Cool, weird facts

[RoryN]

This:

...was made by Curtis Mathes, founded by electronics guru Curtis Mathes Jr.

In 1983, Curtis Mathes Jr. was on the plane sitting on this Kentucky runway in the photo:

It caught fire because someone was smoking in the airplane bathroom, and didn't put out their cig. He died. (So did a few other people.)

His death was one of the key reasons TV manufacturing left the United States, and probably the reason your commercial airplane now has this in its bathroom.

Finally, this beauty below has been flying since around 1967 and is still flying (now for Delta):

...and the wings on this plane were salvaged from the DC-9 Curtis Mathes died in.

 

[Phelia]

Some birds have two sets of "vocal cords" which allow them to imitate human speech, complex noises and sing two parts of a song at once.

 

[Saint Peter]

If pheasants smelled like tennis balls, my dog would be an excellent bird dog.

 

[koalabear]

Sneezing with your eyes open is impossible.

 

[RoryN]

Sneezing with your eyes open is impossible.

I didn't think anyone was dumb enough to believe this. I was wrong.

 

[bra_man69]

Cracked.com great place to read about weird things.

 

[koalabear]

RoryN wold not exist if it wasn't for the invention of canned corn.

 

[Phelia]

Holy hannah! Good one, Rory. Koala, sniper school sounds exhaustive.

Our lexicon shapes how we perceive the world around us. Because Russian includes more words for specific colours, Russian people are able to detect greater shade/hue variances than their non-Russian speaking counterparts. A lack of directional terms in a version of Nicaraguan sign language made it incredibly difficult for them to locate an object that they had just watched being hidden. Conversely, an aboriginal tribe that does not include the words "left" or "right" and relies solely upon cardinal directions (when hanging a painting, they'd ask to have it moved "two centimetres to the east") have an uncanny internal compass and sense of navigation.

ETA: This "fact," while indeed cool and weird, is apparently up for academic debate! Thanks to KingOrfeo for the catch, and check out the great wiki article he posted on linguistic relativity.

 

[bra_man69]

You can't hold your nose and hum
And I bet your dumb ass tried it just now

 

[Phelia]

Cosmic microwave background radiation, one of if not the most important pieces of evidence supporting the big bang theory, was first recorded quite by accident. The residual noise was originally thought to be caused by an equipment error or interference (possibly pigeon-related).

It is, however, important to note that CMB's existence was predicted before its actual discovery. Still, the first people to hear the hum from the fingerprint of the universe thought it might be due to bird shit. Wild.

 

[koalabear]

Astronauts cannot belch - there is no gravity to separate liquid from gas in their stomachs.

 

[zipman]

The Aerosmith song "Walk this way" was inspired by the Mel Brooks movie Young Frankenstein. In the movie, Igor says "walk this way" (meaning in this direction) and Dr. Frankenstein proceeds to imitate his limp.

 

[Wings]

The White House is modeled after what is now the seat of the Irish Parliament, Leinster House

 

[koalabear]

Your eyes are always the same size from birth (but your nose and ears never stop growing).

 

[Wings]

Johnny Savage, are you reading?

Puff Daddy throws his kicks away after just one wearing.

Just one! WTF?!?

 

[Licia]

Steel wool and a nine volt battery: flameage.

Aloe for burns.

Protect a fragile present with the recipent's dirty socks. If you've the patients and stomach, work a few months ahead of schedule ... bonus points are awarded if their feet stank causes plant wilt.

 

[zipman]

Facetious is the only word in the english language where the vowels are used in their order in the alphabet.

 

[Wings]

Facetious is the only word in the english language where the vowels are used in their order in the alphabet.

This is really cool! I didn't even know that.

 

[CHNOPS]

Facetious is the only word in the english language where the vowels are used in their order in the alphabet.

(What about abstemious?)

Also, if you make it 'facetiously,' you even get the y there and in order, too.

 

[koalabear]

Facts cannot be copyrighted, theories can be.

 

[zipman]

This is really cool! I didn't even know that.

I'm full of useless tidbits of knowledge that I've learned throughout the years.

Here's another one: Babe Ruth used to wear a Cabbage leaf under his baseball cap that he would change every couple of innings to stay cool.

 

[Phelia]

If you were to go to Korea, you'd instantly be a year or two older.

First, you're one year old as soon as you're born - there's no year zero, so that's +1 right there. Second, your actual date of birth doesn't matter. As of January 1 of each year, everyone is considered another year older.

 

[zipman]

(What about abstemious?)

Also, if you make it 'facetiously,' you even get the y there and in order, too.

You bastard! I never heard of that word. Of course you're right.

*sigh*

 

[RoryN]

The Aerosmith song "Walk this way" was inspired by the Mel Brooks movie Young Frankenstein. In the movie, Igor says "walk this way" (meaning in this direction) and Dr. Frankenstein proceeds to imitate his limp.

The title and the lyric were. But the song itself is about fingering a girl and first sexual experiences. One lets their fingers do the walking...

Singin' "hey diddle diddle"
With your kitty in the middle...

 

[CHNOPS]

In the US and Europe, about 1 of every 10,000 people has perfect pitch. Among speakers of East Asian tonal languages, that number jumps up somewhere closer to 100%.