mid-air_collision#cite_note-Franchetti-45) In 2016, Kaloyev was awarded the highest state medal by the government, the medal “To the Glory of Ossetia”.[[23]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_%C3%9Cberlingen_mid-air_collision#cite_note-casefilepodcast2-35) The medal is awarded for the highest achievements, improving the living conditions of the inhabitants of the region, educating the younger generation, and maintaining law and order.[[34]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_%C3%9Cberlingen_mid-air_collision#cite_note-46) ---
**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:** [December 29, 2021, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3322 "2021-12-29T15:20:02Z")
The wonderful environmental activist **Greta Thunberg** ’s middle names include **Tintin**. I couldn’t be more pleased. > **[Greta Thunberg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greta_Thunberg)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > > > Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg (Swedish: \[ˈɡrêːta ˈtʉ̂ːnbærj\] (listen); born 3 January 2003) is a Swedish environmental activist who is known for challenging world leaders to take immediate action for climate change mitigation. > Thunberg's activism began when she persuaded her parents to adopt lifestyle choices that reduced their own carbon footprint. In August 2018, at age 15, she started spending her Fridays outside the Swedish Parlia... j ETA for those (if any) unfamiliar with Tintin > **[The Adventures of Tintin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Tintin)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > > The Adventures of Tintin (French: Les Aventures de Tintin \[lez‿avɑ̃tyʁ də tɛ̃tɛ̃\]) is a series of 24 bande dessinée albums created by Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, who wrote under the pen name Hergé. The series was one of the most popular European comics of the 20th century. By 2007, a century after Hergé's birth in 1907, Tintin had been published in more than 70 languages with sales of more than 200 million copies, and had been adapted for ... ---
**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:** [December 29, 2021, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3323 "2021-12-29T19:01:22Z")
At post 1341 in this thread, a conversation about naming gritters started (culminating with a vehicle called Gritter Thunberg, which is why I looked her up in passing - hence my earlier post). What I didn’t know until today is that refuse trucks (“Bin Lorries” in the UK) are also named by certain UK local authorities. It started in 2018 (or possibly earlier) and so may predate the naming of gritters. We found out about the names because we drove past **Bin Crosby** , [one of the trucks operated by Reigate and Banstead](https://www.reigate-banstead.gov.uk/info/20062/recycling_and_refuse/1134/naming_the_rubbish_trucks) (link lists all their trucks’ names and has a photo). Thurrock started doing this in 2018 ([list of their trucks, and the primary schools that named them](https://www.thurrock.gov.uk/household-waste-and-recycling/bin-lorry-names). I particularly like **Dustbin Bieber** ). Likewise Coventry, but their names were less funny. j ---
**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 29, 2021, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3324 "2021-12-29T22:21:33Z")
[Avianca Flight 52](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avianca_Flight_52#Investigation) According to [this video (free if you have Prime),](https://www.amazon.com/Unlocking-Disaster/dp/B07JVVXRK7/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1KSSOKGGJI9RI&keywords=air+disasters&qid=1640786242&s=instant-video&sprefix=air+disaster%2Cinstant-video%2C94&sr=) some of the dead from the crash were taken to a morgue and guarded because their bodies were worth $1M (it turns out they were drug mules who had ingested balloons with cocaine and the police were afraid the cartels would steal the bodies). Perhaps this tipped off the authorities (from the article at top): > Two male passengers were arrested at [North Shore Hospital](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Shore_University_Hospital) after a nurse informed police that 46-year-old Antonio Zuluaga had [swallowed containers filled with cocaine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mule_(smuggling)#Swallowing). Zuluaga, who had a fractured spine, broken ribs, and a dislocated hip, was the second passenger to be found in possession of cocaine packages, after doctors operating on Jose Figueroa on the day after the crash to stop internal bleeding had also discovered packets of cocaine. Not sure how many total mules were on the flight. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2021, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3325 "2021-12-30T02:13:25Z")
> [@Precambrianmollusc](#): > > I just found out out what brussel sprouts planst look like when growing. They are weird. If you think they’re weird, you should see [kohlrabi](https://cdn.harvesttotable.com/htt/2009/03/23180818/Kohlrabi-bulb.jpg)! ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2021, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3326 "2021-12-30T11:50:50Z")
English surnames can tell you a lot about a person’s ancestry. First some meanings of some prefixes and suffixes. _Cald_ means ‘cold’. _Lang_ means ‘long’. _Brad_ means ‘broad’. _Lee_ (or ‘-ly’, ‘-ley’, ‘-lea’, etc.) means ‘meadow’. And I once read somewhere ‘-ing’ is a patronymical suffix (try saying that after three drinks). So _Caldwell_ means ‘cold well’ (Aren’t all wells cold? I digress.) _Bradford_ means ‘broad ford’ (a ford is a shallow crossing in a stream that can be easily traversed—just think of the Scandinavian _fjord_). _Langley_ means ‘long meadow’. George Washington apparently had an ancestor who lived by a stream (that is the meaning of _wash_ BTW). But I can’t get over Oxford. It is one of the preeëminent universities in the world. And its name literally means a passing in the stream where people used to take their oxen through. BTW speaking of Oxford, did you know that the adjectival form of Oxford is ‘Oxonian’? It’s derived from the Latin word for Oxford, ‘Oxonia’. There is an Oxford in Michigan where I live. Is that the proper adjectival form for it too? (I’m still wondering if people from Troy, Michigan are really _Trojans_ 😉 .) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2021, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3327 "2021-12-30T13:00:58Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#): > > a ford is a shallow crossing in a stream that can be easily traversed—just think of the Scandinavian _fjord_ The relationship between these two words is interesting. A _fjord_ is not something easily crossed - quite the opposite, it’s a glacial inlet that passes between steep cliffs (cognate also with _firth_ in English). It appears that the root for both _ford_ and _fjord_ was a word that meant pass through, penetrate. In a _ford_ it is a traveler passing through the water, a shallow crossing; in a _fjord_ it is the water passing between steep cliffs. [Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/pértus - Wiktionary, the free dictionary](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/p%C3%A9rtus) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=165) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=167)