# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2020, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/41 "2020-04-14T12:30:02Z")
I had to look up this word today. Headline: CNN had a field day with its chyrons during Trump’s ‘meltdown’ at his coronavirus briefing. Chyrons? chy·ron /ˈkīrän/ Learn to pronounce nounTRADEMARK an electronically generated caption superimposed on a television or movie screen. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2020, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/42 "2020-04-14T12:36:25Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > I had to look up this word today. Headline: CNN had a field day with its chyrons during Trump’s ‘meltdown’ at his coronavirus briefing. Chyrons? > > chy·ron > /ˈkīrän/ > Learn to pronounce > nounTRADEMARK > an electronically generated caption superimposed on a television or movie screen. [I looked it up yesterday!](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=894046) ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2020, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/43 "2020-04-14T12:46:00Z")
I saw the headline, looked up the word. OK, clicked on story. First bullet? CNN had a remarkable string of chyrons — the headline-esque text used to supplement news broadcasts — after President Donald Trump spent most of Monday’s coronavirus briefing lashing out at his perceived foes — airing a video that was described as propaganda and claiming he had “total” authority as president. DOH! ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2020, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/44 "2020-04-14T12:46:13Z")
Elvis never did a concert outside the US or Canada . The main reason was his manager Tom Parker (real name Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk from the Netherlands ) was an illegal immigrant and was afraid if he left the US he would be caught when he came back in and he did not want Elvis to do overseas concerts. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2020, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/45 "2020-04-14T13:20:47Z")
Interesting random computer fact. When you move your computer mouse, the mouse sends data to your computer telling it how far you moved it, as in 14 mouse units to the left and 17 mouse units up. The computer then positions the cursor on the screen appropriately. One “mouse unit” (the smallest amount of movement that the mouse can detect) is called a Mickey. Yes, it is named for Mickey Mouse. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2020, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/46 "2020-04-14T13:39:22Z")
According to _Texas Monthly_, there are approx. 43,000 physicians licensed to practice in the state. Of these, only six have the last name “Pepper”. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2020, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/47 "2020-04-14T13:47:17Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > In Australia in every state around 1/2 of the population lives in the area of the state capital city. In Canada the majority of the population lives within 100 miles of the U.S.-Canadian border. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2020, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/48 "2020-04-14T13:48:47Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > Somewhat bizarrely, there is a [Wikipedia page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tears_in_rain_monologue) for the Tears In Rain speech from the movie **Blade Runner**. To remind, these are Roy Batty’s last words\*: > > I make that 42 words. Now, I just cut and pasted the wiki page into word to check the wordcount. Not including references, the wiki article is 1362 words - that’s more than 32 times as long as its subject material. I idly speculate this may be some sort of record, but if it is, it’s a record…_what?_ The [article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_wept) on “Jesus wept” is 5749 words long (stopping before References). So a nearly 3000 to 1 ratio. Just a wee bit higher. 😉 ---
**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:** [April 14, 2020, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/49 "2020-04-14T13:49:46Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > In Canada the majority of the population lives within 100 miles of the U.S.-Canadian border. Because they are preparing for an eventual invasion. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2020, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/50 "2020-04-14T13:58:31Z")
The Norwegian word for “rye” is “rug”. A Norwegian word for “rug” is “rye”. The pronunciation is different of course, but it’s a fun symmetry. ---
**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:** [April 14, 2020, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/51 "2020-04-14T14:05:29Z")
Most of the place names using ‘Columbia’ were not named directly for Christopher Columbus, but for [Columbia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_(name)), a personification of the New World. If you’ve ever watched old Three Stooges shorts, or possibly other productions of the old Columbia Pictures, you’ve seen Columbia in the introductory credits. ---
**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:** [April 14, 2020, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/52 "2020-04-14T14:10:23Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Elvis never did a concert outside the US or Canada . The main reason was his manager Tom Parker (real name Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk from the Netherlands ) was an illegal immigrant and was afraid if he left the US he would be caught when he came back in and he did not want Elvis to do overseas concerts. Pat “Mr. Haney” Buttram knew Col. Tom in Alabama, and claimed to have patterned his Mr. Haney character after Col. Tom. ---
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2020, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/53 "2020-04-14T14:20:59Z")
During World War I, F. Scott Fitzgerald joined the Army as a lieutenant. He trained under a captain named Dwight David Eisenhower. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2020, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/54 "2020-04-14T14:43:10Z")
I worked with a guy who taught Elvis how to shoot his rifle in the Army. He got no special treatment and did not want any. He was treated like everyone else. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2020, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/55 "2020-04-14T14:58:35Z")
Lon Warneke (the Arkansas Hummingbird) was the only man ever to play in the major leagues (192-121 as a pitcher) and also umpire in All-Star and World Series games. He later became a county judge in Arkansas. One time the defendants in his courtroom were several boys who’d stolen some boxes of what they thought were chocolates and ate them all, only to find out they were actually chocolate-flavored laxatives. Warneke told them they’d been punished enough. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2020, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/56 "2020-04-14T15:07:14Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > The oldest building in the United States was first built in 12th century Spain. [St. Bernard de Clairvaux Church](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Bernard_de_Clairvaux_Church) was taken apart in 1926, shipped to the US, put in storage, and finally reconstruction began in 1952. Not Acoma Pueblo? And it’s still lived in. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2020, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/57 "2020-04-14T15:24:41Z")
> [@kitap](#): > > Not Acoma Pueblo? And it’s still lived in. Well according to Wikipedia, Acoma Pueblo has no firm, verifiable establishment date; the earliest, as attested/claimed by the Acoma people themselves, would date to 1144 for the oldest brick structures there (the site has been continuously inhabited for far longer, but we’re talking about “oldest man-made structure in North America” here). And if we’ll allow for St. Bernard’s original construction date in Spain to count, even though it was obviously dissassembled and reassembled, does not include everything from the original site, and has been scattered slightly in reassembly as well - then it was completed in 1141. Missed it by that much! But honestly, Acoma Pueblo is much more impressive as being continuously inhabited. ---
**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:** [April 14, 2020, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/58 "2020-04-14T15:33:21Z")
> [@robardin](#): > > But honestly, Acoma Pueblo is much more impressive as being continuously inhabited. I agree. I didn’t realize there was a close contender for the oldest. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2020, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/59 "2020-04-14T16:06:11Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > one of the London bridges was built around 1830 and was taken apart and moved to Arizona in 1968 and put back together. Not _a_ bridge in London but _the_ London bridge – the one that was erected in [1831](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Bridge#%22New%22_London_Bridge_(1831%E2%80%931967)) to replace the one of “London Bridge is falling down” fame. Rumor had it that Robert McCulloch, of chainsaw fame and guy who developed Lake Havasu City, thought he was buying the [Tower Bridge](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_Bridge) but he hotly denied it. Although the whole bridge was bought, what you see now is a facade on a concrete understructure. The rest of the bridge was cut into one-inch cubes for souvenirs. Property owners in Lake Havasu City, including my family, were sent one but ours disappeared sometime in the last fifty years. It was built on the neck of a peninsula then after completion a canal was dug under it to turn the peninsula into an island and make an excuse to have it in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2020, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/60 "2020-04-14T17:01:33Z")
Saw this just today: On this day in 2017, the White Sox’s starting outfield all shared the same last name – Garcia. Avisail in left, Euery in center and Willy in right. Not even three Alous, in San Francisco, started the same game in the outfield. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=4)