# 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:** 205
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2022, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4089 "2022-03-28T02:48:03Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > just as all Polish names don’t end in “-ski” or “-witz” My wife is Polish on both sides. Her last name ends in “iak”, which is one of the variations that means “son of” or “little”. ---
**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 28, 2022, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4090 "2022-03-28T05:00:47Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > That’s not clear at all. I’m really disappointed with Snopes. The Michelson’s behind Snopes used to be active on the alt.folklore.urban (afu) newsgroup in the 1990s. They were pretty good but were blind to some things. They never would accept that the Zha Zha Gabor - Johnny Carson story was true. I had the feeling that they wouldn’t even believe it if they were in the studio audience that night. I must admit that I didn’t see it. I was taking a shower when it happened. My parents were watching Johnny Carson as they usually did. I started up the stairs and there was my younger brother cracking up. He had been in the living room and heard it happen. The next day, it was the talk of the school among the high school kids who saw it on the school bus (40 minutes each way gave plenty of time to discuss about anything) and in school. I don’t remember if it was the Michelson’s or someone else who suggested that it was all just a big prank played on me by my younger brother and the kids at school and it didn’t happen. Also, Zha Zha filed a lawsuit against Johnny Carson. I remember reading in the Amarillo paper in June that the lawsuit had been dismissed. Of course, the articles did not provide the full account, but everyone knew the reason for the lawsuit. There was also, about that time, an article in Time magazine in which they delicately just referred to the antics of having Zha Zha Gabor and Johnny Carson on the same show. The afu faq also claimed that no small, single engine aircraft were being produced in the US any more because of liability issues. I pointed out that that was blatant nonsense and gave examples, but they refused to change the faq until a certain pilot on the newsgroup agreed with me. So while Snopes is interesting, I don’t take anything it says as the last word on anything. ---
**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 28, 2022, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4091 "2022-03-28T11:26:03Z")
Thanks. I didn’t notice it was from **T** he **R** epository **O** f **L** ost **L** egends. In 1910, Burroughs was a poor pencil-sharpener wholesaler - he wasn’t buying land in California ---
**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:** [March 28, 2022, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4092 "2022-03-28T12:54:54Z")
Intelligence is apparently relative. Einstein’s brain weighed less than the average brain. ---
**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:** [March 28, 2022, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4093 "2022-03-28T16:01:31Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > Like when a character gets hit in the head with a frying pan and the face keeps that shape, so he shakes it. Ee yiii ee yiii ee yii… You mean like a [flex-a-tone](https://youtu.be/HEW1aG8XJQk?t=22)? ---
**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:** [March 28, 2022, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4094 "2022-03-28T16:14:53Z")
> [@billy-jack](#): > > Speaking of names, on my mother’s side was one family with four daughters. None of the daughters like their first names and so all four went to court to officially change it to what they wanted. I gotta know-did they succeed? ---
**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 28, 2022, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4095 "2022-03-28T17:51:53Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > I gotta know-did they succeed? Yeah. It was just a straightforward name change. I have often wonder what I would change my name to if I bothered to change it. ---
**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:** [March 28, 2022, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4096 "2022-03-28T18:48:34Z")
What would have been Comedy Gold was if each sister changed her name to that of one of her sisters! “OK, Mom. You still have 4 daughters and they are still named Ginger, Veronica, Mary-Ann and Betty. Just not in the order you did it in.” _Who the Hell Are You Now?_ - Coming this Fall on CBS. ---
**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:** [March 28, 2022, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4097 "2022-03-28T18:52:40Z")
They could do a Brady Bunch style credits sequence with lines connecting each. ---
**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:** [March 28, 2022, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4098 "2022-03-28T20:18:59Z")
I have a really old layman medical book. And I couldn’t believe this when I read. Doctors apparently counseled their depressed patients to drink alcohol. I am against any alcohol prohibition. And I think alcohol sometimes needlessly gets a bad rap. But even I have to admit. That’s a bad idea no matter how you look at it. ---
