# 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:** 358
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2023, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7151 "2023-08-08T19:39:24Z")
Raymond Chandler invented Google (so to speak) back in 1953. In a private letter, he wrote about how banal science fiction can be [Selected Letters of Raymond Chandler - Raymond Chandler - Google Books](https://books.google.com/books?id=-AHYeTyVbUkC&q=Google&fbclid=IwAR2ZZc2D4e2DHC2q_-ajnLOaXUiCrTD8XadjXaWHXms_e-SUrhJLoDin6Ps#v=onepage&q=transparent%20cysicites&f=false) In his very funny take on then current science fiction, the last part of his pastiche reads, “I had exactly four seconds to hot up the disintegrator and Google had told me it wasn’t enough.” The last line of his letter was “They pay brisk money for this crap?” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2023, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7152 "2023-08-08T20:17:51Z")
Huh, maybe the results are customized-- [it’s not helpful for me](https://www.google.com/search?q=How+long+does+it+take+to+hot+up+a+disintegrator%3F&sxsrf=AB5stBgKnMpxArngYBNnQi2hoGLr4a9aOQ%3A1691525778586&source=hp&ei=kqLSZL-LDsTg9AOrrqH4Ag&iflsig=AD69kcEAAAAAZNKwojWWmoyCiRTgp1OlSB3fZP2q1l2t&ved=0ahUKEwi_nI_J8M2AAxVEMH0KHStXCC8Q4dUDCAo&uact=5&oq=How+long+does+it+take+to+hot+up+a+disintegrator%3F&gs_lp=Egdnd3Mtd2l6IjBIb3cgbG9uZyBkb2VzIGl0IHRha2UgdG8gaG90IHVwIGEgZGlzaW50ZWdyYXRvcj8yBxAhGKABGAoyBxAhGKABGApI7lJQAFiBS3ABeACQAQGYAecCoAHHL6oBCTEzLjMyLjMuMbgBA8gBAPgBAcICDRAuGIoFGMcBGK8BGCfCAgQQIxgnwgIREC4YgAQYsQMYgwEYxwEY0QPCAgsQABiABBixAxiDAcICBRAAGIAEwgIFEC4YgATCAggQABiABBixA8ICCxAuGIAEGMcBGNEDwgIIEAAYigUYsQPCAgsQABiKBRixAxiDAcICCBAAGIAEGMkDwgIIEAAYigUYkgPCAgYQABgWGB7CAggQABgWGB4YCsICCBAAGIoFGIYDwgIHEAAYDRiABMICBRAhGKsCwgIIECEYFhgeGB3CAggQABgIGB4YDQ&sclient=gws-wiz). ---
**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:** [August 8, 2023, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7153 "2023-08-08T20:28:59Z")
Rats can’t vomit. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2023, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7154 "2023-08-08T20:32:13Z")
Just as horses can’t. There’s a German saying “Ich habe Pferde kotzen sehen”, “I’ve seen horses vomiting”, which is used when you want to stress that a very improbable outcome is still somewhat possible. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2023, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7155 "2023-08-08T22:20:30Z")
There is an exoplanet called COCONUTS-2b. ---
**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:** [August 8, 2023, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7156 "2023-08-08T23:37:21Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Huh, maybe the results are customized-- it’s not helpful for me Funny, on that page it finds the word “disintegrator” just fine, but even though “Google” is right there and you can read it, the search function can’t find it. Go figure. ---
**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:** [August 9, 2023, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7157 "2023-08-09T01:34:32Z")
> [@EmilyG](#): > > There is an exoplanet called COCONUTS-2b. Maybe there’s a budding civilisation there? ---
**Author:** ![JacobSwan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@JacobSwan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JacobSwan)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2023, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7158 "2023-08-09T09:00:36Z")
A race of super intelligent horses perhaps? ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2023, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7159 "2023-08-09T15:51:19Z")
Snickers candy bars are named after a horse. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2023, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7160 "2023-08-09T17:15:56Z")
But the Snickers galaxy is named after the candy bar. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2023, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7161 "2023-08-09T17:31:24Z")
Nile Crocodiles are better than humans at discerning the distress levels in a human child’s cry: [https://www.science.org/content/article/crocodiles-alarmingly-attuned-cries-of-human-infants](https://www.science.org/content/article/crocodiles-alarmingly-attuned-cries-of-human-infants) ---
**Author:** ![motu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/motu/32/259_2.png) [@motu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/motu)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2023, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7162 "2023-08-09T21:00:34Z")
Marie (Zus) Braun, a female Dutch Olympic Gold Medal swimmer was unable to compete in the finals for the 1932 100m women’s backstroke because of a severe infection in her leg. It was reported as an infected insect bite. When she was able to return home after several weeks in the hospital, she told reporters that she thought she had been stabbed by some Americans when watching the 400m Men’s freestyle finals. She never competed again. > **[90.pdf](https://isoh.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/90.pdf)** > > 307.96 KB ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2023, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7163 "2023-08-09T23:08:32Z")
William Emo, called “The Father of Traffic Safety”, invented the one-way street, the stop sign, and the traffic circle. He never drove a car. ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2023, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7164 "2023-08-10T01:16:30Z")
To continue the ‘Random Olympic Facts’ started by Motu (above) - Károly Takács was a Hungarian pistol shooter who was denied a place in the 1936 Olympic team because he was a serjeant in the army and only Officers were allowed to compete. In 1938, he suffered a severe injury to his right (shooting) hand. He taught himself to shoot with his left hand, and although the 1940 and 1944 Olympics were cancelled, Károly Takács won the 1948 and 1952 Olympic 25 Metre Rapid Fire gold medals. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2023, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7165 "2023-08-10T01:22:54Z")
This is trivia you could have guessed. My sister was on the dietician team working at the Los Angeles Olympics. She said that the athletes being served the fewest calories were the female gymnasts and the athletes being served the most were the weight lifters. At the time I didn’t think to ask about male vs. female weight lifters. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2023, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7166 "2023-08-10T02:00:28Z")
Famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s son John was the inventor of [Lincoln Logs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Logs). ---
**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:** [August 10, 2023, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7167 "2023-08-10T03:18:49Z")
> [@Wallaby](#): > > To continue the ‘Random Olympic Facts’… Shizo Kanakuri was a Japanese marathoner at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm. The trip from Japan had taken a toll on his fitness, and he was not able to finish the race. To avoid embarrassment, he returned to Japan without notifying race officials that he had withdrawn. In 1967 he was offered the opportunity to return to Sweden and finish the race. He completed the marathon in 54 years and 8 months 6 days 5 hours 32 minutes 20 seconds. I assume that time is unofficial. ---
**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:** [August 10, 2023, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7168 "2023-08-10T12:07:03Z")
[quote=“Yllaria, post:7165, topic:851674, full:true”] This is trivia you could have guessed. My sister was on the dietician team working at the Los Angeles Olympics. She said that the athletes being served the fewest calories were the female gymnasts and the athletes being served the most were the weight lifters. [/quote] It’s surprising to me that female gymnasts were the lightest eaters, as they work and train pretty hard. Maybe because they tend to be smaller than most/all other athletes? Even so, they put out a lot of energy in their practice and performance; I would have thought the archers would have the lowest calorie needs. ---
**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:** [August 10, 2023, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7169 "2023-08-10T13:35:57Z")
It’s not about energy output. It’s about pressure from coaches and other to stay thin. ---
**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:** [August 10, 2023, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7170 "2023-08-10T14:12:18Z")
I suspect there’s also a practical aspect, in that most gymnastic routines become harder if you are physically heavier, more than cancelling out the increased muscle. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=357) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=359)