# 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:** 243
**Author:** ![Moonrise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonrise/32/14764_2.png) [@Moonrise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonrise)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2022, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4849 "2022-07-22T09:52:47Z")
Thanks, **carnut**. > [@carnut](#): > > And, um, spell checking others is part of the fun Gee, I proofread this three times before posting… Languages. ---
**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:** [July 22, 2022, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4850 "2022-07-22T14:08:51Z")
You don’t have to join with the grammar and spelling fascist bloc. If the mistake ain’t funny there’s no reason to point it out. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2022, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4851 "2022-07-22T14:38:22Z")
Heh. You said “ain’t” in your post. ---
**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:** [July 22, 2022, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4852 "2022-07-22T15:50:30Z")
If you happen to be one of those people who think that having a coat of arms is a load of old bollocks, I’m here to tell you that, at least in one instance, that’s quite correct. > **[Colleoni](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colleoni)** > > The House of Colleoni was a Guelf-allied noble family in medieval Bergamo. Their Ghibelline opponents were the Suardi family, of which the Colleoni themselves were a branch. > When the Visconti of Milan seized Bergamo, they exiled the Colleoni and other Guelfs. On October 23, 1404, Paolo Colleoni seized Trezzo Castle by wile and held it by force until he was assassinated by his cousins, probably acting on behalf of the Duke of Milan. Paolo's son Bartolomeo became a famous mercenary and Captain-Gen... > The family’s name is derived from the Latin coleus, or testicle, and indeed, the family’s coat of arms was two pairs of white testicles on a red field, above one red pair on a white field [_sic_]. The progenitor of the family, Gisalberto, was reportedly proud of this coat of arms which he displayed prominently on his properties. Later members of the family modified the testicles on the coat of arms into upside-down hearts. From [another source](https://www.venetoinside.com/hidden-treasures/post/coat-of-arms-on-bartolomeo-colleoni-monument/): > In fact, three human testes are represented on the shield! The motif for this rather ‘embarrassing’ coat of arms is very simple: Bartolomeo Colleoni was suffering from the disease orchitis, and had three testicles; a detail from which was derived his “special” surname. There’s a book by PJ Donleavy (_The Onion Eaters_?) that features a protagonist with a similar coat of arms, and for a similar reason. Not a coincidence, I (now) presume. j ---
**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:** [July 22, 2022, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4853 "2022-07-22T16:17:23Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > From [another source](https://www.venetoinside.com/hidden-treasures/post/coat-of-arms-on-bartolomeo-colleoni-monument/): > > > In fact, three human testes are represented on the shield! The motif for this rather ‘embarrassing’ coat of arms is very simple: Bartolomeo Colleoni was suffering from the disease orchitis, and had three testicles; a detail from which was derived his “special” surname. It is an interesting random fact, not trying to criticize, but your other source might be a little off. The coat of arms appears to show three pairs of testicles, six altogether, not three testicles. Also, [orchitis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orchitis) might make one testicle look as large as three but doesn’t seem to produce any extras. Unimportant aside, the first cite oddly describes the coat of arms with the colors reversed, at least as it is pictured there. ---
**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:** [July 22, 2022, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4854 "2022-07-22T16:55:09Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Unimportant aside, the first cite oddly describes the coat of arms with the colors reversed, at least as it is pictured there. Yep. Odd, I thought - hence the insertion of [_sic_] into the quote. The second quote is from an Italian source, so maybe it’s a translation issue (hmmm…), I dunno. If you google _bartolomeo colleoni coat of arms_ you’ll find many images. All of them (I checked 'til I got bored) look like three pairs to me. j ---
**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:** [July 22, 2022, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4855 "2022-07-22T17:39:48Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > Yep. Odd, I thought - hence the insertion of [_sic_] into the quote. Sorry, didn’t notice that as I kept checking the original to make sure it was incorrect. As for the stories behind such shields, is the existence of the story the fact, or is the factual basis of the story the fact? ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2022, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4856 "2022-07-22T21:09:22Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > You don’t have to join with the grammar and spelling fascist bloc. If the mistake ain’t funny there’s no reason to point it out. Most of us are only that way on occasion. I did find this occasion funny. But only a fellow pedant would. I get the feeling that @Moonrise is a fellow pedant. But, as I like to speak in the vernacular for the most part _AND_ have been known to make my own errors, I do usually let folks alone on this. ---
**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:** [July 22, 2022, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4857 "2022-07-22T21:37:31Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > If the mistake ain’t funny there’s no reason to point it out. Amen! It’s such a small thing compared to, y’know, the Actual Point that someone’s making. Which applies to “Ha! Kamala mistakenly used the objective case, therefore I’m ignoring everything else she’s ever said!”, as well as “Ha! Now I can derail this entire thread to argue subjunctive tense!” . But welcome, **Moonrise**! I hope you can be amused (and not annoyed) by people too smart for their own good, and not take ANYthing personally here. ---
**Author:** ![Moonrise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonrise/32/14764_2.png) [@Moonrise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonrise)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2022, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4858 "2022-07-23T14:53:17Z")
Thanks, **digs**. > [@carnut](#): > > I get the feeling that @Moonrise is a fellow pedant. I most certainly am. ---
