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

[Skywatcher]

From the opposite end of the spectrum, vehicles taking an exit too fast in Seattle:

Cars taking the (I-5 South) Union street exit too fast

cars taking i5 union street fast.

[Folacin]

The Independence Avenue bridge in Kansas City, MO is undefeated. It even has its own Twitter and Facebook pages (can’t do Facebook link, I’m supposedly working).

Well marked and well known, trucks still run into it.

[Fiendish_Astronaut]

Long tail backs on freeways/motorways often occur simply because one driver is tailgating and as they brake their red light encourages a wave of braking behind them which can build up like a wave.

This article has some good examples:

Why do traffic jams sometimes form for no reason?

[Lumpy]

@Fiendish_Astronaut

Long tail backs on freeways/motorways often occur simply because one driver is tailgating and as they brake their red light encourages a wave of braking behind them which can build up like a wave.

I drive a manual shift, so to minimize gear changes I drive like a “shock absorber”: I maintain ample room and try to anticipate slowdowns so I can just back off the accelerator instead of breking.

[RealityChuck]

Maybe Annie Ross was right:

Oh, they used to laugh at me when I refused to ride
On all those double-decker buses
All because there was no driver on the top

[digs]

@EinsteinsHund

People, stop it, you gave me this earworm:

And if a double-decker bus
Crashes into us
To die by your side
Is such a heavenly way to die

Me too! The Smiths version and the Neil Finn/Johnny Marr one as well…

Neil Finn and Johnny Marr -- There is a light that never goes out (The Smiths)

[EinsteinsHund]

Oh, many thanks @digs for the song. I enjoyed it very much, I had no idea Neil Finn did it with Johnny Marr. Pop masters.

[Wallaby]

The Melbourne version - the Montague St Bridge (a regular feature on morning traffic reports) is listed on Google Maps as a ‘Tourist Attraction’.
https://www.google.com.au/maps/place/Montague+Street+Bridge+3.0m+height/@-37.8298216,144.9470697,17z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x6ad667f7693afbc1:0xce37901c43dc9910!8m2!3d-37.8298216!4d144.9492584

[Morgyn]

@Skywatcher

From the opposite end of the spectrum, vehicles taking an exit too fast in Seattle:

Good heavens. They need a big ol’ baby bumper on that wall.

(Are those idiots still traveling at highway speeds?)

@Folacin

The Independence Avenue bridge in Kansas City, MO is undefeated.

12-foot clearance. It’s still got more room than the Can-opener bridge, even after it was raised.

[Projammer]

Six common vegetables were selectively bred from a single common ancestral plant.

Cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, and kohlrabi all originated from wild mustard.

Kale, cauliflower, and cabbage are all varieties of a single magical plant...

[Jackknifed_Juggernaut]

The original is literally my favorite song ever. But that is one damn good cover, and Finn almost sounds like Morrissey.

[digs]

@Jackknifed_Juggernaut

Finn almost sounds like Morrissey.

But more emotionally mature. :~}

The backstory:
Neil Finn booked a theater on a small Caribbean island, then invited his brother Tim, his son Liam, Eddie Vedder, Lisa Germano (that was her on violin) and Johnny Marr. For a week of playing on the beach and rehearsing… then a performance.

The album’s titled Seven Worlds Collide (full LP streaming on YouTube), and they’ve reunited for other gigs as well.

[nearwildheaven]

There are variations of this all over the place. For the most part, they are novelties.

[nearwildheaven]

On a related note, I learned quite a while back that Benjamin Franklin liked, of all things, tofu. I had no idea they had that in colonial America, but they did; it was called soybean cheese, made in a manner not unlike current Japanese tofu production, and Benny liked it breaded and deep fried.

[nearwildheaven]

Davenport, IA also has its own Infamous Truck-Eating Bridge. At least one charity even sells calendars each year.

https://localwiki.org/qc/Truck_Eating_Bridge

There’s also one in Kirkland, WA that has its own entry in Atlas Obscura.

Truck-Eating Bridge

[Crafter_Man]

Another interesting tidbit on Benjamin Franklin:

A long time ago I happened upon his autobiography, and recall that he became a vegetarian in his teens due to his ethical concerns of eating animals. I found this fascinating, as I had no idea vegetarianism was a thing back then. But it didn’t last long for Ben: one day, while walking along a dock at the harbor, he caught a whiff of some fish being fried. He ate a few, it tasted good, and that was the end of his vegetarianism.

[CalMeacham]

@Projammer

Six common vegetables were selectively bred from a single common ancestral plant.

Cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, and kohlrabi all originated from wild mustard.

Seven. Don’t forget Collard , the source od Colard Greens.

“Collard” is a worn-down form of “Colewort”.

Actually, according to the Wikipedia article on Brassica oleracea there are others – Savoy Cabbage and Gai Lan. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were others still.

[Exapno_Mapcase]

@nearwildheaven

On a related note, I learned quite a while back that Benjamin Franklin liked, of all things, tofu.

This thread has gotten way too long. Post 3890.

@Exapno_Mapcase

Ben Franklin liked tofu.

According to the Ken Burns documentary, he learned about it in England and brought it back with him.

[WolfpackJeep]

@CalMeacham

Actually, according to the Wikipedia article on Brassica oleracea there are others – Savoy Cabbage and Gai Lan. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were others still.

Are we including hybrids, like broccolini (broccoli crossed with Gai Lan)?

[peccavi]

@nearwildheaven

Davenport, IA also has its own Infamous Truck-Eating Bridge. At least one charity even sells calendars each year.

Not to mention Wolf Creek Pass

Right in the middle of the whole damn show was a real nice tunnel, now wouldn’t you know?

Sign says clearance to the twelve-foot line, but the chickens was stacked to thirteen-nine

Well we shot that tunnel at a hundred-and-ten, like gas through a funnel and eggs through a hen

And we took that top row of chickens off slicker than scum off a Louisiana swamp