Useless Trivia

[white avenger]

What's your favorite piece of useless trivia? Here's one of mine:

In 1980, 31 years after the first Road Runner cartoon debuted, in an episode titled "Soup or Sonic," Wile E Coyote finally catches the Road Runner; he then holds up a sign saying, "Okay, wise guys, you always wanted me to catch him. Now what do I do?"

Perseverance pays off in the end. Anya would have loved it.

[Dancing man]

Erm mine would be the fact that Shannen Doherty and Holly Marie Combs went to the charmed interviews togther and orginally Shannen was casted as Piper and Holly was casted as Prue.

[xaphania]

One of my favourites is that there's an old law that says it's illegal to die in the House of Commons :D And the law is still active - whether they'd take any notice of it if such an occasion arose, I don't know.

[The Kinslayer]

One? Are you crazy? But ok, I´ll start with the letter "a", as it feels like a good place to start.

@ is way (way) older than the keyboard and comes from the latin language. If this isn´t true I´m going to burn my book!!!

One of my favourites is that there's an old law that says it's illegal to die in the House of Commons
Speaking of laws. Isn´t there a website with all these "stupd" amercian (regional) laws somewhere on the net? I´m not sure they were actual laws as they claimed to be but that was hilarious.

[Aethra]

There are many such websites, for many countries' strange laws, such as http://www.dumblaws.com/. Some personal favorites are:
The value of Pi is 3.
and
If you are released from prison, it is required that you are given a handgun with bullets and a horse, so you can ride out of town.

As for random information, though: each year, more than 2500 left-handed people die from using right-handed people things.

[Buffanator]

No useless trivia is coming to mind at the moment. I shall have to get back to you on that. :D

[xaphania]

I read the following in a magazine the other day - you're more likely to be killed by a fridge than you are to win the lottery.

[nerd4hire]

The reason Napoleon lost the battle of Waterloo was his hemorrhoids were raging. He couldn't mount his horse to view the battle.

[definition of insane]

That polar bears are left handed....like seriously...how did they work that out? Have you ever seen a polar bear with a pad and pen?

[nerd4hire]

Here's another one about Polar Bears. They were recently put on the American endangered species list, but their population has grown 700% in the last 50 years.

Oh, and here's another one. The picture Al Gore used to publicize the plight of polar bears dying on melting ice is actually a picture of a mom and her cub who swam out to an iceberg from the nearby shore to play on it. Plus Al stole the picture from the grad student who took it. He used it commercially and didn't pay her, or acknowledge it was her who owned it. She took the pic from a tour boat one summer.

[white avenger]

And that famous stand at Thermopalae did consist of 300 Spartans, but there were also about 500 to 1000 other Greeks there as well.

[Bluebird]

The only thing I can think of is that the Cineworld multiplex on Renfield St, Glasgow is the tallest cinema in the world.

[randiann]

To go along with the dumb laws: It is illegal to go whale hunting in Oklahoma....which is a LAND LOCKED state.

After 10 years of use, your mattress will have doubled in weight due to dust mites and the little presents they leave behind after they eat the skin cells you shed while you are sleeping.

[Lindsey McDonald]

The only thing I can think of is that the Cineworld multiplex on Renfield St, Glasgow is the tallest cinema in the world.

That's actually a cinema? Wow. I've seen it a few times in passing, and I always assumed it was the chain's HQ or something. I definately need to go there! It looks so odd!

[littlewilly]

Speaking of laws. Isn´t there a website with all these "stupd" amercian (regional) laws somewhere on the net? I´m not sure they were actual laws as they claimed to be but that was hilarious.

Theres a law, something like you cant wear a fake musthache to church on sundays in Massachussetts.
And one in another state, you cant walk backwards after sunset. Think on it, there was a time people actually thought these laws were reasonable, so, basically, dont abide the law.

[Rowan Hawthorn]

There used to be one in Lexington, Kentucky, that made it illegal to carry an ice-cream cone in your pocket. And one in I believe it was Utah that made it illegal for a girl to give her boyfriend a bite of her hamburger. Most of this idiotic stuff comes from somebody with a little influence and an axe to grind, and it never goes away because it gives CYA excuses for cops who roust somebody that decides to challenge them.

[Mr. Pointy]

nerd4hire was among the first hundred Canadians to download the latest version of the Firefox browser.
This has been brought to you by "n4h Factoids Unlimited", a division of Pointy Productions.