**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:** [July 23, 2022, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4859 "2022-07-23T16:02:25Z")
> [@digs](#): > > “Ha! Now I can derail this entire thread to argue subjunctive tense!” Ha! @digs said “subjunctive tense” instead of “subjunctive mood!” –Commasense, _unrepentant pedant._ ---
**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:** [July 23, 2022, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4860 "2022-07-23T17:50:26Z")
“How was the mood of the room?” “Tense.” ---
**Author:** ![Moonrise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonrise/32/14764_2.png) [@Moonrise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonrise)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2022, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4861 "2022-07-23T18:41:04Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > “How was the mood of the room?” > > “Tense.” Writing this down. ---
**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:** [July 23, 2022, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4862 "2022-07-23T19:45:08Z")
I knew and half remembered this, but was reminded of it today on a trip out to Leith Hill Place in Surrey. Two of England’s more prominent families of their time, the Wedgewoods (as in the incredibly famous pottery designer and manufacturer, Josiah Wedgewood) and the Darwins (as in - uh - Charles) kinda shared a family tree - the intermarriages were so frequent. The headline example is Charles Darwin - grandson of Josiah Wedgewood - who married Emma Wedgewood, his first cousin. But the whole family tree is a hot mess of this sort of thing. It even has its own wikipedia page: > **[Darwin–Wedgwood family](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwin%E2%80%93Wedgwood_family)** > > The Darwin–Wedgwood family are members of two connected families, each noted for particular prominent 18th-century figures: Erasmus Darwin, a physician and natural philosopher, and Josiah Wedgwood, a noted potter and founder of the eponymous Wedgwood and Sons pottery company. The Darwin and Wedgwood families were on friendly terms for much of their history and members intermarried, notably Charles Darwin, who married Emma Wedgwood. > The most notable member of the family was Charles Darwin, a g... Regarding the prominence of these families, in the family tree displayed at the above link, by my count 37 family members have their own wikipedia page (!). At some point a fella called Arthur Vaughn Williams married in (to Margaret Wedgewood) and they begat a son, [Ralph](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Vaughan_Williams). Fun aside: on display at Leith Hill Place is a family tree of Josiah Wedgewood, presented as a wheel: > **[Leith Hill | Surrey](https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/surrey/leith-hill)** > > Come and and explore extensive countryside and heathland at the National Trust's Leith Hill in Surrey. j ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2022, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4863 "2022-07-23T22:28:04Z")
This immediately made me look for a connection between Williams and American composer John Williams. Sadly, it doesn’t appear they are related. ---
**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:** [July 24, 2022, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4864 "2022-07-24T00:17:33Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > Ha! @digs said “subjunctive tense” instead of “subjunctive mood!” Well, now my mood is… subjective. But seriously, i’m going to look that up and edumacate my own self about moods. I love this place! As an aside, I didn’t learn tenses and other grammar in English class, but we started French class in 6th grade, and learned _Le Sujonctif_ and _La Conditionelle …_ (Merci, Madame F., it was all so _fascinante)_ ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2022, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4865 "2022-07-24T22:40:34Z")
The Halifax Oyster Festival is Canada’s largest oyster festival. > **[Halifax Oyster Festival, home of Pearl the mascot](https://oysterfest.ca/)** > > After a hurricane delay, Canada's biggest raw bar is back on the Halifax waterfront for three sessions of slurping and shucking November 23 & 24, 2022. Come to meet oyster producers from Nova Scotia and beyond, stay to get your picture taken with... Their mascots are creepy AF: [https://www.superpunch.net/2022/07/the-disturbing-halifax-oyster-festival.html](https://www.superpunch.net/2022/07/the-disturbing-halifax-oyster-festival.html) ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2022, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4866 "2022-07-24T22:56:34Z")
> [@digs](#): > > As an aside, I didn’t learn tenses and other grammar in English class, but we started French class in 6th grade, and learned _Le Sujonctif_ and _La Conditionelle …_ French class improved my understanding of English grammar greatly. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2022, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4867 "2022-07-25T06:21:43Z")
> [@carnut](#): > > French class improved my understanding of English grammar greatly. And not just because of (in my case) the fearsome Miss Phillip… In other news, I am distantly related to the Reeves family of [art-supplies fame](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reeves_and_Sons). ---
**Author:** ![Moonrise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonrise/32/14764_2.png) [@Moonrise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonrise)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2022, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/4868 "2022-07-25T09:39:37Z")
> [@carnut](#): > > French class improved my understanding of English grammar greatly. Learning foreign languages does that, actually. Being confronted with grammatical structures and metaphors not found in your mother tongue forces you to think about the latter in a new way. At first, it seems that the foreign language you’re learning is weird. But after a while, it all starts to make sense. Then, you may begin to think that the foreign language is better than your mother tongue. In the end, you realize that both have found valid, fascinating ways to express different aspects of human thought By the way, time to throw in some reference to the [Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistic_relativity). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=242) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=244)