# 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:** 87
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2021, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1723 "2021-03-28T20:10:36Z")
Another bit o’ Monkees-related trivia I stumbled across while reading Andrew Sandoval’s “[Day By Day](https://www.amazon.com/Monkees-Day-Day-Story-Sensation/dp/1592233724)” history: the casting ad for the show called for “Ben Frank’s types”. I wondered what the heck that meant, so I went down a little Sunset Strip history rabbit hole. Ben Frank’s was a coffee shop on Sunset where rock ‘n’ roll types hung out, including people like Stephen Stills, Bruce Palmer and Neil Young. The coffee shop was right in the middle of the curfew protests/riots in 1966 that inspired the Buffalo Springfield song _For What It’s Worth_. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2021, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1724 "2021-04-02T01:05:27Z")
There is whole book of the [Trojan War Epic Cycle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_Cycle) concerning the king of Ethiopia coming to the aid of Trojans. So the foundational epic that influenced _every_ subsequent bit of western literature had a whole book dedicated to a black African king (and a sub plot about an Amazon queen). The book is lost (the cycle has 8 books, only the Illiad and Odessey survive) but from secondary references we know Memnon the Ethiopian king was on a par with Achilles (and had his own suit of Hephaestus-made armor) but ultimately killed by him. Not only that it was in this book while chasing the Trojan troops back into Troy (as Memnon has killed another of his _ahem_ close friends\*) that the infamous “Achilles heel” incident occurred. - - Being a boyfriend of Greek hero is possibly second only to being a girlfreind among the sucky jobs in ancient Greek literature. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1725 "2021-04-03T03:30:09Z")
There is a clam with markings that look very much like some kind of writing Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) Tweeted: The Lioconcha Hieroglyphica, a species of saltwater clam with markings often with the appearance of hieroglyphs. Source of images: [https://cutt.ly/sdFLR18](https://t.co/qR89lJaQpL) [https://twitter.com/gunsnrosesgirl3/status/1291469894312169493/photo/1](https://t.co/ZxA8jQd3PY) [https://twitter.com/gunsnrosesgirl3/status/1291469894312169493?s=20](https://twitter.com/gunsnrosesgirl3/status/1291469894312169493?s=20) ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1726 "2021-04-03T04:14:16Z")
Since the images didn’t come over with the tweet, let’s add an image [![](https://i.redd.it/b092136iu5261.jpg) ](https://i.redd.it/b092136iu5261.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2021, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1727 "2021-04-03T10:16:50Z")
How very cool. Thanks for sharing Zyada. ---
**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:** [April 3, 2021, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1728 "2021-04-03T10:39:03Z")
Cairo is having a Mummy Parade. They are moving a herd of mummies from the Egypt Museum (the old train station) to a new place outside of town. They are moving them all at once in golden coffins and in chronological order. [-=Linky=-](https://duckduckgo.com/?q=egypt+moving+mummies&t=brave&ia=web&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.yahoo.com%2Fmajestic-cairo-parade-egyptian-mummies-050824729.html&pn=1) ---
**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:** [April 3, 2021, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1729 "2021-04-03T11:33:36Z")
When I look at that, I don’t see “writing”. I see “Iterated one-dimensional cellular automaton”, and possibly “Sierpinski triangles” (though I’ve seen other specimens where the Sierpinski is much clearer). ---
**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 3, 2021, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1730 "2021-04-03T12:47:20Z")
> [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](#): > > Cairo is having a Mummy Parade. They are moving a herd of mummies from the Egypt Museum (the old train station) to a new place outside of town. They are moving them all at once in golden coffins and in chronological order. Another ritual that caught my eye: > “Dancing with the dead” best describes the burial tradition in [Madagascar](https://www.britannica.com/place/Madagascar) of Famadihana. The [Malagasy](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Malagasy-peoples) people open the tombs of their dead every few years and rewrap them in fresh burial clothes. Each time the dead get fresh wrappings, they also get a fresh dance near the tomb while music plays all around. This ritual—translated as the “turning of the bones”—is meant to speed up decomposition and push the spirit of the dead toward the afterlife. > **[7 Unique Burial Rituals Across the World](https://www.britannica.com/list/7-unique-burial-rituals-across-the-world)** > > Learn more about burial rituals from a variety of cultures. ---
**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:** [April 3, 2021, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1731 "2021-04-03T15:05:02Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > When I look at that, I don’t see “writing”. I see “Iterated one-dimensional cellular automaton”, and possibly “Sierpinski triangles” (though I’ve seen other specimens where the Sierpinski is much clearer). Agreed. And yes, that is a really cool clam; I’d never seen that before. Although if you look only at little snips of the larger generated-tree figures they have some resemblance to > **[Cuneiform](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuneiform)** > > Cuneiform\[note 1\] is a logo-syllabic writing system that was used to write several languages of the Ancient Near East. The script was in active use from the early Bronze Age until the beginning of the Common Era. Cuneiform scripts are marked by and named for the characteristic wedge-shaped impressions (Latin: cuneus) which form their signs. Cuneiform is the earliest known writing system and was originally developed to write the Sumerian language of southern Mesopotamia (modern Iraq). > Over the ... I agree that hieroglyphics is more a misnomer than apt. