# Tell us an interesting random fact you stumbled across (Part 2) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 25, 2024, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785 "2024-07-25T15:06:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 101
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2025, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2001 "2025-03-28T03:01:53Z")
This article says that Sweating sickness could have been caused by Hantavirus: > **[Were the English Sweating Sickness and the Picardy Sweat Caused by Hantaviruses?](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3917436/)** > > The English sweating sickness caused five devastating epidemics between 1485 and 1551, England was hit hardest, but on one occasion also mainland Europe, with mortality rates between 30% and 50%. The Picardy sweat emerged about 150 years after the... ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2025, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2002 "2025-03-28T03:34:18Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > Aconite would be my guess I had a delphinium that was just beautiful, but I was advised by a friend that it might get feasted upon by gastropods. Hence, if one is to collect snails for dinner, it is best not to scarf them down right away but to keep them alive for a week or so in order to purge toxins from their systems. If the sweating sickness victims had been dining on little slimy critters, you could well be on the right track. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2025, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2003 "2025-03-28T19:35:24Z")
Well, FMTT ([something] me to tears), there is this musical riff that appears in numerous cartoons (old warner bros in particular) that signifies butterflies and daisies and sunshine in the meadow, you know, just sweetness and light, and I had no idea what its origin was. Turns out, it comes from the [middle section](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7Tj2SzToHI&t=6m5s) of the _William Tell Overture_, which bridges into the more recognizable masked man part. I guess this is what happens (obscure reference) when you find a stranger in the alps. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2025, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2004 "2025-03-28T21:03:49Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > there is this musical riff that appears in numerous cartoons (old warner bros in particular) that signifies butterflies and daisies and sunshine in the meadow, you know, just sweetness and light, and I had no idea what its origin was And famously, the score to “Bambi meets Godzilla”. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2025, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2005 "2025-03-29T00:39:10Z")
The other classical ‘peaceful meadow sunrise’ piece is the [Morning Mood](https://youtu.be/J-1Bob1dU18) portion of Edvard Grieg’s _Peer Gynt_ suite. ---
**Author:** ![KCB615](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ea666f/32.png) [@KCB615](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KCB615)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2025, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2006 "2025-03-29T01:49:33Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > I guess this is what happens (obscure reference) when you find a stranger in the alps. I just bought this car last week! ---
**Author:** ![teelabrown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teelabrown/32/8412_2.png) [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2025, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2007 "2025-03-29T02:02:16Z")
Platypuses use that flat, paddle-like tail to carry nesting materials. [Here’s the proof.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQryoS-t45g) ---
**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 29, 2025, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2008 "2025-03-29T08:42:36Z")
The “[Storm](https://youtu.be/Mvt-yaND1MI?si=kOEMkFdN99PdBEC3)” section just before the “morning” section from _The William Tell Overture_ is often used in cartoons to indicate.a storm. ---
**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:** [March 29, 2025, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2009 "2025-03-29T13:12:37Z")
Whoa, I never would have guessed that. I’d assumed that it was for propulsion while swimming. ---
**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 29, 2025, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2010 "2025-03-29T19:54:23Z")
[Mysterioso Pizzicato](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZF-qIha3A8) is often used in cartoons as a “sneaky villain” theme. But it’s not really a classical piece; it was composed around 1914 specifically as incidental music for silent films as a villain theme. [Entry of the Gladiators](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B0CyOAO8y0) is usually used as a “circus” theme today, but it was composed as a serious military march in 1897. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2025, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2011 "2025-03-29T20:00:02Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > [Mysterioso Pizzicato](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZF-qIha3A8) is often used in cartoons as a “sneaky villain” theme. But it’s not really a classical piece; it was composed around 1914 specifically as incidental music for silent films as a villain theme Also the into to the Sonics’ “Strychnine”. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/f7Nffq0bOgE/hqdefault.jpg "The Sonics - Strychnine") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7Nffq0bOgE) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2025, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2012 "2025-03-29T20:02:02Z")
I just learned that Matthew Garber, a child actor who appeared in _The Three Lives of Thomasina_, _Mary Poppins_, and _The Gnome-Mobile_, died in 1977 at the age of only 21. According to a FB post, he contracted hepatitis from eating ‘bad meat’ on a trip to India. According to Wikipedia, citing “About Matthew Garber (a.k.a. Michael Banks)”, Realclassics[dot]com, he died of haemorrhagic necrotising pancreatitis after the hepatitis spread to his pancreas. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2025, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2013 "2025-03-29T20:16:39Z")
Damn, child actors from that era did not fare well. 😬 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2025, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2014 "2025-03-29T20:40:05Z")
Some succumbed to addiction, some just went on to live non-acting lives. Dying from eating bad meat is just bizarre. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2025, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2015 "2025-03-29T20:43:28Z")
Not really true, though. Cathy Garver (Cissy) and Johnny Whitaker (Jody) from _Family Affair_ are in fact still acting, while Anissa Jones (Buffy) OD’d at age 18. That is a 2-to-1 success rate (Sebastion Cabot, by contrast, stroked out at 59, and Brian Keith offed himself not long after his own daughter died). ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2025, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2016 "2025-03-29T20:58:13Z")
I was fairly good friends with Crispin Glover from the ages of 14-17. His dad Bruce was a working actor with a successful career. Crispin wanted to be an actor from a very young age but Bruce saw what happened to enough kids that he wouldn’t allow it aside from community theater or school productions. He said that if he was still interested at 16 he’d get him an agent and he could start then. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2025, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2017 "2025-03-29T21:42:49Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Anissa Jones (Buffy) OD’d at age 18. [Who will look after Mrs. Beezley?](https://youtu.be/-ripXfJc3Jk?si=whwRjGvPRuwvHIzP) ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2025, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2018 "2025-03-30T01:41:45Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I was fairly good friends with Crispin Glover from the ages of 14-17. His dad Bruce was a working actor with a successful career. Crispin wanted to be an actor from a very young age but Bruce saw what happened to enough kids that he wouldn’t allow it aside from community theater or school productions. He said that if he was still interested at 16 he’d get him an agent and he could start then. In a bit of irony, Bruce passed away yesterday and Crispin just announced it. He was an incredibly kind and interesting man. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2025, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2019 "2025-03-30T02:01:04Z")
According to imdb, Bruce passed away two and a half weeks ago. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2025, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2020 "2025-03-30T02:32:52Z")
You’re correct. It was just announced a couple of hours ago for whatever reason [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=100) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=102)