# 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:** 420
**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:** [December 15, 2023, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8391 "2023-12-15T19:51:57Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > Back in the 90’s during the eta of post office shootings, mail would be splattered with blood but of course they had to still deliver it. And there were several singed pieces of mail from the Hindenburg. [Here’s a post card.](https://postalmuseum.si.edu/object/npm_1993.2002.70.1) ---
**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:** [December 15, 2023, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8392 "2023-12-15T21:07:48Z")
I would think that with the right marketing, they could sell it at a substantially higher price than ordinary, run-of-the-mill, non-death-related tuna. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2023, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8393 "2023-12-15T21:26:53Z")
“Bumble Bee. Our tuna is to die for.” ---
**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:** [December 15, 2023, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8394 "2023-12-15T23:06:19Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > a co-worker, who mistakenly believed Melena was in the bathroom, filled the pressure cooker with 12,000 pounds of canned tuna and it was turned on That would really send the mercury soaring! ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2023, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8395 "2023-12-16T00:29:12Z")
> [@Zyada](#): > > And that is how NORAD came to track Santa every Christmas > > [NORAD's Santa Tracker began with a typo and a good sport : NPR](https://www.npr.org/2014/12/19/371647099/norads-santa-tracker-began-with-a-typo-and-a-good-sport) This was such a wonderful story in the midst of these downer facts. Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2023, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8396 "2023-12-16T00:47:52Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > This was such a wonderful story in the midst of these downer facts. Thank you! It’s refreshing in 2023 to hear a story where a person does not seize a golden opportunity to be an @$$hole. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2023, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8397 "2023-12-16T01:53:37Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > Strontium-90 and Cesium-137, radioactive fission fragments resulting from nuclear explosions or reactor leaks, also tend to be taken up into the body and stored, which makes their radioactivity much more dangerous then as an ambient radiation source. The Chernobyl area [mostly!](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/unprotected-russian-soldiers-disturbed-radioactive-dust-chernobyls-red-forest-2022-03-28/) isn’t acutely dangerous anymore but nothing that grows or lives there is safe to eat because of its radioisotope content. yes, i recall munching iodium tablets after chernobyl, to saturate the tyroide and avoid radioactive material to be stored there. ---
**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:** [December 16, 2023, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8398 "2023-12-16T17:33:29Z")
Since 1980, the average lifespan of a housecat has increased from seven to fifteen years. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2023, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8399 "2023-12-16T18:01:20Z")
How does one even measure this? Is it from the date of euthanasia of cats at veterinarians? ---
**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:** [December 16, 2023, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8400 "2023-12-16T18:08:19Z")
I’d expect that the difference would mostly be from a smaller proportion of the population being ferals, since feral cats will have a fairly short lifespan before what’s called in humans “death by misadventure”, and that would drag down the overall average considerably. ---
**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:** [December 16, 2023, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8401 "2023-12-16T18:24:39Z")
“Death by Misadventure” = coyotes & Toyotas. ---
**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:** [December 16, 2023, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8402 "2023-12-16T18:26:41Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > The state with the highest illiteracy rate is California. My guess is that’s because the population is over 40% hispanic, and many of these are 1st gen immigrants or are on seasonal work visas. Most of the Latin American immigrants to California were essentially peasants in their countries of origin and so they remain here, working in industries which do not require interacting with an English speaking public, such as janitorial, restaurant, and agricultural businesses. The only people they speak with other than among themselves are their (bilingual) managers. A lot of these folks cannot read or write much in their own language much less English. That at least what I heard from Catholic priests there. While all this is true, it only explains 34% of adult illiteracy in the USA. It also does not change the fact that our government is failing to provide needed education for these vulnerable adults. When you consider that 54% of US adults read below the sixth grade level, the problem is clearly epidemic. How is this not the primary issue in politics? 21% of adults in the USA are illiterate. 54% of adults in the USA have a literacy below 6th grade level. Of those with low or no literacy, only 34% were born outside the US. > **[48+ US Literacy Statistics 2023 - Percentage by State](https://www.thinkimpact.com/literacy-statistics/)** > > Millions of Americans are illiterate. Check out the literacy statistics to find out which state is the worst rated. Percentage of adults that cannot read. ---
**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:** [December 16, 2023, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8403 "2023-12-16T18:29:31Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Since 1980, the average lifespan of a housecat has increased from seven to fifteen years. How do they define housecat? Do they mean all _felis catis_, or pet cats living in people’s homes? ---
**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:** [December 16, 2023, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8404 "2023-12-16T18:38:20Z")
Good point. If it’s just pet cats, it’s probably because there has been a change in attitude about cats living outside. When I was a teen in the 70s, it was just assumed that cats were an indoor/outdoor pet. Now letting a cat go outside is considered bad by a lot of people ---
**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:** [December 16, 2023, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8405 "2023-12-16T18:54:04Z")
I don’t doubt that the availability of better veterinary care (and people’s willingness to pay for it) is a big factor. ---
**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:** [December 16, 2023, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8406 "2023-12-16T19:28:06Z")
It’s household pet cats. I should have been more clear. I think better nutrition, higher percentage of cats being indoor only, vaccinations and better vet care in general. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2023, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8407 "2023-12-17T02:22:15Z")
taken from a reddit post, as it really is astonishing … You can actually “see through” Chile on a clear day… [![](https://i.postimg.cc/qBt28G5f/image.png) ](https://i.postimg.cc/qBt28G5f/image.png) . guessing, its about 100-120km as the crow flies between Viña del Mar (Pacific coast) and Aconcagua … so the humidity must have been really low that day … [![](https://i.postimg.cc/1XJxRQhT/image.png) ](https://i.postimg.cc/1XJxRQhT/image.png) ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2023, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8408 "2023-12-17T02:35:36Z")
On a smaller scale, [at the Aventine Keyhole,](https://theculturetrip.com/europe/italy/articles/the-story-behind-the-aventine-keyhole) you stand in the sovereign embassy of the Knights of Malta, view across Italian land, and see the Dome of Saint Peters on Vatican territory. ---
**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:** [December 17, 2023, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8409 "2023-12-17T05:58:20Z")
Of the 73 Fairchild FH-227 aircraft (44-52 passenger capacity) that were built; 23 have crashed resulting in a total of 393 fatalities. The most notable of these was the plane carrying an Uruguayan rugby team (not quite all the way) over the Andes. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2023, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8410 "2023-12-17T12:47:20Z")
Interesting tidbit on the Uru.Rugby Team: Due to bad weather, they could not fly across the Andes as they planned and they had to spend the night in Mendoza, Arg. and then start again the next day into to fly into Santiago (just some 150km behind the Andes for them). Mendoza is to the right/east of the Aconcagua, as a matter of fact, the road south of the Aconcagua in the map above (Route 60), leads to Mendoza and is the main pass between Chile and Arg to go by car/truck. However, the Andes are too high there for the plane (the Fairchild mentioned above) to cross (6 - 7000m in this general area) and they had to divert some 200km to the south, where the Andes are lower. It was there, where disaster struck. It seems that the pilot did not calculate for headwinds, and hence came up short crossing the Andes east-to-west.Under cloud-cover - he headed north again, thinking they already left the Andes behind - when in reality they were right **in** the Andes. When descending under the clouds the pilot noticed that, gave full throttle but still hit a mountain. Maybe one of the esteemed pilots on the board has some more info on the pilot error (assuming those typical lessons-learned trainig sessions after a plane-crash) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=419) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=421)