Tell us an interesting random fact you stumbled across (Part 1)

[CalMeacham]

@batsto

Driving off without paying theoretically works at some places in NJ. Just yesterday I went to a gas station and asked for $20 of gas. He pumped the gas (here in NJ we still don’t pump our own), and only after it was finished did he ask for the cash.

It’s New Jersey – he’d catch up with you when you tried to pull out and had to wait for a break in the traffic.

[CalMeacham]

“I don’t think these people were killed here recently. I think the bodies were moved here, using a Time Machine.”

‘Crime Scene’ Skulls Turn Out To Be Hundreds Of Years Old

Mexican police initially thought the 150 skulls found in a cave were a crime scene — but they turned out to be a very cold case.

'Crime Scene' Skulls Turn Out To Be Hundreds Of Years Old

[batsto]

hey, the whole state isn’t like that. I made a left turn out of that gas station with no waiting. We’re not all Jersey City or Elizabeth.

[CalMeacham]

I grew up in a small town of fewer than 20,000 people. I still have to wait forever before I can even take a right turn out of the local gas station back home.

[CalMeacham]

Russian “Jack in the Box” tanks

Russian tanks with their tops blown off are just the latest sign that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine isn’t going to plan.

…

But Moscow’s problems go beyond the sheer number of tanks it has lost. Experts say battlefield images show Russian tanks are suffering from a defect that Western militaries have known about for decades and refer to as the “jack-in-the-box effect.” Moscow, they say, should have seen the problem coming.

The problem relates to how the tanks’ ammunition is stored. Unlike modern Western tanks, Russian ones carry multiple shells within their turrets. This makes them highly vulnerable as even an indirect hit can start a chain reaction that explodes their entire ammunition store of up to 40 shells.
The resulting shockwave can be enough to blast the tank’s turret as high as a two-story building, as can be seen in a recent video on social media.

Here it is on video:

JACK IN THE BOX: Ukrainians Explode Russian Tank Sending Its Turret Flying Into Air

Russia's "Headless Tanks" - Why Putin's Powerful Main Battle Tanks Are...

[Ulfreida]

It’s a bitter comment on Mexico that 150 skulls is immediately thought to be a crime scene.

[Crafter_Man]

If your vehicle has an internal combustion engine, I learned you can determine when to change the coolant by measuring its voltage relative to the negative battery terminal. Ideally the voltage should be close to 0 V. If it’s -0.1 V or -0.2 V it should be O.K. It’s considered marginal if it’s -0.3 V to -0.4 V. You should change it out if it’s less than -0.4 V (e.g. -0.5 V).

At least this is what some mechanics claim.

[Elmer_J.Fudd]

Just 16 miles from the 7,661 foot peak of Mt. Popomanaseu on Guadalcanal island is an underwater trench 17,000 feet deep.

[Lumpy]

From the linked article:

Most of the time in such cases, the crew inside does not survive

They mean it’s even possible that someone could survive?

[TriPolar]

@Crafter_Man

If your vehicle has an internal combustion engine, I learned you can determine when to change the coolant by measuring its voltage relative to the negative battery terminal. Ideally the voltage should be close to 0 V. If it’s -0.1 V or -0.2 V it should be O.K. It’s considered marginal if it’s -0.3 V to -0.4 V. You should change it out if it’s less than -0.4 V (e.g. -0.5 V).

At least this is what some mechanics claim.

Could you explain that a little bit? What voltage are you measuring against negative battery terminal?

[Crafter_Man]

The voltage of the coolant. Using a multimeter configured to measure DC voltage, touch the negative/black probe to the negative battery terminal (or frame) and the red/positive probe to the coolant. The coolant can be accessed by either removing the radiator cap or through the expansion tank. (If you remove the radiator cap, make sure the engine is cold, obviously.)

Apparently the coolant forms a battery, or something. I’m not sure exactly what’s going on.

[Reno_Nevada_Jr]

@Lumpy

They mean it’s even possible that someone could survive?

I imagine that sometimes the crew bails out before the breakaway oxidation reaction starts.

[Skywatcher]

If you ever wondered who was replaced by Tom Hanks for Forrest Gump’s MoH ceremony:

Congressional Medal of Honor Awarded: Sergeant Sammy L. Davis - 1968

[suranyi]

The national airline of Papua New Guinea is Air Niugini. That name always puzzled me until I found out that Niugini is pronounced “New Guinea”. It’s just the local spelling.

[Askance]

Not just the local spelling, but their country name in local language Tok Pisin, a creole of English, German, Malay, Portuguese and some Austronesian languages. Many words are derived from related English terms such as Tok (talk, word language), Pisin (pidgin), Grennex (tissues, from Kleenex), Skul (School) and so on.

[TokyoBayer]

The popularity of laser hair removal salons is increasing in Japan, and according to a friend who has a franchise, men are about 90% of her cliental, with men in their 30s as the largest age group. The most popular service is complete body hair removal, including pubic hair.

[Jim_B]

As kids, we used to say Hershey’s is allowed one rat hair per (a certain amount) of chocolate. I think that’s true.

Then somehow that fact got morphed into the statement that Hershey’s adds the rat hair to improve the flavor of their product.

Is that funny? Or is that just gross?

[Saint_Cad]

I think rat hair would improve the taste considering the distinctive Hershey’s taste is similar to vomit.

[Lumpy]

That’s not necessarily as terrible as it sounds. Very tiny amounts of noxious things like limburger cheese can give interesting flavor overtones.

[puzzlegal]

Moderating:

It’s both funny and gross, but it’s also off-topic. This is a thread for interesting facts, not for random false rumors.