# 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:** 249
**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:** [June 25, 2026, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4961 "2026-06-25T20:37:55Z")
Really, it’s amazing that every species of (flying) bird isn’t global. ---
**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:** [June 25, 2026, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4962 "2026-06-25T21:14:58Z")
Especially a borderline seabird like the bald eagle. You’d think they would have at least made it to northeast Eurasia. ---
**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:** [June 25, 2026, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4963 "2026-06-25T21:32:26Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Localities in Britain have 78 definitions for the size a hole has to be before it can officially be declared a pothole. _Four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire_ _And though the holes were rather small_ _They had to count them all_ _Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall_ ---
**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:** [June 25, 2026, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4964 "2026-06-25T22:35:38Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Localities in Britain have 78 definitions for the size a hole has to be before it can officially be declared a pothole. Functionally, in our city, if someone calls to complain about a pothole, it’s a pothole. I’m not far enough in the loop to know how soon it’s likely to be repaired. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2026, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4965 "2026-06-25T22:40:04Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > However, in 1987, [a bald eagle somehow flew to Ireland](https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/12/23/Wayward-American-eagle-wings-home-from-Ireland-in-style/1684567234000/). Wildlife officials in Ireland nursed it back to health, and then sent it back on a jet to New York. I learned about that from a newspaper article, photos, and letter from Reagan framed on the wall of the bed & breakfast we stayed at in Killarney, Oaklawn House. It was then still owned by the widow of Pat O’Connell, the game warden in the article who found and cared for the eagle. ---
**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:** [June 26, 2026, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4966 "2026-06-26T00:09:30Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Today I learned bald eagles live in North America, and… just North America. (But apparently golden eagles can be found all over the world.) Yes, but the white-tailed eagle is closely related and similarly colored; the main difference being its head is only lighter instead of starkly white. This species is why the bald eagle isn’t more widely distributed, since they share a similar niche. > **[White-tailed eagle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-tailed_eagle)** > > The white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), sometimes known as the "sea eagle", is a large bird of prey, widely distributed across temperate Eurasia. Like all eagles, it is a member of the family Accipitridae (or accipitrids) which also includes other diurnal raptors such as hawks, kites, and harriers. One of up to eleven members in the genus Haliaeetus, which are commonly called sea eagles, it is also referred to as the white-tailed sea-eagle. Sometimes, it is known as the ern or erne ( W... ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2026, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4967 "2026-06-27T08:25:09Z")
Cavendish bananas (the ordinary ones) ripen to green in ordinary (tropical) temperatures. They only ripen to yellow in cool-store temperatures (18c). I don’t know that I entirely believe this – our bananas ripened to yellow when I lived in the tropics, and they were just standard bananas, whatever that was at the time and place. But if it’s not a true fact, it’s a least an interesting random Wikipedia fact. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2026, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4968 "2026-06-27T12:34:24Z")
Well, sort of- Cavendish bananas can keep a higher level of chlorophyll if they spend too much of the early stages of ripening at temperatures above 30C, meaning they stay greenish yellow even when ripe, rather than turning yellow like normal. But it’s not that they normally ripen green in tropical countries, it’s something that can happen during heatwaves, and is seen as a big problem cos no-one’ll buy 'em. [Cite](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304423814005755) ---
**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:** [June 27, 2026, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4969 "2026-06-27T16:13:16Z")
The border line in Lake Ontario separating the U.S. and Canada is drawn over the thalweg. > Unless a treaty specifies otherwise, the official boundary follows the middle of the deepest, most navigable channel of the river (the thalweg), rather than the exact geometric center of the waterway. This ensures that both political entities maintain equal and equitable access to the primary shipping channel. ---
**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:** [June 27, 2026, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4970 "2026-06-27T16:42:09Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > **thalweg** I have learned a new word today. Thanks. Ignorance fought, yet again! ---
**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:** [June 27, 2026, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4971 "2026-06-27T18:35:33Z")
My too. And I’ve lived adjacent to Lake Ontario my entire life. How had I never heard this word before? ---
