# 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:** 471
**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:** [April 30, 2024, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9413 "2024-04-30T19:03:47Z")
Just for the record, Ewan McColl also wrote “Dirty Old Town”. ---
**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:** [April 30, 2024, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9414 "2024-04-30T23:04:00Z")
Aside: On the first read-through, I didn’t notice who wrote this post. But by the end, I was thinking "Hm, informative, well-written post about optics; I’ll bet that was @CalMeacham ". ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2024, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9415 "2024-04-30T23:07:18Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > TIL that rabbits excrete two ‘types’ of poop. The initial poop, called a caecotroph, contains essential nutrients that have not been absorbed by the rabbit’s body, so the rabbit eats this poo, often eating it immediately after being passed from the body. The next poop is more of a ‘normal’ excrement, and is the pellet-type poop commonly seen in rabbit hutches. A few years back when I had a couple of guinea pigs, I remember reading that they do something similar. Never caught one in the act though. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2024, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9416 "2024-05-01T13:59:07Z")
YouTube recommended to me yesterday a video from [KGW News](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GsfzYAdGSo), Portland, about how Bud Clark’s coat told the history of Portland or some such. Now, Bud Clark’s coat appears in a famous poster captioned “[Expose yourself to art.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expose_Yourself_to_Art)” (Wikipedia page). And Bud Clark owned a tavern in Portland called the Goose Hollow Inn. I went there once. It was amazingly crowded. It was down the street from KGW’s studios and apparently “TV people” hung out ther and so did people who wanted to be around TV people. Because of the publicity of the poster, Bud Clark got famous. Appearing on Johnny Carson, etc. So he ran for mayor against Frank Ivancie. Ivancie had been police commisioner and ran as a “law-and-order” guy with all the baggage that contains. Clark was a long shot, but won. So, some history, but what about the coat? Clark wasn’t the original owner. The first owner was Jay Bowerman. Bowerman had been President of the Oregon Senate when the Governor took ill making Bowerman the Governor. Wait, you say: Oregon? Bowerman? That rings a bell. Jay was the father of Bill Bowerman, legendary UofO track coach and co-founder of Nike. (Two movies were made about the tragic UofO track great Steve Prefontaine. Bowerman was played by R. Lee Ermey and Donald Sutherland in those.) In clicking around I found that a prototype pair of Nikes that Bowerman and Knight made using a waffle iron sold for $315,000. I don’t know how Jay Bowerman’s coat ended up with Clark and then in such a famous poster. Maybe it’s some sort of political talisman. ---
**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:** [May 1, 2024, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9417 "2024-05-01T18:46:24Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Clark was a long shot, but won. Check your history: not only did Bud Clark defeat Frank Ivancie, the mayoral election was non-partisan, so Clark won in May, in the primary, and the city had to wait 8 months for the new mayor to be sworn in.        I walked into the Powell’s branch in Pioneer Square one day and just about stumbled right into him standing there. He was a pretty laid-back guy. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2024, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9418 "2024-05-01T20:39:32Z")
Maybe this is widely known. But I didn’t know this. My wife pointed it out. In live concerts where Bruce Springsteen was young, he would pull a young lady up on stage to dance with him to ‘Dancing in the Dark’. I suspect she was ‘pre-picked’ (gotta be able to dance). Anyway one I’ve seen the girl was Courtney Cox. Monica from ‘Friends’. I wonder if that was the first big appearance she made. ---
**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:** [May 1, 2024, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9419 "2024-05-01T21:03:09Z")
Mount Etna, a volcano in Sicily, occasionally blows smoke rings, known as volcanic vortex rings. [Mount Etna Video](https://youtu.be/Q2cUGICVEhI?si=R8aDI-b4Nb14MYQm) ---
**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:** [May 1, 2024, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9420 "2024-05-01T21:07:22Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > I suspect she was ‘pre-picked’ (gotta be able to dance). Anyway one I’ve seen the girl was Courtney Cox. Monica from ‘Friends’. The way that I remember it (and I first heard it here at the board) is that she starred in the video to “Dancing In The Dark” and that was her first bigger acting gig. I’ve never seen the video, so I might misremember. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2024, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9421 "2024-05-01T22:14:11Z")
Alfonso Ribeiro took partial inspiration from Springfield and Cox dancing in that video° for his “Carlton Dance.” Coincidentally, in the same year as “Dancing in the Dark,” a very young Ribiero would also get some fame by [dancing with a famous singer](https://youtu.be/po0jY4WvCIc&t=20s). °: directed by Brian De Palma, no less ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2024, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9422 "2024-05-02T01:19:51Z")
