# 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:** 259
**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:** [August 31, 2022, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5169 "2022-08-31T02:35:43Z")
Jamie wants big boom! ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2022, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5170 "2022-09-01T14:32:13Z")
When England’s glasshouses (which we call greenhouses) became popular during the eighteenth century, one devoted to growing grapes was called a vinery. One used for pineapples was called a pinery. One used for both was a vinery-pinery. (Or possibly a pinery-vinery. I’ve found evidence of both.) ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2022, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5171 "2022-09-01T17:50:14Z")
In German, a knife is neuter, a fork is feminine and a spoon is masculine. ---
**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:** [September 1, 2022, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5172 "2022-09-01T17:59:36Z")
> [@](#): > > # Turns Out You Don’t Actually Need ID To Buy Whipped Cream In New York I somehow missed this recent story. > [@](#): > > After reports of apparent restrictions on a popular dessert product in New York made headlines, the state senator who sponsored the legislation says people were getting whipped into a frenzy over nothing. > > Last week, local and national media [reported on a law](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/pie-whipped-cream-id-purchase-new-york_n_6309b45ee4b065bfc4af1163) that many interpreted as a ban on sales of whipped cream in disposable spray canisters to anyone under the age of 21. But on Tuesday, state Sen. Joe Addabbo [clarified in a statement](https://twitter.com/SenJoeAddabbo/status/1564309895628918784) that the law was only intended to restrict whipped cream _chargers_. > [The legislation](https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1286188) defines a whipped cream charger as “a steel cylinder or cartridge filled with nitrous oxide.” These chargers are sold separately as refills for rechargeable canisters of whipped cream. > > The law does not apply to the disposable canisters of premade whipped cream, such as Redi-Whip, sold in most grocery stores. > > Nevertheless, the law’s wording sparked widespread confusion, not only among reporters but among business owners. Signs could be seen at grocery stores around the state warning that customers would have to show ID to prove they were old enough to buy whipped cream. > **[Turns Out You Don't Actually Need ID To Buy Whipped Cream In New York](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/whipped-cream-id-law-new-york_n_6310daa4e4b0da54bae6ca03)** > > “Are you kidding me?” asked state Sen. Joe Addabbo, who said everyone has misinterpreted the law he sponsored. ---
**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:** [September 1, 2022, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5173 "2022-09-01T19:15:43Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > But on Tuesday, state Sen. Joe Addabbo [clarified in a statement](https://twitter.com/SenJoeAddabbo/status/1564309895628918784) that the law was only intended to restrict whipped cream _chargers_. Actually, the courts or regulatory agencies will decide what the law means. The sponsoring senator’s intention likely bears very little weight. ---
**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:** [September 1, 2022, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5174 "2022-09-01T20:00:21Z")
The law specifies whipped cream chargers. The media was at fault for spreading disinformation. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2022, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5175 "2022-09-01T21:08:54Z")
So if the dish ran away with the spoon, what pronouns would they prefer? ---
**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:** [September 1, 2022, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5176 "2022-09-01T21:49:11Z")
> [@whitetho](#): > > In German, a knife is neuter, a fork is feminine and a spoon is masculine. Striktly speaking, it is the words that have gender, not the things the words denote: it is a purely grammatical thing and has nothing to do with biological sex. This can be difficult to grasp for people who speak languages that have no gendered pronouns, like English\*. So it happens that there are even things, denoted by different words, that have different genders, depending on which word you choose to use. _Die Eisenbahn_ (femenine) and _der Zug_ (masculine) are both trains\*\*. Actually the train has no gender at all, but the word that expresses the concept of a train can have one or the other. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the difference between sex and gender. If people only knew this we could be spared a lot of fruitless, vitriolic debates. No chance, I know… Now you got me looking for three synonims for the same concept, one female (_die_), one male (_der_) and one neuter (_das_) to make my point even clearer. Can’t think of one right now, but I bet they exist. Perhaps @EinsteinsHund or @Treppenwitz have an idea? \* Apart from he/she/it, but not for objects like spoons (the/der), forks (the/die) or knives (the/das). \*\* Die Eisenbahn can also mean the train company. And der Zug can mean so many things that Mark Twain used this word to mock the [German language](https://www.destination-munich.com/mark-twains-essay-on-german.html). Still both words are commonly used for a simple train. ---
**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:** [September 1, 2022, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5177 "2022-09-01T21:59:06Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > Now you got me looking for three synonims for the same concept, one female (_die_), one male (_der_) and one neuter (_das_) to make my point even clearer. Can’t think of one right now, but I bet they exist. Perhaps @EinsteinsHund or @Treppenwitz have an idea? I’m sure that I knew such an example, but I can’t come up with one right off the bat. Now I will spend the rest of the night thinking about one… ETA: a rather construed example: der Weg, die Strecke, das Wegstück. All mean track or route. ---
**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:** [September 1, 2022, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5178 "2022-09-01T22:02:01Z")
Same problem here. I’ll wait… ---
**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:** [September 1, 2022, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5179 "2022-09-01T22:04:28Z")
Look above for my edit. 😆 ---
**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:** [September 1, 2022, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5180 "2022-09-01T22:07:44Z")
A bit construed, indeed, but correct. 😁 There must be better ones, but if that is enough for you to sleep easier, I’ll accept it. ---
**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:** [September 1, 2022, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5181 "2022-09-01T22:08:29Z")
Don’t worry, I’m a night owl anyway… ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2022, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5182 "2022-09-01T22:41:05Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > **One third** of Americans are torsos. > [@pjd](#): > > I’ve seen some americans. > I’d say it’s nearer to **two thirds** for a lot of them. I guess it depends on whether you calculate using length or volume. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2022, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5183 "2022-09-01T22:57:51Z")
Sorry to post a video but there was a lot in this video that I didn’t know before today: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/bnNOvA3diDU/maxresdefault.jpg "Why insects do not (and cannot) attack healthy plants | Dr. Thomas Dykstra | Regenerative Ag") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnNOvA3diDU) A sampling of facts: 1. You can measure a plant’s relative health by how much sugar it has in its sap. The value you’re looking for is unrelated to the plant species. 2. For much the same reason that people don’t have insects taking bites out of our skin, healthy plants don’t either. Garden and farm plants that have insect issues are in an environment that has made them unhealthy - e.g. poor light, bad genetics, small containers, pesticides killing beneficial bacteria, etc. 3. Healthy food tastes better. It has more sugar and more flavor. ---
**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:** [September 1, 2022, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5184 "2022-09-01T23:24:32Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > The media was at fault for spreading disinformation. Nitpick: misinformation. Disinformation is misinformation intentionally and maliciously disseminated to further the speaker’s agenda. So unless the media were purposefully trying to harm either whipped cream makers or the sponsor of the bill, rather than just misunderstanding it and being sloppy, it was misinformation. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5185 "2022-09-02T01:09:44Z")
Today I learned India is considered part of Asia. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5186 "2022-09-02T01:19:11Z")
Which continent did you think it was in? ---
**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:** [September 2, 2022, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5187 "2022-09-02T01:34:21Z")
That’s continental drift for you. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2022, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5188 "2022-09-02T01:36:51Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > Which continent did you think it was in? Heck if I know. Need to brush up on my geography. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=258) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=260)