# 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:** 394
**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:** [October 27, 2023, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7871 "2023-10-27T13:31:24Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > And if you don’t know what the Dewey Decimal System is, get off my lawn. [Indeed](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZHoHaAYHq8&t=16s). ---
**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2023, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7872 "2023-10-27T13:51:16Z")
Rivian has not enabled “tank turn” or skid steer yet and may never–super hard on tires and the drive systems. True skid-steers are hydraulic, so it prevents driveline shock, and the tires are very hard and pumped up to like 80# or even solid. ---
**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:** [October 27, 2023, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7873 "2023-10-27T14:06:47Z")
Three wheel motorcycles are making a comeback in a single rear drive wheel and two front wheels for steering. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2023, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7874 "2023-10-27T15:18:23Z")
Sam Houston was also the only person to serve as Senator in two different states. Before he went to Texas he was a senator from Tennessee. ---
**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:** [October 27, 2023, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7875 "2023-10-27T15:39:56Z")
This is incorrect. James Shields served in the Senate three states. IL, MN and MO although MO was just to finish out the last six weeks of an expired term. Waitman Willy served in the Senate VA and then the newly created WV. Many people served in the House in two different states. Many people served in the House in one state and the Senate in a different one including Houston (TN House, TX Senate). ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2023, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7876 "2023-10-27T16:19:30Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > The artist said that it’s not intended as an act of literary critique, The fact that he got 6000 copies from charity/thrift shops is critique enough ! ---
**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:** [October 27, 2023, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7877 "2023-10-27T17:28:14Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Three wheel motorcycles are making a comeback in a single rear drive wheel and two front wheels for steering. Unlike ATVs, they’re unlikely to be driven down a 45° slope at an angle. ---
**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:** [October 27, 2023, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7878 "2023-10-27T17:33:38Z")
Abraham Lincoln and his family had a dog named Fido, which remained behind in Springfield when Lincoln was elected President. An 1860 photograph of Fido is believed to be the first photo of a presidential pet. ---
**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:** [October 27, 2023, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7879 "2023-10-27T18:10:36Z")
This postcard is, according to wikipedia, the biggest seller of all time (over 6 million copies). There is a caveat (data from a 1978 Guinness Book Of World Records - later editions omit this record); and it’s spoilered as it’s (barely arguably) NSFW. It’s also very much a product of its times, and so not particularly politically correct: Postcard: [Postcards and Viewcards: Donald McGill Saucy Postcard](https://postcardsandviewcards.blogspot.com/2014/10/donald-mcgill-saucy-postcard.html) This postcard is the work of Donald McGill: > **[Donald McGill](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_McGill)** > > Donald Fraser Gould McGill (28 January 1875 – 13 October 1962) was an English graphic artist whose name has become synonymous with the genre of saucy postcards, particularly associated with the seaside (though they were sold throughout the UK). The cards mostly feature an array of attractive young women, fat old ladies, drunken middle-aged men, honeymoon couples and vicars. > He has been called 'the king of the saucy postcard', and his work is collected and appreciated for his artistic skill, it... McGill is estimated to have produced 12,000 designs, with an estimated 200 million copies printed. He was known as ‘the king of the saucy postcard’ - a staple of British seaside holidays in the middle years of the twentieth century - a sort of postable Benny Hill style joke, as it were. It was a more hazardous profession than you might think: > Approaching [the age of] 80, McGill fell foul of several local censorship committees, which culminated in a major trial in Lincoln on 15 July 1954 for breaking the Obscene Publications Act 1857. He was found guilty and fined £50 with £25 costs. The wider result was a devastating blow to the saucy postcard industry; many postcards were destroyed as a result, and retailers cancelled orders. Several of the smaller companies were made bankrupt, as they had traded on very small margins. > > In the late 1950s, the level of censorship eased off and the market recovered. In 1957, McGill gave evidence before a House of Commons select committee set up to amend the 1857 Act. You may be pleased to discover that McGill has [his own museum](https://saucyseasidepostcards.com/) in Ryde on the Isle of Wight. If you wanted to see more of his work, it’s very easy to google it - possibly NSFW and certainly not PC. j ---
**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:** [October 27, 2023, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7880 "2023-10-27T19:51:50Z")
When the Prudential Tower in Boston was completed in 1964 it was the tenth tallest building in the world, and the tallest in North America outside of New York City. That surprised me a bit. The Pru doesn’t strike me as remarkably tall, but I guess it came before the skyscraper boom in the early-'70s. ---
**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:** [October 28, 2023, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7881 "2023-10-28T17:28:41Z")
> [@Tride](#): > > Rivian has not enabled “tank turn” or skid steer yet and may never–super hard on tires and the drive systems. On the other hand, if you can rotate all four wheels independently, and far enough, you could do a “tank turn” without any skid: Rotate all four wheels so they’re all tangent to the circumscribed circle. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2023, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7882 "2023-10-28T19:26:58Z")
Bobcat has a Skid that also has 4 wheel turning. When I first saw it I thought that I was seeing things. It’s doesn’t disrupt the ground or pavement it’s on as much. [Bobcat skid with also 4 wheel steering.](https://www.facebook.com/ChamplainValleyEquipmentVT/videos/the-bobcat-company-a770-is-one-of-a-kind-skid-steer-loader-that-allows-you-to-se/2999083560135161/) ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2023, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7883 "2023-10-29T00:13:45Z")
Baking soda and superglue hardens almost immediately when mixed via an exothermic reaction. It looks like it’s fast enough that you want to put the baking soda in place, then soak it with superglue. The result is a hard mass where the baking soda absorbed the superglue. The video I found to check this out also tried: powdered graphite - took longer to set, but it did set Cinnamon- it worked Aluminum powder - did not work Aluminum powder and baking soda - it worked slower than straight baking soda and the resulting object could be buffed to a shine. ---
**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:** [October 29, 2023, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7884 "2023-10-29T01:00:52Z")
> [@Zyada](#): > > Aluminum powder and baking soda - it worked slower than straight baking soda and the resulting object could be buffed to a shine. Ooh, I’ll have to try that one. It sounds like a good way to sculpt “metallic” pieces. ---
**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:** [October 29, 2023, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7885 "2023-10-29T02:59:58Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > Abraham Lincoln and his family had a dog named Fido, which remained behind in Springfield when Lincoln was elected President. An 1860 photograph of Fido is believed to be the first photo of a presidential pet. . . . > Well, then Fido got up off the floor an’ he rolled over > An’ he looked me straight in the eye > An’ you know what he said? ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2023, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7886 "2023-10-29T03:50:38Z")
FYI, they used silicon molds and damaged them, experiment first! ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2023, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7887 "2023-10-29T11:26:08Z")
Do you have a link Zyada. This sounds interesting. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2023, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7888 "2023-10-29T12:07:25Z")
I have used the superglue and baking soda combo - it’s HARD !! I have seen videos showing superglue mixed with all sorts of things :- ash, polystyrene (styrofoam), toilet paper, sawdust etc. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2023, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7889 "2023-10-29T17:01:53Z")
> [@pjd](#): > > it’s HARD !! “Hard” meaning “difficult”, or “hard” meaning “rigid”? ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2023, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/7890 "2023-10-29T17:04:25Z")
Hard meaning “rigid”. It’s easy to accomplish - just squeeze superglue onto baking soda ! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=393) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=395)