The fun facts thread.

[Dorian6]

Thomas Edison invented the word hello specifically to give us something to say when we answered the telephone. "hello" is actually a mispronunciation of the word Haloo which is basically the hunting version of Fore! in golf (basically means get your head down... unpleasantness incoming!)

And by "invented" you mean "stole the idea from someone smarter and less wealthy than himself."

OP: Thomas Edison did not actually invent the light bulb. Heinrich Goebel was likely the person who actually invented it, back in 1854. He tried selling it to Edison, who saw no practical use in Goebel's invention and refused. Shortly thereafter, Goebel died and, Edison bought the patent, the one he saw no merit in, from Goebel's impoverished widow at a fraction of what it was worth.

after Goebel, and a year before Edison "invented" his light bulb, Joseph Wilson Swan developed and patented a working light bulb. So he made Swan a partner, forming the Ediswan United Company and effectively buying Swan and his patent.

Soon enough, Edison bought out Swan completely, thus leaving all records of the light bulb under the care of the Edison Company. Sure, Swan had money, but since he bought all the records, Edison could take sole credit for the light bulb. So, the majority of Edison's inventions were actually created by inventors he's either stepped on, bullied, exploited or bought out to his name, but what do they say about Edison in the textbooks? Father of the goddamn light bulb.

 

[redisforever]

1.) Milhouse's middle name comes from Richard Nixon (Milhouse Nixon Vanhouton (I am terribly mispelling that).

Not just his middle name.
Nixon's full name is: Richard Milhous Nixon

 

[Navvan]

All people are born girls, which is why boys have have nipples.

Correction they are not born female. For the first 6 weeks of pregnancy (in which nipples develop) the male hormones have not yet begun to be produced and thus the male and female fetuses are the same. From this we can conclude that "female" is the default human template assuming no male hormones.

Continuing with this one can actually narrow down the gene that makes one male. Contrary to popular belief it isn't the Y chromosome but a single gene that performs this function that happens to be located on the Y chromosome. This gene is known as SRY (Sex determining region Y) and is highly susceptible to mutation. Males with an XX genotypes and females with an XY genotype have been recorded. This is due to chromosomal trans-location (XX and XY) or a mutation that causes the gene to be defective (XY females).

Of course there are other factors, but the absence or presence of SRY is the most influential in determining your sex.

 

[Roofstone]

OT: In Florida, shooting a rabbit with a set of bow and arrows, while on a bus moving backwards. Will land you a $25 fine..

I do kinda wonder why they specified that it should move backwards..

Also: In Alabama it is against the law to cross the state border while carrying a dead chicken on your head.

In Chico, California, detonating a Nuclear Device within city limits will land you a $500 fine.

That hardly seems effective..

 

[LikeDustInTheWind]

The name for the shape of the Earth is an oblate spheroid. That's about all I got.

 

[freakylarzzy]

it is illegal in the netherlands to whistle in certain streets in amsterdam because it offended the hookers working there legally.

 

[GeorgW]

Donkeys kill more people annually than plane crashes.
An hour in front of a computer burns 110 calories.
On average people swallow 14 bugs while they sleep over a year.
The snake, according to polls, is the least liked animal in the world.

OT: Thomas Edison invented the word 'hello' as a greeting over phones to replace ahoy-hoy (which is still used by Mr Burns in the simpsons.)

Actually, as far as I understand it, Edison wanted people to answer the phone with hello while Alexander Graham Bell wanted to use Ahoy, and Ahoy-hoy as a response. In the end, Edison won. According to me, and Mr. Burns, the wrong one won.

 

[Popadoo]

- To create a photocopier, simply photocopy a mirror.
- In Victorian England, a commoner was not allowed to look directly at the queen due to a belief at the time that the poor had the ability to steal thoughts. Science now believes that less than 4% of poor people are able to do this.
- Humans can survive underwater, but not for very long.

Gotta' love fact sphere.

 

[freakylarzzy]

OT: In Florida, shooting a rabbit with a set of bow and arrows, while on a bus moving backwards. Will land you a $25 fine..

I do kinda wonder why they specified that it should move backwards..

thats probably one of those laws that are made because people where being silly about it (the ones that made it)

happens more then you'd expect

 

[oktalist]

Narwals have a vestigial pelvic bone. This means that at some point, Narwals walked on land. Therefore, Unicorns.

Well of course they have a pelvis, they're mammals. Unfortunately, they only evolved the horn after their common ancestor with the whales and dolphins had taken to the water.

However: Indian rhinos are unicorns, and they're alive right now.

 

[KaosuHamoni]

In proportion to it's size, the Sea Barnacle is the best endowed of all animals. If a human were to have a penis of similar proportions, it would be 10 feet long.

Apples, plums and pears are berries, while strawberries, raspberries and blackberries are not.

In a city in England (Can't remember which) You are allowed to shoot a Scotsman on a Sunday. provided you do it with a bow and arrow.

In England, by law a pregnant woman is allowed to ask a policeman for his hat, in order to... Go to the toilet.

The Earth is not a sphere. It is an oblate spheroid.

The sky is not blue. We see it as blue, due to light refracting through the Hydrogen in the Earth's atmosphere.

 

[Byr0m]

Lol I had to just get some facts for biol/chemistry so I'll tell you the good ones:
-your stomach lining also turns red when you blush.
...actually that was the only good one, the rest were crap XD oh well.

 

[Mister Man]

A type of spiders can see four primary colors: red, blue, yellow and ultraviolet.

Yeah, I read a lot of Cracked. You should too.

 

[redisforever]

- To create a photocopier, simply photocopy a mirror.
- In Victorian England, a commoner was not allowed to look directly at the queen due to a belief at the time that the poor had the ability to steal thoughts. Science now believes that less than 4% of poor people are able to do this.
- Humans can survive underwater, but not for very long.

Gotta' love fact sphere.

If I lived in Victorian England, I'd so want to be poor.

 

[k-ossuburb]

There are less calories in celery than is required to digest celery.

 

[StellarViking]

In the state of Virginia, any form of sexual intercourse not done with the lights off, curtains closed, under the covers, after sunset, and in Missionary position is considered sodomy.

Also, in the state of Minnesota, it is illegal to draw funny faces on window blinds.

In Tennessee, you may not fish for whales with dynamite.

A non-state-law-fact: In the average office, the toilets actually have less bacteria per square inch than the desks.

 

[TheAmokz]

During the Continuation War, the Finnish Army discovered that the retreating Soviets had scattered radio-controlled mines throughout the re-captured city of Viipuri. These mines were set off when a three-note chord was played on the frequency the radio was tuned to, causing three tuning forks (of which each mine had a unique combination) to vibrate at once. Once the Army and Yleisradio experts discovered how the mines worked, a Yleisradio mobile transmitter was brought to Viipuri, and säkkijärven polkka was played on the same frequencies the mines used. This operation continued for over three months, until the batteries of the mines were drained.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

The word "shit" was originally and acronym which stood for Ship High In Transit. It was used it the shipment of manure via ship since manure festering in cargo holds had the unfortunate effect of causing shipping vessels to explode due to the build up of methane.

 

[FamoFunk]

All people are born girls, which is why boys have have nipples.

Lol!

You mean, all people start of as Girl in the womb, I think for the first 6 weeks, and then either change sex or stay Female.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Damnit escapist lost my post again

EDIT: Nevermind, there it is.