# 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:** 196
**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:** [December 28, 2025, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3901 "2025-12-28T19:45:50Z")
Good! Marvel, of course, has the rights for **[the Flux](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Marvel_Comics_characters:_F#Flux)** too. Not many people know this, he deserves bonus points. 😉 ---
**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:** [December 28, 2025, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3902 "2025-12-28T19:52:46Z")
Good thing not too many people remember that “flux” was once a synonym for diarrhea. ---
**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:** [December 28, 2025, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3903 "2025-12-28T20:51:47Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > Good! Marvel, of course, has the rights for **[the Flux](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Marvel_Comics_characters:_F#Flux)** too. Marvel also has two different and unrelated characters named “Polaris” and “Northstar”. I keep saying that they need to also get an “alpha UMi”, to complete the set. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2025, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3904 "2025-12-28T21:09:12Z")
I learned something in the coffee thread on this board about how robusto coffee beans were all that was available during WWII. The beans are more bitter than arabica beans, so a lot of folks didn’t like it. The introduction of arabica by companies like Starbucks boosted sales by quite a bit. ---
**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:** [December 28, 2025, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3905 "2025-12-28T21:43:35Z")
In 1913, Camel cigarettes were introduced, using Turkish rather than Virginia tobacco. A dromedary became its symbol. By the end of the decade Turkey would be outside the map of dromedary habitat. [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Camel_world_population.png) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Camel_world_population.png) In WWII, British smokers were not to be denied their preference for Virginia tobacco, even though switching to Turkish would mean not risking u-boats. ---
**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:** [December 29, 2025, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3906 "2025-12-29T07:42:38Z")
On song translations that are completely different from the original, at this time of year my radio station occasionally plays Marlene Dietrich singing in German about a romantic sleigh ride in the snow, to a tune that might surprise you: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/9_K8XH3Ga7w/maxresdefault.jpg "Schlittenfahrt - Marlene Dietrich") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_K8XH3Ga7w) ---
**Author:** ![PlaceboTarget](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/placebotarget/32/1073_2.png) [@PlaceboTarget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlaceboTarget)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2025, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3907 "2025-12-29T09:36:13Z")
Prehistoric Europe teemed with lacustrine stilt-house settlements, especially in the Alpine region from about 5000 to 500 BC, and even earlier in the Balkans. [Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prehistoric_pile_dwellings_around_the_Alps) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2025, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3908 "2025-12-29T12:28:14Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > On song translations that are completely different from the original, at this time of year my radio station occasionally plays Marlene Dietrich singing in German about a romantic sleigh ride in the snow, to a tune that might surprise you: Are we supposed to be suprised because it isn’t Jungle Bells, or are we supposed to recognize the tune? Because I don’t recognize the tune at all. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2025, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3909 "2025-12-29T13:04:52Z")
It’s The Surrey With The Fringe on Top from Oklahoma ! (ie, not Sleigh Ride, or Prokovief’s Troika as I would’ve expected. Probably.) ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2025, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3910 "2025-12-29T13:08:48Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > Another revelation I just gleaned from the History of Rock in 500 Songs podcast. One of my favorite fun facts came from the Patreon bonus episode on Tiny Tim, who was apparently well respected by his peers at the time and not just a novelty one-hit wonder. Peter Yarrow (of Peter Paul and Mary) was working on an experimental film back in the 60s and asked Tiny Tim to record a few songs for the soundtrack. Tim’s backing band for that session was a group known as The Hawks, who would soon become better known as The Band. ---
**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:** [December 30, 2025, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3911 "2025-12-30T18:31:21Z")
Here’s a fact I mentioned in another thread. Eamon de Valera was the first head of state of Ireland. However, he was born in New York City, and De Valera is a Spanish name. His mother Catherine Coll immigrated to the U.S., where he was born in 1882, supposedly the son of her and a Spanish artist named Juan Vivion de Valera, who died in 1885. One of Coll’s brothers brought Eamon back to Ireland. He was raised by relatives there. Coll remarried, had two more children, and never returned to Ireland. The problem is that there are no records of Juan Vivion de Valera existing. Coll probably became pregnant with Juan de Valera because she was raped. A second interesting fact is that he taught mathematics at the college level. It appears from what I’ve found online is that he quit a graduate course before he got his Ph.D. He taught at what would be the equivalent of community colleges in the present-day U.S. ---