**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:** [June 27, 2026, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4972 "2026-06-27T20:26:33Z")
Perhaps because it is German? **[Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thalweg)** dixit: > The word thalweg is of 19th-century German origin. The German word Thalweg (modern spelling Talweg) is a compound noun that is built from the German elements Thal (since Duden’s orthography reform of 1901 written Tal) meaning ‘valley’ (cognate with dale in English), and Weg, meaning ‘way’. It means ‘valley way’ and is used, with its modern spelling Talweg, in daily German to describe a path or road which follows the bottom of a valley, or in geography with the more technical meaning also adopted by English. I could not have put it better, so I leave it. ---
**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:** [June 27, 2026, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4973 "2026-06-27T20:39:05Z")
I’m curious if actual mariners use the term or if it is strictly used by geographers, geologists, and lawyers. I suspect “channel” suffices among those who actually ply that path. ---
**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:** [June 27, 2026, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4974 "2026-06-27T20:45:05Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > Perhaps because it is German? **[Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thalweg)** dixit: I understood “thalweg” or “Talweg” in context, but I had never encountered the word in German before. It’s definitely not a common word, maybe only in geological circles. ---
**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:** [June 27, 2026, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4975 "2026-06-27T20:56:54Z")
In geological circles sure, but also in surveyors’ circles, sailors, in particular fluvial sailors and … ouch! I’ve forgotten the last one I wanted to mention. It is indeed not a frequent word, but very German in its self-definition set up: you know the parts, you know the meaning. ETA: Probably mountaineers. In dry valleys thalweg is the logical way to reach base camp. ---
**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:** [June 27, 2026, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4976 "2026-06-27T22:20:46Z")
Since 1900 I found 511 press accounts using the word, so, yeah, pretty uncommon outside of jargon. Also found there’s a dish called “thalweg strudel” apparently somewhat popular Out West using phyllo sheets stuffed with seafood and other goodies. ---
**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:** [June 28, 2026, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4977 "2026-06-28T00:24:14Z")
When I started to type the word here it came out “thulbug,” which must be the name of some sf creature I read about as a kid. After I checked, thalweg instantly turned German in my head. Both thalweg and the variant talweg are in the Scrabble dictionary. Spring it on a loved one soon, and gloat. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2026, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4978 "2026-06-28T00:36:58Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > n daily German to describe a path or road which follows the bottom of a valley A word that seems to be missing from English! Around here, every town/suburb has a “High Street”, running along the ridge, lined with “High Street Shops”, on the English model. There are no “valley ways”, because who would want to put a road or path through the swamp? Who would want to put a pub or shop on the flood plain? (Gully roads are more common, because gold mining). Now, in Melbourne, those unused strips of green wet ground are used for freeways or turnpikes, because there was nothing else there. I infer that German geography is different than Victoria.Aus. ---
**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:** [June 28, 2026, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4979 "2026-06-28T00:52:11Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > When I started to type the word here it came out “thulbug,” which must be the name of some sf creature I read about as a kid. Closest I can think of is “struldbrugg”, the name Jonathan Swift gave a race of humans who had Tithonic immortality, growing older and older forever but never dying of old age. ---
**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:** [June 28, 2026, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/4980 "2026-06-28T01:26:23Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > Around here, every town/suburb has a “High Street”, running along the ridge, lined with “High Street Shops”, on the English model. There’s a “Ridge Road” in Cleveland, but one end of it is on a sharp ridge, which it immediately leaves perpendicularly (the road that actually follows the ridge is named “Denison”), and then stays on basically flat ground for the rest of its length. Never been sure how it got its name. And river valleys aren’t very popular for streets (that is, with lots of businesses and other properties along them), but they’re very popular for roads (for getting from one place to another), because the land next to rivers is generally nice and flat. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=248) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=250)