# 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:** 69
**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:** [January 17, 2025, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1361 "2025-01-17T14:34:46Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > I wonder what the current equivalent would be? Ivanka, perhaps? ---
**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:** [January 17, 2025, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1362 "2025-01-17T20:30:13Z")
The Franklin expedition had a desalination system on board the ships HMS Erebus and HMS Terror. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2025, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1363 "2025-01-18T04:14:47Z")
This one astounds me. Idly curious, I was watching [an old film](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F40ZBDAG8-o&ab_channel=Mizo) that explains how a differential gear works. As the film mentions, early automobiles didn’t have differential gears because they had one-wheel drive. Only one of the rear wheels was powered by to the drive train, with all three of the car’s other wheels turning freely. ---
**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:** [January 18, 2025, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1364 "2025-01-18T06:41:14Z")
And steam powered cars did not have a transmission because they did not need one. ---
**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:** [January 18, 2025, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1365 "2025-01-18T12:11:10Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > Conrad Bain from “Diff’rent Strokes” had a twin brother, Bonar Bain (who played a fictional twin brother “Hank Bain” on SCTV) Who names their son “Bonar”? Poor kid. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2025, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1366 "2025-01-18T12:13:16Z")
I assume he was named after British PM Bonar Law (who was named after the clergyman Andrew Bonar). ---
**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:** [January 18, 2025, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1367 "2025-01-18T12:28:31Z")
I shall still snicker at him. ---
**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:** [January 18, 2025, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1368 "2025-01-18T15:40:12Z")
Ozzie Nelson, his son Ricky and his grandsons Matthew and Gunnar Nelson are the only triple generation performers to rack up number one hit songs in the US. Given the twins [hit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_(duo)#Singles) was in 1990, I suspect the run is at an end. ---
**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:** [January 18, 2025, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1369 "2025-01-18T15:58:47Z")
One of the twins should adopt Willie Nelson. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2025, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1370 "2025-01-18T16:50:21Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > Who names their son “Bonar”? Poor kid. > [@hogarth](#): > > I assume he was named after British PM Bonar Law (who was named after the clergyman Andrew Bonar). My parternal grandmother’s maiden name was Bonar (I believe it’s Scottish). The tradition in my father’s family was that middle names were family names, where the eldest child’s middle name was the mother’s maiden name, the next was the paternal grandmother’s, then maternal grandmother’s and so on. So my father. the eldest, was stuck with Bonar as his middle name. He hated it. I was the second child and would have also had Bonar, but my father refused to do that to me, so they skipped over that one and went to my maternal grandmother’s. ---
**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:** [January 18, 2025, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1371 "2025-01-18T17:24:38Z")
Something went _ **BOOM** _ in Northern Illinois’ night. > **[Mystery Sonic Boom Shakes Homes and Lights Up Sky Over Illinois Communities...](https://countryherald.com/news/mystery-sonic-boom-shakes-homes-and-lights-up-sky-over-illinois-communities-friday-night/)** > > Joliet, IL – A powerful sonic boom rattled homes and startled residents across Will County late Friday night, leaving many seeking answers. Reports of > Reports of walls shaking, pictures falling, and a flash of light in the sky poured in from Joliet, Channahon, Minooka, Wilmington, and Manhattan. > > According to multiple sources, police and emergency responders investigated the phenomenon. Many calls referenced a loud explosion-like sound that caused physical vibrations in homes. Residents near the Dresden Lock and Dam reported seeing police presence, but authorities found no evidence of damage or unusual activity in the area. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2025, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1372 "2025-01-18T18:19:58Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > The Franklin expedition had a desalination system on board the ships HMS Erebus and HMS Terror. why, if they sailed (AIUI) into perma-snow/ice? ---
**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:** [January 18, 2025, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1373 "2025-01-18T18:22:24Z")
I suppose that a desalination system is useful to distill not only water, but also alcohol. ---
**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:** [January 18, 2025, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1374 "2025-01-18T18:55:09Z")
Distill alcohol from what? Seals, whales or fish? ---
**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:** [January 18, 2025, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1375 "2025-01-18T19:42:40Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > why, if they sailed (AIUI) into perma-snow/ice? They hoped to sail through the NW Passage. Fresh water would be needed for the long return home from the Pacific Ocean. ---
**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:** [January 18, 2025, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1376 "2025-01-18T20:38:02Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > why, if they sailed (AIUI) into perma-snow/ice? What’s the salt content of sea ice? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2025, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1377 "2025-01-18T20:48:37Z")
It’s complicated. And I mean complicated. > **[Science of Sea Ice](https://nsidc.org/learn/parts-cryosphere/sea-ice/science-sea-ice)** > > Sea ice is classified by stages of development that relate to thickness and age. A simple classification categorizes sea ice into two primary age groups: first-year or multiyear. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2025, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1378 "2025-01-18T21:41:24Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > It’s complicated. And I mean complicated. > > [Science of Sea Ice | National Snow and Ice Data Center](https://nsidc.org/learn/parts-cryosphere/sea-ice/science-sea-ice) I can see it now: _Lads, we either need to deal with scientific, yes like made from some university, studies and shit or you take that damn machine with you … what is it?_ (Captain agrees to take the machine and makes a mental note about “_…that smartypants will be the first guy to be eaten if we run out of food_”) ---
**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:** [January 18, 2025, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1379 "2025-01-18T22:28:39Z")
~~Rotting~~ fermented potatos? Add gunpowder for zing. ---
**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:** [January 19, 2025, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785/1380 "2025-01-19T19:38:14Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > It’s complicated. And I mean complicated. Long story short: newly frozen sea ice (usually) has salt particles embedded in it. Freeze/thaw cycles can cause the salt/brine to work their way out over time. So you need some well-aged sea ice for drinking. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=68) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-2/1004785.md?page=70)