# 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:** 323
**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:** [May 3, 2023, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6451 "2023-05-03T16:41:16Z")
Today I learned about the [Phoebus Cartel, who controlled light bulbs until WW2.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoebus_cartel) ---
**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:** [May 3, 2023, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6452 "2023-05-03T18:14:45Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > Laura Nyro’s song. And a much better version. Fact: They’re both great. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2023, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6453 "2023-05-04T04:11:08Z")
[When the game _Among Us_ gained popularity in 2020, it was discovered that it had been in violation of the Geneva Convention for two years. Why?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BmM9sbsOTw) Not something in the way the game is played. The game itself was in violation. Answer at 6:02. The Geneva Convention prohibits _unauthorized_ use of the Red Cross/Crescent symbol for any purpose outside of war. Other games, including the original _Doom_, have also been in violation. ---
**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:** [May 5, 2023, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6454 "2023-05-05T13:25:28Z")
Today I learned that on May 5, 1945, six people, five of whom were children, were killed by a Japanese ‘balloon bomb’ in southern Oregon. These six were the only civilians to die by enemy weapons on the United States mainland during World War II. ---
**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:** [May 6, 2023, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6455 "2023-05-06T14:21:57Z")
Even if you’ve never used one, you have probably seen a Simpson 260 multimeter. It’s one of the most well-known meters ever made. I just discovered a couple interesting things about it. For one thing, [it is still made by Simpson](https://simpsonelectric.com/products/test-equipment/vom-multimeters/260-8-260-8p/), _and_ it’s made in the USA (in Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin). Secondly, Simpson Electric is owned by a Native American tribe: the [Lac du Flambeau Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa Indians](https://www.ldftribe.com/). ---
**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:** [May 6, 2023, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6456 "2023-05-06T14:45:59Z")
Well, that makes me a little uneasy, an electrician tool in such close proximity to “flambeau”. ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2023, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6457 "2023-05-06T14:52:02Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > Today I learned that on May 5, 1945, six people, five of whom were children, were killed by a Japanese ‘balloon bomb’ in southern Oregon A minister, his pregnant wife Elsie, and a small Sunday school class found the _fugō_ while on a picnic. The minister, Archie Michell, was the only survivor when the bomb exploded. Mitchell later married the older sister of two of the bomb victims. 20 years after the deaths of the children and Elsie Mitchell, Rev. Mitchell was on a mission trip in South Vietnam when he and two others were kidnapped by the Viet Cong. The three were never heard from again even though Mitchell’s wife Betty spent the rest of her life trying to get him freed – despite the new unified communist Vietnam denying Mitchell even existed as a prisoner (he was likely long dead by the time Saigon fell). The Mitchell monument, located at the site of the _fugō_ explosion, isn’t too far from me but I’ve never been there. I should make a trip one of these summers and see it for myself. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2023, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6458 "2023-05-06T15:20:11Z")
Judith Krantz (the trashy romance novelist) was married to Steve Krantz (whose animation studio produced cartoons like Rocket Robin Hood, Spider-Man and Fritz the Cat) and her brother was married to Shari Lewis (the ventriloquist). That explains the title of her most famous book “Lambchop Vs. Doctor Octopus”. ---
**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:** [May 6, 2023, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6459 "2023-05-06T15:26:42Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > That explains the title of her most famous book “Lambchop Vs. Doctor Octopus”. That there is some serious rishathra. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2023, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6460 "2023-05-07T01:47:18Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Even if you’ve never used one, you have probably seen a Simpson 260 multimeter. It’s one of the most well-known meters ever made Huh. Not an electrician. Never heard of the brand but I always have some form of electrical tester handy (well in the shed). I still love the advertisement/slogan “If it works, it’s a Fluke” I stick with them. But who knows. I generaly just need to know it it’s hot, or continuity. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2023, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6461 "2023-05-07T06:35:16Z")
How the village of Chicken, Alaska got its name. > **[Chicken, Alaska | History](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken,_Alaska#History)** > > Chicken was settled by gold miners in the late 19th century. In 1902 the local post office was established, requiring a community name. Due to the prevalence of ptarmigan in the area, that name was suggested as the official name for the new community. However, the spelling could not be agreed on, and "Chicken" was used to avoid embarrassment. > A portion of Chicken, with buildings from the early 1900s and the F.E. Company Dredge No. 4 (Pedro Dredge), is listed on the National Register of Histor On... ---
