# 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:** 297
**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:** [January 23, 2023, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5930 "2023-01-23T03:09:18Z")
TIL that there is a version of English-language Scrabble played [_in the International Phonetic Alphabet_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrabble_letter_distributions#IPA_English). ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5931 "2023-01-23T06:59:27Z")
> [@carnut](#): > > Not surprising as the Bible has many books. I read some passing comment online that the Greek word that gave rise to “bible” was originally a reference to the ancient city of Byblos. Here’s the Wikipedia entry: > **[Byblos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byblos)** > > Byblos (/ˈbɪblɒs/ BIB-loss; Greek: Βύβλος), also known as Jebeil, Jbeil or Jubayl (Arabic: جُبَيْل, romanized: Jubayl, locally Jbeil \[ʒbeːl\]; Phoenician: 𐤂𐤁𐤋, GBL, probably Gebal), is the city in the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate of Lebanon. It is believed to have been first occupied between 8800 and 7000 BC and continuously inhabited since 5000 BC, making it one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. During its history, Byblos was part of numerous civilisations, inclu It was in a... ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5932 "2023-01-23T13:35:57Z")
TIL that elephant polo is a thing. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5933 "2023-01-23T14:17:41Z")
Today I learned (in the Celebrity Death Pool thread) that the namesake of The Marshall Tucker Band was an actual person, a blind piano tuner in SC. The band adopted the name when they saw it engraved on a key to the warehouse space they used for rehearsal. The real Marshall Tucker had previously used the warehouse for his piano tuning business. ---
**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:** [January 23, 2023, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5934 "2023-01-23T15:24:22Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > TIL that elephant polo is a thing. I used to have a sweatshirt that had a drawing of some folks playing elephant polo and a caption that said “once you know how, it doesn’t get any easier.” ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5935 "2023-01-23T15:57:40Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > TIL that elephant polo is a thing. Astounding! Do they hold the mallets with their trunks? What on Earth are they mounted on? ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5936 "2023-01-23T16:06:02Z")
I thought they said “elephant polio”. I was horrified at the though of all those elephants in their great big wheelchairs. ---
**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:** [January 23, 2023, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5937 "2023-01-23T16:17:39Z")
Or their jumbo iron lungs. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5938 "2023-01-23T18:47:45Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > TIL that elephant polo is a thing It seems as though, if’n you can ride it, [there is a polo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yak_polo) _if they use a meadow muffin in place of the ball, it is called “poo-lo”_ ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5939 "2023-01-23T19:03:57Z")
This is something I learned a whle ago, and I think I’ve mentioned it here before, but it bears repeating because it’s so bizarre. The word “frown” has a different meaning in US English vs. British English, but few people seem to be aware of this. In US English, it’s a facial expression primarily characterized by turning down the corners of the mouth. In British English, it’s a facial expression primarily characterized by wrinkling the forehead or furrowing the brow. Most dictionaries, even US ones, only give the British meaning, even though that meaning is practically unknown in the US. Many British English speakers say that until learning this, they had not really understood the US expression “turn that frown upside down”. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5940 "2023-01-23T19:12:44Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > > [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > > > TIL that elephant polo is a thing. > > Astounding! Do they hold the mallets with their trunks? What on Earth are they mounted on? And how do they keep from drowning? ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5941 "2023-01-23T19:41:44Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > And how do they keep from drowning? They have built-in snorkels, silly. ---
**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:** [January 23, 2023, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5942 "2023-01-23T20:03:24Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > their jumbo iron lungs Doubly appropriate since “Jumbo” was the name of a famous elephant in the 19th century, and became a synonym for huge by association. ---
**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:** [January 23, 2023, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5943 "2023-01-23T20:44:27Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > Most dictionaries, even US ones, only give the British meaning, even though that meaning is practically unknown in the US. I wouldn’t say it’s unknown, I’ve heard phrases like, “with a frown up his brow”. But, I 100% did not believe this until I checked my own shelf of dictionaries. You are right, not one mentions the mouth (though to be fair my dictionaries are quite old). That’s amazing. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5944 "2023-01-23T21:00:42Z")
Today I learned that there is a boat in Detroit that has its own zip code, 48222. The boat delivers mail (and packages, and pizza, and pilots) to ships moving through the Detroit River, bound for virtually any port on the Great Lakes. > **[J.W. Westcott is the only boat with a U.S. ZIP code, serving freighters on...](https://www.cleveland.com/news/2018/12/jw-westcott-is-the-only-boat-with-a-us-zip-code-serving-freighters-on-the-great-lakes.html)** > > The J.W. Westcott is a 45-foot boat in the Detroit River, which has its own ZIP code and works for the U.S. Post Office to deliver mail to passing ships. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5945 "2023-01-23T21:02:43Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > I also learned that there are 200 species of [carnivorous mushroom )s. > > I’m still digesting that. As long as they’re not digesting you – > [@markn\_1](#): > > In US English, it’s a facial expression primarily characterized by turning down the corners of the mouth. In British English, it’s a facial expression primarily characterized by wrinkling the forehead or furrowing the brow. I’ve lived in the USA all my life and I know the second sense of it; and the first only if accompanying the second. I would never say that somebody’s “frowning” (well, except figuratively) unless they were furrowing their eyebrows. Somebody who’s frowning probably does also have their mouth turned down. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2023, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5946 "2023-01-23T21:02:52Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > Doubly appropriate since “Jumbo” was the name of a famous elephant in the 19th century, and became a synonym for huge by association. What did they call Jumbo shrimp before then? ---
**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:** [January 23, 2023, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5947 "2023-01-23T21:38:18Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > What did they call Jumbo shrimp before then? The Jacksonville Suns? ---
**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:** [January 23, 2023, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5948 "2023-01-23T21:47:24Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > It seems as though, if’n you can ride it, [there is a polo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yak_polo) …and it doesn’t have to be an animal. > **[Cycle polo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycle_polo)** > > Cycle polo, bicycle polo, or bike polo (polo-vélo in French; Radpolo in German) is a team sport, similar to traditional polo, except that bicycles are used instead of horses. There are two versions of the sport: Hardcourt Bike Polo and grass court bike polo. The hardcourt game saw a sharp spike in interest in the first decade of the 21st century and new teams are sprouting up across the world in China, Canada, Ireland, Switzerland, France, India, Germany, Pakistan, Ukraine, Russia, Malaysia, S I remember reading about how, when Mark Cavendish was coming up through the system, this was a “fun” end to a training session. Who? Oh, Mark Cavendish jointly holds the record for Tour De France stage wins. He’s a sprinter, and one of the reasons cycle polo was played was for the pushing and shoving it includes, as a way of training for the breakneck-speed jostle of sprinting. j ---
**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:** [January 24, 2023, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/5949 "2023-01-24T04:53:25Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > The word “frown” has a different meaning in US English vs. British English, but few people seem to be aware of this. In US English, it’s a facial expression primarily characterized by turning down the corners of the mouth. In British English, it’s a facial expression primarily characterized by wrinkling the forehead or furrowing the brow. Most dictionaries, even US ones, only give the British meaning, even though that meaning is practically unknown in the US. Many British English speakers say that until learning this, they had not really understood the US expression “turn that frown upside down”. I did not know this… and I am Canadian of English descent. The only ‘frown’ I knew was the one of the mouth. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=296) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=298)