# What did you learn today? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 4, 2017, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-learn-today/790483 "2017-07-04T02:44:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2017, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-learn-today/790483/41 "2017-07-08T22:24:04Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Watching Deadliest Catch a couple of days ago, I was surprised to learn that in WW2, the Japanese occupied a couple of the Aleutian islands in Alaska, and it took [a substantial US military effort to evict them.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleutian_Islands_Campaign) I’m hardly an expert on WW2 history, but I had never heard of this before. Ah, that episode. They said something that was flat-out wrong! They stated that the Alaska campaign resulted in the only deaths on U.S. soil other than Pearl Harbor. (don’t have the exact quote, deleted from the DVR) I guess nobody told the producers about May 5, 1945, when 6 people were killed in Oregon by a Japanese “Balloon Bomb”. > **[May 5, 1945: Japanese Balloon Bomb Kills 6 in Oregon](https://www.wired.com/2010/05/0505japanese-balloon-kills-oregon/)** > > 1945:: A Japanese balloon bomb kills six people in rural eastern Oregon. They are the only World War II U.S. combat casualties in the 48 states. Months before an atomic bomb decimated Hiroshima, the United States and Japan were locked in the final... ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2017, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-learn-today/790483/42 "2017-07-08T23:29:35Z")
I learned that when cleaning a clogged kitchen drain, after removing the trap and collecting the water from that and the dishwasher into a pot and thoroughly snaking out the drain, that before pouring the water back down the drain one must first replace the trap. Or rather, my “helper” learned this. Thank goodness no Drano was involved. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2017, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-learn-today/790483/43 "2017-07-08T23:43:52Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > I don’t know what the difference is between UPF and SPF. I was reading about SPF enhanced fabrics before I posted my first post. Iread the 5 SPF thing, then spelunked a bit and found several cites including this one: > > I can’t get to the full article, but someone quoted from it here (not the most rigorous research, I’ll admit, but it was enough to make me think the protection of a t-shirt wasn’t as high as I had assumed): > [URL=“[clothing - What's the UPF of a T-Shirt or jeans? - The Great Outdoors Stack Exchange](https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/questions/1226/whats-the-upf-of-a-t-shirt-or-jeans)”] > Their comment combined with the abstract was enough to make me think the SPF of fabrics is lower than I had assumed. Back when I went to a tanning salon, an employee told me that a towel (towel!) was insufficient to wear draped over my face for eye protection, as it had some very low SPF, like 10. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2017, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-learn-today/790483/44 "2017-07-08T23:58:51Z")
Dunno if this helps: > [@](#): > > SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor and is the rating you’re familiar with for sunscreens and other sun-protective products. It measures the amount of time it takes for sun-exposed skin to redden, while UPF measures the amount of UV radiation that penetrates a fabric and reaches the skin. > **[Sun Protective Clothing](https://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-prevention/sun-protection/sun-protective-clothing/)** > > Your clothing shields you from harmful UV rays and remains one of the most effective forms of protection against sun damage and skin cancer. Learn more. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2017, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-learn-today/790483/45 "2017-07-09T05:41:34Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Watching Deadliest Catch a couple of days ago, I was surprised to learn that in WW2, the Japanese occupied a couple of the Aleutian islands in Alaska, and it took [a substantial US military effort to evict them.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleutian_Islands_Campaign) I’m hardly an expert on WW2 history, but I had never heard of this before. Actually, the substantial US military effort wasn’t really needed to retake Kiska. After gathering a large naval squadron and a 40,000 man landing force together and transporting them all to the Aleutians - and then softening up the target with a month-long bombardment - the troops who hit the beach found no Japanese. They had evacuated Kiska before the Americans arrived. We could have reclaimed the island with a PT boat. That would have been safer too. We took 92 deaths and 221 seriously wounded during the “battle”. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2017, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-learn-today/790483/46 "2017-07-09T05:47:49Z")
deleted duplicate post ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2017, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-learn-today/790483/47 "2017-07-09T06:03:08Z")
Not so much learned as was reminded of the fact that without appetite, food is fairly disgusting stuff. Appetite is everything. (These ongoing migraines and their associated treatment have made ingesting _anything_ more substantial than soda the most difficult thing in recent memory.) ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2017, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-learn-today/790483/48 "2017-07-09T09:23:38Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Not so much learned as was reminded of the fact that without appetite, food is fairly disgusting stuff. Appetite is everything. (These ongoing migraines and their associated treatment have made ingesting _anything_ more substantial than soda the most difficult thing in recent memory.) : ( Wishing your migraines would miraculously transfer over to someone more deserving. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2017, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-learn-today/790483/49 "2017-07-09T09:43:48Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Not so much learned as was reminded of the fact that without appetite, food is fairly disgusting stuff. Appetite is everything. (These ongoing migraines and their associated treatment have made ingesting _anything_ more substantial than soda the most difficult thing in recent memory.) I’m so sorry to hear this. I get it. My appetite went completely bizarro when I had daily migraines. It would be absent for days. As a bonus, the various preventative medications I tried caused huge weight gain, so people would be telling me to eat less. Ugh. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2017, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-learn-today/790483/50 "2017-07-09T10:30:23Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > : ( Wishing your migraines would miraculously transfer over to someone more deserving. 😊 thank you so much. I find that very sweet and compassionate. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2017, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-learn-today/790483/51 "2017-07-09T12:09:51Z")
