# 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:** 116
**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:** [May 10, 2025, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2301 "2025-05-10T17:28:01Z")
After all these decades, I’ve just found out that it’s ‘Artem **U** s Gordon’, not ‘Artem **I** s Gordon’. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2302 "2025-05-10T22:17:04Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I’ve just found out that it’s ‘Artem **U** s Gordon’, not ‘Artem **I** s Gordon’. Give us some context for what it is. ---
**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:** [May 10, 2025, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2303 "2025-05-10T22:23:05Z")
Artemus Gordon was a character played by Ross Martin in _The Wild Wild West_ TV series. For decades I thought he was named after Artemis, the Greek goddess of the hunt and the Moon. I thought it was weird that he had a girl’s name. Today _The Wild Wild West_ came on, and it’s the first time I’ve seen it in forever. That’s when I noticed that his name is not the same as the goddess’s. ---
**Author:** ![Kzbre5m](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f08c70/32.png) [@Kzbre5m](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kzbre5m)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2304 "2025-05-10T22:34:22Z")
Please, not on my account! I did find one of the movies mentioned, and will play it when I get a chance. ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2305 "2025-05-10T23:09:14Z")
> **[Reverse Scrolling Credits](https://letterboxd.com/zodokai/list/reverse-scrolling-credits/)** > > We have all come to recognize the standard scrolling pattern of credits at the end of a film. Names appear at the bottom of the screen, scroll upwards, and disappear off the top of the screen. Thousands and thousands of films use this pattern, so... Please ignore Mr. Johnson’s comment and the inaccurate inclusion of _Once a Thief_. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2025, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2306 "2025-05-11T22:43:48Z")
According to YouTube’s 2024 Culture and Trends Report, 65% of Gen Z self-identify as content creators. > **[Gen-Z's Video Craze: 65% Identified As Content Creators In YouTube's Latest...](https://www.ndtv.com/offbeat/gen-zs-video-craze-65-identified-as-content-creators-in-youtubes-latest-report-6066068)** > > YouTube's 2024 Culture & Trends Report reveals that 65% of Gen-Z identify as video content creators, highlighting a trend where super fans create and fans consume video content. ---
**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:** [May 12, 2025, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2307 "2025-05-12T01:30:36Z")
Carefully planning my escape, I found myself scanning maps for US/Canada border crossings. I find that Maine has about the same number as Washington and Montana, a dozen or so (defining a crossing such that you could start at a random city on one side and drive an ordinary car to some random city on the other side). New Hampshire has just one, Idaho two, Michgan four, Minnesota eight. New York and North Dakota have the most, seventeen each. But what surprised me was Vermont, which has fifteen crossings in its 90 short miles of border. Yes, Alaska has a long border with Canada – longer than the 49th parallel border run – with only four crossings, but you cannot drive there directly from just any random city in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2308 "2025-05-12T01:47:45Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Artemus Gordon was a character played by Ross Martin in _The Wild Wild West_ TV series. For decades I thought he was named after Artemis, the Greek goddess of the hunt and the Moon. I thought it was weird that he had a girl’s name. Today _The Wild Wild West_ came on, and it’s the first time I’ve seen it in forever. That’s when I noticed that his name is not the same as the goddess’s. The name might have been inspired by the nom de plume of the famous western humorist Artemus Ward. Artemus Gordon was the sidekick of Captain James West, or as we liked to call him, Captain Tight Pants, played by Robert Conrad. The show was a staple of my youth. ---
**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:** [May 12, 2025, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2309 "2025-05-12T02:43:23Z")
Interesting. That’s a lot. And they are all staffed by American and Canadian customs/immigration 24-7? ---
**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:** [May 12, 2025, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2310 "2025-05-12T03:05:11Z")
I know of at least one in Washington, on the eastern flanks of the Cascades, that is not open at night. Also, there are about half a dozen places in northwest NY where there is no real monitoring of the crossings because the Quebec side is a quasi-exclave called Akwesasne 15, which considers itself essentially a reservation in combination with the New York side (none of its roads cross the rivers that divide it from Quebec). ---
**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:** [May 12, 2025, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2311 "2025-05-12T13:53:51Z")
Houston is slowly sinking, and so are several other cities. None of which are in Louisiana.\* > **[Houston ranks as fastest sinking city, new study finds](https://communityimpact.com/houston/bay-area/environment/2025/05/09/houston-ranks-as-fastest-sinking-city-new-study-finds/)** > > The study finds that some cities are sinking at different rates in different spots, or sinking in some places and rising in others, according to the report. [![](https://communityimpact.com/uploads/images/2025/05/09/365778.jpg) ](https://communityimpact.com/uploads/images/2025/05/09/365778.jpg) > Houston is the fastest sinking city with “more than 40% of its area subsiding more than 5 millimeters (about 1/5 inch) per year, and 12% sinking at twice that rate,” according to the study. \*Parts of the New Orleans area were built on reclaimed swampland but I guess their sinking has slowed. I remember riding my Schwinn around Metairie and seeing at least one driveway significantly lower than the corresponding garage. Had to have been a foot or so. ---
**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:** [May 12, 2025, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2312 "2025-05-12T14:52:15Z")
Mexico city is sinking also. Maybe some areas of land the size and shape of Houston and Mexico city are rising up out of the ground on the opposite side of the earth somewhere in Asia. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2313 "2025-05-12T14:54:58Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Mexico city is sinking also. Wasn’t it literally built on a lake? ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2314 "2025-05-12T14:55:27Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > Houston is slowly sinking I wouldn’t worry about it. The South will rise again. ---
**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:** [May 12, 2025, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2315 "2025-05-12T15:17:51Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > > [@TriPolar](#): > > > > Mexico city is sinking also. > > Wasn’t it literally built on a lake? Seems to be aquifers which have been depleted. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2316 "2025-05-12T15:21:02Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > > [@TriPolar](#): > > > > Mexico city is sinking also. > > Wasn’t it literally built on a lake? I don’t know what happened to the water after the Spanish took over, but the Aztec predecessor city of Tenochtitlan was. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2317 "2025-05-12T17:57:41Z")
Good Lord! It turn out a market in Beverly is selling boxes of Carolina Reaper peppers in the fresh produce section! This pepper is not found in nature. It was genetically bred by a guy in South Carolina and was the hottest pepper in the world before the development of Pepper X. Reapers should only be eaten in minute amounts in solution (sauce), NEVER directly. With all the stupid people in the world, I can fully imagine someone torching their mouth/throat/esophagus with one of those things. They’re also selling Scorpion peppers. I have to stop in and take a look. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2318 "2025-05-12T18:53:27Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > I can fully imagine someone torching their mouth/throat/esophagus with one of those things. Not to mention organs further along the alimentary canal. ---
**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:** [May 12, 2025, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2319 "2025-05-12T19:17:50Z")
People complain about “Frankenfoods” without realizing that those peppers are a prime example. Something that nature never intended for a human being to eat. ---
**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:** [May 12, 2025, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2320 "2025-05-12T19:30:01Z")
I wonder if they are just using the name for marketing. Because even with warning labels, if the pepper was able to cause major pain or distress, let alone permanent damage, that’s a lawsuit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=115) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=117)