# 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:** 70
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2021, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1383 "2021-02-10T21:13:58Z")
Paul McCartney let a stranger claiming to be Jesus Christ sit in on a Beatles recording session in 1967. McCartney figured, “Well, it probably isn’t. But if he is, I’m not going to be the one to turn him away.” > **[When Jesus Dropped by Beatles' 'Fixing a Hole' Sessions](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/beatles-sgt-pepper-at-50-when-jesus-dropped-by-during-fixing-a-hole-sessions-122996/)** > > Paul McCartney brought a strange guest to the studio in February 1967 ---
**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:** [February 10, 2021, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1384 "2021-02-10T21:30:35Z")
Those old folk classics have been set to many, many lyrics, and accordingly go by many, many names. If you’re hearing a piece of music that’s sampling something that’s meant to sound Irish, it’s usually either “The Minstrel Boy”, “The Washerwoman”, or “The Beggarman” (or any of the other various names those go by). ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Sponge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dark_sponge/32/121_2.png) [@Dark\_Sponge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Sponge)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2021, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1385 "2021-02-11T00:34:10Z")
Nelly Furtado is a terrible dancer. I’ve had her ‘Maneater’ song running through my brain the last couple days so I thought I’d overlisten to the song to kill it as I normally do. After watching the video a few times I was convinced. She spends the duration of the video lurching around like Elaine from Seinfield, except she isn’t acting. The whole time she looks awkward and uncomfortable. At one point she’s even doing a ‘wave the fart away’ thing behind her butt. Here’s the cite. Skip to 1:23 to see the lurching bits. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLolag3YSYU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLolag3YSYU) ---
**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 11, 2021, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1386 "2021-02-11T03:06:41Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Those old folk classics have been set to many, many lyrics, and accordingly go by many, many names. Indeed. I was surprised several years ago, upon visiting Old Sturbridge Village, to learn that in the 19th century they often had two hhymnals – one with the music, the other with lyrics. An awful lot of the hymns could be sung to many different melodies, and they mixed and matched frequently. We’ve noted that you can do this with a lot of contemporary songs. And I was also surprised to learn that some familiar Christmas songs (like _Away in a Manger_) have more than one recognized melodies. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2021, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1387 "2021-02-11T05:56:35Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > An awful lot of the hymns could be sung to many different melodies, and they mixed and matched frequently. When I was a kid, our standard church hymnals came in multiple versions – including the instrumentalist/choir version with all the pages cut on a horizontal line, so that the words could be open at any page, and the melody below could be open at any other page. We didn’t characteristically mix it up, but at another location they might be using a different melody as standard – sometimes to the surprise of the instrumentalist, choir leader or visiting minister. ---
**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 11, 2021, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1388 "2021-02-11T18:45:55Z")
Remember the anti-war song _Feel Like I’m Fixin’ To Die Rag_ from Country Joe & The Fish, in the _Woodstock_ movie? I found out years later that the chorus tune is from an old Dixieland jazz number called _Muskrat Ramble._ by Edward “Kid” Ory. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2021, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1389 "2021-02-11T20:41:25Z")
Some 50 light years away is likely a humongous diamond. > **[BPM 37093](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BPM_37093)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > BPM 37093 (V886 Centauri) is a variable white dwarf star of the DAV, or ZZ Ceti, type, with a hydrogen atmosphere and an unusually high mass of approximately 1.1 times the Sun's. It is about 50 light-years (15 parsecs) from Earth in the constellation Centaurus and vibrates; these pulsations cause its luminosity to vary. Like other white dwarfs, BPM 37093 is thought to be composed primarily of carbon and oxygen, which are created by thermonuclear f... ---
**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 12, 2021, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1390 "2021-02-12T19:44:31Z")
Awesome , I wonder if that is in Elite Dangerous? I know several people who work in the world of pipelines and they always said change is slow for new technology, I didn’t realise how slow … [https://www-chicagotribune-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-chicagos-oldest-gas-pipeline-retirement-20190628-5lpt3eu6nnbjvmmj5qzya4c5vi-story.html?outputType=amp](https://www-chicagotribune-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-chicagos-oldest-gas-pipeline-retirement-20190628-5lpt3eu6nnbjvmmj5qzya4c5vi-story.html?outputType=amp) ---
**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:** [February 12, 2021, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1391 "2021-02-12T19:49:41Z")
> [@Precambrianmollusc](#): > > Awesome , I wonder if that is in Elite Dangerous? > **[EDSM - Elite Dangerous Star Map](https://www.edsm.net/en/system/id/10203/name/V886+Centauri)** > > The Galactic Positioning System of Elite: Dangerous at your service. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2021, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1392 "2021-02-13T01:18:16Z")
> [@Precambrianmollusc](#): > > I know several people who work in the world of pipelines and they always said change is slow for new technology, I didn’t realise how slow … Chicago seems to have forgotten that it ever had such a thing as “manufactured gas”. (AKA town gas, AKA coal gas). It’s not just that link where people think that the only two kinds of gas pipeline are gasoline and ‘natural gas’. ---
