# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2020, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/141 "2020-04-26T18:03:55Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > The “lowness” of the area code number corresponds roughly to the population density of that area as of 1947. The idea was to minimize the number of time that Americans spent waiting for a phone dial to rotate, and also to minimize the network traffic involved in dialing telephone numbers. > > That only applies to codes with a 1 or 0 as the middle digit. Area codes that don’t have a 0/1 middle digit were created after 1995 and aren’t planned around any efficiencies in mind, as far as I’m aware. A guy from the Chicago Reader calls this “low dial pull”. He covered the subject in some detail [here.](https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/the-straight-dope/Content?oid=872475) Folks around here may have heard of him. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2020, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/142 "2020-04-26T19:11:55Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > The mode age of death in England and Wales is currently around 87. In 1964 it was zero. What’s the story behind that? > [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Interesting random computer fact. > > When you move your computer mouse, the mouse sends data to your computer telling it how far you moved it, as in 14 mouse units to the left and 17 mouse units up. The computer then positions the cursor on the screen appropriately. > > One “mouse unit” (the smallest amount of movement that the mouse can detect) is called a Mickey. > > Yes, it is named for Mickey Mouse. 🙂 That’s a really good one. 🙂 > [@DesertDog](#): > > [Ralph’s mom]Everybody know that.[/Rm] > > Cool map! When I was a teen we were visiting the city in question and I was in the back seat idly reading the store names and street signs as we drove along. Suddenly, I was, “Hey! We’re on a Monopoly board!” I’m not sure everyone did. UK quiz shows ask questions about the main UK Monopoly board, based on London. It’s a part of UK culture. I was in my twenties at least when I discovered that wasn’t the original. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2020, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/143 "2020-04-26T20:49:27Z")
Prior to 1990 figure skaters had to skate to trace figures such as circles and figure 8s. This was almost never shown on TV but the scores counted as part of the competition. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2020, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/144 "2020-04-26T21:11:19Z")
I was watching _The Queen_ on TV (although, much as I love Helen Mirren I didn’t make it very far) and it begins with Michael Sheen as PM Tony Blair. When I looked Sheen up on IMDB I discovered that he has played Blair in 3 separate, unrelated movies. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2020, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/145 "2020-04-27T16:50:25Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Prior to 1990 figure skaters had to skate to trace figures such as circles and figure 8s. This was almost never shown on TV but the scores counted as part of the competition. I remember seeing that a couple times during Olympic broadcasts, a few seconds at a whack before they’d cut to something less like watching paint dry. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2020, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/146 "2020-04-27T17:21:40Z")
I was shocked to learn not long ago that Debbie Harry and Penn Gillette were lovers way back when, before either of them were famous. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2020, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/147 "2020-04-27T18:41:11Z")
_Six_ Original Otter Pops constitute _One_ Serving size! A great time to be Alive, I assure you! > [@FastDan1](#): > > The only men’s basketball coach in the history of the University of Kansas to have a career losing record… James Naismith - the guy that invented basketball. For some reason, I find this laugh-out-loud hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2020, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/148 "2020-04-27T19:00:38Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Prior to 1990 figure skaters had to skate to trace figures such as circles and figure 8s. This was almost never shown on TV but the scores counted as part of the competition. Oh, yeah, it was as boring as watching ice melt. ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2020, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/149 "2020-04-27T19:40:34Z")
Mexican general Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna is best remembered as the bad guy from the Battle Of The Alamo. He also had at LEAST three legs, and accidentally invented chewing gum. Historians remember him as a brilliant politician, but only when he was trying to get on top; once he was actually THERE, he tended to alienate people by being arrogant, presumptive, and a jerk in general. He really WANTED to be remembered as a great general – he often referred to himself as “The Napoleon Of The West,” but when actually leading his troops, his main tactic was pretty much lifted from the Zap Brannigan School Of Military Science, what a gamer would call a “zerg rush.” By that, I mean, “Charge in there in massive numbers and overwhelm them, and who cares how many of you get killed?” This is why he lost between one and two thousand troops taking out an undermanned fortress with fewer than 200 defenders in it. It is also why Sam Houston’s army utterly trounced him in the final battle of the War for Texas Independence; he’d been chasing their army around for months, and so one day, he decided to stop and have his men rest, have lunch, and take a nap. It didn’t occur to him that the Texas army might counterattack, so he didn’t bother with sentries. This led to one of the more one-sided battles in history, and Santa Anna’s capture by Sam Houston’s army. Upon being remitted to Mexico, he promptly began attempting to take Texas again. He served no less than 12 non-consecutive terms as President of Mexico (hey, I SAID he was a great politician!) and had himself crowned Emperor at least once. He only had one leg; the other got shot off in a military action against the French in 1838, and received a full military funeral. With its own little coffin and everything. Somewhat later, when he had angered enough people, a mob desecrated the grave, dug up the leg, and carried it through the streets screaming “Death to the cripple!” Another one of his legs