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DID YOU KNOW?... The Useless Knowledge Thread...

Isthmus

Android Expert
Jan 6, 2010
770
120
Lets unload all those goofy fact and useless trivia and knowledge we all have floating around. Lets see all those curious facts and anecdotes floating around in the deep dark recesses of our minds.

Here are a few.

1. did you know there are actually two countries north of the US? Canada is one, but you'll never guess the other (and no it is not Greenland). The other country is... FRANCE. you see, like the US France is divided into sections (similar to states), called departments. Like the US France has departments on the mainland and others overseas. One of those departments is a set of islands called St. Pierre and Miquelon, located near the mouth of the st. Lawrence river, just south of Newfoundland.

2. how many countries are there in north america? Most people think 2 (US and Canada), with those who know a little better say three (US, Canada & mexico). However the actual answer is 11: Canada, France (see above), US, Mexico, Honduras, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica & Panama. See the geographical southern boundary of north america is technically the border between Panama and Colombia. Politically, however central america and panama are often not included.

3. genetically speaking, the oldest and most genetically diverse branch of the human family tree is those people native to sub-saharan africa. The newest and least diverse are native americans.

4. The largest mountain known to man is a gigantic shield volcano known as Olympus Mons. It is located on Mars and is about 5 times larger than the largest mountain on earth, which oddly also happens to be a gigantic shield volcano. most people know it as the big island of Hawaii.

So what pieces of mental droppings do you have to share?
 
The platypus is not only the only egg-laying mammal, but it is also the only poisonous mammal. It has poison barbs on its back legs.

A group of crows is called a murder.

Reno, NV is farther west than Los Angeles, CA.

Toronto, Canada is further south than Portland, OR. Another reason why Oregon sucks.

i have more, but no time to remember them right now, but I'll be back!
 
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Here is another.

Because of the arrangement of muscles in the human body we are able to push on things with our arms with far more force, than we can pull with them (this is using arm strength only, not your entire body). A small and not particularly strong person can put his hand on his own head and ask a much larger and stronger person to to lift it off (lift it using arm strength only, not your body and not yanking it off), and with few exceptions, the larger person won't be able to separate the smaller ones hand from his head.

Try it out.
 
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Some odd ones that I remember:

There is one slot machine in Las Vegas for about every eight inhabitants

There are no clocks in Las Vegas casinos

It's against the law to pawn your dentures in Las Vegas

The most popular first name in the world is Muhammad

Forest fires move faster uphill than downhill

Most lipstick contains fish scales

A piece of paper cannot be folded in half 8 times

Windmills always turn counter-clockwise. Except in Ireland
 
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Mythbusters busted that one :D

Really? :eek: I think I've tried that every time someone has brought it up and failed miserably.:(

Link?


I'm sorry, but that is crap. They used a piece of paper the size of a football field along with a steam roller and fork lift?!?! :eek::rolleyes: They always do ridiculous extreme stuff like that and claim something busted.:rolleyes:

Ok, let me amend it to a real fact that those goof balls can't wiggle out of.
A piece of 8.5" x 11" paper cannot be folded in half more than 7 times by a single person. That is what the fact was talking about in the first place.
 
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I'm sorry, but that is crap. They used a piece of paper the size of a football field along with a steam roller and fork lift?!?! :eek::rolleyes: They always do ridiculous extreme stuff like that and claim something busted.:rolleyes:

Ok, let me amend it to a real fact that those goof balls can't wiggle out of.
A piece of 8.5" x 11" paper cannot be folded in half more than 7 times by a single person. That is what the fact was talking about in the first place.

Rofl, yeah but they did fold a piece of paper in half more than 7 times :D
 
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4. The largest mountain known to man is a gigantic shield volcano known as Olympus Mons. It is located on Mars and is about 5 times larger than the largest mountain on earth, which oddly also happens to be a gigantic shield volcano. most people know it as the big island of Hawaii.

So what pieces of mental droppings do you have to share?
Thanks for starting this great; very nice and fun.
Technically speaking the big island of Hawaii is actually two volcanoes, Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.

My contribution:
The flea can jump 350 times its body length, that is like a human jumping the length of a football field
 
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Here is another.

Because of the arrangement of muscles in the human body we are able to push on things with our arms with far more force, than we can pull with them (this is using arm strength only, not your entire body). A small and not particularly strong person can put his hand on his own head and ask a much larger and stronger person to to lift it off (lift it using arm strength only, not your body and not yanking it off), and with few exceptions, the larger person won't be able to separate the smaller ones hand from his head.

Try it out.

That sounds like a prank designed to get people to smack themselves in the head really hard. :p


If you drink enough grape soda, the food coloring in it will turn your poo green.
 
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