# 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:** 421
**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 17, 2023, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8411 "2023-12-17T13:13:08Z")
Judging by our town’s Facebook page, cats disappearing and either never found or being found flattened by a car is still depressingly commonplace. I live in an area with both a lot of traffic and a lot of coyotes (suburban with tons of green space). Seems like there are 5-10 cases a year of cats disappearing and we have about 2500 households in town, not nearly all of whom are on Facebook and fewer yet on the town’s unofficial Facebook page. Though my non scientific observation is that most of the people with indoor-outdoor cats are older people. The people scolding them on Facebook are younger people, and the defenders are older people. So maybe it’s a generational thing as attitudes are changing. ---
**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:** [December 17, 2023, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8412 "2023-12-17T15:07:08Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I think better nutrition, higher percentage of cats being indoor only, vaccinations and better vet care in general. It’s only been since the 1970s that scientists discovered that cats require taurine in their diet! Prior to that, some cats would go blind or succumb to heart disease due to less than optimal nutrition. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2023, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8413 "2023-12-17T16:02:36Z")
In space, no one can hear you belch, because if you try you just vomit. Apparently, with gravity, the solids go down and the gases go up, but in zero-G it’s all a big, “chunky bubble,”\* according to one cite I read. \*_no relation to Big Chunky Bubbles the soup and chowder artist._ ---
**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:** [December 17, 2023, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8414 "2023-12-17T20:53:36Z")
On the subject of radiation, [Anatoli Bugorski](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatoli_Bugorski), the chelovek who took a synchrotron beam right in the head some 45 years ago, is 81 years old. ---
**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:** [December 17, 2023, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8415 "2023-12-17T21:31:55Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > In space, no one can hear you belch, because if you try you just vomit. Apparently, with gravity, the solids go down and the gases go up, but in zero-G it’s all a big, “chunky bubble,”\* according to one cite I read. I know open flames tend to burn poorly in zero-G (because hot stuff doesn’t go “up”, so fresh air doesn’t get pulled in from “below”), so the belching problem makes sense, even though it never occurred to me before. That sounds kind of miserable, because burping seems like an important function of the GI tract. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2023, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8416 "2023-12-17T23:37:30Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > I don’t know whether to believe you, you can’t even spell parallax. I believe @Pardel-lux is a non-native speaker. He spells at least as well as I decline German nouns. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8417 "2023-12-19T07:55:04Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > ( The next step is introducing African lions to Texas to solve their feral hog problem. ) That reminds me… I live in Montana, where we have these critters called Pronghorns. A lot of locals call them “antelope,” which they aren’t. They’re more closely related to giraffes and okapi than they are to antelope — yet another misnomer from the Lewis & Clark expedition. Anyway, pronghorn are _fast!_ I’m talking 55 mph sprints, significantly faster than any of the predators they face here in the U.S. of A. Why so fast? Well, roll the clock back 16,000 years or so and guess what predator roamed these plains? Cheetahs. I have often (jokingly) commented that since we reintroduced wolves in Yellowstone to control the elk overpopulation, we should try reintroducing cheetahs to control the deer overpopulation. Cheetahs would probably win my vote for the 2nd best-looking cat, after the clouded leopard. Shhh. Don’t tell the lynxes, bobcats, and mountain lions at the wildlife sanctuary I used to manage. They think they’re my favorite. > [@CalMeacham](#): > > When come back, bring pie. Wow. I come back after all this time and I find this quote from the dark ages? Nice to see you, @CalMeacham! (No. I came back, but I didn’t bring pie) ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8418 "2023-12-19T12:22:24Z")
Cheetahs also know their snack foods. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8419 "2023-12-20T05:01:51Z")
Have you seen the video of the bear strolling into a convenience store? He grabs a box of Snickers to go. Comes back later and sprawls on the floor eating Three Musketeers. ---
**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 20, 2023, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8420 "2023-12-20T09:42:13Z")
Can’t blame him. I prefer Three Musketeers over Snickers myself. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8421 "2023-12-20T10:03:54Z")
