# 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:** 311
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2023, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6211 "2023-03-13T17:43:53Z")
The coyote head-shaped dents in the bases make them unsteady to work on. ---
**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:** [March 13, 2023, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6212 "2023-03-13T18:02:12Z")
When Mrs Trep and I got married (back in the '80s) my future parents in law’s next door neighbor’s son was a blacksmith - as in, a proper professional one. Lots of people, when they get married, are given decorative horseshoes or cards with horseshoes on them - we got a real horseshoe. I always thought that was pretty cool. > [@TriPolar](#): > > I do a little bit of it myself, but ended my plans to set up a real forge because of physical problems. Happens. The guy who made our horseshoe had to give it up around age thirty because of back problems. j ---
**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:** [March 13, 2023, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6213 "2023-03-13T18:36:25Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Based on sales on anvils, forges, and other smith’s tools the number of smiths today seems to exceed those even from the times when many farmers were smithing themselves. One result of this has been tremendous inflation in the price of used anvils. Not long ago old anvils were selling for $2-$3 a pound, now $6-$7 a pound is common and more in some cases. About 13 years ago my parents were getting rid of a lot of their household stuff in preparation for a move. One of those items was a big anvil, maybe 100 pounds, with a solid wood base. He had no idea what it was worth, so he put it up on craigslist for $25. VERY soon after listing it, he got a call from someone who was very excited about buying it and quickly came by to close the deal. It was only well afterward that my dad started looking around at anvil prices and realized he probably could have gotten $600 or so for it. ---
**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:** [March 13, 2023, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6214 "2023-03-13T20:23:07Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Interesting. I was led to believe the American southwest was practically littered with them. Might be. All I can say is in northeast it’s a rare find now when someone doesn’t know the value of their anvil. I assume there are pickers who get to some when the owner doesn’t know the value, but I’m limited to what I can find being sold in ads or at used tool suppliers. ---
**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:** [March 13, 2023, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6215 "2023-03-13T21:49:16Z")
I don’t know if it’s interesting as much as musically horrific. The Riverside County Department of Public Social Services in the 90’s came out with [an album to be played on the phone, elevator, or PA system.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPJapuW1img) ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6216 "2023-03-14T00:03:43Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Might be. All I can say is in northeast it’s a rare find now when someone doesn’t know the value of their anvil. I think you’re being whooshed. > [@markn\_1](#): > > Those Acme anvils don’t last very long. ---
**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:** [March 14, 2023, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6217 "2023-03-14T02:05:15Z")
Oh jeez… one should have landed right on my head! Thx @markn_1. Sincerely. A successful whoosh is a thing of beauty 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6218 "2023-03-14T02:56:22Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Thx @markn_1. Sincerely. A successful whoosh is a thing of beauty 😃 Uh, hello, I was the one who brought it up. ---
**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:** [March 14, 2023, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6219 "2023-03-14T03:19:12Z")
Oh great. Thx @Robot_Arm, unthanks @markn_1. I expect shortly to step out of the way of an anvil falling from the sky only to step under a much larger one that will land on me and punch a hole through the stone outcropping I am standing on causing my flattened body to somehow accordion itself between the hunk of rock with an anvil profile and the anvil itself until finally stretching my flattened body to maximum extent before the stone hits the ground and the anvil follows now crumpling my body into a form no thicker than a sheet of newsprint. Ok now? ---
**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:** [March 14, 2023, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6220 "2023-03-14T05:29:33Z")
A friend of mine is involved in strongman/grip competitions and is always on the lookout for cheap anvils. ---
**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:** [March 14, 2023, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6221 "2023-03-14T12:09:54Z")
[![](https://funvizeo.com/media/memes/5f9050b10adacc2c/hundred-bucks-says-theres-a-coyote-under-there-meme-086b9c1b76f3ad9c-b31ce46e0fc5403d.jpg) ](https://funvizeo.com/media/memes/5f9050b10adacc2c/hundred-bucks-says-theres-a-coyote-under-there-meme-086b9c1b76f3ad9c-b31ce46e0fc5403d.jpg) ---
