# 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:** 261
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2022, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5209 "2022-09-04T14:47:40Z")
Neal Stephenson has been writing about William of Orange for a while, at least in another series of books, the “[Baroque Cycle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Baroque_Cycle)” from about 2003. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2022, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5210 "2022-09-04T16:46:37Z")
I read this, but I’m still confused. It says that William Of took his name from a French town, Orange, whose own name seems to be from Gaulish \> Latin and nothing to do with fruit or colour. That’s sort of like saying that Mary of Reading is why we like the colour red, or Julie of Greenwich is why our team is green (if Mary of Reading / Julie of Greenwich had existed and founded a nation). ---
**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:** [September 4, 2022, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5211 "2022-09-04T17:22:36Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > 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. Although this may be _generally_ true, it is often not specifically true. For example, in my vegetable garden this summer, all my Cucurbita pepo plants suffered a sudden fatal collapse, including pumpkin, winter squash, and zucchini. They were thriving. My Cucumis plants – cucumber, cantaloupe – were untouched, even though intertwined. I have no idea why – a soil-borne fungus? – but they were not unhealthy at all, not one of your criteria for ill health applied. ---
**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:** [September 4, 2022, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5212 "2022-09-04T17:27:28Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > read this, but I’m still confused. It says that William Of took his name from a French town, Orange, whose own name seems to be from Gaulish \> Latin and nothing to do with fruit or colour. That’s sort of like saying that Mary of Reading is why we like the colour red, or Julie of Greenwich is why our team is green (if Mary of Reading / Julie of Greenwich had existed and founded a nation). I think this is right. The house of Orange’s name came from the town, the name of the fruit is derived from Persian. The color comes from the name of the fruit, and the house of Orange adopted the color as their own since it was so similar to their own name. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2022, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5213 "2022-09-04T21:47:07Z")
Cool. I knew carrots came in different colors, but didn’t know that orange ones were bred specifically for color. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2022, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5214 "2022-09-05T00:45:45Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > I think this is right. The house of Orange’s name came from the town, the name of the fruit is derived from Persian. The color comes from the name of the fruit, and the house of Orange adopted the color as their own since it was so similar to their own name. Indeed, in English the fruit were originally something like “a naranj”, then the **n** migrated across to the article. Just as “a nuncle” became “an uncle”. ---
**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:** [September 5, 2022, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5215 "2022-09-05T19:50:11Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > Just as “a nuncle” became “an uncle”. Genuine question - is this right? For something like orange, the word comes from “naranja” (Spanish) and eventually the N migrates to the indefinite article to form “an orange” (grammarians, please feel free to clean this up). That would suggest (to me) that there’s a word like nuncle in a source language so that an uncle can be formed from it. The source languages for English are usually French or Germanic, but the (current) French and German words are oncle and Onkel. No N to migrate. j ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2022, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5216 "2022-09-05T21:44:16Z")
Checking the OED, it’s not right. English borrowed the word from French _oncle,_ but “nuncle” is attested from the 15th century. But in the spirit of the thread, the entry also gives us: > [@OED](#): > > “This word superseded the earlier [eme n.](https://www-oed-com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/view/Entry/61100#eid5710098) The usual words in Old English are _fædera_ (paternal uncle) and _ēam_ (maternal uncle, in Middle English also paternal uncle: see [eme n.](https://www-oed-com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/view/Entry/61100#eid5710098)). In English (as in Anglo-Norman and Old French) _uncle_ denotes either a paternal uncle or a maternal uncle from the time of our earliest records.” _Eme_ also has forms in _neme,_ which apparently survives in dialect (last quote, 1855). _Fædera_ was probably too close to _fæder_ \> _father_ to survive, I’d guess. [Chart of Old English Kin Terms](https://www.umanitoba.ca/faculties/arts/anthropology/tutor/kinterms/oldenglish.html) ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2022, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5217 "2022-09-05T22:11:01Z")
I didn’t really “stumble” on this, but it’s interesting. The new NFPA “Standard on Fire Protection of Cannabis Growing and Processing Facilities” is… NFPA 420. Who says that people who write Codes and Standards don’t have a sense of humor? ---
**Author:** ![KCB615](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ea666f/32.png) [@KCB615](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KCB615)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2022, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5218 "2022-09-05T23:17:36Z")
> [@ZonexandScout](#): > > Who says that people who write Codes and Standards don’t have a sense of humor Many of them do. Take a look at the filled-out forms in the National Electrical Code Handbook. There’s a lot of electrical work taking place at 742 Evergreen, with the associated participants one would expect. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5219 "2022-09-09T09:30:42Z")
The Queen has appeared on the currencies of at least 33 countries around the world, making her the world record holder for appearing on the money of most nations. ---
**Author:** ![JohnnyEcks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnnyecks/32/18197_2.png) [@JohnnyEcks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnnyEcks)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2022, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5220 "2022-09-10T20:11:36Z")
The world’s largest cruise ship, the Global Dream, is going to be scrapped without ever having been to sea. Apparently the company went bankrupt during Covid, and couldn’t find a buyer for the ship. It cost over a billion to build, and apparently still needs to be outfitted. ---
**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:** [September 10, 2022, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5221 "2022-09-10T21:57:08Z")
That’s a terrible waste. ---
**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:** [September 10, 2022, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5222 "2022-09-10T23:53:15Z")
Robert Clary (LeBeau of _Hogan’s Heroes_) was married to the daughter of 30s movie star, Eddie Cantor. ---
**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:** [September 11, 2022, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5223 "2022-09-11T01:01:23Z")
I learned that today, too. I wonder if we had watched the same movie. ---
**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:** [September 11, 2022, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5224 "2022-09-11T02:11:50Z")
I saw a Loony Tunes cartoon with a parody of Cantor last week (I was pretty proud that I not only recognized who he was, but also that the cartoon was built around his schtick) and decided to look him up. ---
**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:** [September 11, 2022, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5225 "2022-09-11T02:29:32Z")
I saw “Thank Your Lucky Stars” today on TCM, where he’s pretty much the main character(s). ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2022, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5226 "2022-09-11T09:53:17Z")
Queen (Princess) Elizabeth first appeared on a stamp at the age of six…a 6c stamp issued by Newfoundland in 1932. She also appeared on a Canadian $20 bill in 1935. ---
**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:** [September 11, 2022, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5227 "2022-09-11T12:43:46Z")
In 1928, the United States changed the president on the $20 bill from Grover Cleveland to Andrew Jackson. Cleveland was moved to the $1000 bill. ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2022, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5228 "2022-09-11T13:59:52Z")
I thought this too, but then I remembered that it was merely a cruise ship, so it would be needlessly generating pollution and environmental hazards such as dumping septic tanks into the sea, if it were launched. However, by being built then scrapped, at least workers got paid, and the scrap would be fairly high quality. There is of course the large amount of environmental damage just from the materials and the build/ scrap process, but those would be present either way. So by not being launched, you might say that “waste” was being minimized… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=260) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=262)