# 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:** 198
**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:** [January 10, 2026, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3941 "2026-01-10T07:39:58Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > The inspiration for Esgaroth (Lake-Town) I couldn’t make the connection because I am not a big consumer of fantasy. I wonder whether the writer might have drawn inspiration from the maritime Bajau communities of Southeast Asia or from the stilt‑house settlements around Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela, both of which are contemporary examples of water‑based living. Here’s another interesting aspect about Lake Maracaibo: Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela has the world’s highest concentration of lightning strikes, known as the Catatumbo Lightning, averaging 233 flashes per square kilometer annually. ---
**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:** [January 10, 2026, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3942 "2026-01-10T09:23:23Z")
It is also curious that Lake Maracaibo is not a lake. Its hydrological characteristics may better classify it as an estuary and/or semi-enclosed bay connected to the Gulf of Venezuela. You’ll see why if you watch the pictures in the **[wikiarticle about it](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Maracaibo)**. The non lake is geologically interesting. ---
**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, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3943 "2026-01-10T13:29:04Z")
Back in colonial times, the Lenni Lenape asked the English: “Why do you call us Delaware? What does it mean?” The English told them the name came from Thomas West, Baron de la Warre. When the Lenape heard that they’d been named after a great chief among the whites, they felt relieved. They were just glad it wasn’t something derogatory. ---
**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:** [January 10, 2026, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3944 "2026-01-10T13:35:42Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > 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_. Oh, so kind of like how German chocolate cake has nothing to do with Germany. Interesting. ---
**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:** [January 10, 2026, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3945 "2026-01-10T14:38:38Z")
I’ve been seeing those ads for years (I always wondered what a “soft drink stand” was). I had no idea the product never existed. ---
**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:** [January 10, 2026, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3946 "2026-01-10T14:53:05Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > (I always wondered what a “soft drink stand” was). An inflatable? Or at least well-padded. ---
**Author:** ![Cwturner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Cwturner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cwturner)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2026, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3947 "2026-01-10T15:59:05Z")
“1859 book _Farm Drainage_.” Available free at The Gutenberg Project. [The Project Gutenberg eBook of Farm Drainage, by Henry F. French](https://www.gutenberg.org/files/23435/23435-h/23435-h.htm) ---
**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 10, 2026, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3948 "2026-01-10T17:04:48Z")
(Male) moose grow a new set of antlers every year. They are the fastest-growing tissues in the animal kingdom - growing up to 3 cm/over an inch a day. At their peak, they can weigh over 20 kg/40 lb. ---
**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 10, 2026, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3949 "2026-01-10T18:38:10Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > I was amused by claims that the large 12 oz bottle was “enough for two”. Before WWII, Coke utterly dominated the pop world; its 6.5 oz distinctively-shaped glass bottles were the standard drink, and only cost a nickel. Pepsi was losing the cola wars so badly that in 1934 it bet the company on a seemingly loony strategy: 12 oz bottles still only costing a nickel. > “Pepsi-Cola hits the spot > Twelve full ounces, that’s a lot > Twice as much for a nickel, too > Pepsi-Cola is the drink for you.” Amazing, it not only worked, but Pepsi sold so many that their profits doubled. Turned out the price of syrup was so incredibly low that any price per ounce was profitable, leading to the Big Gulp, obesity, and type two diabetes. But … Profit! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3950 "2026-01-11T04:32:32Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > Howard was in several _What If…?_ episodes where he married Darcy (the tech geek from the _Thor_ movies) and they had a superhuman child, Byrdie. Ducks and Kats living together. Mass hysteria. ---
**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:** [January 11, 2026, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3951 "2026-01-11T16:10:53Z")
Which makes me wonder if the alternate Earth Howard was from was one inhabited by essentially human beings who just happened to be shaped a lot like ducks. Supported by the storyline in which Howard was temporarily mutated by Dr. Bong into fully human appearance. ---
**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 11, 2026, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3952 "2026-01-11T19:23:25Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Pepsi was losing the cola wars so badly… And in the end, Pepsi lost the Cola Battle, but still won the war. Coke far outsells Pepsi, but for other beverages, Pepsi pulls ahead, and they also own a lot of food companies that Coke just can’t compete with at all, leading Pepsi-Co to be the far more successful company. ---
**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 11, 2026, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3953 "2026-01-11T19:40:07Z")
It’s a friendly rivalry. There’s a famous case where a Coke employee tried to sell trade secrets to Pepsi. The two of them worked together with law enforcement to bust her. > **[The real sting: how plot to betray Coke fell flat after Pepsi called in FBI](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2006/jul/07/marketingandpr.drink)** > > An assistant to Coca-Cola’s global brand director has been accused of trying to re-ignite the ‘cola wars’ with Pepsi. By Andrew Clark. The joke is that she went to jail for being a coke dealer. ---
**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 11, 2026, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3954 "2026-01-11T20:09:14Z")
Of course, Coke’s “secret recipe” isn’t actually at all valuable in itself: Its only value is in the marketing of having a “secret recipe”. Pepsi didn’t want Coke’s recipe, because they already had their own, which was better (aside from the intangible mystique, which the recipe wouldn’t have gotten them). ---
**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:** [January 11, 2026, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3955 "2026-01-11T20:12:46Z")
Even if you knew the Coca-Cola recipe, it would probably involve ingredients expensive enough that the cheap, lousy tasting generic colas wouldn’t bother with it. ---
**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 11, 2026, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3956 "2026-01-11T20:36:10Z")
The attempted industrial espionage didn’t involve the secret recipe. Pepsi probably already knew that anyway. It was information about potential future products. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3957 "2026-01-11T21:12:50Z")
Why would you assume this? I see no reason to think Coke’s ingredients are any better quality than Joe Blow Cola. ---
**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 11, 2026, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3958 "2026-01-11T21:29:41Z")
Yeah, the cost to produce any soft drink is such a minuscule fraction of what it sells for that you can basically consider the ingredients to all be free, for the manufacturer. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2026, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3959 "2026-01-11T21:30:13Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And “Superior” refers to it being the highest of the Great Lakes, not the largest (though it’s that, too). This depends on how pedantic you want to be. [Lakes Michigan and Huron are technically one lake](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Michigan%E2%80%93Huron), larger than Superior. ---
**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:** [January 11, 2026, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/3960 "2026-01-11T21:54:56Z")
Well there’s _some_ reason why Val-u-Cola doesn’t taste as good as Coca-Cola or Pepsi. If they could make a competitive product and still beat the major players’ price, why don’t they? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=197) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=199)