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View Full Version : The 'Weird Facts You Think Nobody Knows About' Thread.



Dragor
2007-07-30, 05:36 PM
I think the title explains most of that, really. Has to be true, has to be proven. Anybody is at their own liberty to disprove another's fact, of course.

Hit me with large clubs if a thread like this has been made.

Hit me harder with spades if this is the wrong section for this sorta thing. (I was thinking silly threads, but this is a bit more intellectual. :smalltongue: )

--EDIT--

Oh, and please make it facts which may be able to obtained universally, not simply just 'I wear my pants on my head when the full moon comes and play the lute' or something similarly personal.

Azrael
2007-07-30, 05:50 PM
There's already a very recent Useless Trivia thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50657). And it's even still on Page 1. Only the 20th thread listed.



*Teh double CLUB*

Mr. Moon
2007-07-30, 05:51 PM
Hit me with large clubs if a thread like this has been made.

Gladely. It only just died, I think. *bashes with large clubs*

Edit: Gah! Simu'd! http://graphics2.gaiaonline.com/images/template/smiles/icon_gonk.gif

Cyrano
2007-07-30, 05:55 PM
Never use that frighteningly disastrous smiley again.
Ever.

Dragor
2007-07-30, 05:57 PM
Hey, actually, I think this can pass. The trivia isn't useless. Just because the facts are weird, doesn't mean they can't be used as ice-breakers at parties. :smalltongue: Seriously, I think this thread may- just may- live.

Thanks for enlightening me simulatenously by the way :smalltongue: I didn't know there was a thread like this one. I thought I'd thought of something original. Wrong wrong wrong wrong! :smallfrown:

tannish2
2007-07-30, 06:24 PM
On December 14, 1853, a water company named Compagnie Générale des Eaux (CGE) was created by an Imperial decree of Napoleon III. In 1854, CGE obtained a concession in order to supply water to the public in Lyon, serving in this capacity for over a hundred years

this company now makes video games

reorith
2007-07-30, 07:40 PM
all five breads available at subway are pretty much the same. if you ask for one that is "healthier than the others" or "good for you" the employees will mock you when you leave.

Ranis
2007-07-31, 05:53 AM
Kiwano, or horned melon, are the only fruit in the world that don't have potassium in them.

Ikkitosen
2007-07-31, 06:30 AM
People are radioactive. You give off over four thousand "radiations" per second, and that's just from the potassium in your body.

Get away from me!!

Totally Guy
2007-07-31, 06:44 AM
The word Tidbit was originally titbit but it got changed because people were too shy.

FireSpark
2007-07-31, 08:49 AM
I've always liked wierd animal facts myself, such as:

- Porcupines are naturally buoyant. They're nature's floatation devices!

- A duck's quack does not echo, and scientists still haven't figured out why.

- If an elephant gets hungry enough that its stomach begins to growl, you could hear it fromm almost 600 feet away! (That's two NFL football fields!)

StickMan
2007-07-31, 08:51 AM
At the final battle at Battle of Thermopylae there were over 700-1000 other soliders from Thespiae and about 900 Helot serfs from Sparta died at the final battle as well. So the battle of the "300" is really more like the "2200".

13_CBS
2007-07-31, 08:57 AM
I thought it was at least 4000 other troops as well as the Spartans O_o

Attilargh
2007-07-31, 08:58 AM
- A duck's quack does not echo, and scientists still haven't figured out why.
Messieurs Hyneman and Savage might have something to say (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MythBusters_%28season_1%29#Does_a_Duck.27s_Quack_E cho.3F) about that. :smallwink:

Contrary to the popular belief, polar bears do not stalk the streets of Finnish cities.

FireSpark
2007-07-31, 09:03 AM
Messieurs Hyneman and Savage might have something to say (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MythBusters_%28season_1%29#Does_a_Duck.27s_Quack_E cho.3F) about that. :smallwink:

Contrary to the popular belief, polar bears do not stalk the streets of Finnish cities.

