# 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:** 27
**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:** [September 27, 2024, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/521 "2024-09-27T16:44:38Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > > [@Mark\_Finn](#): > > > > Africa’s Congo River (2900 miles long) has only one bridge (completed in 1983) crossing it. This is probably due to the width (and depth) of the river, and/or lack of population along most of the coastlines. > > > > The world’s two closest capital cities (Kinshasa and Brazzaville) sit on opposite sides of the river - less than two miles apart. Much talk, but little action, has been taken over a bridge joining the two. (the one existing bridge is 165 miles away from the two capitals). > > There is, however, air service between the two cities, making it the shortest international flight in the world. (There’s a shorter flight between two islands in Scotland). Ethiopian Airlines flies between the two cities - via Addis Ababa - a 12-hour trip. But you can do the non-stop trip on a couple of flights a week. Prices for both flights are the same (about $450 return). This video shows that you’re in the air for less than 10 minutes. [The World Shortest International Flight KINSHASA BRAZZAVILLE (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OayY-sQKs-s&t=2s) ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2024, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/522 "2024-09-27T19:55:36Z")
Anybody remember George Wallace? He was the governor of Alabama who famously stood in front of the university in 1963 to prevent integration by black students. He preached “segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever” and was later shot in 1972, although he lived to 1998. Anyway, the other day I found out that his first wife, Lurleen, died of cancer in 1968. Except she had been diagnosed in 1961, and _as was custom at the time_, the doctor _only told George, and not her_. And George Wallace _kept it a secret from his wife!_ She didn’t know she had cancer until a doctor told her in 1965! And she might have been able to get better treatment if she had known. Even worse, George rode her to exhaustion in the months leading up to her death. He was term limited as governor, so, in another completely weird practice of the time, he had his (cancer stricken) wife run instead. She won, although sick, and with a husband publicly denying her illness. By the time of her death, he was busy traveling for his own 1968 presidential campaign. After the funeral, he didn’t take their kids to live with him. Just a real horrible human. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2024, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/523 "2024-09-27T19:59:26Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > Just a real horrible human. He was horrible at the time. The story takes a turn later on. ---
**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:** [September 27, 2024, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/524 "2024-09-27T20:08:13Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > Just a real horrible human. Boo, boo, boo! ---
**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:** [September 27, 2024, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/525 "2024-09-27T20:19:10Z")
The first line of “Another One Bites the Dust” is “Steve walks warily down the street” I always heard the first line as “Steamboat [something unitelligible] down the street” ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2024, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/526 "2024-09-27T21:13:04Z")
I still wanna know why Freddie yells out, “I’m adopted!” partway through the song? ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/527 "2024-09-28T00:01:44Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > George Wallace? I thought it was “Maladaptive!” ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/528 "2024-09-28T00:07:14Z")
That was supposed to be a reply to NotherYinzer ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/529 "2024-09-28T02:40:12Z")
I had probably heard this before, but the comments above got me to exploring Africa and came to discover that Tunisia’s southern governate, which borders on both Algeria and Libya, is named Tataouine. Not seeing names that evoke any wretched hives of scum and villany, though. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/530 "2024-09-28T03:04:59Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Paraguay…it’s the only country with an entire province (and its capital) named after a US president: Rutherford B. Hayes. Ummmm…Washington dc is ,I think, also a province and capital named after a US president. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/531 "2024-09-28T03:28:19Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > There is a unit of measure called the “sverdrup”. My favorite unit of measure is the Therblig. Invented by a man named Gilbreth, who named it after himself when he created the science of motion engineering. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/532 "2024-09-28T03:33:23Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > Ummmm…Washington dc is ,I think, also a province and capital named after a US president. 🙂 “Washington” is the city. AIUI, it does not occupy the entire district, though I could be wrong. But the district is _not_ called Washington (there is an entire state called Washington), it is called the District of Columbia. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/533 "2024-09-28T14:47:29Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > Invented by a man named Gilbreth, who named it after himself when he created the science of motion engineering. Minimize your therbligs! ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/534 "2024-09-28T14:58:43Z")
When it comes to obscure units of measurement, I’m partial to the [smoot](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoot). ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/535 "2024-09-28T16:46:03Z")
We’ve been watching episodes of _Dr. Kildare_ once a week lately. We got to season 5 last night to find out that the episodes were now half hour long. (And in color!) They’d air an episode on Monday and Tuesday night’s as a 2, or even 4, parter _a la Batman_. They were competing with _Peyton Place_ apparently. (The first 4 episodes of this season have the great James Mason.) So I dove into the history of the Kildare franchise. Lew Ayres played Kildare in the movies. But at the start of WWII he declared himself a CO and “poof” he was gone. Not even mentioned in the ensuing films where were now based on Gillespie (Lionel Barrymore) paired up with other random young doctors. All was apparently forgiven as Ayers did Kildare on the post war radio series. The creator of Dr. Kildare was Frederick Schiller Faust aka “Max Brand”. (Sounds like a Simpsons TV character.) He became a war correspondent and was killed in Italy. WWII changed people’s lives, in case this was news to anybody. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/536 "2024-09-28T17:12:34Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > “Washington” is the city. AIUI, it does not occupy the entire district, though I could be wrong. I believe that Washington is now coterminous with the District. Arlington was the city on the Virginia side but that was handed back to Virginia in 1846. Georgetown was made part of Washington in 1871. > [@chappachula](#): > > Ummmm…Washington dc is ,I think, also a province and capital named after a US president. The province (district) name is Columbia. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/537 "2024-09-28T17:13:32Z")
> [@dirtball](#): > > When it comes to obscure units of measurement, I’m partial to the [smoot](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoot) Anyone who wears shoes should be more interested in the barleycorn. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/538 "2024-09-28T18:15:23Z")
Today I learned how most of the fentanyl is being transported into the U.S. Contrary to conservative talking points, it’s not carried over the border by people entering the country illegally. According to [this](https://dnyuz.com/2024/09/28/the-american-drug-mules-smuggling-fentanyl-into-the-u-s/) article, it’s being transported in cars - from Mexico to the U.S. via the border crossings - by U.S. citizens. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/539 "2024-09-28T20:09:04Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > My favorite unit of measure is the Therblig. … Strictly speaking, while [therbligs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therblig) can be used as units of measure, they are used to define the elements involved in accomplishing a task. So while you can “minimize your therbligs” (as @silenus noted), doing so is a matter of making each therblig more efficient. Or eliminating unnecessary ones. [/nitpick] ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/540 "2024-09-28T21:42:03Z")
Max Brand was also a prolific writer of Western novels, forming the great majority of his over 120 books. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=26) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=28)