**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:** [May 7, 2023, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6462 "2023-05-07T15:49:23Z")
Horseheads, NY, is [named for the obvious after a bunch were killed during the Revolutionary War.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseheads,_New_York) ---
**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:** [May 7, 2023, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6463 "2023-05-07T20:39:58Z")
Speaking of strange name origins, the River Eden is actually named after the town of Edenbridge, rather than the other way around. (You could argue that it’s named after a bridge over it - but that isn’t any less strange). > **[River Eden, Kent](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Eden,_Kent)** > > The River Eden is a tributary of the River Medway in south east England. It rises at the foot of the North Downs escarpment near Titsey in Surrey and runs initially southwards through Oxted before turning eastwards to enter Kent. After flowing through Edenbridge and passing Hever Castle, the Eden meets the Medway at Penshurst. > The name 'Eden' is a back-formation from Edenbridge, (Eadhelmsbrigge (Eadhelm's Bridge) in Old English). > The Eden rises at the foot of the North Downs in Titsey parish,... j ---
**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:** [May 8, 2023, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6464 "2023-05-08T00:40:41Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > Due to the prevalence of ptarmigan in the area The spelling of ptarmigan is a historical accident, it is unrelated to other words of Greek origin that have a silent P, such as Pterodactyl. > The word ptarmigan comes from the [Scottish Gaelic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Gaelic) _tàrmachan_ , meaning croaker. The silent initial p was added in 1684 by [Robert Sibbald](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Sibbald) through the influence of [Greek](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_language), especially _pteron_ (πτερόν _pterón_ ), “wing”, “feather”, or “pinion”. ---
**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:** [May 8, 2023, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6465 "2023-05-08T03:25:37Z")
TIL, do not _ever_ click the [“random” button at xkcd](https://xkcd.com/879/). ---
**Author:** ![JacobSwan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@JacobSwan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JacobSwan)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2023, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6466 "2023-05-08T09:45:15Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > Speaking of strange name origins, the River Eden is actually named after the town of Edenbridge, rather than the other way around. (You could argue that it’s named after a bridge over it - but that isn’t any less strange). It happens a lot: > **[River Stort](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Stort)** > > The River Stort is a river in Essex and Hertfordshire, England. It is 24 miles (38 km) long and flows from just south of the village of Langley to the River Lea at Hoddesdon. > The river's name is a back-formation from the name of the town of Bishop's Stortford. The 16th-century cartographers Christopher Saxton and William Camden named it the Stort, assuming the town of Stortford was named for its ford. The river was originally called the Stour. > The Stort Navigation is the canalised section of... The river is named after the town which is named after the ford. ---
**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:** [May 8, 2023, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6467 "2023-05-08T11:03:41Z")
TIL that [Sophie Thatcher](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7393303/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1) of Yellowjackets fame has the middle name of “Bathsheba.” An interesting choice. ---
**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:** [May 8, 2023, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6468 "2023-05-08T14:19:51Z")
We watched a [documentary](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9094980/) on Monet last night. Lots of stuff I didn’t know. The main one was that he was a very long term friend with French politician [Georges Clemenceau](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Clemenceau). Clemenceau was key in getting Monet’s work on the map. He was PM, War Minister (at the start of WWI) and PM again (at the end). He was a key figure in the terms of the Versailles Treaty. Their friendship was strained during WWI due to Monet becoming increasingly a pacifist and Clemenceau, well, being the War Minister. Still Clemenceau was the guy who got the giant water lilies panels placed in the Musée de l’Orangerie.shortly after Monet’s death. He also wrote a biography on Monet. I guess it helps to have friends in high places. Go figure. ---
**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:** [May 8, 2023, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6469 "2023-05-08T17:20:10Z")
Bwaa-ha-ha. Thanks for sharing. That’s hilarious. ---
**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:** [May 8, 2023, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6470 "2023-05-08T17:44:58Z")
Dorothy Gale of “Oz” fame was named after Dorothy Gage, niece of Maud Gage Baum. . . and L. Frank Baum. She was five months old when she died in 1898. Mary Ann from “Gilligan’s Island” and Dorothy Gale were both from Winfield, KS. In some eps, Mary Ann is in pigtails, and wearing a checkered dress, similar to Dorothy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=322) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=324)