# 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:** 80
**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:** [March 10, 2021, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1583 "2021-03-10T19:37:52Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > > [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > > > There are now 1.83 billion websites on the Internet with about 200m of these presently active. There are currently about 55 billion pages indexed by Google, down from c.65 billion in 2020. > > And yet, I still can’t find what I want… U2 was ahead of the curve. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/e3-5YC_oHjE/maxresdefault.jpg "U2 - I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (Official Music Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3-5YC_oHjE) ---
**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:** [March 11, 2021, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1584 "2021-03-11T00:39:23Z")
Sea cucumbers’ poop is actually cleaner than their food intake. Sea beds and coral reefs are healthier when there are sea cucumbers around. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/MpHJJ5bOI-Q/maxresdefault.jpg "Sea Cucumber Poop Is Surprisingly Good For the Ecosystem | National Geographic") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpHJJ5bOI-Q) ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1585 "2021-03-11T00:54:30Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > one of the London bridges was built around 1830 and was taken apart and moved to Arizona in 1968 and put back together. And inspired a damn good song. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1586 "2021-03-11T00:57:42Z")
[This one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K2aww8xKcE), maybe? ---
**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:** [March 11, 2021, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1587 "2021-03-11T01:36:46Z")
I was reading about (“Mama”) Cass Elliot’s death, which wasn’t really from choking on a ham sandwich. Singer Harry Nilsson had allowed her to use his place. > …Elliot, age 32…died in Flat 12, 9 [Curzon Place](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curzon_Place) (later Curzon Square), [Shepherd Market](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepherd_Market), [Mayfair](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayfair), London. Four years later, [The Who](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Who)’s drummer [Keith Moon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Moon) died in the same room, also aged 32 years.[[37]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cass_Elliot#cite_note-37)[[38](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cass_Elliot#cite_note-38) [Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cass_Elliot) > Nilsson, distraught over another friend’s death in his flat, and having little need for the property, sold it to Moon’s bandmate [Pete Townshend](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Townshend)[[20]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Nilsson#cite_note-FOOTNOTEShipton2013235-20) and consolidated his life in Los Angeles. [Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Nilsson) ---
**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:** [March 11, 2021, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1588 "2021-03-11T01:55:17Z")
The room didn’t get Townshend? Well, I guess there’s still time left. ---
**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:** [March 11, 2021, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1589 "2021-03-11T11:55:10Z")
Pete isn’t 32 any more, so the danger has passed… Today’s item: Trenton, TN has a speed limit of 31 mph. > **[Trenton, TN - 31 MPH Speed Limit](https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/4095)** > > Visit reports, news, maps, directions and info on 31 MPH Speed Limit in Trenton, Tennessee. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1590 "2021-03-11T12:07:01Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > And yet, I still can’t find what I want Do you find sometimes that you get what you need? ---
**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:** [March 11, 2021, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1591 "2021-03-11T12:09:45Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Isn’t that what I said? Yes, but you made it sound like it was an optional/alternative way of verbally expressing a number; I’m saying your way is the only way it’s supposed to be done. ---
**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:** [March 11, 2021, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1592 "2021-03-11T13:14:21Z")
As a result of observations made by the _Juno_ space probe (launched a decade ago), scientists now believe they have solved the mystery of where the scattering dust responsible for zodiacal light comes from > **[The cause of the zodiacal light is finally found! Thanks to ... Juno?](https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/3/10/2020335/-The-cause-of-the-zodiacal-light-is-finally-found-Thanks-to-Juno?pm_source=story_sidebar&pm_medium=web&pm_campaign=recommended)** > > Nice going, Juno!  NASA sends you to study Jupiter, but on the way there, you upend all our ideas about what causes the zodiacal light!  It was all reported yesterday (March 9) in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. ... > **[Juno (spacecraft)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juno_(spacecraft))** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > > Juno is a NASA space probe orbiting the planet Jupiter. It was built by Lockheed Martin and is operated by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The spacecraft was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on August 5, 2011 UTC, as part of the New Frontiers program. Juno entered a polar orbit of Jupiter on July 5, 2016, UTC, to begin a scientific investigation of the planet. After completing its mission, Juno will be intentionally deorbited in... ---
