# What semi-useless trivia is worth memorizing? What S.U.T. have you memorized? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 29, 2013, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-semi-useless-trivia-is-worth-memorizing-what-s-u-t-have-you-memorized/669910 "2013-09-29T11:54:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-semi-useless-trivia-is-worth-memorizing-what-s-u-t-have-you-memorized/669910/41 "2013-09-30T14:57:45Z")
> [@vontsira](#): > > Haven’t googled – in the old days, the capital’s role was divided between Cape Town and Pretoria. God knows what’s done in these more enlightened times. I’m pretty sure they added another one to make things even more complicated, but I can’t remember the third one for the life of me. Ah well, at least they haven’t gone the crazy Swiss route with seven Heads of State; I don’t even know how they sort that out. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-semi-useless-trivia-is-worth-memorizing-what-s-u-t-have-you-memorized/669910/42 "2013-09-30T15:17:33Z")
When I was in elementary school, I had the books of the bible memorized. Now my only memorizing claim to fame it being able to recite [Jabberwocky](http://www.jabberwocky.com/carroll/jabber/jabberwocky.html). (But I had to look up how to spell it.) ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-semi-useless-trivia-is-worth-memorizing-what-s-u-t-have-you-memorized/669910/43 "2013-09-30T16:43:35Z")
When I was a youngster I worked at a fast food joint. We didn’t have the fancy cash registers of today. Hamburgers and drinks were 15 cents each. So, I memorized all the multiples of 15. Still know them today and that was 50 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-semi-useless-trivia-is-worth-memorizing-what-s-u-t-have-you-memorized/669910/44 "2013-09-30T18:01:46Z")
I memorized the US Presidents via Jonathan Coulton’s [The Presidents](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdUUywIsIGI) song. I can’t recite them in order (I have to sing the song in my head), but as a bonus I also know a short factoid about each of them that lets me place them in a historical context, for example: “Rutherford B. Hayes ended reconstruction” or “Taft was big and fat and had a mustache” ---
**Author:** ![want2befree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3e96dc/32.png) [@want2befree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2befree)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-semi-useless-trivia-is-worth-memorizing-what-s-u-t-have-you-memorized/669910/45 "2013-09-30T18:16:15Z")
The license plates of all my crushes. The 7 steps when playing archery (learned in high school) Stance Knock Draw Anchor Aim Release Follow through Scientific description of a kiss (asked high school crush if he wanted to experience the anatomical juxtaposition of two orbicularis oris muscles in the state of contraction) ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-semi-useless-trivia-is-worth-memorizing-what-s-u-t-have-you-memorized/669910/46 "2013-09-30T18:36:59Z")
Kingdom-Phylum-Class-Order-Family-Genus-Species (aka ‘Kitchen police cry over frog gut stew’) ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-semi-useless-trivia-is-worth-memorizing-what-s-u-t-have-you-memorized/669910/47 "2013-09-30T19:39:32Z")
I can count upto the tens of thousands, in binary. I can name all the U.S. states, just by closing my eyes and imagining a map. I can name all the planets and their moons that were known in 1953. ---
**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-semi-useless-trivia-is-worth-memorizing-what-s-u-t-have-you-memorized/669910/48 "2013-09-30T19:46:21Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Mathematical > Spoiler Thanks. With mathematics, I’m doing well if I can add 2 plus 2 and make 4; and it’s a long time since I was at school ! ---
**Author:** ![galen\_ubal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galen_ubal/32/4440_2.png) [@galen\_ubal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen_ubal)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2013, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-semi-useless-trivia-is-worth-memorizing-what-s-u-t-have-you-memorized/669910/49 "2013-09-30T23:03:33Z")
“Righty-tighty, lefty-loosy” Handy with taps, screws, bolts, etc. Lesseee --my last Florida driver’s licence number, my social security number; I can reel those off without skipping a beat. Useless in that I’m now living in Australia, ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-semi-useless-trivia-is-worth-memorizing-what-s-u-t-have-you-memorized/669910/50 "2013-10-01T00:53:42Z")
I’m not good with numbers but used to be good with memorizing words. A few of my favorite memorized poems were: \*To His Coy Mistress,\*Andrew Marvell _Dover Beach,_ Matthew Arnold \*The Children’s Hour,\*Henry Wadsworth Longfellow _Spring and Fall,_ Gerard Manley Hopkins Then some Lewis Carrol and e.e. cummings. At one time I think I could probably sing the lyrics to most of the popular songs of the thirties to the seventies. Add to this the obligatory "Gettysburg Address, " sundry Bible verses and nursery rhymes and I had a significant store of SUT to entertain myself while I slaved away _sans_ radio or conversation on a plastics factory assembly line in the lean days. I write in past tense because currently I am victim to CRS syndrome. I know it’s filed away somewhere in there. Problem is I’m still operating on the Dewy Decimal System and there’s only one little guy up there frantically going through all the files. After a while there’s an awful lot of SUT in those card catalogues. If it matters, I know what THC stands for. ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-semi-useless-trivia-is-worth-memorizing-what-s-u-t-have-you-memorized/669910/51 "2013-10-01T01:10:01Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I can name all the planets and their moons that were known in 1953. I can explain that business with Pluto. Talk about semi-useless trivia. :rolleyes: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-semi-useless-trivia-is-worth-memorizing-what-s-u-t-have-you-memorized/669910.md?page=2)