# 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:** 149
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2025, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2961 "2025-08-06T21:29:29Z")
I was spoofing the usual trope that French fries come from Belgium. Of course, their likely origin as street food makes it impossible to be sure, but the earliest written cites are from long before Waterloo and put it in [France](https://historycooperative.org/origin-of-french-fries/). > Belgian historian of food, Pierre Leqluercq noted that the first recorded mention of French fries is in a Parisian book in 1775. He traced the history of French fries and found the first recipe of what is a modern-day French fry in a French cookbook from 1795, _La cuisinière républicaine._ What seems to be etymologically sound is that American troops in Belgium in WWI were introduced to them in the French-speaking sector of Belgium and so called them French fries, whether that was geographically sound or not. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2025, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2962 "2025-08-06T21:45:37Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And German chocolate cake doesn’t come from Germany; it was named for someone named German. I wonder about the spelling. My American great uncle was called German (by his family), but it was spelled Germain (the common ‘name’ spelling). ---
**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:** [August 6, 2025, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2963 "2025-08-06T21:53:25Z")
The cake was originally called “German’s Chocolate Cake”. It was named after a brand of chocolate used in the recipe, called “German’s Sweet Chocolate”, itself named after chocolate maker Samuel German (not Germain). ---
**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:** [August 6, 2025, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2964 "2025-08-06T22:00:00Z")
Well, I remember that one superhero known as Dangerman, whose alter-ego was named Dan German, and somehow nobody ever made the connection. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2025, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2965 "2025-08-06T23:38:22Z")
Baked Alaska didn’t come from Alaska but it is American at least. Likewise, Philadelphia cheese is American but came from New york originally. Bearnaise sauce comes from France (not Berne), it is named after the French province Bearn. I haven’t looked into it in detail but I think English and French mustards originated in those places. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2025, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2966 "2025-08-07T02:50:55Z")
Dijon mustard did, however, originate in Dijon. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2025, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2967 "2025-08-07T03:08:10Z")
Happy belated, posthumous birthday Neil Armstrong. TIL that Neil Armstrong spelled backwards is Gnorts, Mr Alien. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2025, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2968 "2025-08-07T14:05:07Z")
Well, gnorts to you, then! ---
**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:** [August 9, 2025, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2969 "2025-08-09T00:25:19Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > Likewise, Philadelphia cheese is American but came from New york originally. So it’s not as ironic as I thought, that they used “New York, New York” as their advertising jingle. Last I checked, it was made in Chicago. > [@Projammer](#): > > TIL that Neil Armstrong spelled backwards is Gnorts, Mr Alien. Klaatu barada nikto. ---
**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:** [August 9, 2025, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2970 "2025-08-09T00:47:55Z")
Danish pastry was first made by Viennese bakers. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2025, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2971 "2025-08-09T00:59:22Z")
Golden, Colorado, is not named for gold in the mountains of Colorado. It’s named for a man, Thomas Golden, who came to Colorado in search of gold in the mountains of Colorado. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2025, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2972 "2025-08-09T01:18:53Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Danish pastry was first made by Viennese bakers. Indeed, from my research the Viennese call them kopenhagener gebäck or “Copenhagen pastries”, whereas the Danes themselves (along with the rest of Scandinavia) call them wienerbrød or “Viennese bread”. I wrote a whole book on misleading geographical terms like these 😃 ---
**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:** [August 9, 2025, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2973 "2025-08-09T01:41:51Z")
Like, they do not manufacture cialis in the Yorkshire town of Penistone. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2025, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2974 "2025-08-09T10:20:05Z")
Nor soft drinks in Peniscola (Spain) ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2025, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2975 "2025-08-09T16:24:35Z")
No way I’m drinking Penis Cola ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2025, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2976 "2025-08-09T16:25:18Z")
It’s not exactly flying off the shelves… ---
**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:** [August 9, 2025, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2977 "2025-08-09T19:12:06Z")
I was surprised when I learned that “Agricola” has the accent on the second syllable, and is not pronounced like some kind of soft drink. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2025, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2978 "2025-08-09T19:24:31Z")
So does Peñíscola, and that is the reason it is written with an accent in Spanish. Practical things, accents can be. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2025, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2979 "2025-08-12T01:20:28Z")
Today I learned that Helen Hayes was the first performer to achieve the ‘Triple Crown of Acting’, winning an Oscar in 1931, a Tony in 1947, and an Emmy in 1953. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2025, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/2980 "2025-08-12T01:22:19Z")
TIL that bombs being dropped from planes can fly up and hit the plane. [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JKJ0UmjJR5c) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=148) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=150)