# 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:** 68
**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 5, 2021, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1343 "2021-02-05T22:18:00Z")
It appears Scotland has named all it’s road gritters some amusing names and you can track them here. [https://www.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=2de764a9303848ffb9a4cac0bd0b1aab](https://www.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=2de764a9303848ffb9a4cac0bd0b1aab) Some friends over there are trying to get selfies with them all, because , well I don’t know really. ---
**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 5, 2021, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1344 "2021-02-05T22:31:05Z")
> [@Precambrianmollusc](#): > > It appears Scotland has named all it’s road gritters some amusing names and you can track them here. > > [https://www.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=2de764a9303848ffb9a4cac0bd0b1aab](https://www.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=2de764a9303848ffb9a4cac0bd0b1aab) # Trunk Road Gritter Tracker I know most of those words, but I have no idea what they mean in this combination. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2021, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1345 "2021-02-05T22:35:01Z")
Googling, apparently a “road gritter” is a truck that spreads sand or salt on icy or snowy roads to improve traction or melt ice. I don’t think there is a similar term used in the US. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2021, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1346 "2021-02-05T22:41:39Z")
> [@Precambrianmollusc](#): > > It appears Scotland has named all it’s road gritters Well, your link shows a good number that aren’t named. I am amused by the named ones, like “William Wall-ice” and “Sled Zepplin”. ---
**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 5, 2021, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1347 "2021-02-05T22:50:01Z")
A salt spreader truck, basically a snow plough without the plough but sprays all the salt/sand /grit out the back end . Trunk road is a major road in UK parlance Gritter = salt spreader truck Tracker, where to find them. ---
**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 5, 2021, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1348 "2021-02-05T23:35:04Z")
Gritterspotting. From the country that brought us trainspotting. Makes sense. 😉 Though to be fair, the US has trainspotters too, but we call them “railfans”. And it seems less obsessively connected to recording seeing each engine or wagon number. More about just watching trains coming & going. And we have gritters, but call them salt trucks. Except in the far north they’re generally not dedicated vehicles but instead are typical dumptrucks the highway departments use year round for road pavement maintenance. To which they can attach plows and/or salt spreaders for use during snow events. Of course areas prone to heavy snow have a lot more specialized equipment than the places that face 3 or 4 snow events per year. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2021, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1349 "2021-02-06T10:19:52Z")
Most of England is snow-free for most of the year. Cash-strapped councils can ill afford to have dedicated snow ploughs standing around for 51 weeks a year, so they look for multi-purpose trucks. A basic chassis cab that can be a tipper, Grit/salt spreader and general-purpose truck is expensive to buy but more economical in the long term. [James A. Cuthbertson Limited — Vehicle Bodies (jamescuthbertson.co.uk)](https://www.jamescuthbertson.co.uk/products/vehicle-bodies.php) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2021, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1350 "2021-02-06T14:38:38Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > The recipe also called for fenugreek, but it’s really vile tasting A little late on this, but that reminds me: fenugreek (the hard seed, not the leaves) is used as a/the flavoring in some maple syrup substitutes. (It’s hard to tell who uses it and who doesn’t as non-maple syrups just list “natural and artificial flavors” on their labels, but that’s the usual bit of trivia about fenugreek. Oh, the other is that it is used as an herbal supplement to increase breast milk production.) ---
**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 6, 2021, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1351 "2021-02-06T14:58:40Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > … Oh, the other is that it is used as an herbal supplement to increase breast milk production.) Wiki suggests that’s ineffective and perhaps dangerous. Not that I have any knowledge either way. > **[Fenugreek](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fenugreek#Risks_and_side_effects)** > > Fenugreek (/ˈfɛnjʊɡriːk/; Trigonella foenum-graecum) is an annual plant in the family Fabaceae, with leaves consisting of three small obovate to oblong leaflets. It is cultivated worldwide as a semiarid crop. Its seeds and leaves are common ingredients in dishes from the Indian subcontinent, and have been used as a culinary ingredient since ancient times. Its use as a food ingredient in small quantities is safe. > Although sold as a dietary supplement, there is no clinical evidence that fenugree... ---
**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:** [February 6, 2021, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1352 "2021-02-06T15:05:28Z")
I was researching some old music, and while listening to something called “Reminiscences of Ireland”, i immediately recognized the opening bars as The Music from **The Man Who Would be King** My wife immediately recognized the tune as **The Minstrel Boy** , which I had never heard. It is, indeed, an Irish piece. But it gets weirder. Apparently the lyrics to the song in **The Man Who would be King** are _not_ the lyrics of _The Minstrel Boy_, but from another period song, **The Son of God goes Forth to War** by Reginald Heber (written in 1812). Kipling quoted the song in his original novella _The Man Who Would be KIng_ (although even he altered the lyrics), so it makes sense that it’s in the film. Why Maurice Jarre changed the tune, though, I don’t know. Maybe he liked The Minstrel Boy better, or found it more stirring and dramatic. That’s not the end of it. It turns out that **The Minstrel Boy** , written by Thomas Moore (1779-1852) actually took its melody from a traditional Irish Air **The Mereen** (AKA **The Moreen** , and other spellings) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2021, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1353 "2021-02-06T15:13:17Z")
