# 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:** 219
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2022, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4369 "2022-05-07T14:54:34Z")
Marrying off her children to foreign kings was Queen Victoria’s plan for peace in Europe. I wonder how that worked out. ---
**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:** [May 7, 2022, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4370 "2022-05-07T17:05:51Z")
Family fights are the _worst_. ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2022, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4371 "2022-05-07T17:25:04Z")
Some cats love the smell of dead ants. They release a chemical called oleic acid. I discovered this because yesterday my neighbours cat was rolling all over something on my driveway and acting all nippered. I went out to see and he was happily rolling around on an ants nest, squishing and smelling their dead bodies. He had little ants on him trying to defend themselves against the giddy Godzilla kitty. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2022, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4372 "2022-05-08T07:57:44Z")
Interesting. I read an anecdote about Bach and his sons in which they were laughing about another composer of their time because he actually needed a keyboard to compose something. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2022, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4373 "2022-05-08T08:01:02Z")
The Times Square New Year’s Ball Drop is a descendant of a time-signalling device called the time ball. [Time ball - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_ball) ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2022, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4374 "2022-05-08T14:03:45Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > The year after 9/11 there was a ‘rolling Requiem’ on the day, which started in New Zealand (Kiri Te Kanawa sang in it there) which was set up to sequentially across the whole planet to sing the Requiem beginning at 8:46 a.m. wherever you were. I was in one of the west-coast-of-North-America ones. Thank you for the memory. I remember driving up next to Safeco field (in Seattle) which was the venue for the post 911 Requiem. I wonder if you were there. Anyway, rather than pay for tickets/ go thru the hassle of going in, and because I happened to be in the neighborhood, I was parked nearby, close enough to listen in. Just at the start, I think after the opening measure or two, a nearby train let loose with a very loud and long train whistle that blew away the music. After it finally finished, and after a pause of a few seconds, the music started again. I don’t think the train was necessarily trying to be a nuisance, but maybe the engineer wanted to participate. ---
**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:** [May 8, 2022, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4375 "2022-05-08T14:38:12Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > Interesting. I read an anecdote about Bach and his sons in which they were laughing about another composer of their time because he actually needed a keyboard to compose something. Bach was a bit of an ass. He also had that quote about all one had to do was hit the right note at the right time. “Just like that, but better!” ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2022, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4376 "2022-05-08T17:33:34Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Bach was a bit of an ass. Isn’t that another common characteristic of composers? ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2022, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4377 "2022-05-08T23:30:21Z")
Regulations require a long/long/short/long when approaching a crossing. The engineer might or might not have wanted to participate, but wouldn’t have much choice. (I recall that Major League Baseball wanted the trains silenced during the 2001 All-Star game, but was more or less politely told to pound sand. Even if the regulations could have been waived — unlikely given the number of crossings in the area — the sound was already part of the ambience of what was known at the time as Safeco Field.) ---
**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2022, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4378 "2022-05-09T00:47:09Z")
Crossing No. 9 [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/WakBgo8595o/maxresdefault.jpg "Crossing No. 9") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WakBgo8595o) ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2022, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4379 "2022-05-09T21:00:35Z")
Thanks for posting that. He’s an excellent picker. I’ve always liked his album Whiskey Before Breakfast. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4380 "2022-05-10T01:09:23Z")
After hearing about the escaped convict and his corrections office girlfriend, I learned a new term. Hybristophilia. Sexual interest in and attraction to those who commit crimes. In some cases, this may be directed toward people in prison for various types of criminal activities. ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4381 "2022-05-10T15:03:30Z")
A paper on the collective motion of humans in mosh pits and circles at heavy metal concerts. Using video and image tracking, some pretty cool modeling and some serious science. The point possible use for inproving crowd safty and developing models and methods for other crowd tracking stuff. Well I thought it was cool . > **[Fermat's Library | Collective Motion of Humans in Mosh and Circle Pits at...](https://fermatslibrary.com/s/collective-motion-of-humans-in-mosh-and-circle-pits-at-heavy-metal-concerts#email-newsletter)** > > Fermat's Library is a platform for illuminating academic papers. ---
**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:** [May 10, 2022, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4382 "2022-05-10T15:24:45Z")
Statisically, about 2/3 of twin births are fraternal. ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2022, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4383 "2022-05-11T00:44:44Z")
Alvy Moore, best known as dingbat agricultural agent Hank Kimball on Green Acres, was a Marine in WWII who fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2022, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4384 "2022-05-11T11:08:23Z")
Magnolias are pollinated by beetles. Because they were around before bees evolved. ---
**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:** [May 11, 2022, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4385 "2022-05-11T18:36:08Z")
Somewhere around Pescara, Italy, is a drummer who uses rubber chickens as drumsticks. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/wHLVjWZ7yB8/maxresdefault.jpg "Percussion with Plastic Poultry, Pans and Pipes || ViralHog") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHLVjWZ7yB8) ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2022, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4386 "2022-05-11T19:26:40Z")
> [@Reeses\_Monkey](#): > > …Green Acres… Eddie Albert of _Green Acres_ fame was a decorated sailor who was [awarded the Bronze Star for heroism during the Battle of Tarawa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Albert#Military): > [@](#): > > He was awarded the Bronze Star with Combat “V” for his actions during the invasion of Tarawa in November 1943, when, as the coxswain of a Coast Guard landing craft, he rescued 47 Marines who were stranded offshore (and supervised the rescue of 30 others), while under heavy enemy machine-gun fire. I learned that when reading a travelogue detailing a [modern-day nomad’s 2-year-long living experience on Tarawa.](https://www.amazon.com/Sex-Lives-Cannibals-Equatorial-Pacific/dp/0767915305) In keeping with the spirit of the thread, TIL that Eddie Albert and Burl Ives were roommates before WWII, when they were both Broadway actors. And that Eddie Albert’s first film role was in a Ronald Reagan film. ---
**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:** [May 11, 2022, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4387 "2022-05-11T21:35:54Z")
James Cromwell protested Starbucks placing surcharge on vegan milk. > **[James Cromwell superglued his hand to a Starbucks counter to protest vegan...](https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/11/business-food/james-cromwell-starbucks-protest/index.html)** > > James Cromwell, one of the stars in "Succession," superglued himself to a counter of a Starbucks in New York protesting the chain's surcharge on vegan milks. Too bad that he’s chosen to associate with PETA. ---
**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:** [May 12, 2022, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4388 "2022-05-12T01:58:09Z")
Brian Keith, star of _Family Affair_ was the son of actor Robert Keith. Brian’s stepmother, Peg Entwistle, divorced his father when he was eight. A few years later, Entwistle became a Hollywood legend for committing suicide by jumping off the Hollywoodland sign. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=218) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=220)