# 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:** 71
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2021, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1403 "2021-02-15T05:54:06Z")
In the Philippines, Tagalog-speaking people talk to their dogs in English. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2021, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1404 "2021-02-15T06:03:16Z")
When I was in St. Pierre et Miquelon in their Canada-like winter, there were no snow plows. All the drivers (maybe 500 of them) just chained up and packed down each new snowfall. Small island, no rural roads to speak of. ---
**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 15, 2021, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1405 "2021-02-15T06:22:46Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Tagalog-speaking people talk to their dogs in English Wait what why? Also, cite? ---
**Author:** ![superwombat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superwombat/32/16616_2.png) [@superwombat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/superwombat)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2021, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1406 "2021-02-15T06:28:32Z")
Because dogs don’t speak Tagalog? (runs away) ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2021, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1407 "2021-02-15T10:18:30Z")
We now ask for cites for mindless pointless stuff?? I live there and most of my neighbors have dogs. My wife has lived there 50 years and agrees that people she knows tend to use English commands to their dogs. Philipinos who have been to school are all fairly fluent in English, so the reason may be that so much dog-related lore has been passed down through English media. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2021, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1408 "2021-02-15T15:21:26Z")
> [@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. The last time I was in Maine, I was surprised to see dump trucks full of snow leaving Portland. It turns out that they’ve determined that the amount of river/harbor contamination from either dumping the snow or allowing it to melt and run off is a major problem, so they truck it elsewhere for disposal. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2021, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1409 "2021-02-15T15:43:02Z")
They used to do this thing in Santa Barbara, where it never snows, that they would truck a bunch of snow in from somewhere up North so kids could experience playing in the snow. They ended up stopping it because of stuff that was in it going into the creeks when the snow melted. ---
**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 15, 2021, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1410 "2021-02-15T16:01:36Z")
I had the Country Joe & The Fish album, and later when I started to get into jazz I got a Kid Ory album. ---
**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 15, 2021, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1411 "2021-02-15T20:43:42Z")
I’m disappointed to see that the Worm Museum, in south-east Australia, has closed (actually - some years ago). I remember visiting it - it’s in the shape of a worm. > **[Giant Earthworm Museum](https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/wildlife-wonderlands-giant-earthworm-museum)** > > "The Wonder From Down Under," a worm shaped museum celebrating the endangered Giant Gippsland earthworm. ---
**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 15, 2021, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1412 "2021-02-15T20:54:29Z")
Well there’s another thing I’ll never be able to cross off by bucket list. ---
**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 16, 2021, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1413 "2021-02-16T11:27:38Z")
You can still visit the pencil museum in Keswick (It’s the place 2b). Closed for the duration of course but next year? [Derwent UK - Derwent Pencil Museum (derwentart.com)](https://www.derwentart.com/en-gb/c/about/company/derwent-pencil-museum) ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2021, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1414 "2021-02-16T11:39:48Z")
On the subject of worms, I recently learned earthworms are an invasive species to North America, and are harming our forests. [https://www.caryinstitute.org/news-insights/podcast/earthworms-are-invading-our-forests](https://www.caryinstitute.org/news-insights/podcast/earthworms-are-invading-our-forests) > **[Earthworm invaders alter northern forests | Earth | EarthSky](https://earthsky.org/earth/european-earthworms-change-u-s-forests/)** > > Native plant diversity in forests of northern North America is declining due to an invasion by earthworms introduced hundreds of years ago from Europe. ---
**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 16, 2021, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1415 "2021-02-16T12:48:36Z")
Has anyone else recorded a song about worms (and the sound they make)? [Tony Burrello - There's A New Sound (The Sound Of Worms) - 1953 - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0psWy_XLP0g) ---
**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:** [February 16, 2021, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1416 "2021-02-16T13:08:44Z")
> [@Mark\_Finn](#): > > Has anyone else recorded a song about worms (and the sound they make)? Not about their sounds, but about worms in general: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/MhGzVyF5zxc/maxresdefault.jpg "Worms") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhGzVyF5zxc) ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2021, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1417 "2021-02-16T13:21:49Z")
There was an XKCD “What If” article some years ago that pointed out an interesting random fact. [https://what-if.xkcd.com/11/](https://what-if.xkcd.com/11/) In the US, we express automotive fuel economy as miles per gallon. Elsewhere, this metric is inverted and expressed as liters per kilometer. This is a unit of volume divided by a unit of length, which cancels down to a simple unit of area. You can use metric units or 'Murican units of measure, whichever suits your fancy. Example, suppose your car achieves 30 miles per gallon on the highway. A gallon is 231 cubic inches, and 30 miles is 1,900,800 inches. 231 in^3 / 1,900,800 in = 0.000122 square inches. If you took that gallon of gasoline and stretched it into a cylinder 30 miles long, that would be the cross-sectional area of the cylinder. The diameter of said cylinder would be 0.006 inches. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2021, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1418 "2021-02-16T14:32:01Z")
Songs about worms? Coming right up: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/czRsdzCBF1Y/hqdefault.jpg "The Boys - The Worm Song (The Yobs)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czRsdzCBF1Y) The confusing attribution is because The Boys sometimes appeared as The Yobs. Or was it that Yobs sometimes…? j ---
**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 16, 2021, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1419 "2021-02-16T15:35:36Z")
While not specifically about worms, there’s [The Hearse Song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3qIBHStUc0) that has ‘the worms go in, etc.’ in the chorus. ---
**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 16, 2021, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1420 "2021-02-16T15:46:15Z")
[![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2zOoAPn3OjQ/hqdefault.jpg "Mills Brothers - The Glow-Worm (1952)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zOoAPn3OjQ) I didn’t realize that was Johnny Mercer. > **[Johnny Mercer | Songs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Mercer#Songs)** > > 1.Johnny Mercer Sings (Capitol, 1950) | > 2.Two of a Kind with Bobby Darin (Atco, 1961) | > 3.Johnny Mercer with Paul Weston's Orchestra 1944 (Hindsight, 1980) | > 4.Sweet Georgia Brown with Paul Weston (Hindsight, 1995) | > 5.Johnny Mercer Sings Personality (ASV-Living Era, 2002) | > 6.Johnny Mercer: Mosaic Select #28 (Mosaic, 2007) | > 7.Mercer Sings Mercer (Capitol, 2009) ---
**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 17, 2021, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1421 "2021-02-17T12:47:02Z")
A glow-worm doesn’t seem to be a worm. [Glowworm - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glowworm) ---
**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 17, 2021, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1422 "2021-02-17T14:42:00Z")
Those worms are damn arrogant! [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/KmK0bZl4ILM/hqdefault.jpg "Arrogant Worms - Carrot Juice is Murder") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmK0bZl4ILM) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=70) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=72)