# 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:** 144
**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:** [July 19, 2025, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2861 "2025-07-19T17:37:35Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > The community of Orange, and thus William of Orange, are coincidental spellings with the fruit and color and are completely unrelated etymologically. The Irish didn’t get the memo. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2025, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2862 "2025-07-19T17:48:09Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > The fruit started out with an initial ‘n’, but by the time it made it into Western Europe, it had gotten dropped in Italy. You are correct but one incorrect followup to that fact I’ve heard is that the dropped _n_ started out as “a norange” and got copied as an error as “an orange” ---
**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:** [July 19, 2025, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2863 "2025-07-19T18:31:03Z")
That the loss of initial “n” was due to absorption of the “n” to the preceding indefinite article is probably true, but it happened in French and Italian before the word entered English. There was never an English form with an initial “n”. Scots however did have a form “nirrange”, which was created from the n-less form due to the opposite process: the “n” from the indefinite article was moved to the beginning of the following word. The OED says > The loss of initial n- in French and Italian probably results from absorption of the n- when preceded by the indefinite article, although in some cases such forms may reflect loss of n- already in Arabic. Scots form nirrange shows attraction of the ‑n of the indefinite article by metanalysis. ---
**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:** [July 20, 2025, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2864 "2025-07-20T05:33:01Z")
The origins of color names (in English) is pretty interesting. “Green” seems to be related to “grass” and “grow”, by some kind of common root. “Yellow” seems to have some kind of connection to “gold”. “Red” does not appear to have any particular connection to anything – it is a pretty basic concept (orange used to simply be in the scope of red). “Blue” is not really related to anything either – from what I understand, blue is one of the last colors to enter a language. Many of the other color names are closely related to a thing – “purple” for instance seems to come from the name of a mollusk from which a purplish dye was extracted. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2025, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2865 "2025-07-20T15:53:35Z")
Near as I can tell Pres. Barack Hussein Obama is the only president to have set foot above the Arctic Circle. ---
**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:** [July 20, 2025, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2866 "2025-07-20T15:59:05Z")
Where and when was that? ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2025, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2867 "2025-07-20T16:08:44Z")
1. Kotzebue, for sure. Maybe other places, too. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2025, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2868 "2025-07-20T16:17:07Z")
Obama, Carter, Wilson and Teddy Roosevelt are the four US presidents who’ve won the Nobel Peace Prize. TR is the only one who’s also won the Congressional Medal of Honor. TR Sr. and junior, and Arthur and Douglas MacArthur are the only father/son winners of the CMO ---
**Author:** ![motu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/motu/32/259_2.png) [@motu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/motu)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2025, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2869 "2025-07-20T23:04:21Z")
TIL of the Ramon Mobile Home Park in Palm Springs, Ca. ---
**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:** [July 21, 2025, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2870 "2025-07-21T13:38:52Z")
What about it? ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2025, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2871 "2025-07-21T13:39:56Z")
> [@motu](#): > > Ramon Mobile Home Park in Palm Springs, Ca There was some sort of fire. ---
**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:** [July 21, 2025, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2872 "2025-07-21T13:54:18Z")
OK, so what’s the interesting fact about a fire in a trailer park? ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2025, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2873 "2025-07-21T14:35:39Z")
