# Trivia Facts **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 3, 1999, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-facts/11703 "1999-12-03T22:20:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![planetjunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@planetjunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/planetjunk)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 1999, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-facts/11703/1 "1999-12-03T22:20:00Z")
I collect useless info and put them on my websites called “TRIVIAL NEATSTUFF”. Check them out: [CLICK HERE!](http://www.angelfire.com/pa/trivialneatstuff) ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 1999, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-facts/11703/2 "1999-12-03T22:33:00Z")
Error number 1. > [@](#): > > “IRON-EYES CODY is the name of the Cherokee Indian actor, notable for his “one tear” ecology spot on TV.” In fact, he was an Italian guy named **Espera DiCorti**. ## The source? [The World’s Smartest Human](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mindiantear.html) Livin’ on Tums, Vitamin E and Rogaine ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 1999, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-facts/11703/3 "1999-12-03T22:46:00Z")
Error number 1.5. The source is not **The World’s Smartest Human** , but one of his loyal staffers, **Euty**. But it’s still right. ---
**Author:** ![Diamond](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e79b87/32.png) [@Diamond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diamond)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 1999, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-facts/11703/4 "1999-12-03T23:09:00Z")
MANHATTAN beat me out on the error catch. Further trivia for you to post: If you transpose the letters in HAL9000 forward, you get IBM; coincidence? I don’t think so. ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 1999, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-facts/11703/5 "1999-12-03T23:31:00Z")
Worry not, **Diamond**. Everyone can play! Error number 2: > [@](#): > > The _skateboard_ was invented in 1963. According to [Discovery Online](http://www.discovery.com/stories/history/toys/SKATEBOARD/shoulda.html) , the skateboard was invented in California, in 1958 by Bill and Mark Richards. Hint to **planetjunk**. Trivia is even more useless if it’s false. * * * Livin’ on Tums, Vitamin E and Rogaine ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 1999, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-facts/11703/6 "1999-12-04T01:22:00Z")
Ooooh! Can I play too? Just on a cursory glance: > [@](#): > > The Kings in a deck of cards are named: Alexander, Caesar, Charles and David. **BZZZZT!!** Try [www.snopes.com](http://www.snopes.com) for that one. Yup, Manhattan. The only thing worse than useless stupid trivia is **incorrect** useless stupid trivia. -andros- ---
**Author:** ![JBENZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b77776/32.png) [@JBENZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBENZ)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 1999, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-facts/11703/7 "1999-12-04T03:36:00Z")
Me Next! Me Next! > [@](#): > > There were 5 MARX brothers: GROUCHO (Julius), CHICO (Leonard), HARPO (Adolph), GUMMO (Milton), ZEPPO (Herbert). There were actually 6 Marx Brothers, the first born, Manfred, died as an infant. * * * JB Lex Non Favet Delicatorum Votis ---
**Author:** ![Sylence](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b19c9b/32.png) [@Sylence](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylence)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 1999, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-facts/11703/8 "1999-12-04T05:01:00Z")
> [@](#): > > WHISTLER’S MOTHER is not what Whistler called his famous picture. His name for it was ARRANGEMENT in GRAY and BLACK. Not quite right. The real name is “Arrangement in Grey and Black, No. 1: The Artist’s Mother.” [See Britannica.com.](http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/8/0,5716,78828+1,00.html) Okay, I’m nitpicky. – Sylence * * * I don’t have an evil side. Just a really, really apathetic one. ---
**Author:** ![Sylence](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b19c9b/32.png) [@Sylence](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylence)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 1999, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-facts/11703/9 "1999-12-04T05:12:00Z")
But _this_ one is wrong. > [@](#): > > The French dice game known as hazards came to be known as craps in the United States when it was first introduced in New Orleans by a Creole in 1813–when the nickname for a Creole man was Johnny Crapaud. At first, the game was referred to as Crapaud’s game, and later as craps. From [Britannica.com](http://search.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/xref/0,5716,1601,00.html): > [@](#): > > The name of the popular American dice game of craps derives from the nickname crabs for the cast 1-1 in hazard. The modern rules of craps also grew out of the old English game. – Sylence * * * I don’t have an evil side. Just a really, really apathetic one. ---