Cox appeared in one episode of the television show _As the World Turns_. She got cast (apparently by Brian De Palma, who directed the video) to be the girl that Springsteen picked from the first row of the audience to dance with in the “Dancing in the Dark” video. She appeared in a variety of television shows and movies over the next ten years before getting her role in _Friends_. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2024, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9423 "2024-05-02T19:56:02Z")
Betsy Brantley, the actress who played Fred Savage’s mother in _The Princess Bride_, was the performance model for Jessica Rabbit. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2024, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9424 "2024-05-03T02:28:52Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > She appeared in a variety of television shows and movies over the next ten years before getting her role in _Friends_. Including as Alex P. Keaton’s girlfriend on Family Ties. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/mVGE8oU5NjY/maxresdefault.jpg "Family Ties - Courteney Cox's First Scene") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVGE8oU5NjY) ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2024, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9425 "2024-05-03T04:49:44Z")
I just learned that if you are sentenced to home confinement you have to pay for the monitor. In California, for example, set-up is $175-200 and then $5-40 a day. Here in Virginia it can be $500 up front and $115 a week and they WILL garnish your wages. Incidentally, did not learn this through personal experience. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2024, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9426 "2024-05-03T04:56:53Z")
> [@psychobunny](#): > > I just learned that if you are sentenced to home confinement you have to pay for the monitor. If you’re sentenced to having an ignition interlock device in your car (for alcohol), you have to pay for that, too. [Link](https://www.intoxalock.com/ignition-interlock-cost/average-price#:~:text=Ignition%20interlock%20device%20costs%20will,price%20is%20%2460%2D%2490): > Ignition interlock device costs will vary by state but on average, the installation cost is between $70 and $150 and an average monthly lease price is $60-$90. ---
**Author:** ![Awb78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/258eb7/32.png) [@Awb78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Awb78)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2024, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9427 "2024-05-03T07:27:34Z")
On August 20th 1989, “Saved By the Bell” debuted in prime time on NBC, with the episode “Dancing To The Max”. On August 20th 1989, Erik and Lyle Menendez murdered their parents, Jose and Kitty while they were eating strawberries and cream and watching television. There is a possibility that Jose and Kitty were able to see Screech and Lisa do “The Sprain”. 😁 ---
**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:** [May 3, 2024, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9428 "2024-05-03T11:22:19Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > If you’re sentenced to having an ignition interlock device in your car (for alcohol), you have to pay for that, too. A friend dealt with that for a while. When his car’s battery died during the winter, the device had to be reset and he was charged for the technician who handled that. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2024, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9429 "2024-05-03T14:35:20Z")
> [@Awb78](#): > > On August 20th 1989, Erik and Lyle Menendez murdered their parents, Jose and Kitty while they were eating strawberries and cream and watching television. You’d think for a murder that important, you could at least put down the remote and the snax. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2024, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9430 "2024-05-04T11:25:40Z")
In 1979, in Sweden, homosexuality was still classified as an illness. In protest, to make their point, Swede’s stayed home from their jobs for a day. Calling in to report, ‘They wouldn’t be coming into work as they were feeling sick with the gay!’ ---
**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:** [May 4, 2024, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9431 "2024-05-04T14:09:40Z")
It’s an interesting and also depressing fact. > **[A Black trainer saddles a horse in the Kentucky Derby for the second time...](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/black-trainer-saddles-horse-kentucky-derby-second-time-1951-rcna150684)** > > “My motto is, ‘I don’t buy cheap horses. I buy good horses cheap,’” the Bahamian trainer said ahead of the race. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2024, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9432 "2024-05-04T15:02:18Z")
In the late 19th century, there were many black jockeys, though they were squeezed out of horse racing by the 1920s. Canada Lee – an actor best known for his role in Hitchcock’s _Lifeboat_ did it as a teen until he grew too big to make weight. Lee also had a career as a boxer and as one of Broadway’s best actors. He may also have been the first actual radio DJ – playing records instead of having a live band perform. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=470) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=472)