Can’t speak for @motu, but there are some interesting things about Ramon Trailer Park (and several other trailer parks in Palm Springs): 1. The fact that there are even trailer parks in Palm Springs at all might surprise those from outside California. Palm Springs’ reputation (from half a country away) is that of exclusivity and wealth. But better than that, these aren’t ordinary trailer parks. And not ordinary trailer park homes. 1. Trailers in parks like Ramon were owned/rented by stars looking for a convenient getaway from L.A. Bing Crosby owned an entire park called Blue Skies Village that still exists today. 2. These trailer parks are coveted housing today and [are considered an integral part of Palm Springs’ cultural heritage](https://www.paulkaplanhomes.com/blog/palm-springs-mobile-home-history). Few trailer park homes become [the subject of coffee-table books and write-ups in _Architectural Digest_](https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/bing-crosby-midcentury-trailer-park-palm-springs). 3. The creativity behind the designs and add-ons to the single trailers, double-wides, and mid-century manufactured homes is interesting to peruse. These aren’t the kinds of trailer homes with which most people are familiar. The rabbit hole: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/441mqwnkpVg/maxresdefault.jpg "Walking tour of the historic Ramon Mobile Home Park in Palm Springs - Which celebrity lived here?") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=441mqwnkpVg) 41-minute video, but easy to use a the video as a “photo album” fast forward through images/clips of individual homes. A very cool community has built up at Ramon. The recent fire destroying five homes is a shame, but nowhere near the most interesting thing about the place. > **[Trailer Parks Flourished in Palm Springs Starting in 1950s](https://www.palmspringslife.com/history/trailer-parks-palm-springs/)** > > Over 30 trailer parks were located throughout Greater Palm Springs during the height of trailer park popularity in the 1950s and ‘60s. Palm Springs Historical Society article. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2025, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2874 "2025-07-21T22:53:24Z")
My Wife and I bought a new home. We have plenty of room to set up a good bristle dart board. I used to play casually. I found out so did my wife, but she was on a team/league. She had a handicap rating. HUH? Wow, had no idea. A darts handicap rating. I guess it worked great for her, so she would start out with some points because of her ‘handicap’ and then hit a couple of triples in a row. She would win for her team. This is going to be interesting, and I suspect humbling. ---
**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:** [July 21, 2025, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2875 "2025-07-21T22:58:02Z")
TIL, Elizabeth I of England and Mary, Queen of Scots never actually met each other face to face. ---
**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:** [July 21, 2025, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2876 "2025-07-21T23:33:39Z")
That’s a great one. Apparently they had a correspondence and discussed meeting but it never happened. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2025, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2877 "2025-07-22T12:26:49Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > TIL, Elizabeth I of England and Mary, Queen of Scots never actually met each other face to face. I heard this back in 1971 when they released the movie **Mary Queen of Scots**. The film has them meeting face to face twice, but several places pointed out in 1971 that they had never actually met in real life. > [@](#): > > ## Historical liberties > > For dramatic effect, the film presents two meetings between the queens, although they never met in life. > **[Mary, Queen of Scots (1971 film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary,_Queen_of_Scots_(1971_film))** > > Mary, Queen of Scots is a 1971 historical drama film based on the life of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland, written by John Hale and directed by Charles Jarrott. The cast was led by Vanessa Redgrave as the title character and Glenda Jackson as Elizabeth I. Jackson had previously played the part of Elizabeth in the BBC TV drama Elizabeth R, screened in February and March 1971, the first episode of which was also written by Hale. > The film received mixed reviews with criticism of the screenplay, r... ---
**Author:** ![APB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e8cbc/32.png) [@APB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/APB)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2025, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2878 "2025-07-22T15:16:58Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > TIL, Elizabeth I of England and Mary, Queen of Scots never actually met each other face to face. That can be extended to the more general fact that none of the Tudor monarchs met any of their Scottish counterparts. Although he wasn’t actually the first writer to use the idea, Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots meeting was a dramatic cliché going all the way back to Schiller’s _Mary Stuart_ in 1800. The real rarities are the plays, operas and films about them that don’t include it. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2025, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2879 "2025-07-22T17:35:13Z")
> [@APB](#): > > none of the Tudor monarchs met any of their Scottish counterparts. I’m surprised that Henry VII and James IV never met, though I can’t find any account where they did so. Even the wedding between James and Margaret Tudor was by proxy. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2025, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2880 "2025-07-22T18:22:27Z")
Speaking of mobile home parks-- the Goethals Community Park located in Staten Island is the only mobile home park in New York City, [https://www.silive.com/news/2021/07/could-mobile-homes-help-provide-affordable-housing-in-n](https://www.silive.com/news/2021/07/could-mobile-homes-help-provide-affordable-housing-in-n) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=143) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=145)