The "Awesome but Useless Facts to Impress and Bemuse Your Friends" Thread

[ChrisTheRef]

As long it's true, and awesome, it belongs in this thread!

I'll start:

• 22 of the 23 players in this year's Brazilian World Cup squad are married!
• Your finger nails grow 4 times faster than your toe nails
• Without food colouring, Coca Cola would be bright green

Your go!

 

[yorksrob]

As long it's true, and awesome, it belongs in this thread!

I'll start:

• Without food colouring, Coca Cola would be bright green

Your go!

Is that true? I think it would have looked better if they'd kept it bright green !

 

[bnm]

Honey is the only natural food that is made without destroying any kind of life. It is also the only foodstuff that will never spoil.

 

[generalvegitable]

I have about a million of these locked up in my head here are a few of the more interesting facts:

Should there be a crash, Prince Charles and Prince William never travel on the same aeroplane as a precaution

There are no clocks in Las Vegas gambling casinos

Until the nineteenth century, solid blocks of tea were used as money in Siberia

It takes glass one million years to decompose, which means it never wears out and can be recycled an infinite amount of times

Almost half the newspapers in the world are published in the United States and Canada

"the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" which letter of the alphabet is not present?

I can say more if you want me to

 

[mbonwick]

It takes glass one million years to decompose, which means it never wears out and can be recycled an infinite amount of times

That's self contradictory; what you mean is it doesn't wear out in a reasonable time to us humans...

 

[MidnightFlyer]

You can lead a cow upstairs, but it is impossible for it to walk downstairs.
Westward Ho! in Devon is the only place in GB to have an exclamation mark after its name.
Wyoming is the least populous US state.

 

[mrcheek]

Manchester United FC were originally founded as Newton Heath railway depot works team.

 

[Heinz57]

The first toilet seen on TV was on 'Leave it to Beaver'

It is imposible to lick your own elbow

60-70% of you just tried to lick your elbow after reading that!

'Couger Town' isn't a show about people getting attacked by giant cats

 

[mrcheek]

One of the original suggestions for the title role in "the Terminator" was OJ Simpson. But Director James Cameron didnt think he was believable as a ruthless killing machine.

 

[generalvegitable]

It is imposible to lick your own elbow

*cough* http://www.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&q=lick%20elbow&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi

 

[142094]

Honey is the only natural food that is made without destroying any kind of life. It is also the only foodstuff that will never spoil.

What about milk? Suppose people can argue that the male calves are killed quickly afterwards (unless kept for rose veal), and that if you pasteurise it you kill the bacteria...

 

[mumrar]

*cough* http://www.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&q=lick%20elbow&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi

I guess they mean 'freehand' as every image shows people pulling their arm back. I'm sure if I broke my hip I could do some impressive but painful maneouvres. Now a couple from me:
Elephants are the only animal to have 4 knees.
80% of pictures on the internet are of naked women (ace!)

 

[bnm]

What about milk? Suppose people can argue that the male calves are killed quickly afterwards (unless kept for rose veal), and that if you pasteurise it you kill the bacteria...

:roll:Cows eat grass, grass is living.

 

[ChrisTheRef]

Staying with elephants, they're the only mammal which can't jump!

 

[mumrar]

Here's another great fact, and one which overshadows the very character of one of history's great figures.
When Ghandi's wife contracted pneumonia, British doctors said penicilin would save her, but he refused to let her have this 'alien medicine' and she died. A few weeks later Ghandi contracted malaria, and accepted the 'alien medicine' of quinin and would later go on to have an appendix removed by British doctors when he got appendicitis.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Loving County, in Western Texas, has a population of 67. The county is larger in size than Merseyside

Shropshire is the largest UK county with no coastline

 

[mrcheek]

Shropshire is the largest UK county with no coastline

Also the only English county without a direct daily rail service to London. excluding services provided by Germans....

 

[Donny Dave]

Also the only English county without a direct daily rail service to London. excluding services provided by Germans....