**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:** [March 28, 2022, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4099 "2022-03-28T20:23:41Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > Anything online regarding Mayim Bialik and confirmed allegations can be safely ignored as fake clickbait. > [@carnut](#): > > For some reason, my FB has been full of that clickbait. > [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Mine too! Was wondering what was up with all that, but not enough to, yanno, click. A variation has been making the rounds, implying that she’s either dying or dead. Same CBD BS. > **[Mayim Bialik says she's the victim of a 'hoax'](https://torontosun.com/entertainment/celebrity/mayim-bialik-says-shes-the-victim-of-a-hoax)** > > Mayim Bialik claims to be the victim of an advertising “hoax”. ---
**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:** [March 28, 2022, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4100 "2022-03-28T20:47:36Z")
Did some looking around and it’s almost exactly the same copy that targeted Whoopi towards the end of last year. > **[Did Oprah Winfrey Endorse Whoopi Goldberg’s CBD Line? | Colorado Marijuana Watch](https://coloradomarijuanawatch.com/did-oprah-winfrey-endorse-whoopi-goldbergs-cbd-line/)** > > In December 2021, Whoopi Goldberg, co-host of "The View," was exposed to a combination of a death scam and unauthorized CBD advocacy. To be clear, despite all claims, the film actress is not dead and did not own a line of CBD products, nor has Oprah... ---
**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 28, 2022, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4101 "2022-03-28T20:53:55Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#): > > I have a really old layman medical book. And I couldn’t believe this when I read. > > Doctors apparently counseled their depressed patients to drink alcohol. > > I am against any alcohol prohibition. And I think alcohol sometimes needlessly gets a bad rap. But even I have to admit. That’s a bad idea no matter how you look at it. Heck, they prescribed everything from cocaine to heroin for depression before some people noted that these substances are not particularly harmless. ---
**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 28, 2022, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4102 "2022-03-28T21:34:51Z")
I swear that every book published before WWII had a scene in which somebody faints or gets knocked out or even shot and the response is to give them brandy. ---
**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 28, 2022, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4103 "2022-03-28T21:46:24Z")
Every Western movie before 1970 had one of those brandy scenes. Shot wound, arrow wound, hypothermia, doesn’t matter, give 'em brandy. Heck, even Tippi Hedren was treated with brandy by Rod Taylor after almost having been eaten alive by seagulls in The Birds. ---
**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 28, 2022, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4104 "2022-03-28T23:26:43Z")
> [@pjd](#): > > You mean like a [flex-a-tone](https://youtu.be/HEW1aG8XJQk?t=22)? Thanks, but no. A lot of them are percussion instruments, though. I finally found it. At 2:52 the gremlin gets hit in the head with a beer bottle. That sound. How do they make it? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/BcWJaHZBEw0/maxresdefault.jpg "Gremlins 1984. BAR scene complete in HD") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcWJaHZBEw0) ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2022, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4105 "2022-03-28T23:27:02Z")
Well, if your only two choices are hurt or hurt and drunk, which would you choose? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2022, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4106 "2022-03-28T23:30:02Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > That reminds me of National League pitcher [Joe Genewich.](https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/genewjo01.shtml) From [The Big Show:](https://www.amazon.com/Big-Show-Baseball-Photographs-2011-09-01/dp/B01K3QE2WW) > > > I had a hard name to spell or pronounce. It is pure Polish and the American boys up around Elmira, New York, had a way of poking fun at the Poles. Even when they did say ‘Jen-e-wich’, the boys insisted on putting an ‘h’ on the end instead of a ‘z’ and I have had to use it that way ever since. The correct spelling is Genevicz. While I’m sure that’s how his family spelled it, it wouldn’t be “pure Polish” per se, as Polish does not have a “v.” ---
**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 29, 2022, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4107 "2022-03-29T01:23:20Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#): > > I have a really old layman medical book. And I couldn’t believe this when I read. When Teddy Roosevelt was a boy, he suffered from bad asthma. One prescribed treatment for an asthma attack was to give him a cigar to smoke. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2022, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4108 "2022-03-29T11:37:47Z")
Nitpick: Zsa Zsa, not Zha Zha. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=204) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=206)