Beardie Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 Just thought I would share an odd fact I came across a short while ago. For some years I lived in a Scottish seaside town in Ayrshire called Saltcoats. I knew the town had a VC winner called Kenneth Campbell who died in what was pretty much a suicide mission on the Gneisenau but I just learned a short while ago that one Otto Kiep was born in the town while his parents were holidaying there. Herr Kiep was executed in 1944 as one of the group who tried to assassinate Hitler at the Wolf's Lair. Anyone else got obscure and interesting facts to share? 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 David Boon, legendary Australian cricketer holds the record for most beers chugged on a plane flight to England; 52. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 Remarkably, out of the 365 individual days that make up a full year - I was born on my birthday, ain't that a coincidence! .... and my neighbours live right next door to me, can you believe that? Cheers.. Dave 1 19 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 Inside a coloured balloon the light is a funny colour. 2 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lasermonkey Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 Poet John Donne lived in the house next door to mine later in his life. In the churchyard across the road lie the remains of Pilot Officer Alan Dunn Hopkin, whose Blenheim exploded whilst on patrol in the early morning of 10th July, 1940. That must make him one of, if not the, first casualties of the Battle of Britain. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tzulscha Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 It is physically impossible to lick your own elbow. The medical term for your butt crack is "Intergluteal cleft". Mordor actually exists. It is a dark region on Plutos' moon Charon. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince1159 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 A duel between three people's actually called a truel.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thorfinn Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 1 hour ago, Tzulscha said: The medical term for your butt crack is "Intergluteal cleft". Know what those two lines under your nose are called? "Paramedian vertical philtral ridges." 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony C Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 A moving tank track, when in contact with the ground, does not actually move! 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreadeddrew Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 The word "gullible" is not actually in the dictionary. 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhouse Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 2 hours ago, Vince1159 said: A duel between three people's actually called a truel. And if the weapon of choice is watery boiled oatmeal, it's a gruel. 1 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelh Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 2 hours ago, dreadeddrew said: The word "gullible" is not actually in the dictionary. I looked that up. It is. Oh wait Doh! (Actually it was a bit obvious) 3 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelh Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 (edited) But my obscure fact is that Lord Haw Haw (William Joyce) is buried locally. I've visited his grave recently. I have to say I shook my head at this serial traitor. He betrayed Ireland, his adopted country, England and was well on his way to betraying Germany when he was caught and executed. I had no idea he was was so close by. Edited October 9, 2019 by noelh 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Knight Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 On some Bi-planes the top wing has a downward angle [anhedral] and the lower wing has an upward angle [dihedral] the combination is called cat-hedral, this used to be written cathedral A wing with both dihedral and anhedral is polyhedral. examples are the JU87 and C.V. Corsair 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnT Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 6 hours ago, Mike said: Inside a coloured balloon the light is a funny colour. I am tempted to ask how you know but fear the answer as there could be some rubber thingy going on there 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardie Posted October 8, 2019 Author Share Posted October 8, 2019 I have to say @Tzulscha I don't believe it is actually impossible to lick your own elbow. There is a TV program in the UK called 'Duck Quacks Don't Echo' where they look into such things and I seem to recall that, after the presenter or one of the guests declared that licking your own elbow is impossible someone in the audience proved that it was actually possible by doing it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince1159 Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 2 hours ago, noelh said: I looked that up. It is. Oh wait Doh! (Actually it was a bit obvious) A pint of Duff to the man (tbh i almost did it).... 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 There are more Rs in the word "error" than there are in some other words. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Knight Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 Bear Grylls grew up in my town [oh dear, how sad, never mind!] The last known, and recorded, place of the notorious 17th century pirate Henry Avery [various spellings] was my town. Local history records that the daughter of the local manor lord married a rich sea merchant who's fortune revived the poverty of the family. The sea merchant adopted the name of the family as was quite usual at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted October 8, 2019 Share Posted October 8, 2019 Airfix spelt backwards is Xifria - which 'Siri' tells me is the Latin translation of 1/48 Vulcan! 3 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardie Posted October 8, 2019 Author Share Posted October 8, 2019 Saltcoats was also the home of one Betsy Miller (1792-1864) who was captain of the Brig Clytus and was the first ever female sea captain to be certified by the board of trade. She sailed the Clytus in all weathers between Scotland and Ireland for thirty years until she retired at seventy in 1862 handing over the captaincy of her ship to her youngest sister. They bred them tough in Scotland! 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwidave4 Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 If you are stranded in the Arctic and you choose to kill a polar bear for something to eat, do not eat its liver. The concentration of Vitamin A will kill you. And I seem to recall being told that grizzly bears all have hepatitis so best not to nibble on them either, after feasting on polar bear and heading south. 3 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phildagreek Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 3M started off as a company making supplying miners with everything they could hope for way back when, hence it's name Minnesota Mining & Mineral. Now they make or supply pretty much everything everyone wants. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bentwaters81tfw Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 10 hours ago, Beardie said: Saltcoats was also the home of one Betsy Miller (1792-1864) who was captain of the Brig Clytus Is that as mis-spelling? 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bentwaters81tfw Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 The last recorded incidence of the Plague in England was in a cottage in my village. It was reckoned that rats swam ashore from a ship moored in the river carrying the disease with them. My sister in law and her family owned this cottage for a while. From time to time it would smell of tobacco or lavender. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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