Erm, North and North East Lincolnshire don't have a direct service to London either ....

 

[mrcheek]

Erm, North and North East Lincolnshire don't have a direct service to London either ....

Then WSMR are guilty of some serious false advertising.

also, Ive suddenly had an idea for an OAO route.

 

[mumrar]

As the father of a 3yr 3mon old son, this next fact scares me.
On average, a 4 year old child asks 437 questions a day. No wonder they learn so fast!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
I don't think North and North East Lincolnshire are counties. Lincolnshire is the county, and it has a direct daily service to London.
Further to the above, whilst North and North East Lincolnshire have local authority administrations, they are not seperate counties.

 

[Ivo]

I am going to love this thread! I have an almost infinite supply of useless junk.

A few I have used on other forums of late...

Did you know...

• that Peace Park, Hiroshima, is home to a derelict building left untouched since the A-Bomb landed?
• that Brian Kidd scored in the 1968 European Cup Final in football/soccer on his 19th birthday?
• that David Cameron is the youngest PM since 1812?
• that New York was previously known as New Amsterdam?
• that Hans Asperger was said to have Asperger Syndrome?
• that Vienna is said to be the planet's most livable city?
• that John Cleese is a vegetarian?
• that the 1997 Formula One European Grand Prix saw three different drivers post identical Qualifying times?

A few that I have not used elsewhere...

Did you know...

• that Colonel Sanders, the founder of the KFC, went by the first name Harland?
• that the world's oldest tea shop is located in the City of London?
• that Bart Simpson's full name is Bartholomew JoJo Simpson?
• that the island of Surtsey, off the coast of Iceland, was formed less than fifty years ago, in 1963?
• that both Rutland and the Isle of Wight can lay a claim to being England's smallest county, owing to tidal conditions around the latter?
• that after the Madrid train bombings the Spanish national anthem was played at the changing of the Royal Guard at Buckingham Palace, and that the Spanish returned the favour during their own shift change after 7/7?
• that David Prowse, best known for his role as the body (but not voice) of Darth Vader, was formerly the Green Cross Code man?
• that the last time Queen visited Wimbledon during the Championships, prior to this year, was also the last time a British competitor won either senior Singles competition?

 

[Sam Bentley]

The first toilet seen on TV was on 'Leave it to Beaver'

It is imposible to lick your own elbow Not True

60-70% of you just tried to lick your elbow after reading that!

'Couger Town' isn't a show about people getting attacked by giant cats

It is imposible to lick your own elbow Not True! you can lick the inside of your elbow


Devon is the only English county with two distinct coastlines.

In North East England, in addition to there being a Washington, there is a also a New York and a Philidelphia

Bramall Lane in Sheffield is the only English sports ground to have hosted both a Cricket Test Match and a Premiership football game

The Oval is the only sports ground to have hosted both Test Cricket and the FA cup final.

Berwick Rangers are the only football club from an English town to play in the Scottish League

Cardiiff City are the only non English team to have won the FA cup.

"Monument" is the only station name used by both London Underground and The Tyneside Metro

 

[90019]

80% of pictures on the internet are of naked women (ace!)

That's false



If a pigeon were to watch a film in a cinema, it would apppear as a slideshow to it, as the effective framerate of it's eyes and brain are about 10 times that of the film.

Paddington Basin is the home of the only curling bridge in existance.

The only two submersible bridges in the world are at either end of the Corinth Canal.

The Newport Transporter Bridge is the largest remaining transporter bridge (of 8 left worldwide) and the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge is currently the only working example in the UK.

I have loads of these, but I can't think of any others atm

 

[Ivo]

Bramall Lane in Sheffield is the only English sports ground to have hosted both a Cricket Test Match and a Premiership football game

The Oval is the only sports ground to have hosted both Test Cricket and the FA cup final.

Berwick Rangers are the only football club from an English town to play in the Scottish League

Cardiff City are the only non English team to have won the FA cup.

Ye like football? Here is a selection of trivia about top-flight English football...

Did you know...?

