Tell Me Something I Don't Know

[mjr]

The "French" in "French Fries" does not refer to the country, but the type of cut, a "french cut".

The Hundred Years' War actually lasted 116 years.

The Battle of Bunker Hill was not fought on Bunker Hill, but actually at Breed's Hill, nearby.

[Seraph]

Those little white ketchup/condiment cups you get at restaurants are meant to be expanded. That's why they have the little folded sides.

[CoffeeMonkey]

Light roast coffee has more caffeine than dark roast coffee. This is because the roasting process breaks caffeine down, much like how alcohol is cooked out of a sauce.

Also like alcohol in sauce, it's nigh impossible to get ALL the caffeine out of coffee. Trace amounts remain.

Both of these facts are a complete surprise to a lot of people. For some (those who insist that they cannot have even a micron of caffeine, else they would surely die...but they still drink decaf or eat chocolate. Or those that are unhappy because you're out of dark roast coffee and the light roast isn't strong enough) it's like telling a cat that cream is bad for it. It's true, but they refuse to listen.

[sms001]

Name the only two days no professional sports are played in the United States....

The two days after the baseball all star game.

Glad this came up - my answer's always been "The day before and after the All-Star game" but apparently you're right, they had two days after in 2012 and this year. Good - makes the question lean people more toward holidays. (And I guess I'll start rephrasing is as "games" also - for those morons who think of the Derby as sport...)

... pressing questions.
How do you know this?

Glad someone asked....

[Jester]

The tastiest part of a human is the bit of meat below the thumb on the palm of your hand.

This brings up not one, but two pressing questions.

1. How do you know this?

2. How can it be stated objectively that something is the "tastiest," when the level of tastiness something has is a purely subjective thing?

[Dasota]

The tastiest part of a human is the bit of meat below the thumb on the palm of your hand.

The reason why you jerk awake when say falling asleep on the couch or at your desk is an evolutionary trick we learned from living in trees. Cuz if you fell asleep and fell forward, you'd fall to your death, thus we jerk awake to prevent ourselves from falling over.

The reason why we go "ssshhh" to crying babies and the like? It's the sound a snake makes, and so we instill fear subconsciously and get them to be quiet or else the snake will find them and eat them.

[fireheart]

Some Pokemon anime trivia time!

-apparently the GS ball (featured in the orange island and johto arcs) was going to contain celebi and she/he/it would travel with ash and company for a while. They eventually decided to out celebi in the movie instead and the idea was scrapped.

-according to a staff member, the reason why they replaced Brock in the orange islands saga was because at the time, Pokemon was becoming more prominent overseas and they didn't want people getting the idea that Brock was a stereotype and/or a racist joke (compared to the more white-bread ash and misty). Hence the introduction of the most random travelling companion in the series.

-while the dub of the series keeps the pikachu sound bites from the Japanese version, in the first series, another actress had to provide the voice dubbing for pikachu when they couldn't fix the audio.

-in Pokemon black and white, the gym leaders for the first gym are known as cilan, cress and chili in the dub. Their names in the sub? Dent, pod and corn.

-and finally, one of pikachus moves in the series (volt tackle) is actually one of the rarest moves you can get. The ONLY way you can get hold of it, is if you breed a pikachu or a raichu holding a light ball, with a ditto or any of the other Pokemon it can breed with. The resulting pichu will know volt tackle. Other Pokemon will have it during events.

[Jester]

I'd call a "no" on this. Under the strictest definition, cider and "malt liquor" are, by definition, NOT beer.

Well played, sir. You are correct that the German Beer Purity Law is strict. But it is not the strictest definition of what beer is, merely the strictest law of what is allowed to be sold as beer in Germany. It's a small difference, but it is a difference.

So, while ciders and malt liquors would not be allowed to be sold as beer in Germany, they are still technically beer.

'nother good bar bet/random trivia: Name the only two days no professional sports are played in the United States....

The two days after the baseball all star game.

[fireheart]

If you happen to be at a zoo, you cannot tell spotted hyenas apart by glancing at their genitalia: the females appear to look like the males. (seriously)

[EricKei]

I would say that this thread has truly embiggened us all....What? It's a perfectly cromulent word!



On US food labels, the terms "lite" and "light" are effectively interchangeable according to the USDA, and may refer to lower amounts of certain components such as fat, sodium, or sugar (must be 50% less than the brand's "normal" version of the same product -- note that a drop in one often means more of the others), or calories (must have 33% fewer)....or, when the term is not specifically elaborated upon, simply the color of the product itself. Yes, this means that, say, chocolate ice cream that isn't quite as dark a brown as the company's "standard" chocolate ice cream (and is otherwise identical) can be legally labeled as "light" or "lite" ice cream, as long as they do not claim to have altered the nutritional content in any way.

[bhskittykatt]

A sand spit connecting two pieces of land together is called a trombolo.

[sms001]

elephants cant jump

I actually knew this one. And thank goodness they don't! Scarey freaky

Jester's Bar Bet tip: wager someone a drink they can't tell you which of the 32 current NFL franchises is the oldest continuously run franchise. Rare is the person that will know that the answer is the Arizona Cardinals,

Only knew this from living amongst St. Lousians for so long.
'nother good bar bet/random trivia: Name the only two days no professional sports are played in the United States....

Speaking of whick, trivia is latin for three roads; in ancient Rome where three or more roads met the Romas would put up signs with bits of news and information on them.

lol. Two common Latin terms, and I never put any thought into their application to "trivia." Now I know.

[El Pollo Guerrera]

David Bowie's real name is David Jones, but he adapted the stage name of Bowie to avoid confusion with Davey Jones of The Monkees.

Movie director Duncan Jones ("Moon", "Source Code", the upcoming "World of Warcraft" movie) is David Bowie's son.

Remember Peter Billingsley?

He directs and produces movies now... including this:

[wolfie]

A group of baboons is called a "flange". This was made up for a comedy show called "Not the Nine O'Clock News", somehow made its way into a scientific usage, and is now the official term for it.

The name for the collection of spikes on a Stegosaurus' tail is a "Thagomizer". That's another one that found its way from pop culture (in this case, a Far Side cartoon) to scientific usage.

On a lighter note, Barbie's (the doll's) full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts.

Mattel's advertising implies that Barbie and Ken are girlfriend and boyfriend. Their names are actually taken from a real-life brother/sister pair (I believe they're the children of the chief designer). Barbie was also "inspired" by a German "adult" gag doll.

Cider and all malt liquor beverages are, by the strictest definition, beer.

I'd call a "no" on this. Under the strictest definition, cider and "malt liquor" are, by definition, NOT beer.

[NecessaryCatharsis]

I love random trivia!

Speaking of which, trivia is latin for three roads; in ancient Rome where three or more roads met the Romans would put up signs with bits of news and information on them.