# 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:** 266
**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:** [August 19, 2026, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5301 "2026-08-19T22:05:26Z")
100 degrees Fahrenheit in 70% relative humidity feels like 130 degrees. ---
**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:** [August 19, 2026, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5302 "2026-08-19T22:10:14Z")
I mean, I could certainly believe that Miami usually stays below the triple-digit mark. But Cleveland is next to a large body of water with regular winds off of it, too, and we still (occasionally, rarely) hit triple digits. And Miami is a city that’s famous for being hot. ---
**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:** [August 19, 2026, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5303 "2026-08-19T22:21:16Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And Miami is a city that’s famous for being hot. Their basketball team should be forced to relocate to Yuma, AZ. ---
**Author:** ![motu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/motu/32/259_2.png) [@motu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/motu)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2026, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5304 "2026-08-19T23:31:35Z")
Not stumbled across but an insight that took many decades to sink in. Chinese restaurants with their 3 happiness, 4 happiness and delight dishes are a way to use up the oldest proteins in the kitchen. Of course many a restaurant’s “specials” or soup of the day are yesterday’s food. ---
**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:** [August 19, 2026, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5305 "2026-08-19T23:51:50Z")
Miami’s previous lack of triple digit temperatures was so weird it made the network news the other night. They gave the heat index at 107°. Maybe the humidity wasn’t super high that day. The world record was set on July 8, 2003, when the heat index in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, reached 178°. That was caused by a 108° air temperature combined with a ridiculous dew point temperature of 95°. ---
**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:** [August 20, 2026, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5306 "2026-08-20T00:24:37Z")
I was in Shanghai once with temperatures in the upper 90s and 90+ humidity. It was difficult to breathe. ---
**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:** [August 20, 2026, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5307 "2026-08-20T00:26:59Z")
I live on the California coast in an area that is notorious for its fog and consequently relatively cool temperatures compared to other locales. A small mountain range divides us from the inland valley, and in the summer it’s not uncommon for it to be 20 degrees cooler here than it is on the other side of the hills. The highest temperature ever recorded here was 94 degrees. It boggles my mind that Miami’s highest temperature was only 6 degrees higher. ---
**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:** [August 21, 2026, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5308 "2026-08-21T16:18:13Z")
In 1911, Norwegian whalers brought 10 reindeer to the island of [South Georgia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Georgia) and more were added periodically. Hunters from the nearby whaling stations kept the herds in check until those stations closed some 40 years later. Nearly 7,000 reindeer were culled from the island between 2013 and 2014. > **[In 1911, Norwegian whalers released 10 reindeer on South Georgia for food and...](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/in-1911-norwegian-whalers-released-10-reindeer-on-south-georgia-for-food-and-hunting-a-century-later-nearly-7000-were-removed-after-the-herds-damaged-native-vegetation/articleshow/133383210.cms)** > > When Norwegian whalers brought ten reindeer to the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia in 1911, the plan was simple: provide a steady supply of fresh meat and give workers a reminder of home. A century later, that small livestock release had become... ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5309 "2026-08-21T21:05:17Z")
Reminds me of the beavers that are devastating Tierra del Fuego. > **[Beavers in Southern Patagonia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beavers_in_Southern_Patagonia)** > > The North American beaver (Castor canadensis) is an invasive species in Tierra del Fuego, at the southern end of Patagonia. Tierra del Fuego is a large island encompassing parts of Chile and Argentina, so that policies and actions to control the species have mainly been binational. The beavers were introduced to the area in 1946 in an effort by the Argentine government to establish a fur trade in the region. Since then, the beavers have spread throughout most of Tierra del Fuego and have also A ... ---
