Goafer Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 I regularly do pub quizzes and I'm spectacularly shit at them, despite generally enjoying learning pointless facts. So the only thing I can see to do is learn even more pointless facts. So post em up! I'll start. In 2005, Six Flags Amusement Parks unveiled the then tallest roller coaster in the world, standing at 456 feet tall. That makes the roller coaster 111 feet taller than the highest land point in the state of Florida (345 feet). The phrase "wet your whistle" comes from ye olde times when beer tankards had whistles on to summon the barmaid. So when you wanted another drink, you used the whistle, wetting it in the process. The Morris Minor was the first British car to sell 1 million. The first military tank was developed by the British in World War 1. To keep them a secret, they were always referred to as "water carriers". The workers also believed they were building water carriers, which is where the name "tank" comes from. The Mistubishi Eclipse was named after an English racehorse that won 26 races in the 1700s. People who have been blind from birth have dreams that are formed from their other senses. Other than humans, almost all mammals have a penis bone, or baculum. Other species that are do not have this bone are horses, marsupials, rabbits, hyenas, and a few others. Most other primates, our closest relatives, are born with a penis bone. Anyone got any more? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris the great Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 im the king of random triva, somtimes. dlamations are the only species of dog which can develope goute. it is more difficult fro black people to swim due to higher bone density. gary cooper was the first man to be called gary, named after his home town of gary. it takes 300 pounds of pressure per square inch to break a macadamia nut. all bannana are grown from cuttings of the same tree, and are therefore, in danger of dissease. the clock was invented before the toothbrush or the gun (an actual pub quiz question i aced) baracuda will die if they stop swimming dolphins have a top and botom half to the brain, as opposed to right and left in humans. one half of the brain sleeps at a time, alowing dolphins to staw awake all the time no one is certain why sleep evolved the bible litteraly means the book abraham, mosses and jesus are all big players in both the bible and korran the line "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" was actualy a misstake, armstrong had been given the line line "one small step for a man" but fluffed it. buzz aldrin was the first man to poo on the moon. the blue whale could not sallow you whole, it's throat is just big enough for a grapefruit, however, you could swin down some of its ateries. dinosaures did not eat grass as it evolved after their death. socrotese was killed by an eagle dropping a tortouse onto his head. the first king of egypt is the first individual known today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuD Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 Its a bit late for me to think properly at the moment, but i'll rack my brains and come back tomorrow or something. socrotese was killed by an eagle dropping a tortouse onto his head. That is simply wrong place wrong time. Brilliant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goafer Posted April 9, 2009 Author Share Posted April 9, 2009 gary cooper was the first man to be called gary, named after his home town of gary. On a similar note, the first use of the name Wendy was in Peter Pan. The name didn't exist before the book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supergrunch Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 (edited) Hmm, I tend to know a lot of random stuff, but it's so random that it's rarely useful in pub quizzes, and I don't really think of it in lists so it's more things that I bring up in relevant conversations and so on. socrotese was killed by an eagle dropping a tortouse onto his head. That must be someone other than Socrates, who was sentenced to death for corrupting the youth of Athens and made to drink hemlock, as famously recorded by Plato. Edited April 9, 2009 by Supergrunch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paj! Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 Tori Amos was, and still is, the youngest person to ever be admitted to the prestigious Peabody Conservatory in the US, a music school. She was 5, and got it on a scholarship, as she could play be ear at 2 years old. She was kicked out at age 11 as she refused read sheet music, and wanted to listen to rock and roll. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris the great Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 That must be someone other than Socrates, who was sentenced to death for corrupting the youth of Athens and made to drink hemlock, as famously recorded by Plato. ah, i wasn't certain which one it was, google says Aeschylus. i do know his bald head was mistaken for a rock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supergrunch Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 (edited) ah, i wasn't certain which one it was, google says Aeschylus. i do know his bald head was mistaken for a rock. So it does, fair enough. Hmm, how about: Umami, the "savoury" flavour, can be detected by receptors on the insides of your cheeks. Edited April 9, 2009 by Supergrunch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mundi Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 Ummm... Vikings never had horns on their helmet, you can blame Wagner for making you think that. Can´t think of anything else right now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paj! Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 Freak-folk songtress supreme, Joanna Newsom, is related to Nancy Pelosi, that super-duper politician woman in the US. (Joanna's brother married into the Pelosi line) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jav_NE Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 Havn't been to a quiz for a while, but i am reading Da Vinci Code again and love the little facts in there... The Pentacle is a symbol of nature worship and the sacred feminine, not the Devil! The Church was responsible for besmirching the symbol. Venus orbits in space in the shape of the Pentacle star. The Olympics take place every four years because it is half the cycle of Venus. The symbol was even going to be the five-point starred pentacle, but they changed it to five rings instead. There are loads more later in the book but they are the ones that are fresh in my mind where i am in the book at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoogleViper Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 Vikings never had horns on their helmet, No but I bet they had helmets on their horns. Tori Amos was, and still is, the youngest person to ever be admitted to the prestigious Peabody Conservatory in the US, a music school. She was 5, and got it on a scholarship, as she could play be ear at 2 years old. She was kicked out at age 11 as she refused read sheet music, and wanted to listen to rock and roll. My friend has recently leant me "How to avoid a wombat's bum" and I read that fact last night. And I thought of you and chair. the bible litteraly means the book No it doesn't. It comes from the Greek "biblia" which means books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rummy Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 So I just googled an old 'fact'(the mel blanc one) I'd heard to check if I remembered it right, found a post on a forum with lots of random/pointless 'facts', only to see most of the following posts debunking their supposed accuracy. Now I feel disheartened by it all But...I'll post them anyway! Apparently these are mostly quite questionable. Yoinked from here. 1. Most American car horns honk in the key of F. 2. The name Wendy was made up for the book "Peter Pan." 3. Barbie's full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts. 4. Every time you lick a stamp, you consume 1/10 of a calorie. 