# 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:** 156
**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:** [August 31, 2025, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3101 "2025-08-31T05:52:01Z")
Difference of two squares. Standard instruction in American Algebra 1 classes. ---
**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 31, 2025, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3102 "2025-08-31T05:55:44Z")
I guess I should have been paying more attention. My algebra instruction was pretty scattershot. It was HS calculus that I found most interesting. ---
**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:** [August 31, 2025, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3103 "2025-08-31T06:06:36Z")
And the difference of two squares proves that for a given parameter, the square is the rectangle with the largest area. ---
**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 31, 2025, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3104 "2025-08-31T20:33:49Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > Hoover was a graduate of the first class at Stanford University. He majored in geology. He translated Agricola’s classic book **De Re Metallica** into English. I’ve got a copy of the Dover edition. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2025, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3105 "2025-08-31T22:06:47Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Macy’s in Herald Square in NYC has wooden escalators back in the 60s. They may have been replaced by now. The Broadway department store in downtown Los Angeles had wooden escalators until the 70s. The store was torn down, and a mall was built in its place with a Broadway that had a boring modern escalator. One of Charlie Chaplin’s short films was set in a department store, and he did a lot of “bits” on the wooden escalator. ---
**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:** [August 31, 2025, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3106 "2025-08-31T23:10:48Z")
Which one is that? I could only recall [Buster’s](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LAOvsoUjwjs) ---
**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 31, 2025, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3107 "2025-08-31T23:37:52Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > And the difference of two squares proves that for a given parameter, the square is the rectangle with the largest area. That is, if the side of a square is S and the area S², then any possible rectangle of the same perimeter would have to have sides of (S + n) and (S - n), with the area S² - n². You’d more or less intuitively guess that a square is the “roundest” case of a rectangle, but it’s nice to have a proof. ---
**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:** [September 1, 2025, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3108 "2025-09-01T02:34:43Z")
I listened to a podcast interview with two experts on the history of breakfast cereals. Two cereals among the many I have never heard of: **Norman** “The name is a shame but the flavor’s insane!” **Poop Like a Champion** “The #1 brand for number 2s!” ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2025, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3109 "2025-09-01T06:14:34Z")
Frank Santopadre’s Fun For All Ages? I’ve been enjoying that one. It’s good to hear him back on a podcast. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2025, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3110 "2025-09-01T12:14:32Z")
> [@Dark\_Sponge](#): > > The traditional “bubble gum” flavor is actually an attempt to recreate a banana’s flavor, but is exponentially sweeter. I realized this when I was 13, and tried “Inca Kola” in Peru My stepfather (who worked there summers) noted it tasted like bubble gum. Later, he discovered it was actually an attempt at banana flavor. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2025, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3111 "2025-09-01T13:32:51Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Note that a lot of “satellite views” you see on map apps, especially the zoomed-in ones, are actually from airplanes. This was very true until about five years ago, but it’s becoming less true with each passing year. That is, even the zoomed-in ones are, more in more frequently, from satellites as well. So, the labeling is gradually aligning with the reality. ---
**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:** [September 1, 2025, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3112 "2025-09-01T13:55:33Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > “Inca Kola” in Peru That was my exact thought when we visited our daughter in Peru when she was in the Peace Corps: the flavor was bubble gum in a bottle. Not my favorite, but it seemed to be immensely popular in that country. ---
**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:** [September 1, 2025, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3113 "2025-09-01T14:06:21Z")
Today it finally occurred to me that both “Donald” and “Vladimir” mean “world ruler.” ---
**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:** [September 1, 2025, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3114 "2025-09-01T14:07:31Z")
South Korea had a similar soda when I was there in the 90s. I don’t think I ever knew the name but we called it bubble gum juice. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2025, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3115 "2025-09-01T15:57:58Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > Which one is that? I could only recall [Buster’s](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LAOvsoUjwjs) I saw it probably nearly 50 years ago at the Silent Movie Theater on Fairfax. It was shown with a bunch of other shorts, and I don’t know if I noticed the name of it even then. It was definitely Chaplin, and he was in a department store. Lots of slapstick with goods falling off the shelves. ---
**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:** [September 2, 2025, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3116 "2025-09-02T21:07:44Z")
In Taipei in 1997, a tug-of-war gone wrong severed an arm off two different participants when the rope snapped. That much I had heard, but what I had missed was that it wasn’t because they had had their arms just pulled off from being wrapped up in the rope, but from the slashing effect of the rope itself whipping back like a sickle. ---
**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:** [September 2, 2025, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3117 "2025-09-02T23:04:58Z")
_MAD Magazine_ rules for the display of Alfred E. Neuman requires he be shown with his face looking at the reader. The back of his head is allowed, but he is never to be shown in profile. ---
**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:** [September 2, 2025, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3118 "2025-09-02T23:58:56Z")
Smart policy. Here he is in 1958 before the rule was enforced. [![](https://i0.wp.com/www.tomrichmond.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MAD39-2.png?w=1818&ssl=1) ](https://i0.wp.com/www.tomrichmond.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MAD39-2.png?w=1818&ssl=1) ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2025, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3119 "2025-09-03T00:09:04Z")
_The Floorwalker_ (1916)? “This film was noted for the first “running staircase” (escalator) used in films.” - [The Floorwalker (Short 1916) - Trivia - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0006689/trivia/?ref_=tt_dyk_trv) ---
**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:** [September 3, 2025, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3120 "2025-09-03T01:39:12Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > _MAD Magazine_ rules for the display of Alfred E. Neuman requires he be shown with his face looking at the reader. The back of his head is allowed, but he is never to be shown in profile. Interesting. This is the same unwritten rule for the Gorgon in ancient Greece and Rome, and for gorgon parallels around the world – they’re only shown face-forward, never in profile or three-quarter view. (There is one image showing Medusa’s head in 3/4 view in Perseus’ _kibisis_ from Greece, but I like to think the other vase painters got together outside his studio nd beat him up when he came out). Gorgon parallels like Bes in Egypt, Humbaba in Mesopotamia, Kirtimukkha in India, etc. Also, like the Gorgon, they are often represented by the head alone. > **[Medusa in Ancient Greek Art - The Metropolitan Museum of Art](https://www.metmuseum.org/essays/medusa-in-ancient-greek-art)** > > Medusa is a deadly and cryptic other, but she is also ubiquitous, with an undeniable energy that inspired artists to repeat her semblance and story in diverse ways across literature, lore, and art through ancient Greece, Rome, and beyond. > **[MEDUSA & GORGONS (Medousa & Gorgones) - Snake-Haired Monsters of...](https://www.theoi.com/Pontios/Gorgones.html)** > > In Greek mythology the Gorgons were three powerful, winged daemons named Medusa, Sthenno and Euryale. Of the three sisters only Medusa was mortal. King Polydectes of Seriphus once commanded the hero Perseus to fetch her head. He accomplished this... > **[Gorgons – Mythopedia](https://mythopedia.com/topics/gorgons/)** > > The Gorgons were three monstrous sisters who lived at the edge of the world; they are perhaps best remembered for their snake hair and fearsome appearance. Two of the Gorgons were immortal, but the third—Medusa—was mortal and eventually slain by the... [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=155) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=157)