I had not seen that episode, but then I don't entirely agree with the statement. If the returning sound cannot be seperated from the originating sound, how do you define it as an 'echo'?

Attilargh
2007-07-31, 09:13 AM
If the returning sound cannot be seperated from the originating sound, how do you define it as an 'echo'?
Because it's going the wrong direction. The myth's also been disproved by university people (http://www.acoustics.salford.ac.uk/acoustics_info/duck/). They're in an university, they know science.

Indon
2007-07-31, 09:18 AM
On December 14, 1853, a water company named Compagnie Générale des Eaux (CGE) was created by an Imperial decree of Napoleon III. In 1854, CGE obtained a concession in order to supply water to the public in Lyon, serving in this capacity for over a hundred years

this company now makes video games

You aren't talking about Vivendi, are you? :smallconfused:

Miklus
2007-07-31, 09:25 AM
No viking ever wore a horned helmet. Those helmets where worn in the bronze age, not the iron age.

MrEdwardNigma
2007-07-31, 09:43 AM
Weird facts, eh? Ok, I can swing that way.

Chocolate contains much MORE iron then spinach.

The only animal that is still a complete mystery to science (last time I checked anyways, whihc was, admittedly, a few years ago) is the worm.

In Japan, they have already invented 3D television.

And they are working on Smell-O-Vision as we speak/type.

Also in Japan, they have genetically engineered Chicken-Fish (fish with chicken heads and chicken like meat) so they can be cultivated in less space.

Somewhere else on the world (or who knows, yet again in Japan) they are working on a new kind of light-weight kevlar (stronger than kevlar, in fact, and as light as a shirt) made out of spider rag. They cultivate the spider rag by injecting spider DNA in goats and harvesting the rag from their milk.

Somewhere (England? America?) they were going to ban Spongebob because he was too gay!

Maryring
2007-07-31, 10:18 AM
Contrary to the popular belief, polar bears do not stalk the streets of Finnish cities.
Nor the streets of Norwegian cities. Well, not usually at least. :smalltongue:

You can actually dream your own death.

A drop of water is not shaped like the image of a drop of water.

And the heart symbol does not look like the real heart, though both have the same general shape.

Eldpollard
2007-07-31, 10:22 AM
Slugs are born pregnant. Takes the fun away somewhat.

13_CBS
2007-07-31, 10:22 AM
Weird facts, eh? Ok, I can swing that way.

Somewhere else on the world (or who knows, yet again in Japan) they are working on a new kind of light-weight kevlar (stronger than kevlar, in fact, and as light as a shirt) made out of spider rag. They cultivate the spider rag by injecting spider DNA in goats and harvesting the rag from their milk.


Actually, I've read an article that states that the goat thing is incomplete. They apparently have 2 of 3 essential proteins that are necessary for the goat milk - spider silk process.

Castaras
2007-07-31, 11:20 AM
Chocolate contains much MORE iron then spinach.

Chocolate is a poison.
Although it's a very weak poison.
So I'll eat that chocolate for you, to save you from the poison.
You'd die of eating too much chocolate before dying of poisoning.
Ain't that nice of me? :smallbiggrin:

Cyrano
2007-07-31, 12:08 PM
Chocolate is a poison.
Although it's a very weak poison.
So I'll eat that chocolate for you, to save you from the poison.
You'd die of eating too much chocolate before dying of poisoning.
Ain't that nice of me? :smallbiggrin:

It's only poison after you get at it. Which is why I never ever trust Cadbury Chocolate. Do you have any idea how easy it is for a pie to infiltrate that place?

Missing Shoe
2007-07-31, 12:42 PM
The term scapegoat came from a breed of goat that when they are scared their legs muscles lock up causing them to fall down. Farmers would put one of these goats along with the more important livestock so when the wild critters attacked, the goat would get scared and the rest of the animals could run off while the critters feasted on paralyzed goat.

And they are funny just to watch. Saw them on Dirty Jobs.

