# 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:** 154
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2025, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3061 "2025-08-22T20:48:29Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Remember that Clinton, Bush II, and Trump were all born in 1946. And Biden was born in 1942, so he’s a member of the Silent Generation. Carter was born in 1924, so he was a member of the Greatest Generation. You can’t generally classify people by who was President at the time they were born. You also shouldn’t generally classify events by who was President when they happened. Splitting time periods by decades, generations, current President, or even year is somewhat arbitrary. The world is changing every year, every day every second. ---
**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:** [August 22, 2025, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3062 "2025-08-22T20:50:32Z")
When John McCain lost in 2008, I heard a commenter say that the Silent Generation (1928-1945) is the only one in US History not to have a cohort in the White House. Biden snuck in there. ---
**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 22, 2025, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3063 "2025-08-22T20:55:07Z")
OK, boomer. As that snotty bit of slang shows, people do divide the world by when people were born whether or not it makes sense. So one has to pay attention even if it objectively can be refuted. ---
**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:** [August 22, 2025, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3064 "2025-08-22T21:42:19Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > But I don’t favor splitting generations at 1955. As I said, that was a peak in the birthrate bulge, and you don’t go splitting things at the peak. If you use the other term for boomers (a pig in a python - comment on what a graph of babies born looked like) that cohort was peak pig. ---
**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:** [August 22, 2025, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3065 "2025-08-22T22:32:14Z")
I expect my generation, GenX, will be skipped (Vance is a Millennial), but you never know. ---
**Author:** ![Cwturner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Cwturner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cwturner)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2025, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3066 "2025-08-23T17:45:22Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > If you use the other term for boomers (a pig in a python - comment on what a graph of babies born looked like) that cohort was peak pig Wouldnt that be peak python? ---
**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:** [August 23, 2025, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3067 "2025-08-23T19:59:05Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > If you use the other term for boomers (a pig in a python - comment on what a graph of babies born looked like) that cohort was peak pig. Isn’t that a hat? ---
**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 23, 2025, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3068 "2025-08-23T20:05:55Z")
Peak python was _The Life of Brian_. ---
**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 24, 2025, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3069 "2025-08-24T14:54:03Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Isn’t that a hat? Or a brooch, or a pterodactyl. Sorry, dull Sunday afternoon here. ---
**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 24, 2025, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3070 "2025-08-24T15:10:14Z")
No, it’s an elephant being slowly digested. ---
**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:** [August 24, 2025, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3071 "2025-08-24T18:12:51Z")
I knew someone here would get the reference. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2025, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3072 "2025-08-24T21:56:36Z")
I just saw again, on TCM, the show A Carol for Another Christmas. Maybe this should be in Cafe Society. But the central character was played by Sterling Hayden. They said he was considered for the role of Quint in Jaws. Hard to think of anyone but Shaw playing Quint, but he might have been good. Also, Shaw was in the show as well, as the Ghost of Christmas yet to come. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2025, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3073 "2025-08-24T22:46:13Z")
I recently learned that the currently-popular female name Skyler, as in the Breaking Bad character, is actually a misspelling of the old last name Schuyler, as in the Hamilton characters. ---
**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:** [August 25, 2025, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3074 "2025-08-25T00:18:38Z")
Today I learned that salsify, a genus of related species of wildflowers that I had previously known only as “that weed that looks like giant dandelions” in fact has edible roots and even has several classic recipes such as salsify fritters. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2025, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3075 "2025-08-25T03:29:44Z")
Over on Reddit, if you want to discuss or ask about cannabis, you go to the r/trees subreddit, and if you want to talk about arbiculture or ask what’s wrong with your plum tree you go to the r/MarijuanaEnthusiasts subreddit. I really like the fact that, at some point, the administrators of these two subreddits must have gotten together and said “let’s switch names!”. ---
**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:** [August 25, 2025, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3076 "2025-08-25T03:45:09Z")
No. The trees one started first and was one of the early subs. The originator was trying to be coy. A while later someone started the other one as a joke that eventually became a real source of arborists info. Even more clever is the sub for people who are trying to quit cannabis. r/leaves ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2025, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3077 "2025-08-25T14:22:48Z")
I have sometimes wondered if the _Sky King_ series had anything to do with the misspelling of Schuyler as Skyler. The character’s name was Schuyler “Sky” King. As a kid watching the show, I certainly thought his name was spelled “Skyler.” I know it was a long time ago, but…. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2025, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3078 "2025-08-25T14:59:30Z")
Today I learned about [mirror life](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_life). Interesting. And there’s a concern that [creating mirror life would be very dangerous](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ads9158). ---
**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:** [August 25, 2025, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3079 "2025-08-25T16:11:09Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > I recently learned that the currently-popular female name Skyler, as in the Breaking Bad character, is actually a misspelling of the old last name Schuyler, as in the Hamilton characters. It’s not as much a misspelling as an Anglicization of the Dutch name. That is, spelling the name in a way that matches the American pronunciation. The pronunciation caused the spelling, rather than the reverse (which happens also, just not in this case). ---
**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:** [August 25, 2025, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3080 "2025-08-25T16:24:11Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Today I learned about [mirror life](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_life). Interesting. The Wikipedia article doesn’t bring it up, but part of the protagonist’s problem in Arthur C. Clarke’s _Technical Error_ is that he can’t metabolize food with the “correct” chirality, now that he’s been mirror-reversed, which is why they have to try to reverse the experiment. That’s why Mirror Spock in the Blish novel synthesizes his mirrored nutrients, and why the issue of food compatibility comes up in all the other stories. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=153) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=155)