# 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:** 256
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5109 "2022-08-25T03:38:47Z")
Silbo Gomero is a variant of Spanish that is whistled rather that spoken. Spoken phonemes are converted to whistles. The whistling can be heard 5 km (over 3 miles) away This language developed is whistled on the island of La Gomera, one of the Canary Islands. > **[Silbo Gomero](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silbo_Gomero)** > > Silbo Gomero (Spanish: silbo gomero \[ˈsilβo ɣoˈmeɾo\], 'Gomeran whistle'), also known as el silbo ('the whistle'), is a whistled register of Spanish used by inhabitants of La Gomera in the Canary Islands, historically used to communicate across the deep ravines and narrow valleys that radiate through the island. It enabled messages to be exchanged over a distance of up to 5 kilometres. Due to its loud nature, Silbo Gomero was generally used in circumstances of public communication. Messages con Li... ---
**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:** [August 25, 2022, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5110 "2022-08-25T05:58:50Z")
Your elbow skin doesn’t have a lot of nerve endings. It has to be tough skin to serve it’s function, stretching out over the bent elbow at an acute contact point. More nerves in that location wouldn’t be useful. ---
**Author:** ![tofor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tofor/32/13727_2.png) [@tofor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofor)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5111 "2022-08-25T12:35:25Z")
And yet pinching the skin on my knee _does_ hurt. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5112 "2022-08-25T13:07:40Z")
In Berlin itself Berliners are called _Pfannkuchen_, which would translate more or less as “cake fried in a pan”. The rest of Germany calls them Berliner, except in South Germany and Austria, where they are called _Krapfen_. Wikipedia ([English version](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berliner_(doughnut))) explains Berliner as a doughnut without the hole, which I find funny. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5113 "2022-08-25T13:09:35Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > More nerves in that location wouldn’t be useful. And still when you hit the elbow at a certain angle it hurts like hell. Does not feel useful at all, still that is so. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5114 "2022-08-25T13:17:44Z")
I learned today that there is something called a parallel cousin and a cross cousin. Your dad’s brother’s children and your mom’s sister’s children are your parallel cousins. Your dad’s sister’s children and your mom’s brothers children are your cross cousins. In some cultures this distinction is considered important. ---
**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:** [August 25, 2022, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5115 "2022-08-25T13:21:20Z")
Parallel cousins are also known as ortho-cousins, a fact I learned from a Nero Wolfe novel. ---
**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:** [August 25, 2022, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5116 "2022-08-25T13:26:41Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > Do residents of Hamburg actually eat anything Americans would recognize as a hamburger? Being near Denmark, they probably eat a Danish dish which resembles bunless hamburgers but are closer to meatballs. > **[Frikadelle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frikadeller)** > > A frikadelle\[a\] is a rounded, flat-bottomed, pan-fried meatball of minced meat, often likened to the German version of meatballs. The origin of the dish is unknown. The term frikadelle is German but the dish is associated with German, Nordic and Polish cuisines. They are one of the most popular meals in Poland, where they are known as kotlety mielone. > There are various local variants of frikadelle throughout Scandinavia, as both a main course and a side dish. In Sweden, the word frikadeller ref... ---
**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:** [August 25, 2022, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5117 "2022-08-25T13:26:52Z")
It is very useful to learn to avoid hitting your elbow like that. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5118 "2022-08-25T13:32:41Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > a fact I learned from a Nero Wolfe novel. You’ll never guess what book I started reading this morning. ---
**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:** [August 25, 2022, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5119 "2022-08-25T13:51:46Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > And still when you hit the elbow at a certain angle it hurts like hell. Does not feel useful at all, still that is so. That’s the ulnar nerve, buried under the skin: > **[Ulnar nerve](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulnar_nerve)** > > The ulnar nerve is a nerve that runs near the ulna, one of the two long bones in the forearm. The ulnar collateral ligament of elbow joint is in relation with the ulnar nerve. The nerve is the largest in the human body unprotected by muscle or bone, so injury is common. This nerve is directly connected to the little finger, and the adjacent half of the ring finger, innervating the palmar aspect of these fingers, including both front and back of the tips, perhaps as far back as the fingernail b Th... It’s fairly well protected by running through a groove in the elbow joint, but an impact from the right direction can still get at it. The overlying skin is nonetheless relatively insensate. A handy feature, given all the objects an elbow might strike, slide on, or rest against during normal use. Contrast that with the skin six inches higher on the backside of your arm. Pinch that just a bit, and it’s agony. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5120 "2022-08-25T14:00:25Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > I learned today that there is something called a parallel cousin and a cross cousin. > > Your dad’s brother’s children and your mom’s sister’s children are your parallel cousins. Your dad’s sister’s children and your mom’s brothers children are your cross cousins. > In some cultures this distinction is considered important. And then there’s: > ---
**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:** [August 25, 2022, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5121 "2022-08-25T14:02:28Z")
_The Red Box_? ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5122 "2022-08-25T15:26:22Z")
Ding Ding Ding! We have a winner! Don’t spoil it, or I’ll have to put you on my list. I’m not sure how I would implement such a list, but you’ll be on it alright. ---
**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:** [August 25, 2022, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5123 "2022-08-25T15:41:55Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > I’m not sure how I would implement such a list, Excel ? ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5124 "2022-08-25T16:55:49Z")
Ashton-Tate’s DB IV? ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5125 "2022-08-25T17:15:03Z")
A common one of these is “morph”, from metamorphosis. In that word, “meta” means change and “morph” means shape or form. I want people to start saying things meta into other things! ---
**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:** [August 25, 2022, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5126 "2022-08-25T18:09:50Z")
Edinburgh, on the east coast of Great Britain, is farther west than Liverpool, on the west coast. ---
**Author:** ![tofor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tofor/32/13727_2.png) [@tofor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofor)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5127 "2022-08-25T18:40:49Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > I want people to start saying things meta into other things! So does Mark Zuckerberg ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5128 "2022-08-25T19:27:20Z")
[https://weirdrussia.com/2016/03/09/yuri-gagarin-and-his-matra-djet/](https://weirdrussia.com/2016/03/09/yuri-gagarin-and-his-matra-djet/) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=255) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=257)