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More fun facts
RE: Tell me a random fact about the world, I want to learn something new. 2/20/2013 3:34PM - in reply to good eye blind Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
The Pacific Ocean entrance to the Panama Canal is East of the Gulf of Mexico entrance.
rdzdesedzdze
RE: Tell me a random fact about the world, I want to learn something new. 2/20/2013 4:36PM - in reply to Maranas Trench Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
Maranas Trench wrote:

The deepest place in the ocean is The Challenger Deep with a depth of at least 10,900 and possiblly as much as 11,000 meters.

Jacques Piccard & Don Walsh rode The Trieste bathyscape to the bottom in 1960 the deepest under water man has ever gone.
James Cameron duplicated the feat.
peter's pan
RE: Tell me a random fact about the world, I want to learn something new. 2/20/2013 5:00PM - in reply to coach bigfoot Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
There was no existence of the name Wendy for girls until Peter Pan.
Olympic History
RE: Tell me a random fact about the world, I want to learn something new. 2/20/2013 7:44PM - in reply to peter's pan Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
Horace Ashenfelter never ran the steeplechase while attending Penn State.
Hillary's Baloney Sandwich
RE: Tell me a random fact about the world, I want to learn something new. 2/21/2013 5:30AM - in reply to Olympic History Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
At Johnny Angel's Heavenly Hamburgers in Skaneateless, NY you can buy a sandwich called The Hillary. It is mostly baloney.
SMJO
RE: Tell me a random fact about the world, I want to learn something new. 2/21/2013 7:20AM - in reply to Hillary's Baloney Sandwich Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
The second man to reach the North Pole was black. I'm sure it was agreed that he would come in second much the same way as Norgay being second to Hillary.
flats
RE: Tell me a random fact about the world, I want to learn something new. 2/21/2013 7:40AM - in reply to SMJO Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
"Balls to the wall", referenced a few pages back on this thread, actual pertains to a centrifugal regulator. The faster the motor spun, the closer the balls of the centrifuge were to the wall.
Outside agitator
RE: Tell me a random fact about the world, I want to learn something new. 2/21/2013 7:52AM - in reply to SMJO Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
Since the War of 1812, the only U.S. soil (with a sizeable population) to be occupied by a foreign power was Guam, during WWII.

The only U.S. states that have never had official temperatures higher than 100 are Alaska and Hawaii.

From east to west, Hawaii is the widest of the U.S. states (1500+ miles).
mookie blalock
RE: Tell me a random fact about the world, I want to learn something new. 2/21/2013 9:51AM - in reply to Outside agitator Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
Outside agitator wrote:
The only U.S. states that have never had official temperatures higher than 100 are Alaska and Hawaii.


Another cool one about temperature in the US: The exact same tiny town in Alaska held the state record for both high and low temperature up until 1971. Fort Yukon recorded a temperature of 100 F in 1915, marking a state high that has yet to be surpassed. It also recorded a temperature of -78 F (I'm not sure the date) which was the coldest temperature ever recorded in both Alaska and the United States up until a temp of -80 F was recorded in Prospect Creek in the early 70s. That's an almost 180 degree difference between the record high and low!

The only other place in the world that sees that kind of temperature swing from Winter to Summer is Northeastern Siberia. This area of Siberia gets pretty warm in the summer. Temps are usually in the 70s and sometimes can spike into the 80s and even the low 90s on occasion. In the winter, however, it is the coldest place on earth outside of Antarctica. The AVERAGE January temperature in towns such as Verkhoyansk and Oymyakon is around -45 F. The average low during the winter is around -55 F and temps below -60 F are common. The hottest temperature ever recorded in January was 8 F. Both these towns have about a 200 F difference between their record high and low
malmo
RE: Tell me a random fact about the world, I want to learn something new. 2/21/2013 11:23AM - in reply to Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
The only word in the English language with three y's is syzygy - coincidentally describing the alignment of three or more celestial bodies in a row.
Biff Henderson
RE: Tell me a random fact about the world, I want to learn something new. 2/21/2013 11:39AM - in reply to malmo Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
Napoleon was Italian not French. Ethnically, I mean.
Bobby V.
RE: Tell me a random fact about the world, I want to learn something new. 2/21/2013 12:02PM - in reply to Biff Henderson Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
Roy Sullivan, Shenandoah National Park park ranger, was hit by lightning 7 times in his life, a world record. He shot himself dead at age 71, unfortunately.
324an
RE: Tell me a random fact about the world, I want to learn something new. 2/21/2013 12:08PM - in reply to Bobby V. Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
South Dakota is the only US state with a capital city containing no corresponding letters.
Jungle Master
RE: Tell me a random fact about the world, I want to learn something new. 2/21/2013 1:23PM - in reply to 324an Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
Will Ferrell's real name is John Ferrell
SMJO
RE: Tell me a random fact about the world, I want to learn something new. 2/21/2013 4:00PM - in reply to Jungle Master Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
There is a shrub in Australia that is a clonal plant that has been the sole member of its species for as long as science can tell. It has no genetic variability.
anon amie
RE: Tell me a random fact about the world, I want to learn something new. 2/21/2013 5:05PM - in reply to coach bigfoot Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
The average length of the American phallus is 5.5 inches (as of a 2005 statistic).

In 1980, the average length of the American phallus was 6.0 inches.

Where did that .5 go?

Asian and S. American immigration.
planty guy
RE: Tell me a random fact about the world, I want to learn something new. 2/21/2013 6:04PM - in reply to anon amie Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
The world's largest known organism is a single aspen clone found in Utah which weighs an estimated 13 million pounds - about five times as much as the largest sequoia tree.

http://www.scienceiq.com/Facts/WorldsLargestClone.cfm
Outside agitator
RE: Tell me a random fact about the world, I want to learn something new. 2/21/2013 6:54PM - in reply to planty guy Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
The fifth domestic electrical appliance--patented by Hamilton Beach in 1902--was the vibrator, which came (so to speak) after the sewing machine, fan, tea kettle, and toaster, and about a decade before the vacuum cleaner and electric iron.
Bad Wigins
RE: Tell me a random fact about the world, I want to learn something new. 2/21/2013 7:03PM - in reply to planty guy Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
That's a superorganism, dipwad. Just because they're all clones doesn't mean they're the same tree. A sequoia is way more badass than an aspen clone.

Here are some better facts off the top of my head:

The Brazilian Wandering Spider is not nearly as deadly as reputed. A medical study recorded only 1 death out of several hundred bites.

Japanese women produce no pheremones in their armpit sweat.

After the Plague of Justinian wiped out the population of Italy, it was invaded and taken over by stout Nordic people called Longbeards. Their name morphed into Lombards and they founded the kingdom of Lombardy. Attacking and conquering Italy is a favored pastime among wandering Nordic tribes.

Volcanic eruptions in Iceland in the 18th century released so much sulphur that much of Europe was covered in a fog of sulphuric acid for several months, causing environmental devastation and killing thousands of people. The same volcanoes are due to erupt again soon.
sam w
RE: Tell me a random fact about the world, I want to learn something new. 2/21/2013 7:12PM - in reply to Ghost of Ashenfelter Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
Ghost of Ashenfelter wrote:

The movie Beau Geste (1939) didn't win any Academy Awards, but it had more future "Best Actor" and "Best Actress" winners than any other motion picture in history.


Beau Geste is a great movie. Made me want to join the French Foreign Legion.

Going My Way made me want to be a priest.

I ended up in a very different place.
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