# 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:** 223
**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:** [May 18, 2022, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4449 "2022-05-18T02:45:08Z")
The soil in Virginia is literally _red_. My father and I took a trip to Monticello (Jefferson’s old home) in Virginia. And it is hard not to notice. Especially when you are from Michigan, where the soil is black or gray (depending on the moisture in it at the time). Another tourist noticed it too. IANAChemist. But I assume that this phenomenon is due to the iron oxide in the soil. ---
**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:** [May 18, 2022, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4450 "2022-05-18T02:49:12Z")
Why, hon, thass jes’ like the worl’-fay’mous _Gaw’-ja Raid Cligh!_ (That’s “Georgia Red Clay”, yankee). ---
**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 18, 2022, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4451 "2022-05-18T03:59:44Z")
The dress Judy Garland wore as Dorothy Gale is the subject of a contested ownership. > **[Catholic University’s auction of ‘Wizard of Oz’ dress uncertain after judge’s...](https://wtop.com/dc/2022/05/catholic-universitys-auction-of-wizard-of-oz-dress-uncertain-after-judges-order/)** > > The auction of a dress worn by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz” is uncertain, after a judge ordered Catholic University in D.C. and auction house Bonhams to not do anything with the dress until the case is heard. ---
**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 18, 2022, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4452 "2022-05-18T04:18:49Z")
Not just Virginia. There’s red clay soil found all over Maryland and states south. Red is the color of soil, you just have the dull brown and gray kind most other places. ---
**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:** [May 18, 2022, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4453 "2022-05-18T11:59:34Z")
The soil is very red around the Raritan River in New Brunswick, NJ, too. But a little further south, where it’s mostly pretty pure clay, it’s gray. ---
**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 18, 2022, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4454 "2022-05-18T13:17:18Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > But a little further south, where it’s mostly pretty pure clay, it’s gray. Parts of the New Orleans area have a reddish layer atop the clay. [These four blocks](https://goo.gl/maps/cSi76ULk7GXSma599) did; that location used to be a small forest with bike & ATV trails. ---
**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:** [May 19, 2022, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4455 "2022-05-19T00:55:27Z")
> Ansel Adams (1902-1984) was a landscape photographer who was best-known for his black-and-white pictures of the American West. How his negatives ended up at a garage sale is a mystery, but forensic, weather, and handwriting experts authenticated the box of 65 glass plates, confirming that Adams photographed them more than eighty-five years ago. The lucky buyer scooped up the box, not realizing what he had, for just $45. > **[Most Valuable Collectors’ Items in the World | Investing Magazine](https://za.investing.com/magazine/most-valuable-collectible-items-in-the-world/?utm_source=Outbrain&utm_medium=cpm&utm_campaign=0004c928786d6cef8b180175a7721c5afe&utm_content=If%2BYou%2BHave%2BAny%2BOf%2BThese%2BVinyl%2BRecords%2C%2BYou%2BCan%2BRetire&utm_term=CNN%2B%28Turner%2BU.S.%29_CNN%2BDev%2B&origin=outbrain&outbrain_params%5Bad_id%5D=00845db7ceaef6402e2a16d418333e4915&outbrain_params%5Bdoc_title%5D=Most%2BValuable%2BCollectors%27%2BItems%2Bin%2Bthe%2BWorld&outbrain_params%5Bdoc_author%5D=Amanda%2BJami&outbrain_params%5Bdoc_id%5D=000349b345fdd0d3ca5e9b8fe304f38a1b&outbrain_params%5Bad_title%5D=If%2BYou%2BHave%2BAny%2BOf%2BThese%2BVinyl%2BRecords%2C%2BYou%2BCan%2BRetire&outbrain_params%5Bpublish_date%5D=20210307&outbrain_params%5Breq_id%5D=6ad85f48c949e5a67d98c6ff721be4d3&outbrain_params%5Bsource_id%5D=00212893727e5ea438dd07df9d173a52f6&outbrain_params%5Bpromoted_link_id%5D=00845db7ceaef6402e2a16d418333e4915&outbrain_params%5Btime_stamp%5D=20220518203517&outbrain_params%5Bcampaign_id%5D=0004c928786d6cef8b180175a7721c5afe&outbrain_params%5Buuid%5D=&outbrain_params%5Bsection_id%5D=00212893727e5ea438dd07df9d173a52f6&outbrain_params%5Bsection_name%5D=CNN%2BDev%2B&outbrain_params%5Bpublisher_id%5D=0048938c4af9641f2e04565be89ece5954&outbrain_params%5Bpublisher_name%5D=CNN%2B%28Turner%2BU.S.%29&outbrain_params%5Bob_click_id%5D=v1-a28c07ee71cd148c6aec6ea972186bb7-00156b522c06be17055eaa2fb2c43c7e4a-mqygmnzvgfstiljvmftdqljugaydkllbha2tcljxmjqton3ggi4gizdbhe&outbrain_params%5Bandroid_id%5D=&outbrain_params%5Bidfa%5D=&outbrain_params%5Bcpc%5D=0.174&im_dars=1x100_3x103_5x788_7x351&dicbo=v1-a28c07ee71cd148c6aec6ea972186bb7-00156b522c06be17055eaa2fb2c43c7e4a-mqygmnzvgfstiljvmftdqljugaydkllbha2tcljxmjqton3ggi4gizdbhe)** > > We’ve all heard the stories about the kid who stumbles upon a valuable comic in a thrift store, or the family who move into a new house and find a wine cellar below the floorboards worth a fortune. Some of the largest sales in history were generated... I don’t know where they get that 1 minute reading time. ---
**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 19, 2022, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4456 "2022-05-19T01:14:37Z")
I guess they’ll be targeting Cirque du Soleil’s audience. > **[Ringling Brothers circus to return — but will there be animals?](https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/ringling-brothers-circus-to-return-but-will-there-be-animals/3054811/)** > > The long-running circus, which closed in 2017 after 146 years, is set to revive next year with some big changes from the previous version. ---
**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:** [May 19, 2022, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4457 "2022-05-19T07:08:43Z")
George Washington’s total lack of teeth created a unique problem. His lips had a tendency to recede into his mouth. So he had to force his lips out, while in public. That is why he looks so weird in public portraits. He’s not grimacing, he’s holding his lips out: [https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WjHAiZ9epHgoixGauMzTv4-970-80.jpg.webp](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WjHAiZ9epHgoixGauMzTv4-970-80.jpg.webp) (BTW, can’t upload a picture again.) ---
