# 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:** 272
**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 21, 2026, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5422 "2026-09-21T12:53:51Z")
The first state to have an area noted as a ‘panhandle’ was Virginia in its original boundaries. And when Virginia lost its panhandle, another state would end up with two panhandles! (But that’s another story.) (Side note: I found references to a ‘Panhandle District’ in Crawford County, Georgia in the 1840s, but couldn’t make any sense of either the exact location or a reason for the name.) ---
**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:** [September 21, 2026, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5423 "2026-09-21T14:35:46Z")
Does that predate the [Connecticut panhandle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connecticut_panhandle?wprov=sfti1#) created in 1683? Or was the Virginia one just the first to be called a panhandle? ---
**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 21, 2026, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5424 "2026-09-21T14:37:45Z")
First one to use the name ‘panhandle.’ ---
**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:** [September 21, 2026, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5425 "2026-09-21T14:38:44Z")
Rereading my link, I note that the Connecticut Panhandle was originally called the “Oblong”. ---
**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:** [September 21, 2026, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5426 "2026-09-21T15:07:43Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > Watching videos about the [B-58 Hustler](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convair_B-58_Hustler) yesterday I found out that in 1961 the plane set 6 world speed records in one day. The pilot was Major Henry J. Deutschendorf Sr. > > His son, Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr., was better known as John Denver. I wonder if his father’s career inspired the son’s interest in aviation. They were reportedly not close otherwise. ---
**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:** [September 21, 2026, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5427 "2026-09-21T15:31:38Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > Major Henry J. Deutschendorf Sr. Henry Sr.'s brother, Dave, lives in the same town as me. He is a retired schoolteacher. I may never get any closer to fame. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5428 "2026-09-21T18:52:23Z")
The Oblong is part of New York…a very long and very narrow piece of land stretching from what you’re calling the Connecticut panhandle up to the Massachusetts border. I believe both the oblong and the “panhandle” were part of a boundary dispute settlement back in the day. But they’re two different things. ---
**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:** [September 21, 2026, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5429 "2026-09-21T21:58:15Z")
Yesterday I learned that the crime of “burglary” need not involve stealing or intending to steal anything from a premises. It’s simply entering a building unlawfully with the intent to commit a felony. ---
**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 22, 2026, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5430 "2026-09-22T00:41:40Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > It’s simply entering a building unlawfully with the intent to commit a felony. It may not even require intent to commit a _felony_. It may just require an intent to commit _any_ crime. In Florida, you can commit burglary of a conveyance; that means a car. So if you reach into somebody’s car to slap them, you have “unlawfully entered” the car to commit a misdemeanor battery. That’s what we call a “burg./batt.” It’s a PBL felony. PBL means “punishable by [up to] life [in prison]” ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2026, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5431 "2026-09-22T08:45:16Z")
So today I learned that Cass “Mama Cass” Elliot and Keith Moon both died in the same bedroom. They died 4 years apart. They both died at 32 years old. The apartment was owned by Harry Nilsson. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2026, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5432 "2026-09-22T11:24:42Z")
I’m guessing that this made him leery of loaning it out again. ---
**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:** [September 22, 2026, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5433 "2026-09-22T15:32:10Z")
He sold the apartment to Pete Townshend after Moon’s death. ---
**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:** [September 22, 2026, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5434 "2026-09-22T16:25:10Z")
In his first NFL game, Walter Payton ran for zero yards on eight attempts. ---
**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 22, 2026, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5435 "2026-09-22T16:55:40Z")
In Dan Marino’s career, he passed for over 60K yards. . . and rushed for 87. But if you didn’t count the negative yardage from sacks, he actually had a much more respectable career 186 yards! ---
**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 23, 2026, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5436 "2026-09-23T11:47:44Z")
Rachel Robinson - Jackie’s widow - is still alive. She turned 104 in July. (for those of you across the pond - Jackie Robinson was the first black major-league baseball player, starting to play in the late 1940’s) ---
**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:** [September 23, 2026, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5437 "2026-09-23T13:06:26Z")
You sure about this? Considering that a sack by definition results in negative yardage, I would think that he lost far more than 99 yards from his career sacks. ETA- looks like he was sacked 270 times in his career, it has to be a mistake. Unless I’m missing something vital, which is definitely possible ---
**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:** [September 23, 2026, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5438 "2026-09-23T14:04:59Z")
Sacks do not count as negative rushing yards for a quarterback. The yards lost on a sack are subtracted from the team’s passing yards. For instance, in the Eagles/Titans game on Sunday, Jalen Hurts was 26-37 for 264 yards. He was sacked 3 times for a total loss of 12 yards. Hurts had 264 yards passing, but the team total passing yards was 252. Hurts also had 5 rushes for 16 yards. [Here](https://www.espn.com/nfl/boxscore/_/gameId/401872939) is the box score from ESPN. Google tells me that before 1947, sacks counted as negative rushing yards by a quarterback, but Marino obviously played after that scoring change. A kneel down is counted as negative rushing yards, as is, for example, falling on the ball after a muffed or bad snap. Likewise, if a handoff is missed, and the QB is forced to keep the ball and loses yards, that would be negative rushing yards. > [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > looks like he was sacked 270 times in his career [Statmuse](https://www.statmuse.com/nfl/ask/how-many-times-has-dan-marino-been-sacked) agrees with you, showing 270 total sacks for Marin’s career. ---
**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 23, 2026, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5439 "2026-09-23T14:32:26Z")
OK. Somehow he has negative rushing yardage that counts against his total postitive yardage, however it’s computed. ---
**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:** [September 23, 2026, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5440 "2026-09-23T14:58:54Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > Somehow he has negative rushing yardage that counts against his total postitive yardage, however it’s computed. Can you provide a link to this stat? Each and every NFL running back has had a negative yard rushing attempt at some point in his career. Barry Sanders lost a total of 1,114 yards on rushing attempts throughout his career, which is the most negative yardage recorded in NFL history. ([Link](https://www.prideofdetroit.com/2019/7/19/20698683/barry-sanders-negative-yard-rushes-history-stats)) Thus, his total rushing yards of 15,629 would be higher if the negative rushing attempts weren’t counted. But that’s now how stats are calculated. ---
**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 23, 2026, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5441 "2026-09-23T15:06:59Z")
[My source, FWIW.](https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/stats/_/id/1/dan-marino) I’ll also allow that my math and interpretation might be a little off, a handicap of having attended public schools in the Deep South. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=271) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=273)