The star Rigel, now prominent in the winter sky, was known in Norse mythology as Aurvandil’s Toe. Aurvandil, or Orwendil, was the husband of the witch Gróa, and one day he was abducted by the giants of Jotungard. Thor heroically went off to rescue him, and did so, although the giants stuck a whetstone into Thor’s head. Despite this mild impediment, Thor carried Aurvandil back across a frozen river in a basket, but one of Auvandil’s toes stuck out and got frostbite. So Thor snapped it off and threw it in the sky, where it became the star Rigel. Later, the witch removed the whetstone from Thor’s head, while he told her the tale of the rescue and the new star. Another curious thing is that Auvandil was anglicised into Ēarendel in Old English, and Professor Tolkien seems to have adopted him into hobbit lore at some point. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8422 "2023-12-20T11:03:54Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > He spells at least as well as I decline German nouns. Someone: (_speaks German_) Spectre: “No, thank you.” ---
**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:** [December 20, 2023, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8423 "2023-12-20T11:35:05Z")
Sounds pretty far fetched to me ! ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8424 "2023-12-20T12:53:51Z")
> [@eburacum45](#): > > The star Rigel, now prominent in the winter sky, was known in Norse mythology as Aurvandil’s Toe. Aurvandil, or Orwendil, was the husband of the witch Gróa, and one day he was abducted by the giants of Jotungard. Thor heroically went off to rescue him, and did so, although the giants stuck a whetstone into Thor’s head. The identification of Rigel with Aurvandil’s toe is by no means certain, as this site (among others) demonstrates: > [@](#): > > There exist a number of possible candidates of “Aurvandils toe.” Rigel is one possibility, as “Orion” is associated with Thor in other myths. Richard Allen [3] identifies ”Orwandil”[1](https://www.digitaliseducation.com/resources-norse.html#sdfootnote1sym) as the Norse name of Orion, and Rigel as one of ”Orwandil’s” toes. According to Allen, the broken-off toe is Alcor, since he was riding in Thor’s chariot (Man’s chariot, i.e. The Big Dipper). But this is hardly the case as Orwandil was carried on Thor’s back according to the myth. > > ”Aurvandil’s toe” might also be Corona Borealis, partly because of the likeness with a toe. But there are also other indications making this identification the most likely. Corona Borealis is a spring constellation, which is of importance. In ”Gesta danorum" written by Saxo Grammaticus [4], one finds a story of a King, Horwendil, who is fighting a duel with a Norwegian king, Koller (cold). The duel ends with Horwendil cutting off Koller’s foot and thus killing him. This story is probably based on an old myth of the fight between seasons, making Koller’s foot or “Aurvandil’s toe” a sign of spring or summers victory over the cold winter. > **[Norse Constellations](https://www.digitaliseducation.com/resources-norse.html)** > > What constellations and myths did the Norse culture see in the night sky? My opinion is that Aurvandil’s Toe ought to be identified with Betegeuse, for a variety of reasons. ---
**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 20, 2023, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8425 "2023-12-20T14:27:22Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > “Death by Misadventure” = coyotes & Toyotas. And feral dogs, and large birds of prey, and other cats. > [@Gary\_Robson](#): > > Wow. I come back after all this time and I find this quote from the dark ages? Nice to see you, @CalMeacham! To be fair, folks might not have noticed you coming back, what with being invisible and all. > [@CalMeacham](#): > > My opinion is that Aurvandil’s Toe ought to be identified with Betegeuse, for a variety of reasons. Well, Betelgeuse is a variable star, and I would expect a legend about a “new star” to be about a variable star (one that got noticeably brighter in a single storyteller’s lifespan). And while most folk see a human figure in the constellation of Orion, at least some see the figure inverted, with the “sword” being the head, which would make Betelgeuse a toe. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8426 "2023-12-20T16:39:35Z")
Fantastic; thanks! And in the Tolkien mythology, Earendil is associated with Venus; some sources say Ēarendel in Old English was associated with Venus, too. [https://glaemscrafu.jrrvf.com/english/crist.html](https://glaemscrafu.jrrvf.com/english/crist.html) ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2023, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8427 "2023-12-20T16:54:49Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > To be fair, folks might not have noticed you coming back, what with being invisible and all. Good point. Now I feel like I should make a two-item list and add “Hi Opal” as #3. ---
**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 20, 2023, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8428 "2023-12-20T18:33:40Z")
> [@Gary\_Robson](#): > > Now I feel like I should make a two-item list and add “Hi Opal” as #3. [“Bye, Opal” is more appropriate these days.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bye-opal/652666) BTW: welcome back, you formerly invisible wombat. 😉 ---
**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 22, 2023, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8429 "2023-12-22T16:09:48Z")
The only currently active duty ship in the US Navy to have sunk an enemy vessel is the USS Constitution, a three masted sailing ship that saw action in the War of 1812. ---
**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 22, 2023, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/8430 "2023-12-22T16:45:23Z")
Raymond Burr was the captain I think. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=420) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=422)