# Your SINGLE favorite piece of information **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 4, 2005, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-single-favorite-piece-of-information/306907 "2005-06-04T18:04:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-single-favorite-piece-of-information/306907/141 "2005-06-07T23:13:03Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > There are two “Empire State Buildings” in New York City: 350 Fifth Avenue and 640 Broadway (at Bleeker St.)… My SINGLE favorite piece of (NYC Building) information is: In 1978, upon completion of the 59 story Citicorp Building, that’s cantilevered over a church - a major engineering flaw was discovered. As joint weld repairs were under way, Hurricane Ella made its way up the east coast. Had the storm not went out to sea after passing by Maryland, the building most likely would have been toppled by the strong winds. The incident was pretty much hushed up for 2 decades in a report called Project S.E.R.E.N.E. (Special Engineering Review of Events Nobody Envisioned) ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-single-favorite-piece-of-information/306907/142 "2005-06-07T23:20:39Z")
> [@fishbicycle](#): > > “Roses are red and violets are purple > Sugar’s sweet and so’s maple syrple.” > > - Roger Miller Nipples are red and rarely are purple Tweek em a bit, the verb called nurple. ---
**Author:** ![ZebraShaSha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/eada6e/32.png) [@ZebraShaSha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZebraShaSha)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-single-favorite-piece-of-information/306907/143 "2005-06-07T23:33:01Z")
Oh, I thought of another favorite bit: it is literally impossible to answer questions regarding rhyming and the lack there-of in anything other than a poetic fashion. It’s human nature. (Just kidding, of course - I have found the replies funny so far, just slightly odd in their continued resemblence.) ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-single-favorite-piece-of-information/306907/144 "2005-06-08T00:21:19Z")
My favorite bit of knowledge is this: Bananas are radioactive, and can be found by searching with a sufficiently sensitive radiac. 😉 For the astronomically and linguistically inclined - I tried to convince my former housemate to register the name of the great dane pup she’d gotten when she bred her dog, with the nickname ‘Disaster’, to a bitch with the nickname ‘Calamity’, as ‘Shoemaker-Levy Nine.’ (Technically, I’ll admit it _should_ be Shoemaker-Shoemaker-Levy Nine, but that’s going a little far, even to my mind. Besides if Mr. & Mrs. Shoemaker didn’t obejct to being combined into one name, why worry about it for the dog?) Yes, I am a geek. I like being a geek, dammit. ---
**Author:** ![Creaky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e68b1a/32.png) [@Creaky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Creaky)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-single-favorite-piece-of-information/306907/145 "2005-06-08T01:32:43Z")
I remember learning that the sailors on 19th century whaling ships were totally naked when they processed the blubber, sperm oil and ambergris they took from the whales. They did this so they wouldn’t waste any of the stuff; it was worth a lot of money. I always loved the idea of all those naked sailors cavorting in whale oil, swearing a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-single-favorite-piece-of-information/306907/146 "2005-06-08T09:57:09Z")
God…over my entire life, there are so many pieces of information I’ve collected that I’ve cherished, been surprised, or been fascinated by. A “favorite” would be almost impossible, I fear. But there’s one that comes closest. Not very obscure, not hard to remember. Probably everyone else here knows it. But it’s still special to me, and has been indescribably useful. Arguably, on a number of occasions, it’s saved my life, my livelihood, and my sanity. What is it? “Right for gas; left for the brake.” Sometimes, it’s the little things, y’know? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sevastopol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@Sevastopol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sevastopol)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-single-favorite-piece-of-information/306907/147 "2005-06-08T10:15:53Z")
English Author, D.H. Lawrence and German WW1 Flying Ace, ‘The Red Baron’ were brothers-in-law. ---
**Author:** ![Sevastopol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@Sevastopol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sevastopol)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-single-favorite-piece-of-information/306907/148 "2005-06-08T10:20:55Z")
Scratch previous. Not quite true Google tells me. They were however related by marriage. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-single-favorite-piece-of-information/306907/149 "2005-06-08T14:22:51Z")
