# You learn something new every day. Here's my contribution. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 15, 2016, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-learn-something-new-every-day-heres-my-contribution/760012 "2016-07-15T23:02:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![somepumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-learn-something-new-every-day-heres-my-contribution/760012/41 "2016-08-05T15:24:44Z")
> [@minlokwat](#): > > If you’re eating pistachios and can’t open the nut because the slit is too narrow or too tight to open using your nails, take a used shell half, insert it into the opening, turn it like you would a key and “Viola!” you got yourself some fresh pistachio innards! Yes, that’s a good one. I do it often (well, when I’m snacking on pistachios). Just about a month ago, I learned something in text selecting/editing/cutting/pasting that has eluded me for decades. I have always clicked the mouse to place the cursor in the field of text where I want to start selecting. Then I hold and drag to where I want to stop; highlighting the selection. Right? What I didn’t know was that I can make this much easier on myself. I still make the first click but don’t hold. Then move my mouse cursor to where I want to stop the selection, hold Shift, and click again. Between the 2 clicks, my selection has been easily selected. :smack: ---
**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:** [August 5, 2016, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-learn-something-new-every-day-heres-my-contribution/760012/42 "2016-08-05T18:05:51Z")
I was reading about _Blazing Saddles_ and I learned that the woman who played Harriet Johnson was Carol Arthur, who in real life was Dom DeLuise’s wife. ---
**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:** [August 5, 2016, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-learn-something-new-every-day-heres-my-contribution/760012/43 "2016-08-05T18:09:00Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > There was ANOTHER Winston Churchill, an American, who was born just a few years before the famous one. To make matters worse, they both wrote books. > > [Winston Churchill (novelist) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston_Churchill_%28novelist%29) Not only did I know about this Winston Churchill, I’m the one who started the Wikipedia article you quoted. ---
**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:** [August 5, 2016, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-learn-something-new-every-day-heres-my-contribution/760012/44 "2016-08-05T18:18:07Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > That includes black pepper FLAVOR. Um, really? Never knew there was such a thing. The dominant flavor in black pepper is a chemical compound called piperine. It’s found naturally in pepper obviously. But you can also produce piperine artificially via chemical processes. ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-learn-something-new-every-day-heres-my-contribution/760012/45 "2016-08-05T19:08:33Z")
> [@somepumpkin](#): > > What I didn’t know was that I can make this much easier on myself. I still make the first click but don’t hold. Then move my mouse cursor to where I want to stop the selection, hold Shift, and click again. Between the 2 clicks, my selection has been easily selected. :smack: I’ll be damned. :smack: ---
**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:** [August 5, 2016, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-learn-something-new-every-day-heres-my-contribution/760012/46 "2016-08-05T21:45:46Z")
> [@somepumpkin](#): > > Yes, that’s a good one. I do it often (well, when I’m snacking on pistachios). > Just about a month ago, I learned something in text selecting/editing/cutting/pasting that has eluded me for decades. I have always clicked the mouse to place the cursor in the field of text where I want to start selecting. Then I hold and drag to where I want to stop; highlighting the selection. Right? > > What I didn’t know was that I can make this much easier on myself. I still make the first click but don’t hold. Then move my mouse cursor to where I want to stop the selection, hold Shift, and click again. Between the 2 clicks, my selection has been easily selected. :smack: In many editors, double-clicking on a word will select the word. Triple-clicking will select the entire paragraph. Also, Ctrl-C to copy, Ctrl-X to cut, and Ctrl-V to paste are handy shortcuts. ---
**Author:** ![PotatoPeeler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/838e76/32.png) [@PotatoPeeler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PotatoPeeler)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2016, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-learn-something-new-every-day-heres-my-contribution/760012/47 "2016-08-05T21:54:39Z")
> [@somepumpkin](#): > > What I didn’t know was that I can make this much easier on myself. I still make the first click but don’t hold. Then move my mouse cursor to where I want to stop the selection, hold Shift, and click again. Between the 2 clicks, my selection has been easily selected. :smack: Holy crap. That’s gold, Jerry! Gold! ---
**Author:** ![grammarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c5a1d2/32.png) [@grammarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grammarian)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2016, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-learn-something-new-every-day-heres-my-contribution/760012/48 "2016-08-06T08:46:07Z")
Today i learned about what it’s like to live on earth on august the 5th 2016 ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2016, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-learn-something-new-every-day-heres-my-contribution/760012/49 "2016-08-06T14:07:10Z")
Courtesy of _Texas Monthly_, of the approx. 50,000 physicians licensed to practice in the Lone Star State, only six have the last name “Pepper”. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2016, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-learn-something-new-every-day-heres-my-contribution/760012/50 "2016-08-06T14:52:43Z")
Ok, I knew this about two cities, but how many who don’t live in the central USA know that there are two cities name Kansas City? There’s the Kansas side and the Missouri side. In some places they are seperated by the river, and in others you can walk across the street and be in a different city and state. Back when Kansas still didn’t have liquor by the drink my sister was a pharmacy student, and when the weekend arrived they’d go to the other side of the street in Missouri, which was lined with bars! ---