Legal notice - Pointy Productions makes no guarantee of the veracity of anything issued by n4h Factoids Unlimited ;)

[white avenger]

The tombstone of Mel Blanc, the film voice of cartoon characters Bugs Bunny, Sylvester the Cat, Tweety Bird, and Porky Pig, reads:

"That's all, folks"

[Cangel]

My fave piece of trivia is that David Boreanaz as Angel was only planned to last for one episode but in the end made it to the character with most appearances.

[SC7 Fan]

SMG was best friends with Melissa Joan Hart (Sabrina the teenage witch) as a kid and was also planned to play Sabrina in the 2002 film Sabrina the Teenage Witch. At least I think it was 2002.

[littlewilly]

'T' is the most common letter in the englhish language.

Also, lighters were made before matches.

[Blondie Bear]

If my money-count while watching Cash Cab is any indication, I'm full of useless trivia.

[Keanoite]

Couples in Ireland could marry legally on St. Brigid's Day (February 1st) in Teltown, County Meath, as recently as the 1920’s by simply walking towards each other. If the marriage failed, they could "divorce'" by walking away from each other at the same spot, on St. Brigid’s day the following year. The custom was a holdover from old Irish Brehon laws, which allowed temporary marriage contracts...that's the way to do it, no muss no fuss! LOL

Medieval law in Ireland used to allow men to divorce their wives for dishonouring him through infidelity,thieving and 'making a mess of everything'. lol

[Mr. Pointy]

Medieval law in Ireland used to allow men to divorce their wives for dishonouring him through infidelity,thieving and 'making a mess of everything'. lol

That last bit sounds like it could've come straight out of 'Father Ted' :)

[SC7 Fan]

James Marsters middle name is Wesley

[Aethra]

The Ikea catalogue is the only thing that has been printed more than the bible.

[Crazy Flakes]

The longest one-syllable word in the English language is "screeched."
Walt Disney was afraid of mice.
The dot over the letter 'i' is called a tittle.
The glue on Israeli postage stamps is certified kosher.

[white avenger]

A poem written in honor of a bride and bridegroom is called a "epithalamium."

[Randy Giles]

I can't really think of one to say right now, but for some reason, I always remember THE most random facts. When I study for something, it's very hard for me to remember what I'm trying to learn, but I'll read things that don't help me in life AT ALL and will remember them for YEARS without even trying to. *sigh*

And my friends think I'm weird because I'll randomly spout out random trivia when it pops into my head.

[SC7 Fan]

Disney's The Little Mermaid was the first ever animated film.

[littlewilly]

On average, a chimp is 3 times stronger than a man.

[LorneyTunes]

Maybe you didn’t know but WD-40 stands for Water Displacement, 40th attempt. Name was coined by the chemist, Norm Larsen, while he was attempting to concoct a formula to prevent corrosion by displacing water. Norm's persistence paid off when he perfected the formula on his 40th try.


Its kinda sad that i know this lol

[Randy Giles]

Disney's The Little Mermaid was the first ever animated film.

How can that be possible when it's the 28th film in the animated Disney canon? And made in 1989?

[SC7 Fan]

Mel Blanc (The voice of Bugs Bunny) is allergic to carrots.
The national anthem of Greece has 158 verses.
Neil Armstrong first stepped on the moon with his left foot.

Edit:

Leonardo da Vinci could write with one hand and draw with the other at the same time.

[StuckinTraffic]

The longest English word that can be typed using only the top row of keys on a keyboard is.......TYPEWRITER.

[Lindsey McDonald]

Leonardo da Vinci could write with one hand and draw with the other at the same time.

Pfft, I can do that. Just....not very well......

[Lyri]

The Ikea catalogue is the only thing that has been printed more than the bible.

We Rock!!! I work for IKEA, and I didn't know that. I feel ashamed, lol.

The island of Manhatten is only two miles wide.

[Dlou444]

I can spell Albuquerque off the top of my head. I was determined to find a word with two "Q's" at some point. Found one.

[white avenger]

When filming in black and white, the colors royal blue and bright red both appear as black, so in order to create the contrast needed, the Superman uniforms used in the 2 black and white movies as well as a Superman serial, were not blue and red, but gray and brown.

Also, for black and white movies, the substitute for blood was usually chocolate syrup.

[littlewilly]

Last year, a Mexican phone tycoon overtook Bill Gates as the worlds richest man.

[littlewilly]

There is 25 million tons of air in every square mile on earth.

[Crazy Flakes]

The ghosts in Pac-Man are named Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and Clyde.
The only 15-letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is "uncopyrightable".
The word "set" has more definitions than any other word in the English language.
"Beelzebub", another name for the devil, is Hebrew for "Lord of the Flies" (could that be where William Golding got the name of his novel?)
A pig's orgasm lasts for 30 minutes. (Geez!)

