# 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:** 46
**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:** [November 20, 2024, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/901 "2024-11-20T00:33:05Z")
[Debunked](https://youtu.be/bUuGy5agBfg) by Standup Maths. The halfway point of his life was a day earlier. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2024, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/902 "2024-11-20T00:44:23Z")
Does that take into account what time he was born and what time he died? ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2024, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/903 "2024-11-20T15:14:13Z")
So, when his hair caught on fire, he was having a mid-life crisis? ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2024, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/904 "2024-11-20T15:17:47Z")
I wouldn’t imagine he was relaxed about it ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2024, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/905 "2024-11-21T14:11:47Z")
A fact I learned when reading about Tutankhamen’s treasure: the word “ankh” in ancient Egyptian meant both their well known ankh symbol, and a mirror. This came up because one of the artifacts was a hand mirror _shaped_ like an ankh; a visual pun about an ankh ankh. It was rather humanizing, actually. ---
**Author:** ![JacobSwan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@JacobSwan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JacobSwan)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2024, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/906 "2024-11-21T14:43:07Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > a visual pun about an ankh ankh Not exactly a dad joke. More of a mummy joke. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2024, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/907 "2024-11-21T14:45:06Z")
> [@JacobSwan](#): > > Not exactly a dad joke. More of a mummy joke. Ha! Good one. ---
**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:** [November 23, 2024, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/908 "2024-11-23T04:17:39Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > This came up because one of the artifacts was a hand mirror _shaped_ like an ankh; a visual pun about an ankh ankh. You’ll probably like this, then [![](https://i.imgur.com/rRjc43I.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/rRjc43I.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2024, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/909 "2024-11-23T04:55:41Z")
Egyptian writing often operated as a rebus, like the game show _Concentration_, where (for example in English) a picture of an eye would be a stand-in for the first-person pronoun “I” It was a major conceptual development in writing, but also made for puns on an epic scale. ---
**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:** [November 23, 2024, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/910 "2024-11-23T15:59:34Z")
(The path to this topic was _The Godfather_ → Luca Brasi → actor Lenny Montana → horror movie _Blood Song_ which Montana co-produced and co-wrote → star in said film Frankie Avalon. Whew.) I was surprised that Avalon is still alive and doing stuff. Per [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankie_Avalon): “He is the earliest surviving singer to have scored a solo number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100.” In other words, any **one** with a number one hit before him is dead. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2024, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/911 "2024-11-23T16:07:43Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > (The path to this topic was _The Godfather_ → Luca Brasi → actor Lenny Montana → horror movie _Blood Song_ which Montana co-produced and co-wrote → star in said film Frankie Avalon. Whew.) > > I was surprised that Avalon is still alive and doing stuff. Per [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankie_Avalon): “He is the earliest surviving singer to have scored a solo number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100.” In other words, any **one** with a number one hit before him is dead. Interesting. I’m assuming the other Frankie didn’t have solo hits that early. Both Frankie Avalon and Frankie Valli are still performing. The difference is as near as I can tell Frankie Avalon is really singing and sounding pretty good for his age. Frankie Valli is 90 and has been lip syncing poorly for years. ---
**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:** [November 23, 2024, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/912 "2024-11-23T16:13:46Z")
Valli’s first #1 hit was _Sherry_ in 1962 but that wasn’t solo. His first solo #1 came in 1972 with _My Eyes Adored You_. Avalon got to #1 solo with _Venus_ in 1959. Avalon for the win. ---
**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:** [November 23, 2024, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/913 "2024-11-23T16:44:30Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Avalon got to #1 solo with _Venus_ in 1959. Avalon for the win. Kudos to Frankie, but it’s sad to come to the realization that every single one of the giants of the first era of Rock n Roll are now dead. It seems like just yesterday that Little Richard, Chuck Berry, and Jerry Lee Lewis were still among the living. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2024, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/914 "2024-11-23T16:53:20Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Valli’s first #1 hit was _Sherry_ in 1962 but that wasn’t solo. His first solo #1 came in 1972 with _My Eyes Adored You_. > > Avalon got to #1 solo with _Venus_ in 1959. Avalon for the win. Looks like before his death last year Tony Bennett was the leader. He had a #1 in 1951. Frankie Avalon made me think of other singers that had to hide their Italian names so I looked up Tony. ---
**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:** [November 23, 2024, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/915 "2024-11-23T17:23:34Z")
Valli’s last #1 hit was in 1975 (December 1963). I feel like I have mentioned this before but the Four Seasons and the Beachboys are the only two groups to have hits before, during and after Beatlemania. Avalon’s last #1 hit was Why in 1959 which was also the last #1 hit of the 1950s. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2024, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/916 "2024-11-23T17:44:59Z")
Today I learned about politician [Anne Armstrong](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_L._Armstrong), who was considered for the VP slot by Ford. Interesting to speculate how it might have changed history if she’d made it. ---
**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:** [November 23, 2024, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/917 "2024-11-23T19:44:33Z")
Pat Boone is still alive (at least - according to Wikipedia). He had three number ones in 1957: “Love Letters in the Sand”, “Don’t Forbid Me”, and “April Love”. “Billboard” had 4 or 5 different charts until the end of 1957, but “April Love” got to number one on all of them. In 1956 he had “I Almost Lost my Mind”, and in 1955 “Ain’t That a Shame” (which the Four Seasons recorded in 1963). Paul Anka is still alive. He had a number one with "Diana: in 1957 (although not on all 4 or 5 charts). ---
**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:** [November 23, 2024, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/918 "2024-11-23T20:06:44Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Valli’s last #1 hit was in 1975 (December 1963) Nitpick - Valli’s theme song to the film _Grease_ hit #1 on the US Hot 100 Singles chart in 1978. ---
**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:** [November 23, 2024, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/919 "2024-11-23T20:10:30Z")
I was thinking of the Four Seasons and should have said so. You make a good point. ---
**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:** [November 23, 2024, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/920 "2024-11-23T20:19:07Z")
The pre-1959 #1s mentioned above for Bennett, Boone, and Anka all preceded the specific Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart. That’s the technicality in Avalon’s favor — the Hot 100 debuted August 4, 1958. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=45) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=47)