Everybody knows that

[Sparky Nelson]

According to the TV commercials 15 minutes can save you 15% or more on your car insurance. Everybody knows that.

 

But did you know that actress Hedy Lamarr was awarded a patent in 1942 for a means of making radio transmissions secure by repeatedly changing frequency? It eventually led to the CDMA radio technology used by cell phones today.

 

So what are some of your favorite bits of trivia? Some of you guys are walking encyclopedias. How about posting some of your less useful knowledge here?

 

[Old Scatterbrain]

Pluto has five known satellites: Charon, Nix, Hydra, Kerberos and Styx. Charon was discovered in 1978.

 

And I have nothing BUT useless information.

[Dorado]

Did you know:

 

That if you make clockwise circles with your foot, and draw a 6 in the air with your hand, your foot will change directions?

 

Scorpions glow under UV light.

 

Cow Pies make excellent fire tender.

 

Koala's, as babies, must eat their mother's poop to get the necessary bacteria in their digestive system or they'll die. Puts a new and creepy spin on "Just like Momma made."

 

That your wondering if that crinkled dollar bill in your wallet has ever been in a stripper's butt crack? If not, you are now.

 

Godzilla's real name is Gojira, and was originally supposed to be a mixture of a gorilla and a whale instead of a giant reptile. The name was also a mixture of the words "Gorilla" and the Japanese word for whale "Kujira".

 

Sharks eyes are not black, they are actually blue.

[Old Scatterbrain]

Cow Pies make excellent fire tender.

I assume you meant cow CHIPS. A cow pie probably would be hard to light, aside from the messiness.

 

Young elephants also must eat the droppings of adults, in order to acquire bacteria necessary to their digestive system.

 

Vasili Blokhin is considered to be the most prolific mass murderer in human history. Aside from perhaps thousands of other victims, he was documented personally to have shot in the head over 7000 Polish prisoners in a four-week period during the Katyn Massacre.

[Subdeacon Joe]

Reno is west of Los Angeles.

[Sparky Nelson]

At one time automatic transmission fluid contained whale oil. The practice was discontinued in the 1970s when it was banned by the Endangered Species Act.

[Knarley Bob]

The passenger pigeon went extinct 100 years ago.

Some flocks took days to fly by.

And were shot and sold by the barrel full.

 

Knarley

[Three Foot Johnson]

The Pyrenean Ibex became extinct twice.

[Tom Bullweed]

Ohio and Long Island, NY are now empty. They all live in my neighborhood, work at my plant or go to my church (all in central NC).

You cannot drive through my neighborhood when Ohio State plays any conference football game.

[Old Scatterbrain]

In the tv series M*A*S*H, Harry Morgan and Loretta Swit played regular army officers. Larry Linville (Frank Burns) portrayed a cartoonishly pro-military character. None of these actors were veterans.

Three of the biggest conscripted malcontents- Pierce, Hunnicut and Klinger- as well as reluctant draftee McIntyre and incompetent reservist Blake, were ALL played by veterans. Farr joined the army, Farrell the Marine Corps, Rogers And Stevenson the navy. Alda attended ROTC and was stationed briefly at Ft Benning. Alda did NOT serve during the Korean war, as is often claimed.

 

Bea Arthur, known for "Maude" and "Golden Girls", joined the Marine Corps during WWII. This is a documented fact verified by the Marine Corps, but which she steadfastly denied the rest of her life.

 

Mister Fred Rogers was not a sniper and never served in the Marine Corps or any other branch. Bob Keeshan (Captain Kangaroo) did enlist in the Marine Corps during WWII but never saw action.

[Nasty Newt # 7365]

Yeah, but did you know that duck tape is really duct tape?

[Blackwater 53393]

Sharks don't blink.

 

Sharks don't sleep.

 

Only whale sharks are able to breathe while not swimming. All other shark species must swim to make their gills work.

 

In the tv series M*A*S*H, Harry Morgan and Loretta Swit played regular army officers. Larry Linville (Frank Burns) portrayed a cartoonishly pro-military character. None of these actors were veterans.
Three of the biggest conscripted malcontents- Pierce, Hunnicut and Klinger- as well as reluctant draftee McIntyre and incompetent reservist Blake, were ALL played by veterans. Farr joined the army, Farrell the Marine Corps, Rogers And Stevenson the navy. Alda attended ROTC and was stationed briefly at Ft Benning. Alda did NOT serve during the Korean war, as is often claimed.

Bea Arthur, known for "Maude" and "Golden Girls", joined the Marine Corps during WWII. This is a documented fact verified by the Marine Corps, but which she steadfastly denied the rest of her life.

Mister Fred Rogers was not a sniper and never served in the Marine Corps or any other branch. Bob Keeshan (Captain Kangaroo) did enlist in the Marine Corps during WWII but never saw action.

 

And Faye Ray held the honorary rank of Colonel!

[Sparky Nelson]

Bob Keeshan (Captain Kangaroo) did enlist in the Marine Corps during WWII but never saw action.

 

Hugh Brannum, known to most people as Mr. Green Jeans, also served in the Marine Corps and played in a band during that time.

[Alpo]

Sharks don't blink.

 

Sharks don't sleep.

 

Only whale sharks are able to breathe while not swimming. All other shark species must swim to make their gills work.

 

 

And Faye Ray held the honorary rank of Colonel!

 

I believe you are thinking of Martha Raye, who, despite the stories going around about her being a full colonel in the Special Forces, and an OR nurse, Johnson made her an Honorary LT. Colonel. http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/celebrities/a/Martha-Raye-In-Vietnam.htm

 

Fay Wray, the young lady that was the death of King Kong in 1933, had no military rank,actual or honorary.

