# 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:** 200
**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:** [March 18, 2022, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3989 "2022-03-18T12:36:11Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > But using bits of dead people seems very very different to me from yanking bits out of live people. Maybe you caught this bit. > **[Why Calling Slaves 'Workers' Is More Than An Editing Error](https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/10/23/450826208/why-calling-slaves-workers-is-more-than-an-editing-error)** > > This high school geography textbook calls slaves "workers" and "immigrants." The publisher is working to correct the error, but what does it tell us about teaching history? I know that you have to pick and choose what goes into history books—there’s a lot to learn and all that. I’d heard about Washington having wooden teeth, then someone said, no, false teeth and I thought oh, from cadavers probably. Am I the only one just learning this? _Poll ([view on site](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3989))_ ---
**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:** [March 18, 2022, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3990 "2022-03-18T13:24:51Z")
I didn’t vote because a British vote is probably meaningless in that poll. But for what it’s worth, of course I knew Washington had wooden teeth, everyone knows that. Er… what did you just say…? j ---
**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:** [March 18, 2022, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3991 "2022-03-18T13:34:41Z")
I am sure this is common knowledge to many movie buffs, but I recently learned that a lot of the background sounds you hear in a movie were added during post-production. Just lots of small things, like wind noise, crumpling paper, or setting a cup down on a table. Over dubbing is also common. As an example, the 1977 horror film [Suspiria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suspiria) was filmed with no audio being recorded. All the sounds, including dialog, were added during post-production. During filming, the offscreen construction crew was making all kinds of noises with saws and hammering and whatnot, and the actors simply ignored it. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3992 "2022-03-18T13:35:23Z")
Yeah, this is the first I’ve learned that his fake teeth weren’t made of wood. (Wood is a terrible material for teeth… They had ceramics then, didn’t they? And gold. Gold if an excellent material for false teeth. Where did the idea of wooden teeth come from anyway?) ---
**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:** [March 18, 2022, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3993 "2022-03-18T13:40:17Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I am sure this is common knowledge to many movie buffs, but I recently learned that a lot of the background sounds you hear in a movie were added during post-production. Just lots of small things, like wind noise, crumpling paper, or setting a cup down on a table. I only learned three years ago that my cousin, whom I hadn’t met since we were children, does exactly that for a living. He mostly works for big productions for German TV. Yeah, every little sound in a movie, from gun shots over car wheel noises up to opening a bottle or as you mention, putting down a glass on a table, is put in post-production. ---
**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:** [March 18, 2022, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3994 "2022-03-18T13:42:24Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > every little sound in a movie, from gun shots over car wheel noises up to opening a bottle or as you mention, putting down a glass on a table, is put in post-production. And what’s incredible is just how _ **well** _ it’s done. It must take years to learn how to do it right. ---
**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:** [March 18, 2022, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3995 "2022-03-18T13:44:06Z")
Sure, but I’m sure that sound guys like my cousin today have extensive databases with files of all the different sounds you can imagine, which makes the job easier than in earlier times. Of course there’ll be still a lot of tweaking and editing to get it right to fit smoothly into the score. I’m not 100% sure, but I think my cousin is a learned sound engineer. He also makes electronic music and is a DJ. ---
**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:** [March 18, 2022, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3996 "2022-03-18T13:47:45Z")
What’s even weirder is that _I was perfectly well aware_ that human teeth (well, cadaver teeth anyway) were used for dentures at around that time - but I never thought to question the story of George Washington’s wooden teeth. j ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3997 "2022-03-18T13:55:48Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I am sure this is common knowledge to many movie buffs, but I recently learned that a lot of the background sounds you hear in a movie were added during post-production. Just lots of small things, like wind noise, crumpling paper, or setting a cup down on a table. Over dubbing is also common. Arguably the most famous instance of this: > **[Wilhelm scream](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_scream)** > > The Wilhelm scream is a stock sound effect that has been used in a number of films and TV series, beginning in 1951 with the film Distant Drums. The scream is usually used when someone is shot, falls from a great height, or is thrown from an explosion. The sound is named after Private Wilhelm, a character in The Charge at Feather River, a 1953 Western in which the character gets shot in the thigh with an arrow. This was its first use following its inclusion in the Warner Bros. stock sound library... Search YouTube for compilations, and you’ll find dozens of instances where this specific sound was dubbed into TV shows and movies. For people who know about it, it’s an amusing detail to listen for when watching new content. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3998 "2022-03-18T14:58:21Z")
There is one Herb, and seven Peaches. > **[Peaches & Herb](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peaches_%26_Herb)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > Peaches & Herb is an American vocal duo. Herb Fame (born October 1, 1941) has remained a constant as "Herb" since the duo was created in 1966; seven different women have filled the role of "Peaches", most notably Francine Edna "Peaches" Hurd Barker (April 28, 1947 – August 13, 2005), the original "Peaches" who lent her nickname to the duo, and Linda Greene Tavani, the third "Peaches", who appeared on the duo's biggest hits "Shake Your Groove Thi... ---
**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:** [March 18, 2022, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/3999 "2022-03-18T15:08:46Z")
I learned “wood” in school, later changed to ivory. I only learned about using real human teeth (removed from living people who couldn’t stop it) within the last few months. ---
