# 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:** 197
**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 2, 2026, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3921 "2026-01-02T01:18:11Z")
Not sure how I did it, but duplicated my post. ---
**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 2, 2026, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3922 "2026-01-02T01:22:14Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > “methodologically” speaking, this statement is worthless, unless provided with the grading scale The end of the quote was that FDR has a “first-class temperament.” > Four days after Franklin Roosevelt took the presidential oath on March 4, 1933, he paid a call on former Supreme Court justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, who was celebrating his ninety-second birthday. After Roosevelt left, Holmes famously opined: “A second-class intellect. But a first-class temperament.” Generations of historians have agreed with Holmes, pointing to Roosevelt’s self-assured, congenial, optimistic temperament as the keystone to his leadership success.” Pretty much everybody today misinterprets Holmes’ meaning. He was comparing Roosevelt to Hoover, who was one of the smartest presidents with a better record of accomplishment before the presidency than virtually anyone but had failed so conspicuously at the critical trial of leadership. > [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > (Notice that Holmes didn’t take the opportunity to deny it had been him) Holmes had just graduated from Harvard in 1861, Phi Beta Kappa and cum laude. He was a cocky bastard, but had a right to be. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3923 "2026-01-02T22:13:22Z")
Xmas is a time for … cheese, obviously. This year Trep jr was in charge of cheese, and found some Norwegian Brunost (brown cheese). Yes, it really is brown. That split the extended family Xmas dinner, with half the room appalled and the other half (including me) clamoring for it. It tastes like… caramel. Accounts of how it’s manufactured vary, but there’s objective proof that it contains a lot of sugar and fat: firstly, it tastes like caramel (Duh…); and secondly, it’s dangerously flammable. > **[Norway goat cheese fire closes tunnel](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-21141244)** > > A road tunnel in Norway is likely to be closed for several weeks after a lorry-load of brown goat cheese caught fire. This fact emerged at a second family dinner (other side of the family) three days later, when my nephew actually remembered the incident happening (in 2013) - so props to him. After all of the travelling and dinners, I ended up with the brunost. I’m mulling over cheese on toast. j ---
**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 2, 2026, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3924 "2026-01-02T23:36:13Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > I ended up with the brunost. I’m mulling over cheese on toast. How will you know when it’s done? ---
**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 3, 2026, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3925 "2026-01-03T00:21:39Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > and secondly, it’s dangerously flammable. we def. need first hand experience, here … for the sake of science and fighting ignorance! ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3926 "2026-01-03T03:38:15Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > and found some Norwegian Brunost (brown cheese). Yes, it really is brown. That split the extended family Xmas dinner, with half the room appalled and the other half (including me) clamoring for it. It tastes like… caramel. We call it Gjetost cheese in the US. I love it. I have some apples right now it’d be great with. There are several mentions on the board if you do a search under the name Gjetost. Here’s one: > [@I finally get to try all goat milk gjetost from ski queen (packaged in the blue cube)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-get-to-try-all-goat-milk-gjetost-from-ski-queen-packaged-in-the-blue-cube/1001398): > > I’ve loved me some gjetost goat/cow milk blend for well over a decade or so now, the stuff in the red cube. I adore that creamy/caramel/salty/sweet flavor and that tingly oral sensation you get as the thin slices melt in your mouth. It’s pretty regularly available at a few local grocery stores, and is a staple in the cheese drawer. It’s just so different and so good! Made from whey which is boiled down until caramelized then has cream stirred into it, it is more unusual than any other food la… ---
**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:** [January 3, 2026, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3927 "2026-01-03T12:05:14Z")
My brother brought some of that stuff back from a school orchestra trip to Norway about 50 years ago. I still remember it ! ---
**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:** [January 5, 2026, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3928 "2026-01-05T04:13:25Z")
The final words Merv Griffin spoke on his last show in 1986: "We will not be right back after this message. Th-th-th-th-that’s all folks.” ---