**Author:** ![Sylence](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b19c9b/32.png) [@Sylence](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylence)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 1999, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-facts/11703/10 "1999-12-04T05:15:00Z")
Here we go again. > [@](#): > > If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle; if the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died as a result of wounds received in battle; if the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes. Cecil took care of this one, I believe. It’s wrong. – Sylence * * * I don’t have an evil side. Just a really, really apathetic one. ---
**Author:** ![Alphagene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Alphagene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alphagene)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 1999, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-facts/11703/11 "1999-12-04T05:52:00Z")
> [@](#): > > If you transpose the letters in HAL9000 forward, you get IBM; coincidence? I don’t think so. Arthur C. Clarke thinks so. From the IMDB trivia site for “2001”: > [@](#): > > Incrementing each letter of “HAL” gives you “IBM”. Arthur C. Clarke (co-screenwriter) claimed this was unintentional, and if he had noticed it before it was too late, he would have changed it. ## [http://us.imdb.com/Trivia?0062622](http://us.imdb.com/Trivia?0062622) Back off, man. I’m a scientist. ---
**Author:** ![Alphagene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Alphagene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alphagene)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 1999, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-facts/11703/12 "1999-12-04T06:24:00Z")
Found more incorrect stuff at the site: “Cinderella’s slippers were originally made out of fur” is [wrong](http://www.snopes.com/spoons/fracture/slippers.htm). “Sharks apparently are the only animals that never get sick”? The book _Fish Medicine_ (Stoskopf, M. K. 1993) “includes a brief review of taxonomy and natural history of sharks…and comprehensive discussion of shark diseases and pathology.” [http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~bz050/sharkbooks.html](http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~bz050/sharkbooks.html) * * * Back off, man. I’m a scientist. ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 1999, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-facts/11703/13 "1999-12-04T07:25:00Z")
And no one’s even mentioned the Lincoln-Kennedy coincidences on his page. see [http://www.snopes.com/errata/linckenn.htm](http://www.snopes.com/errata/linckenn.htm) I’m sure the SDers could come up with twice as many differences between the two men and just as many similarities between other presidents. ---
**Author:** ![Agentakbar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7cd45c/32.png) [@Agentakbar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agentakbar)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 1999, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-facts/11703/14 "1999-12-04T20:33:00Z")
Another thing: ‘Mafia’ does not mean “BEAUTY, EXCELLENCE and BRAVERY” in Italian; scholars can’t agree on its precise meaning but one of the most popular is that it’s an arabic-sicilian word for ‘refuge’ to to the 10th century Mafiosi seeking refuge in the hills. ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 1999, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-facts/11703/15 "1999-12-05T01:18:00Z")
**Three-letter Body Parts:** You left out _hip_ and _pad_ (as in finger and toe pad). Some also include _egg_ or _ova_. **Nipper was a fox terrier** : The [Nipperscape](http://www.ais.org/~lsa/nipper.html) page says that “Nipper was a mutt, part bull terrier and a trace of fox terrier.” **Carpathia first ship to answer Titanic SOS** : According to the detailed log included at [The RMS Titanic Radio Page](http://www2.dynamite.com.au/rmstitanic/), a number of ships responded before the Carpathia did. **Origin of “Hijack”** : According to [Take Our Word For It](http://www.takeourword.com/Issue011.html), “jacker” was slang for a robber. The term “highway jacker” was used for “highway robber”; this eventually was contracted to “highjacker” and “highjack”. ---
**Author:** ![WallyM7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5e925/32.png) [@WallyM7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WallyM7)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 1999, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-facts/11703/16 "1999-12-05T02:58:00Z")
There are 38 tons of gold in every cubic mile of sea water. That’s a fact. Consider that 1 gallon of water weighs about 10 pounds. If you figure out what a cubic mile of sea water weighs, you’ll realize that 38 tons is trivial. * * * This space for rent.