# 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:** 274
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2026, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5462 "2026-09-25T14:11:14Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > So, the first chart shows cursive, then block, then a pronunciation guide. Is that right? Yep, that’s correct. That last image on the next page, titled “Russian italics”, is a bit of fun and some people really do write like that. And while it _looks_ neat & tidy, it’s actually an example of sloppy Cyrillic handwriting that cuts too many corners. Rounded off loops that should be sharp(er) angles and vice versa. Lower case “H” (= our “n” sound) written with the middle bar too angled so it resembles “И”. Not obligatory, but in words like these it’s helpful to add macron above or below some letters like lower-case “т” and “ш” (_Side point of interest: Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s signature features a famous flourish furnished from the macron above the cursive “T” in his surname, below_). [![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6h6B!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6e96b333-f46a-4572-a831-9045a792f07f_1602x1010.png) ](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6h6B!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6e96b333-f46a-4572-a831-9045a792f07f_1602x1010.png) ---
**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 25, 2026, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5463 "2026-09-25T22:29:24Z")
A [Sparklemuffin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maratus_jactatus) is a species of Australian jumping spider. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2026, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5464 "2026-09-25T22:36:51Z")
Despite being reported as True in Ask Jeeves, the rescue Saint Bernard dogs did not really carry a tiny barrel of brandy. ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2026, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5465 "2026-09-25T23:23:20Z")
The most valuable toy car in the world is… > **[Rare Hot Wheels Pink Beach Bomb Keeps the VW Bus Story Alive](https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a34884197/hot-wheels-pink-beach-bomb-collector/)** > > Hot Wheels is putting out 42 VW models this year, but none of them is ever going to be worth $150,000. This one is. ---
**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:** [October 2, 2026, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5466 "2026-10-02T01:30:16Z")
My coworker has four horses. Today he mentioned one of his horses didn’t eat anything all day, which is very unusual. So he said he needs the vet to check on the horse ASAP. But that’s not the interesting thing. What’s interesting is what he said next: “Unlike cows, dogs, and lots of other animals, a horse can’t throw up / vomit. So they’re unable to expel bad food; it remains in their stomach, unfortunately. You have to call a vet when you suspect something is wrong in their stomach or gut.” I didn’t know that. ---
**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:** [October 2, 2026, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5467 "2026-10-02T01:59:51Z")
I’ve heard that said of rats, too. Not sure if it’s true. ---
**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:** [October 2, 2026, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5468 "2026-10-02T02:53:56Z")
Yes, it’s true of rats and probably of rodents in general. > **[Why Can’t Rodents Vomit? A Comparative Behavioral, Anatomical, and...](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3622671/)** > > The vomiting (emetic) reflex is documented in numerous mammalian species, including primates and carnivores, yet laboratory rats and mice appear to lack this response. It is unclear whether these rodents do not vomit because of anatomical ... ---
**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:** [October 2, 2026, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5469 "2026-10-02T11:18:33Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > But that’s not the interesting thing. What’s interesting is what he said next: “Unlike cows, dogs, and lots of other animals, a horse can’t throw up / vomit. So they’re unable to expel bad food; it remains in their stomach, unfortunately. You have to call a vet when you suspect something is wrong in their stomach or gut.” I’ve known this long before I took up horse riding, because there’s a common German saying “Ich habe schon Pferde kotzen sehen.”, literally “I’ve seen horses vomit.”. One would use it to express that they’re expecting something very improbable. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2026, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5470 "2026-10-02T13:15:10Z")
TIL that the maximum difference in time zones is 26 hours.. The AI summary.. - The Locations: The difference occurs between the Line Islands of Kiribati (at UTC+14) and the uninhabited U.S. island territories of Howland Island and Baker Island - How It Works: When it is 11:00 PM on Monday on Howland Island, it is already 1:00 AM on Wednesday in the Line Islands. - Why It Exceeds 24 Hours: While Earth only has 24 standard hourly longitudinal slices, some Pacific island nations shifted their official time zones far ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) to share the same calendar days and work weeks with major trading partners like Australia and New Zealand, effectively stretching the date line. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2026, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5471 "2026-10-02T15:00:50Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > there’s a common German saying “Ich habe schon Pferde kotzen sehen.”, literally “I’ve seen horses vomit.”. One would use it to express that they’re expecting something very improbable Would that be somewhere along the lines of “as rare as (or rarer than) hen’s teeth”? ---