**Sevastopol** English Author, D.H. Lawrence and German WW1 Flying Ace … were related by marriage ??? I never knew they led alternative sexual lifestyles. No problem with that but it’s just surprising !!! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-single-favorite-piece-of-information/306907/150 "2005-06-08T14:25:23Z")
> [@](#): > > I remember learning that the sailors on 19th century whaling ships were totally naked when they processed the blubber, sperm oil and ambergris they took from the whales. They did this so they wouldn’t waste any of the stuff; it was worth a lot of money. > > I always loved the idea of all those naked sailors cavorting in whale oil, swearing a lot. It’s been a while since I read **Moby dick** , but I don’t remember this. I _do_ remember them dressing up the New Guy in a sheath made from the whale penis, though. (the chapter is entitled “The Cassock”) ---
**Author:** ![Hyperelastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Hyperelastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hyperelastic)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-single-favorite-piece-of-information/306907/151 "2005-06-08T14:37:36Z")
Following up with the water facts, if water were completely incompressible, sea level would be about 90 feet higher than it is. Also, the modern, single-track, front-engine snowmobile was not invented until 1960. ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-single-favorite-piece-of-information/306907/152 "2005-06-08T14:58:52Z")
A point as in “10 point font” is exactly 1/72nd of a an inch. In a 10 point font, a lowercase letter m should be exacly 10 points across. ---
**Author:** ![Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Long_Time_First_Time)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-single-favorite-piece-of-information/306907/153 "2005-06-08T15:08:55Z")
> [@Evil One](#): > > The Pulmonary Vein is the only vein in the human body that carries oxygenated blood. It runs from the lungs back to the heart. I wouldn’t call this a favorite piece of information, but it’s one that hasn’t been mentioned yet. Not exactly - the umbilical veins take oxygenated blood from the placenta to the heart as well. The pulmonary vein is the only vein in a non-fetal human to have the honor. My own favorite fun fact to know and tell. The in-room porn films you can order in hotel rooms is played for an average of 8 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-single-favorite-piece-of-information/306907/154 "2005-06-08T17:07:24Z")
Iam Fleming, the author of the original James Bond books, also wrote “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”; a children’s book that was made into a film starting Dick Van Dyke. ---
**Author:** ![Stringer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Stringer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringer)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-single-favorite-piece-of-information/306907/155 "2005-06-08T21:14:38Z")
> [@LucyInDisguise](#): > > Never found any other words that have no rhyming companions either. Silver, purple, and month are the other three, I believe. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-single-favorite-piece-of-information/306907/156 "2005-06-08T23:17:08Z")
> [@micahjn](#): > > Silver, purple, and month are the other three, I believe. There are quite a few. “Pint” certainly has no remotely common rhymes, for instance. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2005, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-single-favorite-piece-of-information/306907/157 "2005-06-09T01:37:48Z")
Okay, I’ll post that \*\*“Words With No Rhymes” \*\*thread again [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb...highlight=rhyme](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb...highlight=rhyme) ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2005, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-single-favorite-piece-of-information/306907/158 "2005-06-09T01:40:18Z")
Better still … try this one: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=300970&highlight=rhyme](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=300970&highlight=rhyme) ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2005, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-single-favorite-piece-of-information/306907/159 "2005-06-09T03:07:54Z")
There is only one US state, no part of which has ever been under the flag of a foreign power (Amerind nations excluded for the purpose of this trivium). Idaho ---
**Author:** ![Sevastopol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@Sevastopol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sevastopol)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2005, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-single-favorite-piece-of-information/306907/160 "2005-06-09T09:38:01Z")
> [@wolf\_meister](#): > > **Sevastopol** > English Author, D.H. Lawrence and German WW1 Flying Ace … were related by marriage ??? I never knew they led alternative sexual lifestyles. No problem with that but it’s just surprising !!! 😃 Have D.H. Lawrence and sex under discussion and anything could happen. To go back, D.H. was married to Frieda Von Richtofen, a relative, although not a sibling, of the leather helmeted one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-single-favorite-piece-of-information/306907.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-single-favorite-piece-of-information/306907.md?page=9)