# 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:** 45
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2020, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/881 "2020-10-26T17:17:45Z")
A strange legacy of Pablo Escobar, the crime lord, is a population of feral hippos which now live in Colombia. They may actually be helpful to the overall environment. > **[Feral hippos may fulfill long lost ecosystem role - The Wildlife Society](https://wildlife.org/feral-hippos-may-fulfill-long-lost-ecosystem-role/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20feral%20hippos%20in%20South,University%20of%20Massachusetts%20Amherst%20and)** > > Descendants of hippos imported to Colombia by drug lord Pablo Escobar may actually be fulfilling the ecosystem roles of long-extinct wildlife, according to new research. The handful of hippopotamus (Hippopotamus... ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2020, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/882 "2020-10-26T21:06:59Z")
I’m not sure if this would count as a “fact” so much as an independent discovery of what is probably a known phenomenon. To wit: If you are carrying a nearly full mug of hot tea with milk downstairs, a wider and shallower mug is more likely to slop over than a taller and narrower mug. Both mugs are nearly but not quite straight-sided. Both mugs are filled to the same distance below the rim. My theory is that the waves that develop in the mug from walking have less space to develop in the narrow mug and get stopped by the side of the mug before they can reach any size, while a wider mug allows the waves to develop further and perhaps accumulate their effect from one wave to the next. Fluid dynamics pros, do I get any points for this theory? ---
**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 26, 2020, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/883 "2020-10-26T21:59:43Z")
Probably true, but even simpler is that you can tilt the narrow mug to a greater angle before it starts pouring out. As for the Columbus/Rome one, it really depends on what you define as “the same empire”. Caesar’s empire split into two empires, and then when one of them fell, the other had no rival to the claim of being “the real Empire”. But from a neutral viewpoint, long after both have fallen, I think that it’s fair to say that the real Roman Empire, after the split, was the one that contained the actual city of Rome. Constantinople’s claim would be like if Great Britain had fallen during one of the World Wars, and the US started claiming to be the “real England”. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2020, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/884 "2020-10-26T23:03:44Z")
The ironic thing is that the spices are nominally included for their health benefits as antioxidants, etc., not taste. The base is frozen cherries, almond milk, honey, and protein powder, and in addition to the cinnamon, a teaspoon of flaxseed, and half-teaspoons of turmeric and sage. The recipe also called for fenugreek, but it’s really vile tasting, so we cut it out. Cocoa powder is added to mask some of the spices. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2020, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/885 "2020-10-27T00:28:51Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Constantinople’s claim would be like if Great Britain had fallen during one of the World Wars, … and Scotland started claiming to be the “Real Great Britain”… ---
**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:** [October 27, 2020, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/886 "2020-10-27T11:24:01Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Fluid dynamics pros, do I get any points for this theory? The pandemic has taught me that when carrying two pints of beer while masked, carrying the beers so that they are in your field of vision leads to less spillage. **subscribe for more pandemic tips** ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2020, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/887 "2020-10-27T12:42:55Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > … and Scotland started claiming to be the “Real Great Britain”… … and some German started calling himself the “Holy British Emperor”. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2020, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/888 "2020-10-27T14:37:05Z")
Measured in terms of value, not tonnage, coffee exports; Switzerland + Germany \> Brazil ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2020, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/889 "2020-10-27T20:08:41Z")
Huh! I’m Swiss, and I had no idea. I’m not sure I’d trust Swiss coffee… _“Thanks for making me this mocha, dear.”_ “It’s not a mocha, it’s just plain Toblerone Dark Roast, from the ridiculously tall triangular tin! If it tastes lindty, pour some of this milka in it.” ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2020, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/890 "2020-10-28T05:51:11Z")
The x-shape in the famous [DNA x-ray image 51](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photo_51) indicates a helix because, when viewed from the side, a helix looks like alternating \ and / lines, acting like crossed diffraction gratings. The “gap” or “missing” smudge in the photo isn’t something that’s actually missing. It indicates a double helix, i.e., nested helices which are not positioned exactly out of phase. In a Youtube video, [Steve Mould](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqMYWldfs_k&t=3m15s) demonstrates this so brilliantly that professionals posting in the comments say it was much clearer than anything they’d been taught. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2020, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/891 "2020-10-28T09:45:49Z")
> [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](#): > > Switzerland + Germany \> Brazil That’s kind of misleading, isn’t it? I mean, I presume Brazil grows coffee, while Germany and Switzerland process, package and market coffee imported from other places - including Brazil. Saying that Switzerland is a major coffee exporter is like saying that Japan is a major steel exporter, because of all the cars. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2020, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/892 "2020-10-28T09:46:46Z")
A baseball center-fielder runs a mile in every game, just from the bench to his position and back. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2020, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/893 "2020-10-28T12:27:33Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > That’s kind of misleading, isn’t it? When something is technically true it is true. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2020, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/894 "2020-10-28T13:41:18Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Huh! I’m Swiss, and I had no idea. > > I’m not sure I’d trust Swiss coffee… > _“Thanks for making me this mocha, dear.”_ > “It’s not a mocha, it’s just plain Toblerone Dark Roast, from the ridiculously tall triangular tin! If it tastes lindty, pour some of this milka in it.” You didn’t know that Nespresso is a Swiss company? All their capsules are made in Switzerland. That alone is a pretty major share of the market. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2020, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/895 "2020-10-28T20:33:43Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Germany and Switzerland process When does it change from “coffee beans” into ‘coffee’? Saying that because Brazil exports a lot of fermented and dried coffee beans it exports a lot of coffee is like saying that Australia is a major car exporter, because of all the iron ore. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2020, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/896 "2020-10-28T21:22:38Z")
The second part of the baby boom is sometimes referred to as “Generation Jones.” > **[Generation Jones](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Jones)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > Generation Jones is the social cohort of the latter half of the Baby boomer generation to the first years of Generation X. The term Generation Jones was first coined by the American cultural commentator Jonathan Pontell, who identified the cohort as those born from 1954 to 1965 in the U.S., who were children during Watergate, the oil crisis, and stagflation rather than during the 1950s, but slightly before Gen X. > Unlike "leading-edge boomers", m... ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2020, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/897 "2020-10-28T22:06:58Z")
TIL that if you are lost in Central Park, [you can use the numbers on the base of the lampposts to get an idea of where you are located](https://worksthatwork.com/artefacts/location-code-in-central-park). I’ve never been to Central Park, but I hope I remember this in case I ever get to visit. - The first 2 digits indicate the closest cross street on the East or West side of the Park - If the number comprised of the last two digits is even, you are on the East side of the Park - If the number comprised of the last two digits is odd, you are on the West side of the Park - The larger the number comprised of the last two digits is, the closer you are to the center of the Park ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2020, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/898 "2020-10-29T08:26:56Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > When does it change from “coffee beans” into ‘coffee’? Saying that because Brazil exports a lot of fermented and dried coffee beans it exports a lot of coffee is like saying that Australia is a major car exporter, because of all the iron ore. Then choose one. You can’t say that both Brazil and Switzerland are major coffee exporters when Brazil exports unprocessed coffee to Switzerland and Switzerland processes it and exports it elsewhere. What they do isn’t comparable, so you shouldn’t compare them. At best, you can say that both are heavily involved in the coffee trade - which so vague that doesn’t really say anything. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2020, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/899 "2020-10-29T08:36:12Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > You can’t say that I don’t think that means what you think it means. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2020, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/900 "2020-10-29T08:41:10Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > I don’t think that means what you think it means. _In my opinion_, you can’t say that while maintaining logical consistency. 'Kay? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=44) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=46)