**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:** [March 18, 2022, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4000 "2022-03-18T17:20:47Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > There is one Herb, and seven Peaches. I guess if there’s a precedent for that, it might be Wilson, Keppel and Betty. > **[Wilson, Keppel and Betty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilson,_Keppel_and_Betty)** > > Wilson, Keppel and Betty formed a popular British music hall and vaudeville act in the middle decades of the 20th century. They capitalised on the fashion for Ancient Egyptian imagery following the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun. The "sand dance" that formed the highlight of their act was a parody of postures from Egyptian tomb paintings, combined with references to Arabic costume. The lithe and extremely lanky Wilson and Keppel, who wore long moustaches and make-up to emphasise the shar... > George Melly, the celebrated jazz vocalist is quoted in his biography as saying “There were several Bettys, they would get rid of one after about 10 years.” Melly was mistaken in this as each dancer was part of the act for years or was on a short-term contract; all agreed, however, that Wilson and Keppel were a joy to work with. In addition to Betty (1928–1941) and Patsy Knox (1942–1950), the Bettys included Edna May Lark (who once stood in for Patsy Knox), Jean Bamberger (1933), Eunice Roberts (1941), Barbara Holt (1951), Irené Edwin-Scott (1951–54), Mary Wemys (who appeared in the act in Las Vegas in 1954), Valerie Cottrell (1955–56), Maureen Drew (1956 and the first Betty to appear on television),[citation needed] and Jean McKinnon, who took over in 1956 and was the last Betty when the act broke up in 1962. I have no idea if they are known at all in the States. They were basically one trick ponies, but built a career on the trick. > The act included a soft-shoe routine performed on a layer of sand spread on the stage to create a rhythmic scratching with their shuffling feet and was usually performed to the familiar Egyptian Ballet (1875), by Alexandre Luigini. If it’s cultural appropriation, then it’s a wildly caricaturish version of it. More like cultural misappropriation. For the purpose of science, here’s a clip, link spoilered. [spoiler][https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2fqjsijaMM[/spoiler]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2fqjsijaMM%5B/spoiler%5D) j ---
**Author:** ![billy-jack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@billy-jack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billy-jack)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2022, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4001 "2022-03-18T21:59:15Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > During filming, the offscreen construction crew was making all kinds of noises with saws and hammering and whatnot, and the actors simply ignored it. After the Houston Moonlight Ramble one year (I lived near there for a little while), many of us rode over to where they were filming scenes for RoboCop 2 at about 3 am one morning. They were pretty upset at the sounds from the relatively quiet crowd and kept announcing that if we didn’t be quiet, the police would clear the street entirely. I must admit that it was all a bit dull. There wasn’t really any action that we could see from where we were standing. ---
**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:** [March 20, 2022, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4002 "2022-03-20T17:10:18Z")
Wow. That’s weird. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4003 "2022-03-20T18:33:48Z")
And Asimov talks about everything but I can’t find a word about this anywhere. ---
**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:** [March 20, 2022, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4004 "2022-03-20T19:27:08Z")
Yeah, I read his autobiography and he talks plenty about thr Gnome edition but not this ---
**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:** [March 20, 2022, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4005 "2022-03-20T21:59:31Z")
> [@billy-jack](#): > > I must admit that it was all a bit dull. There wasn’t really any action that we could see from where we were standing. Watching a movie being made is very dull. They spend a lot of time setting up the shot and it can be an hour or more before they’re ready to shoot a one-minute scene. Then they reset things and shoot again. And the shot might not even make it into the movie. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4006 "2022-03-21T02:29:32Z")
Yeah, whenever I was chatting with a young actor or model on set, I’d ask them how they deal with being bored. “Oh, I HATE it! I can’t stand sitting around!” And I’d point out a veteran and say "How long you think she’s been here today? She got here at 6am for costuming, then makeup and they were supposed to start filming at nine, but there were lighting issues, so after sitting in the makeup chair for hours, she’s been sitting in that chair for four hours. She has to be there when they’re ready for her, but no one has any idea when that’ll be. (Well, see, I was getting bored, and I figured crushing a child’s dream was at least something to do…) ---
**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:** [March 21, 2022, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4007 "2022-03-21T13:18:57Z")
A Tesla went airborne. It’s captured on multiple cellphone videos > **[Watch Airborne Tesla's 'Super Dangerous' Jump On Steep Los Angeles Street Go...](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/tesla-jump-los-angeles-video_n_62384349e4b0d39357c9df95)** > > This show-off stunt on Baxter Street in the Echo Park area wasn't for a movie. I’m not clear on whether the car was fleeing a hit-and-run case or if it hit another car after the jump and that constituted the 'hit an run". The driver evidently fled his car. ---
**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:** [March 21, 2022, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4008 "2022-03-21T14:08:50Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > I only learned about using real human teeth (removed from living people who couldn’t stop it) within the last few months. Adding to the intrigue is the fact that Washington recorded that he paid his slaves for their teeth. Now, that certain doesn’t mean that it was a voluntary decision, but it does create so many questions about the dynamic between slave and master. I mean, why would a slave need money, if not because they had a chance to use it to buy things? > [@](#): > > Deep within one of [Washington’s account books](https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/health/teeth/)is an entry which details Washington’s purchase of nine teeth from “Negroes” for 122 shillings. (There’s a story about how Washington’s chef - a slave named Hercules Posey - earned extra money by selling leftovers. Now, Hercules eventually escaped, so he certainly made use of that income, but I’d have expected that your typical enslaved person wasn’t able to go to the store to spend their money) > **[George Washington's Teeth](https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/health/washingtons-teeth/)** > > Were George Washington's dentures really made of wood? Separate fact from fiction and learn more about George Washington and his troublesome teeth. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=199) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=201)