**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:** [October 2, 2026, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5472 "2026-10-02T15:56:17Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > My coworker has four horses. Today he mentioned one of his horses didn’t eat anything all day, which is very unusual. So he said he needs the vet to check on the horse ASAP. > > But that’s not the interesting thing. What’s interesting is what he said next: “Unlike cows, dogs, and lots of other animals, a horse can’t throw up / vomit. So they’re unable to expel bad food; it remains in their stomach, unfortunately. You have to call a vet when you suspect something is wrong in their stomach or gut.” > > I didn’t know that. In a related note, abdominal pain in horses is referred to as [horse colic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_colic). It’s typically related to GI issues. But unlike humans or dogs who get a stomachache, colic in horses left untreated can quickly become life-threatening and lead to the horse’s death. The treatment often includes emergency surgery. This is so expensive, and the cost of _not_ treating it so dire, that many owners carry insurance specifically to cover the cost of treating colic. It’s not all that uncommon, too, with an incidence rate of 4-10% over the course of a horse’s lifespan. It’s actually the most common reason for emergency vet calls for horses. ---
**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:** [October 2, 2026, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5473 "2026-10-02T17:20:15Z")
Is it really 11pm if there’s no one there? ---
**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:** [October 2, 2026, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5474 "2026-10-02T17:33:00Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > > [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > > > there’s a common German saying “Ich habe schon Pferde kotzen sehen.”, literally “I’ve seen horses vomit.”. One would use it to express that they’re expecting something very improbable > > Would that be somewhere along the lines of “as rare as (or rarer than) hen’s teeth”? Yeah, exactly, that’s absolutely analogous. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2026, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5475 "2026-10-02T22:34:31Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > TIL that the maximum difference in time zones is 26 hours.. In sort of the opposite of that, for one hour a year it is the same time in part of Florida as it is in part of Oregon. The extreme west of the Florida panhandle is on the central time zone, and eastern Oregon is in the mountain time zone. At 2am on November 1 (in 2026), clocks will fall back to 1am, which means that for one hour, clocks in the central and mountain time zones will synch. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2026, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5476 "2026-10-03T05:51:20Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > Is it really 11pm if there’s no one there? Kinda stretches around that whole “it’s 5 o’clock somewhere.” ---
**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:** [October 5, 2026, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5477 "2026-10-05T15:48:35Z")
Anson Williams (b. Anson William Heimlich) is the “nephew” of Dr. Henry Heimlich of the eponymous maneuver fame. Technically, first cousin once removed, since the doc was his dad’s first cousin, but he referred to the doc as his uncle. (I’ve heard this a few times in real life, and on “The Beverly Hillbillies,” that was the relationship between Jethro and “Uncle” Jed.) ---
**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:** [October 5, 2026, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5478 "2026-10-05T18:24:09Z")
And, after being a member of findagrave for 18 years, I just found that a memorial creator/manager cannot remove photos submitted by another member. I had sent a message to someone about an incorrect photo, and they responded they would contact the contributor. Several weeks later, the incorrect photo was still there, so I sent another message. They said they would contact the contributor again. I had always thought that the memorial manager had full editorial discretion, so I went to one I had created, and Nope! If someone else added it, that person has to delete it, and if no response, you have to submit a request to findagrave. ---
**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:** [October 5, 2026, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5479 "2026-10-05T18:34:23Z")
IIRC, Jed Clampett’s deceased wife was the sister of Jethro’s mother; he was Jethro’s uncle-in-law. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5480 "2026-10-05T20:15:36Z")
The first para-beaver was named Jeronimo. [ An Idaho game warden in 1948 put a male beaver named ‘Geronimo’ in a parachute box and dropped it from a plane;](https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/us/an-idaho-game-warden-in-1948-put-a-male-beaver-named-geronimo-in-a-parachute-box-and-dropped-it-from-a-plane-76-beavers-later-faced-the-same-fate-and-eventually-transformed-a-landscape/articleshow/133419463.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst) > [@Lumpy](#): > > IIRC, Jed Clampett’s deceased wife was the sister of Jethro’s mother; he was Jethro’s uncle-in-law. I’m my own grandpa. 🎼🎶 ---
**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:** [October 6, 2026, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5481 "2026-10-06T12:34:52Z")
Yeast found on [Ötzi the Iceman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%96tzi) was used to make bread. > **[Scientists Made Sourdough Bread With Yeast Found on Ötzi the Iceman’s...](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-made-sourdough-bread-with-yeast-found-on-otzi-the-icemans-mummified-body-180988894/)** > > Discovered in the Alps in 1991, the remains are home to a wide variety of bacteria, fungi and yeasts > Up next, they hope to try making beer. > > “We want to pursue this further and involve specialized research teams from the food sector in the process,” [Mohamed Sarhan](https://www.eurac.edu/en/people/mohamed-sabry-mohamed-sarhan), a microbiologist with the Institute for Mummy Studies at Eurac Research, says in a [statement](https://www.eurac.edu/en/magazine/otzi-and-his-microbiome-a-detailed-picture-of-the-microbial-community-associated-with-otzi). > > The findings suggest that Ötzi is “not a static relic but a dynamic biological system,” [Frank Maixner](https://www.eurac.edu/en/people/frank-maixner), who directs the Institute for Mummy Studies, says in the statement. Sarhan and Maixner are co-authors of a new paper published June 3 in the journal _[Microbiome](https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-026-02417-6)_, which describes the community of microorganisms living on, in and around Ötzi’s body. > > Past studies had identified some of the microorganisms living in Ötzi’s mouth and [intestines](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/iceman-stomach-bugs-clues-ancient-human-migration-180957738/). But researchers wanted to get a more comprehensive picture of the famous mummy’s microbiome, and they were curious to know whether any of the microbes were still active—and potentially damaging the remains. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=273) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=275)