# 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:** 275
**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:** [October 6, 2026, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5482 "2026-10-06T23:04:45Z")
The most common hereditary surname in Iceland is Nguyen. This is because native Icelanders use patronymic surnames. ---
**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 6, 2026, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5483 "2026-10-06T23:26:03Z")
So, Nguyenson or Nguyendottir? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5484 "2026-10-07T00:02:19Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > Yeast found on [Ötzi the Iceman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%96tzi) was used to make bread. I have played enough Call of Cthulhu to know this is a bad idea.🙀 🤪 ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5485 "2026-10-07T18:10:50Z")
The 1904 Summer Olympics were held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from July 1 to November 23, 1904, as part of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (World’s Fair). [[1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1904_Summer_Olympics), [2](https://www.olympedia.org/editions/3)] This was the first time the Olympic Games took place outside of Europe and the first time gold, silver, and bronze medals were awarded ---
**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:** [October 7, 2026, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5486 "2026-10-07T18:55:04Z")
And the Olympics that still holds the record for most medals won by any “home team” (approx 80% iirc)—other than Canada and the US hardly anyone bothered to show up. I think there was one athlete from France and none at all from Italy. ---
**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:** [October 7, 2026, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5487 "2026-10-07T18:56:27Z")
Also I think the last time tug of war was on the menu. ---
**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:** [October 8, 2026, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5488 "2026-10-08T01:41:36Z")
I just learned that a 340 meter long asteroid named Apophis will pass within 32,000 km of earth in April of 2029. This is closer than the distance that some satellites orbit, and about 10 times closer than the moon. It will be visible to the naked eye, and look like a star that’s moving. ---
**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:** [October 8, 2026, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5489 "2026-10-08T07:35:10Z")
On Friday, 13th, to be **[precise](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/99942_Apophis)**. I am rooting for it to hit a geosynchronous satellite, but the chances are slim. ---
**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 8, 2026, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5490 "2026-10-08T14:13:05Z")
Brian Cox played Hannibal Lecter. Ba da ba pa da. ---
**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 8, 2026, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5491 "2026-10-08T14:31:11Z")
There are two shapes of popcorn - ball and butterfly. Macdonalds stamps out 4 distinct shapes of nuggets at the factory. Bell, ball, bone and boot. ---
**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:** [October 8, 2026, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5492 "2026-10-08T15:05:40Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Brian Cox played Hannibal Lecter. Nitpick Brian Cox played Hannibal Lecktor in the movie _Manhunter_. They changed the spelling of his last name from the form “Lecter” that Thomas Harris used in his novel (and which was later used in the films with Anthony Hopkins). I have feeling that Dr. Lecktor/Lecter would eat nitpickers. With or without fava beans. ---
**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 8, 2026, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5493 "2026-10-08T15:18:02Z")
And speaking of nitpicking: > [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Macdonalds stamps out 4 distinct shapes of nuggets at the factory. I expect the restaurant chain also stamps out four distinct shapes. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2026, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5494 "2026-10-08T15:39:31Z")
No the tug of war was contested a few more times after that. In 1904, the U.S. athletes were divided into four distinct teams, and they took the top four spots. USA ! USA! Greece and South Africa took 5th and 6th. ---
**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:** [October 8, 2026, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5495 "2026-10-08T15:42:40Z")
Ah. Should’ve looked it up (which I did just now; it lasted till 1920). Thanks for the correction. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2026, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5496 "2026-10-08T15:48:24Z")
> [@zimaane](#): > > No the tug of war was contested a few more times after that. It was difficult to get rid of the tug of war. Its fans had a lot of pull. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2026, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5497 "2026-10-08T16:01:11Z")
I saw a _Mr. Skygack, from Mars_ comic on Facebook. Never heard of him, and he’s never been mentioned on the SDMB. Seems to be culturally historically significant: > Mr. Skygack, from Mars is considered by many to be the first science fiction comic, and the first in comics history to feature an extraterrestrial character. It also gave rise to the first recorded sci-fi cosplay when a Mr. William Fell was reported wearing a Mr. Skygack costume to a 1908 masquerade. > > In 1923, James W. Dean’s syndicated column posited that ‘Martian’ characters with ‘overdeveloped heads’ played by Margaret Irving and Grant Mitchell in the film M.A.R.S. (later known as Radio-Mania) were ‘evidently… influenced by the old comic drawn by Condo, “Mr. Skygack from Mars.”’ > **[Mr. Skygack, from Mars](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Skygack,_from_Mars)** > > Mr. Skygack, from Mars was a comic strip by the American cartoonist A. D. Condo. It appeared in the Chicago Day Book, a Chicago working-class newspaper, from October 2, 1907, to April 1911 in about 400 comic strips and single panels. Like much of Condo's work in this period, the Mr. Skygack feature was syndicated and appeared in many other papers, including The Seattle Star, The Milwaukee Journal, The Spokane Press, The Pittsburgh Press, The Tacoma Times and The Duluth Daily Star. The comic foll... ---
**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 8, 2026, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5498 "2026-10-08T16:38:39Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > I expect the restaurant chain also stamps out four distinct shapes. Sorry, I’m dense, what’s the difference? ---
**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:** [October 8, 2026, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5499 "2026-10-08T16:50:29Z")
The 1904 Olympics also awarded medals in “roque” - “An American variation of croquet played on a hard, smooth 30x60-foot octagonal court surrounded by a barrier, allowing players to use billiard-like banking and spin.” ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2026, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5500 "2026-10-08T16:54:24Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > what’s the difference? The name of the restaurant chain is McDonald’s. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2026, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/5501 "2026-10-08T16:58:15Z")
The early versions of the Olympic Games had some strange events. The 1900 Paris swimming contests included an obstacle course. Swimmers had climb out of the water, go over a pole, and then swim under a series of boats. An Australian took gold. The sole American entrant failed to made the podium. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=274) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=276)