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1732 "2021-04-04T01:59:27Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > I had to look up this word today. Headline: CNN had a field day with its chyrons during Trump’s ‘meltdown’ at his coronavirus briefing. Chyrons? > > chy·ron > /ˈkīrän/ > Learn to pronounce > nounTRADEMARK > an electronically generated caption superimposed on a television or movie screen. Some other terms used: Lower Third Super Font > [@El\_Kabong](#): > > According to _Texas Monthly_ , there are approx. 43,000 physicians licensed to practice in the state. Of these, only six have the last name “Pepper”. Of those, how many are also Sergeants? ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1733 "2021-04-04T02:13:15Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > And, because his middle “name” was just the letter “S” that wasn’t an initial for any actual name, it is properly written without a dot. His name is “Harry S Truman”, not “Harry S. Truman” — some authors get this right, and some don’t. I don’t think that’s correct… if you are abbreviating his middle name it would indeed have a period following it, wouldn’t it? So either “ **S.** ” if you’re abbreviating or, “ **S** ” if you’re spelling it out. ---
**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:** [April 4, 2021, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1734 "2021-04-04T02:32:51Z")
Harry used the period himself. > **[Use of the Period After the "S" in Harry S. Truman's Name | Harry S. Truman](https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/education/trivia/use-of-period-after-s-truman-name)** > > In recent years the question of whether to use a period after the "S" in Harry S. Truman's name has become a subject of controversy, especially among editors. The evidence provided by Mr. Truman's own practice argues strongly for the use of the... ---
**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:** [April 4, 2021, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1735 "2021-04-04T02:57:48Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > I had to look up this word today. Headline: CNN had a field day with its chyrons during Trump’s ‘meltdown’ at his coronavirus briefing. Chyrons? Chyron is [a company that long made character generators for broadcast use](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chyron_Corporation), so the term Chyron got “scotch taped” in the broadcast industry and became generic for overlaid text, especially in sports or news broadcasting. This usage goes back easily to the '80s. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1736 "2021-04-04T03:24:45Z")
For those familiar with Bryant and Greg Gumbel, the former is anout 2.5 years younger than the latter. Shocked the hell outta me. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1737 "2021-04-04T03:41:51Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > This led to an issue: at the time of his death, Grant was taking cocaine as a way to help manage his pain. There a big bottle of it on the mantle of the living room. Agents from the DEA periodically test it to make sure it’s all there Wouldn’t it be easier to just remove it? Why would they still keep cocaine in the house? Is there a cite for this? I looked and couldn’t find a cite that the cocaine is extant. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1738 "2021-04-04T03:46:55Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > I don’t think that’s correct… if you are abbreviating his middle name it would indeed have a period following it, wouldn’t it? So either “ **S.** ” if you’re abbreviating or, “ **S** ” if you’re spelling it out. Are you saying that “S.” can be an abbreviation for “S”? ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1739 "2021-04-04T03:48:40Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Are you saying that “S.” can be an abbreviation for “S”? Seems absurd, I know. But I can’t see why not. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1740 "2021-04-04T03:57:57Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > > [@Senegoid](#): > > > > And, because his middle “name” was just the letter “S” that wasn’t an initial for any actual name, it is properly written without a dot. His name is “Harry S Truman”, not “Harry S. Truman” — some authors get this right, and some don’t. > > I don’t think that’s correct… if you are abbreviating his middle name it would indeed have a period following it, wouldn’t it? So either “ **S.** ” if you’re abbreviating or, “ **S** ” if you’re spelling it out. > [@Morgyn](#): > > Harry used the period himself. Yikes! How did this pop up again, from almost a year ago! We resolved it way back then – Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker pointed out that Harry S. wrote it with a dot. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1741 "2021-04-04T04:00:15Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Yikes! How did this pop up again, from almost a year ago! We resolved it way back then – Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker pointed out that Harry S. wrote it with a dot. OK but I didn’t see any comments about whether Harry wrote it that way because he was abbreviating it or not. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/1742 "2021-04-04T04:02:03Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > OK but I didn’t see any comments about whether Harry wrote it that way because he was abbreviating it or not. Way back on April 15 of last year, just a post or several after I posted that. ETA: Oh wait, I see the point you’re making. Never mind. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=86) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=88)