Katonta
2007-07-31, 12:56 PM
Here's two, although I'm not 100% sure on the them as I am taking them from memory:
70% of all statistics are made up on the spot, and...
more deaths are caused by lightning than from shark attacks.

Oh and one more, flying is in fact the safest way to travel.

BlackStaticWolf
2007-07-31, 12:58 PM
Chocolate contains much MORE iron then spinach.

You know what... my chocolate had better not have ANY spinach in it, or I'll be upset. :smallwink:

Pink
2007-07-31, 01:06 PM
A chocolate bar has an average of..I think 5 bug legs in it.

MrEdwardNigma
2007-07-31, 01:07 PM
You can actually dream your own death
Absolutely true. I've done it several times, so I should know.


A drop of water is not shaped like the image of a drop of water
True again, they're shaped like orbs.


Slugs are born pregnant. Takes the fun away somewhat
Hmmmm, I've actually seen videos of slugs "having sex". Strange that nature would provide them with that capability if it's not needed. (Except off course for fun...)

Oh, and I've thought of some more fact myself: about 80% of all eyewitnesses are inaccurate, while about 30% is completely off.

Vegetarians are the biggest eaters of insects in Europe.

On average you swallow about three spiders a night while asleep (or something like that).

CurlyKitGirl
2007-07-31, 01:15 PM
On average you swallow about three spiders a night while asleep (or something like that).

A year, two a year.

Attilargh
2007-07-31, 01:15 PM
On average you swallow about three spiders a night while asleep (or something like that).
:eek: I'll never sleep again.

MrEdwardNigma
2007-07-31, 01:17 PM
A year, two a year.

No, that seems like too little, though admittedly two a night is way too much. Two a month? I dunno. It was surprisingly much anyways.

Lykan
2007-07-31, 01:21 PM
Either way, how the hell do you get that statistic?

Maryring
2007-07-31, 01:21 PM
That depends a lot on how clean you keep your room though. If you're cleaning your room often, bugs won't have the chance to invade your room, and you can sleep safely knowing that no insects crawl into your mouth.

MrEdwardNigma
2007-07-31, 01:23 PM
I saw it on a documentary, but how those people found out, I'll never know. I suppose they monitored sleeping people?
Nah, that seems a bit strange, monitoring people simply to see how many spiders they swallow. I wouldn't even be able to come up with the idea. And that means it weeeeeird.

gojira
2007-07-31, 01:27 PM
Samurai did their own knitting.

Lykan
2007-07-31, 01:34 PM
I saw it on a documentary, but how those people found out, I'll never know. I suppose they monitored sleeping people?
Nah, that seems a bit strange, monitoring people simply to see how many spiders they swallow. I wouldn't even be able to come up with the idea. And that means it weeeeeird.

62% of all statistics are a lie.

Come on, that "fact" was only ever found on a snapple bottle cap. Are you ever going to double check those weird facts on a snapple bottle cap? It's a waste of time to even bother with looking it up. :P

Thus, they could technically make up all the crazy stuff they wanted.

crimson77
2007-07-31, 01:48 PM
On average you swallow about three spiders a night while asleep (or something like that).

Sorry folks, this is just an urban legend. http://www.snopes.com/science/stats/spiders.asp

MrEdwardNigma
2007-07-31, 01:55 PM
Damn! I was fooled! Well, happens to the best of us (as I have just proved :smallbiggrin: ). Either way, I'm appaled they'd show that stuff in a documentary on TV...

Oh, and that brings us to another appaling fact (seen on TV again, on an brittish Quiz show): They did NOT name America after Amerigo Vespuci!

Pink
2007-07-31, 01:57 PM
Hmmm...I wonder, does EdwardNigma watch QI?

If that's the case..Earth used to have two moons...Now the other moon is identified as some other sort've mass.