**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:** [March 11, 2021, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1593 "2021-03-11T15:34:21Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > So you would say “one hundred one and one-half”. You would not say “one hundred and one and one-half.” > > Likewise, you would say “one hundred one,” not “one hundred and one.” No. If I was referring to dalmations, no ‘half’ would be needed, but for inanimate objects, ‘one o one point five’ would be normal. For me at any rate. ---
**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:** [March 11, 2021, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1594 "2021-03-11T16:04:49Z")
That’s the second most interesting thing I’ve learned about the zodiacal light recently. The first is that Brian May, the lead guitarist of Queen, earned a PhD in astrophysics in 2007, and his thesis was on the dust that causes the zodiacal light. He started his astrophysics study in 1970 but abandoned it when Queen became popular. In the 2000s he found that so little work had been done on this topic in the intervening decades that his research from the 1970s was still relevant. ---
**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:** [March 11, 2021, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1595 "2021-03-11T19:38:18Z")
Going back to London Bridge: the original medieval bridge was finished in 1209 and the one in Arizona was built in the 19th century to replace it. You can still find bits of the original bridge around London today. St Magnus the Marytr’s Church uses a pedestrian archway from the bridge as part of it’s facade and has bits of the bridge piled in its courtyard. One of the alcoves sits in the campus at Kings near Guy’s Hospital and there’s a seated statue of John Keats on the bench in it. I’ve sat and had a sandwich with him, though he wasn’t very interested in me. [![](https://assets.londonist.com/uploads/2016/08/i875/14894396108_391ed00242_b.jpg) ](https://assets.londonist.com/uploads/2016/08/i875/14894396108_391ed00242_b.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1596 "2021-03-11T20:07:01Z")
That’s a cool alcove and story. I believe I am one of the few people who has driven over, walked over and sailed under the 19th century bridge in both locations. I’ve urinated off of it too, but only in Arizona. Oh, to be young and foolish, instead of just foolish! ---
**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:** [March 11, 2021, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1597 "2021-03-11T21:59:44Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I am one of the few people who has driven over, walked over and sailed under the 19th century bridge in both locations That is impressive! ---
**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:** [March 11, 2021, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1598 "2021-03-11T23:37:45Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > … I’ve sat and had a sandwich with him, though he wasn’t very interested in me. Now that’s cool! I understand why they planted him facing out, but it’s a shame they didn’t leave one seat’s worth of space to his right so someone could sit with him facing them. Having one’s lunch while he turns the back of his head to oneself is a bit insulting, even if he is someone far above my social station, and perhaps yours as well. ---
**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:** [March 11, 2021, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1599 "2021-03-11T23:40:18Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > and perhaps yours as well. How very dare you!!! ---
**Author:** ![Ynnad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4491bb/32.png) [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2021, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1600 "2021-03-12T17:24:43Z")
G.I. Joe served in the United States Army Pigeon Service during World War II. He participated in the Italian Campaign and is credited for saving the lives of Italian civilians as well as members of the British 56th (London) Infantry Division in the village of Calvi Vecchia in 1943. In 1946 he was presented with the Dickens medal. Upon his death in 1961 he was stuffed, mounted, and put on display. ---
**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:** [March 12, 2021, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1601 "2021-03-12T18:59:31Z")
One of the UK’s more unusual War Memorials is dedicated to [Warrior Birds “who gave their lives on active service 1939-45.”](https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/164347) It’s located in a park in Worthing, on the south coast; that’s a day trip out for us, and we have passed by in November and found wreaths laid at the memorial. According to [this wiki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beach_House_Park,_Worthing#Pigeon_memorial) “it is thought to be the only such memorial in Britain.” j ---
**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:** [March 12, 2021, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1602 "2021-03-12T22:52:39Z")
TIL Everest is getting taller at an estimated rate of 4mm/year. [https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/indian-mathematician-radhanath-sikdar-first-to-identify-everest-as-highest-mountain-peak/articleshow/47496440.cms](https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/indian-mathematician-radhanath-sikdar-first-to-identify-everest-as-highest-mountain-peak/articleshow/47496440.cms) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=79) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=81)