Oh, I make no claims to its efficacy – that’s just what it is traditionally known for, other than the maple substitute thing. NIH has this article, which mentions mixed results: > The galactogogue effect of fenugreek may be primarily psychological in humans;[[11](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK501779/#)] however, animal studies indicate that fenugreek might work primarily by increasing insulin and oxytocin secretion.[[12](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK501779/#)] Evidence for a galactogogue effect is mostly anecdotal. A limited number of published studies of low to moderate quality have found mixed results for a galactogogue effect for fenugreek.[[13](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK501779/#)-[16](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK501779/#)] A meta-analysis of controlled studies found fenugreek to have a mild galactogogue effect and unknown safety profile.[[13](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK501779/#)] Some evidence indicates that fenugreek might be more effective in the first few days pospartum than after 2 weeks postpartum. As always, consult your doctor. > **[Fenugreek](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK501779/)** > > Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) seeds contain mucilage, quercetin, luteolin, genistein, vitexintrigonelline, 4-hydroxyisoleucine, sotolon, diosgenin, luteolin, protodioscin and several other pharmacologically active saponins and isoflavones.... ---
**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:** [February 6, 2021, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1354 "2021-02-06T18:26:29Z")
They do it in [england](https://www.eastriding.gov.uk/say/features/new-names-for-councils-gritter-lorries-are-unveiled/) too. There’s a “Gritter Thunberg” near here as well ! ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2021, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1355 "2021-02-06T18:58:31Z")
Snow plow? Or do gritters not plow snow? Around here (upstate NY) the snow plows are, like **LSLGuy** said dump trucks, used year round for dump truck type things, with plows put on the front and salt/sand spreaders on the back in winter. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2021, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1356 "2021-02-06T19:24:25Z")
There’s rarely enough snow in England at least to be worth ploughing (there can be in some parts of Scotland)- ice is more the issue, so their main use is spreading grit. I think the gritters we use can be fitted with a ploughing attachment, but I’ve never actually seen one shifting snow (I’ve barely ever seen snow higher than my ankle), although gritters are a fairly regular sight in winter. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2021, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1357 "2021-02-06T19:30:32Z")
Two minute listen about Scottish gritters from just last December: > **[What Scots Call Their Snowplows](https://www.npr.org/2020/12/16/947261121/what-scots-call-their-snowplows)** > > In Scotland, all 213 snowplows, or "gritters," in the Traffic Scotland fleet have a name. The company even holds contests to name them. NPR reads some of them — in a Scottish accent. Buzz Iceclear, Grittany Spears & Gritty Gritty Bang Bang are hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2021, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1358 "2021-02-06T19:48:12Z")
Around here, in central Indiana, the salt-spreading part of a snowplow truck is called a _salt bomber._ In the summer, they’re dump trucks, but in the winter they sprout hydraulic plows and the dump beds are hoisted off and replaced with salt bombers. The dump beds last a long time, but the salt eats the bombers in a few years. ---
**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 6, 2021, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1359 "2021-02-06T20:08:05Z")
I was expecting a Sir Gritty Mcgritface of Gritland to be there . ---
**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 6, 2021, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1360 "2021-02-06T20:58:51Z")
There are single-celled, multinucleate organisms in the Antarctic Ocean that can get to a foot across. They’re also predatory and even small ones can eat multicellular organisms far larger than themselves, and they do it while their prey is still alive. They’re called foraminiferans, or forams for short. I find them a trifle terrifying. > ---
**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 7, 2021, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1361 "2021-02-07T03:51:32Z")
In a vaguely related note these things > **[Stromatolite](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stromatolite)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > Stromatolites (/stroʊˈmætəˌlaɪts, strə-/) or stromatoliths (from Ancient Greek στρῶμα (strôma), GEN στρώματος (strṓmatos) 'layer, stratum', and λίθος (líthos) 'rock') are layered sedimentary formations (microbialite) that are created mainly by photosynthetic microorganisms such as cyanobacteria, sulfate-reducing bacteria, and Pseudomonadota (formerly proteobacteria). These microorganisms produce adhesive compounds that cement sand and other ro... are an unholy alliance of ancient bacteria and sand forming a sorta-rock. Cool looking but very weird. If you’ve never read about > **[Lichen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lichen)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > A lichen (/ˈlaɪkən/ LY-kən, UK also /ˈlɪtʃən/ LITCH-ən) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship. Lichens have properties different from those of their component organisms. They come in many colors, sizes, and forms and are sometimes plant-like, but are not plants. They may have tiny, leafless branches (fruticose); flat leaf-like structures (fol... they’re equally weird binary life forms, some kind of leftover from the Ancient Dayes of solid land, partly oxygenated atmospheres, and no longer-boiling oceans. They’ll probably still be here long after they kill us all. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2021, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1362 "2021-02-07T04:09:05Z")
Wind turbine blades are made of balsa wood. A supply bottleneck in Ecuador is forcing manufacturers to come up with alternatives. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=67) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=69)