is currently in Illinois; during the Spanish-American war, he had to bug out from his bivouac, and members of the 4th Illinois Infantry found one of his wooden legs in his quarters, along with a bunch of money. The leg is currently in a museum in Illinois, despite several requests from the Mexican government for its return. Couldn’t tell you what happened to the money. During one of the periods where he wasn’t President, he was in New York City, scheming to regain his position. While there, he arranged for the sale of a ton of South American tree sap to a businessman named Adams. He then ran off to Staten Island with the money to raise an army to retake Mexico. While this failed, Adams’ plan did not – the tree sap, called “chicle” by the Mexicans, wound up launching Adams’ Confectionary Company, and Adams became the first major American seller of chewing gum. Santa Anna today remains remembered by historians as a brilliant politician who totally achieved his level of incompetence as a general. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2020, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/150 "2020-04-27T20:27:27Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > [Ralph’s mom]Everybody know that.[/Rm] > > Cool map! When I was a teen we were visiting the city in question and I was in the back seat idly reading the store names and street signs as we drove along. Suddenly, I was, “Hey! We’re on a Monopoly board!” That reminds of an exchange on _Boardwalk Empire_ between two gangsters, one of whom was from out of town: Gangster 1: “So, where’re ‘ya stayin’?” Gangster 2: “Some flop house on Ventnor.” Since that was a) pretty much a throwaway line that didn’t further the plot in any way, and b) not only referenced Ventnor Ave., but a _hotel_ on Ventnor, I always wondered if the writers threw that in as a nod to the Monopoly board. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2020, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/151 "2020-04-27T20:47:09Z")
Just learned from an article I landed on during a link-hopping spree that the SR-71 never flew a mission over Soviet territory. ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2020, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/152 "2020-04-27T21:06:20Z")
I only found out yesterday that the woman Jack Nicholson thought was his sister was in fact his mother, and that his parents were in fact his grandparents. Definitely cast a new light on the events of the movie “Chinatown…” ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2020, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/153 "2020-04-27T21:24:37Z")
“The Phil Silvers Show,” aka “Sgt. Bilko,” finally went off the air in 1959 after a long and successful run. The invariable plot of every episode revolved around Sgt Bilko trying to pull a scam to get rich, usually with the help of his pals in the motor pool. Its breakout character was Pvt. Doberman, as played by Maurice Gosfield. Two years later, Hanna-Barbera launched an animated cartoon series called “Top Cat.” It lifted the entire premise from “The Phil Silvers Show” and included Maurice Gosfield as the voice actor for Benny the Ball… a character who was, for all intents and purposes, identical to Pvt. Doberman. ---
**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 27, 2020, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/154 "2020-04-27T21:34:03Z")
> [@Master\_Wang-Ka](#): > > I only found out yesterday that the woman Jack Nicholson thought was his sister was in fact his mother, and that his parents were in fact his grandparents. > > Definitely cast a new light on the events of the movie “Chinatown…” Eric Clapton had almost the same familial history. ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2020, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/155 "2020-04-27T21:49:46Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Cy Young has the most wins in the history of Major League Baseball. He also has the most losses. He had the most wins without winning the Cy Young Award. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2020, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/156 "2020-04-27T23:46:11Z")
Uma Thurman’s father Robert was a Buddhist monk when he was young. Now he’s a professor of religion at Columbia. He is a great speaker so I assume he’s a top notch professor too. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/157 "2020-04-28T01:36:47Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > … the SR-71 never flew a mission over Soviet territory. I think this ought to be preceded by “Officially …” ---
**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:** [April 28, 2020, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/158 "2020-04-28T02:19:46Z")
Free diving is the sport of diving without the use of a breathing apparatus. “The current no-limits world record holder is Herbert Nitsch with a depth of 253 m set on 6 June 2012, in Santorini, Greece. [5]” That’s 830 feet. > **[No-limits apnea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No-limits_apnea)** > > No-limit apnea is an AIDA International freediving discipline of competitive freediving, also known as competitive apnea, in which the freediver descends and ascends with the method of his or her choice. Often, a heavy metal bar or "sled" grasped by the diver descends fixed to a line, reaching great depths. The most common ascension assistance is via inflatable lifting bags or vests with inflatable compartments, which surface rapidly. The dives may be performed head-first or feet-first. > This f... ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/159 "2020-04-28T03:05:34Z")
> [@Master\_Wang-Ka](#): > > “The Phil Silvers Show,” aka “Sgt. Bilko,” finally went off the air in 1959 after a long and successful run. The invariable plot of every episode revolved around Sgt Bilko trying to pull a scam to get rich, usually with the help of his pals in the motor pool. Its breakout character was Pvt. Doberman, as played by Maurice Gosfield. > > Two years later, Hanna-Barbera launched an animated cartoon series called “Top Cat.” It lifted the entire premise from “The Phil Silvers Show” and included Maurice Gosfield as the voice actor for Benny the Ball… a character who was, for all intents and purposes, identical to Pvt. Doberman. A tourist was arrested in China for wearing a Sgt. Bilko shirt. They thought it was the Dalai Lama. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/160 "2020-04-28T03:54:53Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > I think this ought to be preceded by “Officially …” Well yes, perhaps. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=9)