• During the Second World War, Italian propoganda - broadcasted in English by radio - declared that they had captured Arsenal forward Cliff Bastin during the Battle of Crete, in an effort to demoralise his supporters. Unbeknown to the Italians, however, Bastin was deaf and thus failed his army medical.
• There have been 111 completed top-flight seasons thus far. Everton are the only team to have featured in at least 100 of those (107).
• Staying with Everton, Liverpool owe their existence to their city rivals. Everton formerly played at Anfield, but a ground dispute in 1892 led to them leaving for Goodison Park. Intent on football being played at the ground, the owner founded Liverpool.
• The 1924 League title almost went to "outsiders" Cardiff City. They lost the title to Huddersfield Town owing to a goal average (scored divided by conceded) which was 0.024 worse than Town's.
• Arsenal have appeared in every top-flight season since football recommenced after the First World War, which is the record number of consecutive seasons played (84 full seasons). However, they were only able to join the top-flight because their Chairman "bought" the team (which had finished only 5th in the Second Division before the War intervened) one of two new berths in the First Division - at the expense of higher-placed local rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
• Preston North End won the first ever League season, 1888-89, without losing a game, and also won the FA Cup that same year (thereby achieving the first ever Double); they then proceeded to win the 1889-90 League title (albeit without avoiding defeat). They have not won the League since. Their unbeaten record, however, would remain unique until matched by Arsenal 115 years later.
• According to Alan Hansen, "You don't win anything with kids." This was a criticism of the "new" Manchester United team crafted by Alex Ferguson for the 1995-96 season. Fergie's Fledglings went on to win the Double that season.
• There have been 23 different winners of the Football League (or the Premier League for seasons since 1992). 21 of those will play in either the Premiership or Championship in 2010-11; of the remaining two, Huddersfield lost in the League One play-offs to Millwall, while Sheffield Wednesday were relegated from the Championship in 2010 and will join Huddersfield in League One. They have won seven titles between them - five of which came between 1924 and 1930.

 

[flymo]

Regarding Sheffield Wednesday, they seem to like changing divisions when the year ends with a '0'.

1900 promoted
1920 relegated
1930 promoted
1950 promoted
1970 relegated
1980 promoted
1990 relegated
2000 relegated
2010 relegated

Any bets for 2020?

 

[ralphchadkirk]

It takes glass one million years to decompose, which means it never wears out and can be recycled an infinite amount of times

Glass doesn't decompose:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_long_does_it_take_for_glass_to_decompose


Did you know, that despite the popular urban myth, glass is not a liquid?

 

[Sam Bentley]

More football

Arsenal are originally a South London team, having started out as Dial Square in 1886 by workers at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, south-east London, and was renamed Royal Arsenal shortly afterwards. The club was renamed again to Woolwich Arsenal after turning professional in 1891. They moved to north London in 1913, dropping the "Woolwich" part of their name.

In Italy, both AC Milan and Genoa use the English spellings of the city name as they were both founded by Englishmen. Furthermore, Genoa's full title is Genoa Cricket and Football Club SpA

In 1975, Chris Balderstone played both a first class cricket match, for Leicestershire, and a Football League match, for Doncaster, in the same day

 

[mrcheek]

Some good sporting stuff here.

A bit vaguer than facts, but:
David English CBE, a sponsor of junior cricket tournaments for year after year, who has seen pretty much every single young player that went on to play for England, was once asked who the very best he had ever seen was. His answer: Philip Neville.

 

[mumrar]

The gloliath beetle is the worlds heaviest insect, weighing in at 110grams.
Greenland has more ice than Iceland, and Iceland more grass than Greenland.
The Owl is the only bird to drop it's upper eyelid to wink, and also the only animal that can rotate it's head 270 degrees.

 

[EM2]

West Ham United have won the FA Cup in 1964, 1975 and 1980. Their team line-ups in all three finals have been exclusively composed of Englishmen, except for one player, Scotsman Ray Stewart who played at right-back in 1980.