I learned that there are eleven states that do not have any cities as large as the population of Guam. I’m sure looking forward to spending 19 hours in Guam this Friday (which will be Thursday for the rest of you). I will be adding ten years to my life, because that’s how long that 19 hours will seem. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2017, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-learn-today/790483/52 "2017-07-10T00:41:28Z")
> [@susan](#): > > Dunno if this helps: [Sun Protective Clothing - The Skin Cancer Foundation](http://www.skincancer.org/prevention/sun-protection/clothing/get-in-on-the-trend) The original test method of Sun Protection Factor was to expose skin (real people) to light, and see what effect it had. Hence very difficult to measure high SPF factors. UPF is a totally artificial measurement, which allows you to measure very high UPF levels. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2017, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-learn-today/790483/53 "2017-07-10T04:35:07Z")
Today (well, actually over the past few days of research) I learned that the old gun that has hung over my parents’ fireplace as long as I can remember is a really rare Sharps-Borchardt Model 1878 Hunters Rifle. They only made 62 of them before Sharps went belly up in 1881. I don’t think it’s super valuable, at least as far as I can tell. And it’s not in great condition. But, still, it’s kind of a neat piece of history. I don’t know jack about guns. I’ve just been curious about it for a long time and finally spent the time to dig into it. I learned that Hugo Borchardt designed the first “hammerless” rifle, got it patented in 1876, and Sharps started producing them in 1878. They didn’t sell enough of them, though, cuz they still went bankrupt in 1881. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2017, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-learn-today/790483/54 "2017-07-10T13:38:38Z")
I had a toilet that alternately would not fill after flushing or not stop filling. Turns out a seal in the fill valve was cruddy so I learned via YouTube how to remove it and clean it. Mine wouldn’t come out like the one in the video but I was able to clean it in place and now my toilet flushes just fine. Anyone need anything else done? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2017, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-learn-today/790483/55 "2017-07-10T13:46:30Z")
Would you come hang some pictures in my flat? The wall between the living room and the big bedroom takes holes nicely on the living room side, but I don’t know what the heck does it have on the bedroom side. Reckon I now know why that particular stretch of wall didn’t have any holes when I got the place. ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2017, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-learn-today/790483/56 "2017-07-10T15:06:06Z")
I learned the chemical in spicy foods is capsaicin, I never knew that. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-learn-today/790483/57 "2017-07-11T02:55:19Z")
I learned the guitar flourish at the beginning of “_The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill_” wasn’t played on a guitar at all. It’s a single programmed key on a [mellotron](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe8g1wlNAPo). ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-learn-today/790483/58 "2017-07-11T03:20:26Z")
> [@Patx2](#): > > I learned the chemical in spicy foods is capsaicin, I never knew that. I didn’t learn it today but I learned (and learned the hard way) that capsaicin is **not** a good treatment for chronically cold feet. A former doctor (note the term “former”) of mine suggested I apply capsaicin cream to my feet under the theory that the “heat” from the spice would warm my feet. It did no such thing. It affected the coldness about as much as a punch in the face would. Meaning not at all, other than being temporarily distracted by a much worse sensation. It burned so bad and wouldn’t wash off, I was so pissed at my doctor that I never saw him again and it was solely due to this. I mean, who the fuck would think spreading hot pepper paste on their skin would **improve** anything? Although, to be fair, I’m sure he had some anecdotal patient info that supported it. I mean, I hope. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-learn-today/790483/59 "2017-07-11T03:27:29Z")
I learned this a couple days ago, but sweating blood is something that can actually happen. It’s a real, albeit rare, condition and has been observed in people who are under extreme stress, such as those awaiting execution. I always thought it was hyperbole. > **[Hematidrosis](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hematidrosis)** > > Hematidrosis, also called blood sweat, is a very rare condition in which a human sweats blood. The term is from Ancient Greek haîma/haímatos (αἷμα/αἵματος), meaning blood, and hīdrṓs (ἱδρώς), meaning sweat. > Blood usually oozes from the forehead, nails, umbilicus, and other skin surfaces. In addition, oozing from mucocutaneous surfaces causing nosebleeds, bloodstained tears, and vicarious menstruation are common. The episodes may be preceded by intense headache and abdominal pain and are usually ... ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2017, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-learn-today/790483/60 "2017-07-11T03:53:37Z")
I learned our yard [is not too confined for bald eagles](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=830730). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-learn-today/790483.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-learn-today/790483.md?page=4)