**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:** [February 13, 2021, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1393 "2021-02-13T15:03:27Z")
From 1911 to 1915, Swedish policemen were brought in to professionalize the Iranian police force. ---
**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:** [February 13, 2021, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1394 "2021-02-13T15:35:12Z")
In this terrible pileup on I35 in Fort Worth, I’ve heard vehicle counts of 130-135. According to this article from a little over a year ago, that would rank it as high as number 7. > **[The 20 Largest Traffic Accidents in Recent US History | JD Supra](https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/the-20-largest-traffic-accidents-in-79546/)** > > Although most traffic collisions are minor, with smaller amounts of damages and less serious injuries, every once in a while there is an accident that... ---
**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 13, 2021, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1395 "2021-02-13T18:24:18Z")
Wow ! There were only 104 in the blues brother’s shindig. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2021, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1396 "2021-02-14T10:03:15Z")
AskNot wrote: > Remember the anti-war song _Feel Like I’m Fixin’ To Die Rag_ from Country Joe & The Fish, in the _Woodstock_ movie? I found out years later that the chorus tune is from an old Dixieland jazz number called _Muskrat Ramble._ by Edward “Kid” Ory. A cool little nugget and a swinging tune, for sure. I learned that a few months ago, when I started watching Louis Armstrong videos during lockdown and I came across this (cued at 4:35): [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Kg7cVSEfqPw/hqdefault.jpg "1962 Louis Armstrong on the Mark Twain at Disneyland") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg7cVSEfqPw&t=275) It just kills me the way he says, “_Since all the cats are here, let’s recreate!_” So I had a look on Widipedia and read about the Country Joe connection. How’d you learn that? ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2021, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1397 "2021-02-14T13:07:11Z")
The city of Montreal has budgeted $180 million this year for snow removal. Not just clearing, but physically removing it from the streets and sidewalks and dumping it somewhere. That’s almost as much that’s spent on garbage collection or social housing. Each major storm (let’s say 6 inches or more) costs close to $20 million. [https://montreal.ca/en/articles/2021-budget-and-2021-2030-ten-year-capital-works-program](https://montreal.ca/en/articles/2021-budget-and-2021-2030-ten-year-capital-works-program) Sapporo (Japan), with a similar population, and almost three times the average Montreal annual snowfall, spends about the same amount. Both cities spend much more than Moscow (with many more people, but not as much snow). ---
**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:** [February 14, 2021, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1398 "2021-02-14T13:26:15Z")
I’ve heard that the city of Anchorage is gradually building a man-made glacier. Every winter, they pile up the snow that they plow in various spots in the city, and every summer, the pile gradually melts… but not quite completely. It’s a little bigger each year. ---
**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:** [February 14, 2021, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1399 "2021-02-14T13:37:12Z")
Dutch cows say _boe_ (pronounced “boo”). [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/lfM2tjLs6N4/maxresdefault.jpg "How do ANIMALS sound in DUTCH?") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfM2tjLs6N4) ---
**Author:** ![Drsunflower1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drsunflower1/32/12711_2.png) [@Drsunflower1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drsunflower1)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2021, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1400 "2021-02-14T17:01:02Z")
Indeed. And dogs say Woef. Acorn jays are called Vlaamse gaai (Flemish jay) in Holland. They hide their acorns, just like squirrels. When ever we prune the hedera in our yard in spring they come falling out. In Holland we call snot blocks/millefeuille tompouce, and they come with pink icing, except on King’s Day, when they have orange icing. Random fact: The Dryocampa moth looks like cotton candy. [Dryocampa - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dryocampa?wprov=sfla1) ---
**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 14, 2021, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1401 "2021-02-14T17:10:39Z")
> [@Drsunflower1](#): > > Indeed. And dogs say Woef. I recall a piece by the humorist Dave Barry who says that in China the Chinese insist their dogs go “Wang wang!”. Which idea disturbed Dave greatly. ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2021, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1402 "2021-02-15T05:39:11Z")
> [@Mark\_Finn](#): > > The city of Montreal has budgeted $180 million this year for snow removal. Not just clearing, but physically removing it from the streets and sidewalks and dumping it somewhere. That’s almost as much that’s spent on garbage collection or social housing. Each major storm (let’s say 6 inches or more) costs close to $20 million. > [2021 Budget and 2021-2030 Ten-year capital works program](https://montreal.ca/en/articles/2021-budget-and-2021-2030-ten-year-capital-works-program) > > Sapporo (Japan), with a similar population, and almost three times the average Montreal annual snowfall, spends about the same amount. > > Both cities spend much more than Moscow (with many more people, but not as much snow). My city (Ottawa) recently noted that snow removal is the largest part of the winter road maintenance costs, exceeding plowing, salting/gritting, and other costs. It needs to be done, however, or the increasing size of the roadside snowbanks reduces road width, impedes driveway, pedestrian, and other access, blocks access to fire hydrants and utility services, and covers the storm drains needed for the spring runoff when the snow melts. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=69) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=71)