[Rye Miles #13621]

Cleveland is sometimes referred to as "The North Coast"….it's actually the South Shore. (Lake don't have coasts they have shores.) North Coast is cute but WRONG!!

[jrswanson1]

Yeah, but did you know that duck tape is really duct tape?

 

Did you know duct tape is not supposed to be used for duct work?

[Dorado]

Sharks don't blink.

 

Sharks don't sleep.

 

Only whale sharks are able to breathe while not swimming. All other shark species must swim to make their gills work.

 

 

And Faye Ray held the honorary rank of Colonel!

Whale sharks are not the only sharks able to breath while not swimming. Nurse sharks, and several other bottom dwelling sharks are capable of that as well.

Sharks do sleep. They can let half of their brain sleep while the other does the work, and switch when needed.

 

Horseshoe crab's blood is blue.

 

Pure honey never goes bad.

[DocWard]

Yes, I did know about Hedy Lamarr.

 

Did you know that the Ohio-Michigan rivalry goes back to at least 1835, when the State of Ohio and the Michigan Territory disputed a strip of land, now known as the "Toledo Strip?" Militias were called out, threats were made, shots fired, but nobody was actually killed. It has even been said that the nickname "Wolverine" was coined by Ohioans who saw people from Michigan as surly, unpleasant and ornery.

[Old Scatterbrain]

Sharks do sleep. They can let half of their brain sleep while the other does the work, and switch when needed.

I think I know some people who do that.

 

Yes, I did know about Hedy Lamarr.

 

Did you know that the Ohio-Michigan rivalry goes back to at least 1835, when the State of Ohio and the Michigan Territory disputed a strip of land, now known as the "Toledo Strip?" Militias were called out, threats were made, shots fired, but nobody was actually killed. It has even been said that the nickname "Wolverine" was coined by Ohioans who saw people from Michigan as surly, unpleasant and ornery.

There is the old joke that Ohio and Michigan fought a war over Toledo, and Ohio lost.

[DocWard]

 

There is the old joke that Ohio and Michigan fought a war over Toledo, and Ohio lost.

 

I was going to add that, but decided not. I figured someone would.

[Sparky Nelson]

...the nickname "Wolverine" was coined by Ohioans who saw people from Michigan as surly, unpleasant and ornery.

 

Officially, Ohio became a state in 1803. But Congress didn't pass a resolution formally admitting Ohio as a state until 1953.

 

In more recent news, actress Sarah Jessica Parker was born in my home town of Nelsonville, Ohio.

[Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172]

Yes, I did know about Hedy Lamarr.

 

Did you know that the Ohio-Michigan rivalry goes back to at least 1835, when the State of Ohio and the Michigan Territory disputed a strip of land, now known as the "Toledo Strip?" Militias were called out, threats were made, shots fired, but nobody was actually killed. It has even been said that the nickname "Wolverine" was coined by Ohioans who saw people from Michigan as surly, unpleasant and ornery.

SOME ARE. SOME, NOT SO MUCH.

[Nasty Newt # 7365]

Did you know duct tape is not supposed to be used for duct work?

Ducks are allowed to use it to seal small quacks.

[Sedalia Dave]

Whale sharks are not the only sharks able to breath while not swimming. Nurse sharks, and several other bottom dwelling sharks are capable of that as well.

Sharks do sleep. They can let half of their brain sleep while the other does the work, and switch when needed.

 

Horseshoe crab's blood is blue.

 

Pure honey never goes bad.

 

Horshoe Crab blood is the most reliable detector known to man for detecting bacterial contamination. It is used by the pharmaceutical and medical device industries to ensure that their products, e.g., intravenous drugs, vaccines, and medical devices, are free of bacterial contamination.

[G #1840]

The Mongol writting system that Ghengis Khan introduced originally came from Syrian Christian monks who spoke Aramaic

[Noz]

Members of the shrew family are the only mammals that have a poisonous bite.

[Utah Bob #35998]

Sharks don't blink.

 

Sharks don't sleep.

 

Only whale sharks are able to breathe while not swimming. All other shark species must swim to make their gills work.

 

 

And Faye Ray held the honorary rank of Colonel!

I believe you are refering to Martha "Col. Maggie" Raye, not Fay.

[Birdgun Quail, SASS #63663]

Did you know that Alaska is our most Northerly, Westerly, and Easterly state? The Alaskan Aleutian Islands extend into the Eastern Hemisphere.

[Birdgun Quail, SASS #63663]

"What goes up must come down."

 

Well, did you know that an umbrella can go up and chimney down, but can't go down a chimney up.

[Rye Miles #13621]

Sam Colt died before the Colt SAA came out in 1873.

[Yellowhouse Sam # 25171]

Hummingbirds eat bugs.

[Old Scatterbrain]

Most people perceive the full moon as being noticeably larger when near the horizon as compared to when it is overhead, but it actually is slightly smaller. It is slightly farther away when near the horizon, and so takes up a smaller portion of the field of view. There are a couple different theories as to why it appears to be the opposite.

[Badlands Bob #61228]

There are more life forms living on your skin than there are people on the planet.

 

Kind of makes you itch, doesn't it.

[Old Scatterbrain]

Most races- auto, horse, track and field- are run counterclockwise. I read a reason somewhere, not quite sure it's true, kinda makes sense to me but not really. Anyway, most people are right-handed and therefore right-legged, which means that their left-leg stride is just slightly shorter than their right-leg stride. Supposedly, veering to the left in a broad curve allows one to run slightly faster than going straight or veering to the right. Horse and then auto racing basically just followed the tradition set by runners. Like I said, I don't entirely buy it, but I'm throwing it out there.

[Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172]

Most NASCAR races are won by just turning right left