# 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:** 331
**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:** [June 1, 2023, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6611 "2023-06-01T17:29:13Z")
That’s only in 2 dimensions. [Try 4](https://xkcd.com/1190/). ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2023, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6612 "2023-06-01T17:49:45Z")
Here’s the whole thing, although not at full size: [![](https://i.imgur.com/Tt4Yg.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/Tt4Yg.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2023, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6613 "2023-06-01T17:57:07Z")
[Here’s another one; this can be zoomed.](http://xkcd-map.rent-a-geek.de/#8/0.824/-12.497) ---
**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:** [June 2, 2023, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6614 "2023-06-02T11:08:48Z")
Ever wanted to buy a lighthouse? [Now you can! It’s Lighthouse Season!](https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/newsroom/news-releases/record-number-of-lighthouses-being-offered-to-the-public-during-2023-lighthouse-season-05262023) ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2023, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6615 "2023-06-02T12:21:03Z")
> [@alovem](#): > > They never settle voluntarily on the ground, where they would be vulnerable to accidents and predation, and non-breeding individuals may spend up to **ten months** in continuous flight. Exactly how would they be able to determine that? ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2023, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6616 "2023-06-02T12:22:14Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Newspapers (and magazines) are funded by advertising, not subscriptions. Advertisers get charged by the number of potential readers who could see their ads. The higher the circulation the higher the rates. > > Newspapers (and magazines) do everything except give themselves away to drive circulation…… This was largely true for most newspapers for most of their history, but not any more. Digital subscriptions are now the biggest source of revenue, and the online ad market is dominated by a few large players like Google. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2023, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6617 "2023-06-02T14:16:26Z")
The largest stone ever moved by humans is at the base of a statue of Peter the Great in St Petersburg Russia. [Bronze Horseman - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronze_Horseman) It wieghts 1250 tonnes and was hauled out of a swamp several kilometers from its current site. As this was the 18th century, it was moved entirely by human power, before being put on a barge and floated in. ---
**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:** [June 2, 2023, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6618 "2023-06-02T14:30:26Z")
Wow. We have a boulder that is 3’x3’x3’. We use it to mount horses more easily. One day my gf told me she wanted it moved about a foot over from where it has been sitting for 30 years. I tried using a digging bar to slide it. Nope. Then I asked a buddy to help me. Nope. Then my buddy called his son, who brought over two friends. The five of us moved the boulder but it was difficult. ---
**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:** [June 2, 2023, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6619 "2023-06-02T14:41:03Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > We have a boulder that is 3’x3’x3’. We use it to mount horses more easily. One day my gf told me she wanted it moved about a foot over from where it has been sitting for 30 years. I tried using a digging bar to slide it. Nope. Then I asked a buddy to help me. Nope. Then my buddy called his son, who brought over two friends. The five of us moved the boulder but it was difficult. That’s 4725lbs, or 945lb per person. No wonder it was difficult. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2023, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6620 "2023-06-02T14:44:30Z")
I didn’t make that claim. It’s a Wikipedia cite. So, I guess you’re just going to have to ask _them_. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2023, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6621 "2023-06-02T14:45:46Z")
Wiki, if you’re listening… ---
**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:** [June 2, 2023, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6622 "2023-06-02T14:48:21Z")
> [@tofor](#): > > That’s 4725lbs, or 945lb per person. I’ll have to mention this to my gf. She thought I could “slide it over a foot” by myself. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2023, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6623 "2023-06-02T14:49:44Z")
I was also intrigued by that and other facts in both entries, and I noticed a couple of discrepancies between the two. It seems to be accepted that they hunt, eat, sleep and mate on the wing. Very interesting bird. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2023, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6624 "2023-06-02T14:55:41Z")
Reminds me of an old claim that some shark could smell a drop of blood a mile away. Not saying it’s not true… ---
**Author:** ![kwintenstraler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kwintenstraler/32/10698_2.png) [@kwintenstraler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kwintenstraler)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2023, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6625 "2023-06-02T15:07:28Z")
> **[List of largest monoliths | Moved monoliths](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_monoliths#Moved_monoliths)** > > This section lists monoliths that have been quarried and moved. The [weight](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weight) of a stone can be calculated by multiplying its [volume](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volume) and [density](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Density). ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2023, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6626 "2023-06-02T15:10:44Z")
That would be my ex. 😀 ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2023, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6627 "2023-06-02T15:13:41Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I’ll have to mention this to my gf. She thought I could “slide it over a foot” by myself. Careful about that, or you will be carrying couches around by yourself… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2023, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6628 "2023-06-02T15:28:47Z")
> [@tofor](#): > > That’s 4725lbs, or 945lb per person. Curious what the conversion was based on here. Not casting aspersions – rather, asking in the grand SDMB tradition of fighting ignorance. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2023, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6629 "2023-06-02T15:37:59Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > Curious what the conversion was based on here. Not casting aspersions – rather, asking in the grand SDMB tradition of fighting ignorance. A 3’x3’x3’ stone is 27 cubic feet in volume. Google tells me that stone is around 100 lb/ft3 in density. I get 2700 pounds or 540 per person. The density is the wildcard which is probably highly variable depending on stone type. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2023, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/6630 "2023-06-02T15:57:26Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > A 3’x3’x3’ stone is 27 cubic feet in volume. > > Google tells me that stone is around 100 lb/ft3 in density. > > I get 2700 pounds or 540 per person. > > The density is the wildcard which is probably highly variable depending on stone type. Google converts 100 lb/ft3 into **1.6 g/cm3** (punch “_100 lbs/cubic foot in g/cm3_” into Google). Then I quickly found this, but haven’t ground-truthed it against anything else: > **[The Density of Common Rocks and Minerals](https://www.thoughtco.com/densities-of-common-rocks-and-minerals-1439119)** > > The specific densities of the most common rocks and minerals, with a look at porosity. metals are generally denser than rocks. When you scroll down to the ‘Rock Densities’ section … it seems that most common types of rock (not minerals) cluster around 2.7-2.8 g/cm3. Splitting the difference and converting 2.75 g/cm3 into lb/ft3 yields ~171.7 lb/ft3. 171.7 lb/ft3 X 27 ft3 = ~4,636 lbs. So **tofor** pretty much had it, given that the type of rock was unspecified. EDIT: OK, I’ve ground-truthed the ThoughtCo link with this scholarly link to some **[Univ of British Columbia geophysics course material](https://www.eoas.ubc.ca/courses/eosc350/content/foundations/properties/density.htm#:~:text=Most%20of%20the%20rocks%20comprising,2.6%20and%202.7g%2Fcc.)**. Pretty much in line with ThoughtCo (but a little more persnickety, specifying wet vs dry densities and such). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=330) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=332)