# 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:** 66
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1303 "2021-02-02T00:45:06Z")
It turns out the company that makes Sriracha, has never advertised it. All sales growth based entirely on word of mouth. ---
**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:** [February 2, 2021, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1304 "2021-02-02T01:34:52Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > It turns out the company that makes Sriracha, has never advertised it. There’s a cute documentary on Netflix (or A.Prime) about Sriracha. The founder of the company talked about how much of it they sell. He said he uses his all the time, but a bottle lasts months. Worth a watch. ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1305 "2021-02-02T03:16:17Z")
> **[Thagomizer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thagomizer)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > A thagomizer (/ˈθæɡəmaɪzər/) is the distinctive arrangement of four spikes on the tails of stegosaurine dinosaurs. These spikes are believed to have been a defensive measure against predators. > > The arrangement of spikes originally had no distinct name. Cartoonist Gary Larson invented the name "thagomizer" in 1982 as a joke in his comic strip The Far Side, and it was gradually adopted as an informal term sometimes used within scientific circles,... Apparently the spikes on a stegosaurus tail didn’t have a name until Gary Larson named it. Just alerted to this from the Larson fan facebook group. ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1306 "2021-02-02T03:30:01Z")
I love it when things get named that way! Meet the Colbert treadmill > **[NASA Names Space Station Treadmill After Colbert](https://www.npr.org/2009/04/15/103119972/nasa-names-space-station-treadmill-after-colbert)** > > The space agency solved its latest public relations problem. NASA invited people to send choices to name a room in the international space station. TV comedian Stephen Colbert got his viewers to offer his last name, and they won. An astronaut told... ---
**Author:** ![Dahu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahu/32/3416_2.png) [@Dahu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahu)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1307 "2021-02-02T12:32:04Z")
Heard this morning on the BBC - 30% of all birds on Earth are chickens. ---
**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:** [February 2, 2021, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1308 "2021-02-02T12:33:59Z")
How are they measuring bravery amongst birds? Seems awfully subjective. ---
**Author:** ![Dahu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahu/32/3416_2.png) [@Dahu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahu)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1309 "2021-02-02T12:36:48Z")
I think it might have been David Attenborough who said it. He’s an expert. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1310 "2021-02-02T13:27:58Z")
> [@Dahu](#): > > 30% of all birds on Earth are chickens. What percentage of mammals are cows? Earth has a lot of McDonalds. ---
**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:** [February 2, 2021, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1311 "2021-02-02T15:26:39Z")
There are more sheep than cows. In some countries (Australia, New Zealand, Sudan, et al.) there are more sheep than people. ---
**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:** [February 2, 2021, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1312 "2021-02-02T15:27:54Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > It turns out the company that makes Sriracha, has never advertised it. All sales growth based entirely on word of mouth. They haven’t trademarked the name, either. It’s a generic term. ---
**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:** [February 2, 2021, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1313 "2021-02-02T17:09:28Z")
Let me tell you something, chickens are not, actually, “chicken” in the sense of being cowards. Some friends of mine got into raising chickens a while back. One day they heard a big ruckus in the backyard. One of their hens, a little black one, had attacked a predator that was going after her chick. The chick survived, but Little Goth Hen disappeared. They’ve also had several instances where one of their roosters has tangled with predators in protection of the flock, but in those cases my friends chased the predators off. The roosters and flock were fine, but only because the rooster bought time for the humans to come out. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1314 "2021-02-02T17:45:03Z")
Lots of cultures consider the domestic chicken to be a fierce fighter; at least measured pound for pound. The French have it as their national symbol for that reason. Many boxers of Latin heritage have “El {something} Gallo” as their fighting nickname. And of course cockfighting is a “sport” almost worldwide for a reason: those birds can put up a vicious aggressive fight. Here’s some recent data on humans, livestock, and wild mammals. Sobering: > **[Land Mammals](https://xkcd.com/1338/)** > > Bacteria still outweigh us thousands to one--and that's not even counting the several pounds of them in your body. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1315 "2021-02-02T17:51:25Z")
The actor Lance Henriksen only completed the first grade and didn’t learn to read until he was around 30. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1316 "2021-02-02T18:23:42Z")
Armadillos always have litters of four. They are identical quadruplets, and are usefull in the medical field as control animal for the study of Hansen’s disease(formerly called leprosy). The info I have seen says they are the only animal besides humans who can contract it. ---
**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:** [February 2, 2021, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1317 "2021-02-02T18:45:14Z")
This may have been mentioned already but I don’t feel like searching the thread. Over 25% of all animal species are beetles. Which led to biologist J.B.S. Haldane’s famous quip when he was asked what his studies had taught him about the mind of God: “He has an inordinate fondness for beetles”. ---
**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:** [February 2, 2021, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1318 "2021-02-02T19:02:00Z")
I recall being surprised to find out that about 80% of all species are arthropods… As explained to me at the time, it is the abundance of unique isolated environments that all those bugs can adapt to that led to the variety. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1319 "2021-02-02T19:15:16Z")
See also from just last week: > **[Metacarcinization](https://xkcd.com/2418/)** > > Scientists still don't know how marine biologists manage to so consistently bring up whalefall ecosystems, when relevant conversational openings are so few and far between. Bottom line being armored creepy-crawlies are just a darn versatile design. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1320 "2021-02-02T21:34:50Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > Let me tell you something, chickens are not, actually, “chicken” in the sense of being cowards Hens act chicken, alerting the whole flock. Not like ducks, that duck down in the reeds and hope the fox sees some other duck. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1321 "2021-02-02T22:05:26Z")
And I use it to refer to our (rather large) puppy’s swishing, wagging tail. While not spiked, it’s certainly dangerous to get too close to. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1322 "2021-02-02T22:08:39Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > For a good while Harvard would only hire alums to be president. If they found someone they wanted to hire and he was not an alum they would give them an honorary degree. To this day, Yale gives any tenured professor an honorary masters degree if they do not hold a graduate degree from Yale. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=65) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=67)