**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 19, 2022, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4458 "2022-05-19T16:00:53Z")
I’m not providing any links, the reason for which should be obvious, but a hacktivist group calling itself Obfuscated Dreams of Scheherazade has set up a robo dialer which randomly connects two Russian officials to each other. > If youʼre on the phone, you canʼt drop bombs or coordinate soldiers. The bot went live yesterday. ---
**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:** [May 19, 2022, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4459 "2022-05-19T17:28:21Z")
[Just the opposite](https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/false-teeth/). > All of Washington’s dentures caused him pain and produced facial disfigurement, described by George Washington Parke Custis as “a marked change…in the appearance…more especially in the projection of the under lip.” This physical change can be viewed in the well-known portraits painted by Gilbert Stuart in 1796. ---
**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:** [May 19, 2022, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4460 "2022-05-19T17:35:31Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#): > > George Washington’s total lack of teeth created a unique problem He didn’t have a total lack of teeth. According to Richard Schenkman, he had one tooth left, which served as an anchor for his dentures. ---
**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 19, 2022, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4461 "2022-05-19T17:52:31Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#): > > (BTW, can’t upload a picture again.) Discobot is confused by the .webp at the end. [![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WjHAiZ9epHgoixGauMzTv4-970-80.jpg) ](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WjHAiZ9epHgoixGauMzTv4-970-80.jpg) ---
**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:** [May 19, 2022, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4462 "2022-05-19T18:28:17Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#): > > (BTW, can’t upload a picture again.) Then just post a link. Or hyperlink (the Chain Icon in the reply panel). The added benefit is then everyone doesn’t have to wait for the pic to load (we sometimes have a slow connection), or be staring at George’s jaw if we’re not interested in why his face was weird. ---
**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:** [May 19, 2022, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4463 "2022-05-19T20:52:04Z")
So far as I can tell Stonehenge comprises 83 stones (but it was difficult to find a figure - please correct me if I’m wrong). The Allignements de Carnac comprise around three thousand.[Carnac stones - Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnac_stones) They’re big. j ---
**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 19, 2022, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4464 "2022-05-19T21:05:53Z")
A new study has linked allergic reactions to eating fish with a potentially deadly reaction to eating crocodile. > **[Crocodile meat 'triggers fish allergies'](https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/health-wellbeing/crocodile-meat-triggers-fish-allergies-c-6865747)** > > Researchers warn people with a taste for crocodile that eating the reptile's meat could trigger dangerous reactions if they're allergic to fish. ---
**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:** [May 19, 2022, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4465 "2022-05-19T21:44:54Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > There’s a gastro section. [Arkansas Black Apple](https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/arkansas-black-apple) is something I’ve never heard of. My corner of the country has a thing for growing rare apples. I’ve seen Arkansas Black and fifty others you’ve never heard of at my local food co op. ---
**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:** [May 19, 2022, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4466 "2022-05-19T21:49:37Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > My corner of the country has a thing for growing rare apples. I’ve seen Arkansas Black and fifty others you’ve never heard of at my local food co op. Interesting. Ever heard of the tree of 40 fruits? [https://www.epicurious.com/archive/chefsexperts/interviews/sam-van-aken-interview](https://www.epicurious.com/archive/chefsexperts/interviews/sam-van-aken-interview) ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2022, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4467 "2022-05-19T23:01:04Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > A new study has linked allergic reactions to eating fish with a potentially deadly reaction to eating crocodile. That reminds me of this story: A meat allergy known as alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) appears to be [triggered by a tick bite](https://parasitesandvectors.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13071-020-04343-4), researchers say. Case counts are growing, too. There were only 24 reported cases in the United State in 2009. By 2018, [the number topped 34,000](https://www.annallergy.org/article/S1081-1206(20)31274-6/fulltext). In fact, a [federal report noted](https://www.hhs.gov/ash/advisory-committees/tickbornedisease/reports/alpha-gal-subcomm-2020/index.html#:~:text=In%202009%2C%20there%20were%2024,et%20al.%2C%202018).) that AGS has become the leading cause of [anaphylaxis](https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/8619-anaphylaxis) in a southeastern registry of patients. > **[Could a Tick Bite Force You to Say Goodbye to Burgers?](https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-a-tick-bite-can-make-you-allergic-to-meat/)** > > A tick bite can lead to a meat allergy known as alpha-gal syndrome. An allergist explains how likely it is you might have to say goodbye to burgers. ---
**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:** [May 21, 2022, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4468 "2022-05-21T21:29:55Z")
I saw a Brinks truck today. And that reminded me of an article I once read. You know, Brinks trucks don’t have to be boxy and have flat windows. That used to be required, to use bulletproof glass. Not anymore though. But I guess they do it now in order to warn the robbers. Or in order to not disappoint the tourists, as Mr. Adams once said (about red barns, FWIW). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=222) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=224)