**Author:** ![teelabrown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teelabrown/32/8412_2.png) [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2026, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3912 "2026-01-01T14:39:30Z")
I watch a lot of videos about Japanese culture, travel, and food. A new one was recommended, and I discovered something completely new to me. There’s a culture of “dekotora” in Japan. Back in the 70s and 80s, it was a thing for commercial truckers to go all out and decorate their trucks. And when I say decorate, they _ **really** _ decorated their trucks, inside and out, with lights and chandeliers and velvet upholstery. Nowadays dekotora still exists as a kind of nostalgic thing, with truckers keeping the decorated trucks both as a personal vehicle and also still as commercial vehicles. Those trucks are a sight to see. [Here’s the video I watched on the subject](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o59WseoKF1k), and at about the thirteen minute mark, several dekotora trucks are lined up at a truck stop with all their lights on. It’s as showy as an American neighborhood caught up in full Christmas light decoration fever, with a healthy dose of pachinko parlor aesthetic thrown in. ---
**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:** [January 1, 2026, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3913 "2026-01-01T15:12:41Z")
This is super interesting. Some of them seem to have borrowed their style from pachinko. ---
**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:** [January 1, 2026, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3914 "2026-01-01T15:25:28Z")
That’s really kinda cool, but I’m surprised that this is legal in Japan. I’ve never been there, but I have always assumed that Japan is similarly strict on technical codes and safety as Germany, because here this wouldn’t fly at all. Every alteration or extension on the exterior and interior lighting system on a vehicle must be licensed and up to code, If you disregard that, the police can (and will) stop you and in most cases, declare your vehicle unsafe, ground it (and tow it) and give you a fine. In the case of an accident, it will also void your insurance. There are some truckers who place little plastic Christmas trees with lights behind their windshield in December, but even that is illegal. ---
**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:** [January 1, 2026, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3915 "2026-01-01T15:33:03Z")
You’re not wrong. These were on the edge of the law for a long time; the vehicles were technically not street legal but as long as the drivers didn’t turn on the brightest lights while on public roads they were commonly ignored. That has been changing lately, and the street culture is almost dead while the practice persists only for special-event exhibitions. The English wiki article is very brief and doesn’t go into any of this, but the Japanese article contains a whole lot more background. You’ll need to use an online translator. > **[デコトラ](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%87%E3%82%B3%E3%83%88%E3%83%A9)** > > デコトラとは、特殊な装飾部品や塗装などを用いて外装を飾った貨物自動車（トラック）を指す語である。「デコレーショントラック」（和製英語：Decoration Truck）の略語だが、「デコトラ」は青島文化教材社の登録商標であるため、版権の関係から「アートトラック」（和製英語：Art Truck）とも呼称される。 > また、英語圏において "Dekotora" あるいは "Decotora" として紹介されている事例がある。 > デコトラは軽トラックからトレーラーまで大小の種類を問わず見受けられ、「ボデー」＝車体の塗装、電飾装備の追加といった外装の装飾だけでなく「キャブ」=運転席などの内装にも装飾を加える例が多い。見た目を飾り立てているだけだと思われがちだが、その歴史は錆を防ぐという実用性を求めたことが発祥（後述）である他、重いパーツをつけることで最大積載量を減らすことで節税につなげる効果（減トン）を意図する目的でも行われる。 > 典型的な装飾例は、ペイント（塗装）、「マーカーランプ」「アンドン」と呼称される照明部品の追加、ステンレス製またはクロムメッキを施されたスチール製の装飾部品の追加である（... ---
**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:** [January 1, 2026, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3916 "2026-01-01T15:50:29Z")
There’s a guy near where I live who does sort of the same thing, although he doesn’t drive to go anywhere: > **[What \*are\* those craaaazy cars in Greenbelt's parking lot? - Greenbelt Online](https://www.greenbeltonline.org/what-are-those-craaaazy-cars-in-greenbelts-parking-lot/)** > > The fascinating "art cars" seen parked in Old Greenbelt are the works of Hyattsville artist Clarke Bedford, retired Hirshhorn conservator. ---
**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:** [January 1, 2026, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3917 "2026-01-01T18:42:10Z")
Oliver Wendell Holmes, after his meeting with FDR, famously declared that FDR had “a second class intellect". TIL that FDR earned his Harvard degree in three years and then spent his senior year taking a full slate of graduate-level courses while simultaneously editing the daily _Harvard Crimson_, notoriously one of the great time sinks of any campus activity. Cousin Teddy ranked 21st in his class of 161 with grades mostly in the 70s, but was still named to Phi Beta Kappa. No grade inflation then, I guess. ---
**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:** [January 1, 2026, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3918 "2026-01-01T23:52:01Z")
Just back from 3 weeks in Japan late last year; 2 weeks of that was driving around rural areas. Two observations in that area; we saw NO huge trucks; by Australian standards all were quite modest, no prime movers for instance. And they were all immaculately clean, all duco and chrome gleaming and spotless. The only decoration we saw sometimes were blue lights in various places around the trucks. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2026, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3919 "2026-01-01T23:55:41Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Oliver Wendell Holmes, after his meeting with FDR, famously declared that FDR had “a second class intellect". “methodologically” speaking, this statement is worthless, unless provided with the grading scale … for all we know, it could have been: 4th class, 3rd class and second class as the highest tier … (yes, I really can be that pedandic and boring) ---
**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:** [January 2, 2026, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3920 "2026-01-02T00:30:08Z")
FDR earned Holmes’ praise in comparison to Lincoln. Somebody called Lincoln a [damn fool.](https://www.shapell.org/manuscript/get-down-you-damn-fool-abraham-lincoln-battle-of-fort-stevens/) (Notice that Holmes didn’t take the opportunity to deny it had been him) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=195) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=197)