**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:** [August 6, 2016, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-learn-something-new-every-day-heres-my-contribution/760012/51 "2016-08-06T15:56:09Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > Ok, I knew this about two cities, but how many who don’t live in the central USA know that there are two cities name Kansas City? There’s the Kansas side and the Missouri side. In some places they are seperated by the river, and in others you can walk across the street and be in a different city and state. I didn’t know that last part; I thought the state border followed the river. This reminded me of some confusion I once encountered. I live in western New York but I grew up in northern New York. Somebody who knew this asked me how much it cost to get into Canada up north. In western New York, the border runs along the Niagara River so all the border crossings are bridges. And the bridges charge tolls. But this guy hadn’t realized he was being charged a toll to cross the bridge. He thought he was being charged a toll to cross the border and this was standard practice all along the border. ---
**Author:** ![Properties\_of\_Iron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7cd45c/32.png) [@Properties\_of\_Iron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Properties_of_Iron)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2016, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-learn-something-new-every-day-heres-my-contribution/760012/52 "2016-08-06T17:24:16Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > Ok, I knew this about two cities, but how many who don’t live in the central USA know that there are two cities name Kansas City? There’s the Kansas side and the Missouri side. In some places they are seperated by the river, and in others you can walk across the street and be in a different city and state. > > Back when Kansas still didn’t have liquor by the drink my sister was a pharmacy student, and when the weekend arrived they’d go to the other side of the street in Missouri, which was lined with bars! Other Mid-West oddity with regards to cities/regions: the Quad Cities metropolitan in Iowa actually contains five “cities.” ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-learn-something-new-every-day-heres-my-contribution/760012/53 "2016-08-11T04:51:37Z")
Antarctica has its own currency. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Lare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Lare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lare)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2016, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-learn-something-new-every-day-heres-my-contribution/760012/54 "2016-08-14T00:10:37Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Antarctica has its own currency. 🆒 And the bills are not legal tender in Antarctica nor any other continent or nation. (Cite: Wikipedia) I want one. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2016, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-learn-something-new-every-day-heres-my-contribution/760012/55 "2016-10-09T02:21:22Z")
Meerkats have a high rate of hereditary brain tumors. I found that out while reading today’s newspaper, which said that one of them at our local zoo developed such a tumor and had to be euthanized. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2016, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-learn-something-new-every-day-heres-my-contribution/760012/56 "2016-10-09T20:00:17Z")
> [@pullin](#): > > It makes sense I suppose, but I hadn’t realized a fireman could actually write tickets for parking violations. They can break and enter in emergencies also. I was the person at our club (with several acres of land) who coordinated the contact information with the local rescue squad. I arranged to update the lock combination on our front gate whenever we changed it (semi-annually, after dues were umm, due, because if you didn’t pay your dues access was denied). They were happy to have the combination because the ambulances services cannot cut the lock and enter. They had to call the fire department who was allowed to do it. Dennis ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2016, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-learn-something-new-every-day-heres-my-contribution/760012/57 "2016-10-09T20:08:46Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > It’s common knowledge that on May 3, 1954, Roger Bannister became the first man to run a mile in less than 4 minutes. > > Less well known, and unknown to me until yesterday, is that fellow Brit Diane Leather became the first woman to run a mile in less than 5 minutes, just 26 days later and not all that far away. 10 years later, the first high school runner (Jim Ryun) broke 4 minutes. 62 years later, women still have 12 seconds to go. Dennis ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2016, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-learn-something-new-every-day-heres-my-contribution/760012/58 "2016-10-09T20:13:40Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > And you should also have learned that “Voila!” is not spelled the same as “viola,” a string instrument. Nominated as the funniest correction I have seen today. Good catch! Dennis ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2016, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-learn-something-new-every-day-heres-my-contribution/760012/59 "2016-10-09T20:25:06Z")
The derogatory word, “pussy” is NOT referencing the female body part. It’s derived from pusillanimous, defined as, timid, and lacking courage ! ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2016, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-learn-something-new-every-day-heres-my-contribution/760012/60 "2016-10-10T05:27:51Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > And you should also have learned that “Voila!” is not spelled the same as “viola,” a string instrument. Actually, the correct spelling is “voilà”, not “voila”. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-learn-something-new-every-day-heres-my-contribution/760012.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-learn-something-new-every-day-heres-my-contribution/760012.md?page=4)