**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 22, 2026, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5310 "2026-08-22T15:22:31Z")
Since in North America beavers had to be protected in order for them to not be trapped to extinction, why can’t they be similarly culled in Patagonia? ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2026, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5311 "2026-08-22T15:34:48Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > why can’t they be similarly culled in Patagonia? They are attempting to eliminate them, but (a) there isn’t much of a market for beaver pelts nowadays and (b) they don’t have any natural predators on Tierra del Fuego unlike in North America. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2026, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5312 "2026-08-22T19:00:35Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > They are attempting to eliminate them, but (a) there isn’t much of a market for beaver pelts nowadays The fashion for tall beaver felt hats is pretty much gone. > [@hogarth](#): > > (b) they don’t have any natural predators on Tierra del Fuego unlike in North America. The south American puma will kill a beaver if it gets a chance, but they will not go into the water much. But even in North America not many predators routinely hunt adult beavers. Sure, wolves, bears and of course Pumas will grab one if they have a easy kill, but not as a main thing. Humans were the big predator- and mostly for hats. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2026, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5313 "2026-08-22T19:05:56Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > The south American puma will kill a beaver if it gets a chance, but they will not go into the water much. There are no pumas on Tierra del Fuego, according to well-known zoologist Dr Google. ---
**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:** [August 22, 2026, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5314 "2026-08-22T19:09:11Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > There are no pumas on Tierra del Fuego, according to well-known zoologist Dr Google. I had the same thought but didn’t ask Google. But It has a very rough climate, probably too rough for pumas. ---
**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:** [August 22, 2026, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5315 "2026-08-22T20:06:19Z")
Professor Wikipedia has a map that seems to include the Chilean half of Tierra del Fuego. Not the main island, though. But Tierra del Fuego is a big archipelago. [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Cougar_range_map_2010_es.png?utm_source=es.wikipedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=original) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Cougar_range_map_2010_es.png?utm_source=es.wikipedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=original) [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/Chile.estrechodemagallanes.png?utm_source=es.wikipedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/Chile.estrechodemagallanes.png?utm_source=es.wikipedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) Both maps don’t overlap well, I guess the second one is more precise. But there used to be pumas there, I guess Canada is colder than Tierra del Fuego. Look at that coast line! If **[Slartibartfast](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slartibartfast#Character_overview)** received an award for his design of the Nowegian fjords whoever made that coast line should get an even bigger award. ---
**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:** [August 22, 2026, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5316 "2026-08-22T20:29:16Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > Look at that coast line! If **[Slartibartfast](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slartibartfast#Character_overview)** received an award for his design of the Nowegian fjords whoever made that coast line should get an even bigger award. Imagine how hard it must have been for Magellan and later Drake to find through this labyrinth. ---
**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:** [August 22, 2026, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5317 "2026-08-22T20:42:14Z")
According to the Spanish Wikipedia the whole archipelago was not fully charted until the beginning of the 20th century! They thought those were just two islands! And the wind is horrible, they say nowhere on Earth are so many sunken ships in such a small territory. They must have been extraordinary navigators or exceedingly lucky. Probably both. Alas! Magellan’s luck run out shortly after, when he was killed in the Philippines with a poisoned arrow. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2026, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5318 "2026-08-22T20:43:14Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > It’s also the subject of a new book, _[The Zorg](https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250348227/thezorg/)_, by Siddhartha Kara. That’s not a typo; apparently the well-known name _Zong_ is actually the typo. (I’ve downloaded a sample of the book, but haven’t started reading it yet.) I’m not sure if it’s a typo or a renaming. The [Britannica entry](https://www.britannica.com/event/Zong-massacre) for the ship says: > [@Britannica](#): > > The _Zong_ was originally a [Dutch](https://www.britannica.com/place/Netherlands) slave ship called the _Zorgue_. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2026, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5319 "2026-08-22T23:15:05Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > There are no pumas on Tierra del Fuego, according to well-known zoologist Dr Google. There are Pumas in Patagonia, where the beavers have spread. There are none- yet- in Tierra del Fuego, where the beavers were first introduced. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5320 "2026-08-23T00:23:05Z")
> [@billy-jack](#): > > I don’t know if they still do it, but there used to be a number of people back in the 1990s who would routinely try to see what kind of outrageous objects they could send through the mail. I mailed a discarded [5-inch/54-caliber](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5-inch/54-caliber_Mark_45_gun) [naval shell casing](https://ordnance.com/5-inch-54-cal-mark-9-mod-0-steel-cartridge-case/) home to myself when I was a midshipman decades ago. (I didn’t think they would let me take it on a commercial aircraft when I flew home.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=265) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=267)