CrazedGoblin
2007-07-31, 01:59 PM
A chocolate bar has an average of..I think 5 bug legs in it.
the E-Number with beetles in makes food nice, chocloate with bugs legs in taste nice, maybe we should start eating insets :smalltongue:

sapphail
2007-08-01, 04:10 AM
the E-Number with beetles in makes food nice, chocloate with bugs legs in taste nice, maybe we should start eating insets :smalltongue:

The E-Number with bugs is it is cochineal. It's a dye (red colour) rather than a flavouring. It's the dried out and ground up shell of the bug.

Edit: Can't remember the name of the bug. Sorry.

dungeon_munky
2007-08-01, 09:39 PM
62% of all statistics are a lie.

Come on, that "fact" was only ever found on a snapple bottle cap. Are you ever going to double check those weird facts on a snapple bottle cap?

This reminds me of one: A person can only ever be famous if he was on bubblegum cards. Was Beethoven on bubblegum cards? I dont think so.

The phrase "close but no cigar" was originally used by sideshow pitchmen, as cigars were apparently popular prizes at carnivals. If you want more trivia on words and phrases, and their origins, check the Word Detective (http://www.word-detective.com/)'s site.

Koga
2007-08-02, 02:30 AM
Wierd Fact:

The Koga is best friends with Sharolaid. We live in the same area.

MrEdwardNigma
2007-08-02, 06:15 AM
Hmmm...I wonder, does EdwardNigma watch QI?

If that's the case..Earth used to have two moons...Now the other moon is identified as some other sort've mass.

I do believe that was the name of the show, yes, but I've only seen it once or twice, partially.

Sean92k
2007-08-02, 06:27 AM
You are all super mass murderers because your body is creating and killing 15 million red blood cells per second so it sorta equals out :smallbiggrin:

I love QI

Narmoth
2007-08-02, 07:19 AM
Nor the streets of Norwegian cities. Well, not usually at least. :smalltongue:

You can actually dream your own death.

A drop of water is not shaped like the image of a drop of water.

And the heart symbol does not look like the real heart, though both have the same general shape.

Polar bears might walk the streets of the Norwegian city Longeyarbyen on Spitsbergen.
Polar bears walked on the streets of Tromsø, Norway in the 1920-1930.
They were walked by kids and vere of course cubs catched for sale to various zoos. :smallcool: I believe I shall have a photo of my grandmother and a polar bear somewhere

Emperor Ing
2007-08-02, 07:34 AM
every 7 years, your body has completely recycled all your cells, except for nerve cells.

Nibleswick
2007-08-02, 08:25 PM
In Salt Lake City, Utah it is illegal to carry a violin in a brown paper bag.

darkmars20
2007-08-02, 09:24 PM
In Salt Lake City, Utah it is illegal to carry a violin in a brown paper bag.

Why would it be illegal to carry a violin in a papper bag. And second how would you fit one in a papper bag. I have a violin and it's the biggest size (there's one bigger but it's for professionals) and compared to a papper bag NO WAY.


And something else. Over 2500 left handed people a year are killed from using products made for right handed people!

And a few more. In Oklahoma, no baseball team can hit the ball over the fence or out of a ballpark.

In Rochester, Michigan, the law is that anyone bathing in public must have the bathing suit inspected by a police officer!

Koga
2007-08-02, 11:16 PM
Wierd fact: The Dalai Lama and Mohammad Ghandi defend gun-rights!
http://i19.tinypic.com/4pl0ruo.jpg
Everyone roll sanity check...

Nibleswick
2007-08-03, 01:04 AM
Why would it be illegal to carry a violin in a papper bag. And second how would you fit one in a papper bag. I have a violin and it's the biggest size (there's one bigger but it's for professionals) and compared to a papper bag NO WAY.
*snip*

Are you saying that you couldn't fit a violin into a paper grocery bag? Anyway... it has to do with public intoxication laws (it looks like a bottle of booze).

darkmars20
2007-08-03, 03:09 PM
Are you saying that you couldn't fit a violin into a paper grocery bag?.

Thanks, I thought you were talking about a small brown lunch bag.