**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:** [January 5, 2026, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3929 "2026-01-05T04:38:37Z")
At one point the central bank of the Bahamas has actually issued three dollar bills. I don’t know if they are still in circulation, but a series of notes from the mid-2000s still includes the that denomination. The reason behind the Bahamian $3 bill goes back to the 1966 decision to switch from pounds to dollars. At the time $3 was worth only a bit more than £1 so it made sense to issue that denomination. ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3930 "2026-01-05T12:34:03Z")
“Canada” (not the Bank of Canada) issued banknotes of values such as 25c and $4 in the late 1800s and early 1900s. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3931 "2026-01-05T14:54:50Z")
In the antebellum US, lots of private banks issued notes in all kinds of denominations, like $2 and $3. ---
**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:** [January 5, 2026, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3932 "2026-01-05T19:55:58Z")
The only Beatle not born in the UK was Pete Best, who was born in India. In 1966 the album “Best of the Beatles” was disappointing to fans, as it was not a “Beatles” album, but one by [Pete] Best [formerly] of the Beatles. ---
**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 5, 2026, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3933 "2026-01-05T19:58:16Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > In 1966 the album “Best of the Beatles” was disappointing to fans, as it was not a “Beatles” album, but one by [Pete] Best [formerly] of the Beatles. That was the best (hey) case of false advertising ever. ---
**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:** [January 5, 2026, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3934 "2026-01-05T22:27:59Z")
I probably knew this at one point, but I obviously forgot. Even though it’s 2000 miles from the ocean, the elevation of Lake Superior is just 600 feet above sea level. ---
**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:** [January 5, 2026, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3935 "2026-01-05T22:38:35Z")
And “Superior” refers to it being the highest of the Great Lakes, not the largest (though it’s that, too). It looks like about 190 feet of that is Niagara Falls, another 135 feet from the rest of the Niagara River, and perhaps 240 feet in the upper St. Louis River. The Soo Locks, which separate Superior from Huron, the next-highest lake, are only 21 feet. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3936 "2026-01-05T22:44:04Z")
I’m watching a ~40-year-old “Price is Right” on Buzzr right now. Guess who showed up as a contestant with a chance to win a pick-up. Ms. [I AM SPEAKING](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/virginias-winsome-earl-sears-i-am-speaking/1024581) [herself](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winsome_Earle-Sears) – she won a keyboard. I doubt there are two people with that name. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3937 "2026-01-06T19:00:06Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > There is still one living Little Rascal. Sidney Kibrick, 96, Not anymore. > **[Sidney Kibrick, Child Actor in the Our Gang Comedy Shorts, Dies at 97 - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/news/ni65646905/?ref_=nwc_art_perm)** > > IMDb, the world's most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. ---
**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:** [January 10, 2026, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3938 "2026-01-10T00:16:34Z")
The name “French drain” does not derive from the country of France, but from the name of the American author Henry French, who popularized them in his 1859 book _Farm Drainage_. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2026, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3939 "2026-01-10T04:02:42Z")
> [@PlaceboTarget](#): > > 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) The inspiration for Esgaroth (Lake-Town) in _The Hobbit_. ---
**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:** [January 10, 2026, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3940 "2026-01-10T07:22:28Z")
Looking through an old comic I saw a full-page ad for Kooba Cola. Besides being a brand I’d never heard of, I was amused by claims that the large 12 oz bottle was “enough for two”. Googling it I found that it wasn’t a defunct brand, it was a brand that never existed. The publisher put ads for the drink in his comics and on the radio hoping it would generate a demand, at which point he would licence the name to a drink company, which would invent a new drink to sell under that name > **[Kooba Cola: The Worst Business Strategy Ever?](https://hubbardobrieneconomics.com/2024/04/29/kooba-cola-the-worst-business-strategy-ever/)** > > One of the key lessons of economics is that competition serves to push firms toward serving the interests of consumers. When existing firms in an industry are making an economic profit, new firms w… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=196) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=198)