**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:** [March 14, 2023, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6222 "2023-03-14T12:51:08Z")
Today I learned the Air Force will soon launch a prototype satellite. It’s a new GPS system, but much more advanced. I am guessing the positioning accuracy is still classified. [Navigation Technology Satellite - 3 (NTS-3)](https://afresearchlab.com/technology/space-vehicles/successstories/nts-3) Has a cool look to it. ---
**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:** [March 14, 2023, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6223 "2023-03-14T14:49:56Z")
The other day my wife was watching that “Home Town” show on HGTV. We like to joke that it’s such a small town that they’ll eventually run out of houses to renovate. But I got curious about just how big Laurel MS is so I looked it up on Wikipedia. (It’s population is around 17K.) But then I scrolled down to the list of famous people from Laurel. For a town that small it was a surprisingly long list. Ray Walston (“My Favorite Martian”), Tom Lester (Eb from “Green Acres”) and Lance Bass were some of the names I recognized. It also says that close to 2/3 of the population is African American, but boy you sure wouldn’t know it from watching the show. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6224 "2023-03-14T16:30:14Z")
Maybe some of you know this already, but I learned recently that the Addams Family TV/movie/video game franchise started as cartoons in the New Yorker magazine in the 1930s, drawn by Charles Addams. ---
**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:** [March 14, 2023, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6225 "2023-03-14T17:03:01Z")
The top four best-performing artists on the US singles charts during the 1960s were… 1. The Beatles 2. Elvis Presley 3. Ray Charles and (ahead of the Supremes and The Beach Boys) 4. _Brenda Lee_! Her secret? She would put an up-tempo Rock and Roll song on Side A and a slower ballad or Country song on Side B, and _both sides_ would make the charts. In fact, her biggest hit, “I’m Sorry” (which everybody involved in the recording, save Brenda, hated) was a B side. ---
**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:** [March 14, 2023, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6226 "2023-03-14T17:30:07Z")
> [@zimaane](#): > > Maybe some of you know this already, but I learned recently that the Addams Family TV/movie/video game franchise started as cartoons in the New Yorker magazine in the 1930s, drawn by Charles Addams. I think a lot of us do know this, but the later works inspired by those cartoons do little to point that out. They are fantastic cartoons too, not just the Addams Family, but all of his cartoons in his horror and surreal style. I’m surprised Addams eccentric personal life hasn’t been made into a movie as well. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2023, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6227 "2023-03-14T17:54:29Z")
But it has been made into a book. [Charles Addams: A Cartoonist’s Life, by Linda H. Davis](https://www.amazon.com/Charles-Addams-Cartoonists-Linda-Davis/dp/1684426898/ref=sr_1_1?crid=O8BB2LU5QXCX&keywords=charles+addams+biography&qid=1678816291&s=books&sprefix=charles+addams+biography%2Cstripbooks%2C147&sr=1-1) details his eccentricities at length. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2023, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6228 "2023-03-15T18:03:59Z")
> **[Has the mystery of Leonardo da Vinci's mother finally been solved?](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/leonardo-da-vinci-mother-slave-caucasus-italy-new-research-book-rcna74670)** > > The Renaissance master and painter of the "Mona Lisa" was in fact just half Italian, according to new research revealed Tuesday, with his mother a slave from the Caucasus. Interesting. ---
**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:** [March 16, 2023, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6229 "2023-03-16T01:45:02Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > Happens. The guy who made our horseshoe had to give it up around age thirty because of back problems. Probably wasn’t the horseshoes, more likely the horses. Farriery is notoriously hard on your back. My farrier does yoga stretches between horses. And that’s with compliant, obedient horses. A cranky or untrained horse can put you in the hospital very easily. ---
**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:** [March 16, 2023, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6230 "2023-03-16T12:07:27Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > My farrier does yoga stretches between horses. And that’s with compliant, obedient horses Yeah, our horses are very cooperative with the farrier, There are crossties in the barn and he comes on a regular schedule. But I couldn’t do his job for a day. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=310) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=312)