5. The average person falls asleep in seven minutes. 6. Studies show that if a cat falls off the seventh floor of a building it has about thirty percent less chance of surviving than a cat that falls off the twentieth floor. It supposedly takes about eight floors for the cat to realize what is occurring, relax and correct itself. 7. Your stomach has to produce a new layer of mucus every two weeks otherwise it will digest itself. 8. The citrus soda 7-UP was created in 1929; '7' was selected after the original 7-ounce containers and 'UP' for the direction of the bubbles. 9. 101 Dalmatians, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, and Mulan are the only Disney cartoons where both parents are present and don't die throughout the movie. . 10. A pig's orgasm lasts for 30 minutes. 11. 'Stewardesses' is the longest word that is typed with only the left hand. 12. To escape the grip of a crocodile's jaws, push your thumbs into its eyeballs - it will let you go instantly. 13. Reindeer like to eat bananas. 14. No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver and purple. 15. The word "samba" means "to rub navels together." 16. Mel Blanc (the voice of Bugs Bunny) was allergic to carrots. 17. The electric chair was invented by a dentist. 18. The very first bomb dropped by the Allies on Berlin during World War II Killed the only elephant in the Berlin Zoo. 19. More people are killed annually by donkeys than airplane crashes. 20. A 'jiffy' is a unit of time for 1/100th of a second. Number 18 was the best thing to read in it all for me lol. As for Mel Blanc, apparently he wasn't allergic, just hated the taste and it got int he way of talking too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashley Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 I have nothing to add but comments to make! My nan's name is Wendy and I was aware of the Peter Pan thing...just thought I'd mention. And Rummy's fact #5 pisses me off because it takes me an hour or two (and sometimes more) to fall asleep. (I had heard this fact before but everytime I hear it it pisses me off). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jav_NE Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 6. Studies show that if a cat falls off the seventh floor of a building it has about thirty percent less chance of surviving than a cat that falls off the twentieth floor. It supposedly takes about eight floors for the cat to realize what is occurring, relax and correct itself. What kind of sick testing is this?!?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paj! Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 My friend has recently leant me "How to avoid a wombat's bum" and I read that fact last night. And I thought of you and chair. EDUT: Totally misread your post. Yay! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayseven Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 Venus orbits in space in the shape of the Pentacle star. Nope, it's nearly perfectly circular :| The Olympics take place every four years because it is half the cycle of Venus. The symbol was even going to be the five-point starred pentacle, but they changed it to five rings instead. Nope, venus orbits once every 225ish days :| I'm vaguely uncertain of the others, too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jav_NE Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 Nope, it's nearly perfectly circular :| Nope, venus orbits once every 225ish days :| I'm vaguely uncertain of the others, too... Don't argue with Dan Brown! I may have misquoted it as i have a bad memory but its along those lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fresh Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 14. No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver and purple. chilver - female lamb. I love that since everyone seems to think silver rhymes with nothing but infact it rhymes with a couple of things, this being just one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jav_NE Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 Purple - curdle? That rhymes doesn't it? Meh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fierce_LiNk Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 I've got a few facts, which I quite like, but which probably won't interest many people. On Mercury, its days are longer than its years. The song "Be My Baby" by The Ronettes features a very famous drum beat in the intro. This has been used subsequently down the years, particularly in "Just Like Honey" by the Jesus and Mary Chain, "Everthing Must Go" by the Manic Street Preachers, and by many other bands such as The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Carpenters, Green Day and even Bat for Lashes. The actor Michael Biehn has had his hand bitten by another character in each film he has appeared in with James Cameron as the director. Bill Paxton, Biehn's co-star on Aliens, is also the only character to appear in an Alien, Terminator and Predator film. Biehn appears in Terminator alongside Arnie, who appears in Predator. Paxton also appears alongside both Biehn and Arnie in the first Terminator film (he's the leader of the punk gang at the beginning of the movie) and alongside Danny Glover in the second Predator film. Jeanette Goldstein and Lance Henrikson have also appeared together in Aliens, but not in the same Terminator film. That was pointless, but I love it. James Cameron likes to keep working with the same network of actors. Also, Paxton stared in Titanic, one of Cameron's biggest hits to date. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goafer Posted April 9, 2009 Author Share Posted April 9, 2009 Words that rhyme with purple: Hurple. It means to hobble. Kurple. It's something to do with a horses saddle. God bless QI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EEVILMURRAY Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 True Fact: If you get to the choppah, then your chances of survival from a Predator attack are increased dramatically. Bill Paxton, Biehn's co-star on Aliens, is also the only character to appear in an Alien, Terminator and Predator film. Biehn appears in Terminator alongside Arnie, who appears in Predator. Paxton also appears alongside both Biehn and Arnie in the first Terminator film (he's the leader of the punk gang at the beginning of the movie) and alongside Danny Glover in the second Predator film. Jeanette Goldstein and Lance Henrikson have also appeared together in Aliens, but not in the same Terminator film. That was pointless, but I love it. James Cameron likes to keep working with the same network of actors. Also, Paxton stared in Titanic, one of Cameron's biggest hits to date. Paxton was also in True Lies as "Carlos". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The fish Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 On Mercury, its days are longer than its years. ) No, that's Venus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cube Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 (edited) No, that's Venus. Venus day - 243 Earth days Venus year - 224. Earth days As for Mercury - it depends. A rotation of the planet is 59 Earth days. However, the time from one noon to the next is 176 Earth days due to the close ratio between it's rotation and orbit. Edited April 9, 2009 by Cube Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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