[Yam Sham]

Coca-Cola was originally green.
Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
The world's youngest parents were 8 and 9 and lived in China in 1910.
The youngest pope was 11 years old.
Honey is the only food that doesn't spoil.

[littlewilly]

Pepsi, Coca cola, Levis, Mcdonalds and Nike are 5 of the top 10 most recognizeable brands on earth. Also included Sony. Guinness Book of Records

[littlewilly]

Toilets were invented in 1684

[MozYa]

I blame my geography teacher for this, this is always the useless trivia I use when it comes up.

The sound made by the Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe is so loud that it can be heard 40 miles away.

[Lyri]

Northern Ireland causes more air polution on the night of July 11/12 than they do for the rest of the year combined.

That just came back to me as I look out the window and see the smoke form all the bonfires.

[Bluebird]

Glasgow, Scotland has the highest murder rate in all of Western Europe. Yay, go us! :sigh:

[Lyri]

Five by Five agrees: Not wanting to sound completely dense and all, but, why? Random wave of pyromania? What's the significance of today?

We have bonfires that are lit at midnight on July 11/12 to celebrate King William of Orange's (William III) defeate of King James II of England and James VII of Scotland in 1690, during the Battle of the Boyne.

If anyone REALLY wants to know more, check out this: The Twelfth - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twelfth)

[Blondie Bear]

King George III's diary entry for July 4, 1776, included the line, "Nothing important happened today."

[white avenger]

Roy Rogers' famous palomino, "Trigger" was NOT the sire of "Trigger, jr." Also, Trigger's actual name was "Golden Sovereign."

[SC7 Fan]

On the registration number of Spikes car the first letter is "H"

[Rebecca]

Whilst filming E.T. the younger actors found it uncomfortable to look at both of the E.T. puppets eyes due to them being too far apart so they decided to only look at one of its eyes during filming.

[MozYa]

The worlds largest number with a name is a Googolplexian

Edit:

Apparently know one thought of that.

Congratulations you have just invented the name to the worlds largest number

[white avenger]

The strawberry is the only fruit in the world with its berries on the outside of its skin. (Or rather, its SEEDS. Oops)

[Aethra]

Sharks can swim from the equator to the poles without feeling the temperature change.

[white avenger]

Here's one just for Anya---The fear of rabbits is called "Leporiphobia." (It reminds me of one of the absolute worst horror movies ever made. "The Night Of The Lepos," where the world was endangered by radioactive giant man eating rabbits)

[Buffy obsessed fan]

It's impossible to lick your elbow.

It's classic, I love it =D

[Aethra]

It's impossible to lick your elbow.

It's classic, I love it =D

Actually, it's not! I've seen people do it. One kid in my class could do it two different ways!
I'd've karmified you, but there are all these crazy limits, you know.

[SC7 Fan]

It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.

[white avenger]

Jerry Lewis is the only entertainer on record to be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize (1977)

[The Kinslayer]

"Fred" means peace in swedish.

[Bangelxx]

In Bladworth Saskatchewan it is illeagal to frown at cows :D
(I read that in Uncle John's bathroom reader! :p)

[ckg927]

Actors Richard Belzer and Robin Christopher hold the prime time and daytime records,respectively,for playing the same character on the most shows.

Belzer's character of Det. John Munch has been seen most on Homicide: Life on the Street and Law & Order: SVU...but he's also been seen in episodes of Law & Order(and another L & O spinoff,Trial by Jury),The X Files,the short-lived UPN cop show The Beat,Arrested Development and-most recently-the HBO series The Wire.

Christopher began her run as Skye Chandler on the ABC soap All My Children in the late 80s,then returned to that role on One Life to Live in 1998(crossing back over to AMC in 2000),and finally completing the trifecta by moving to General Hospital in 2001.

Robin's feat is more remarkable considering that it was all done on one network;Richard took the character to shows on 4 different networks.

[white avenger]

In the film "Raiders Of The Lost Ark," when Indiana Jones falls into the snake pit in Egypt, there is an image hidden amont the wall's hieroglyphics of C-3PO and R2-D2, robots in the "Star Wars" movies.

[Blondie Bear]

^ Also, in the scene where he shoots the guy who's threatening him with the big sword, he was supposed to have a whole big fight scene, but Ford was sick and had heat exhaustion, and he ad-libbed that. The other guy went along with it, and Spielburg thought it was so awesome that he kept it.

[Relic]

Nightcrawlers/earth worms were not native to the U.S. They were brought to the US in tobbacco bulbs/roots.
(Xander's not the only bug lover it would seem :P )
(JK)

[ckg927]

There have been a number of TV shows that have been pulled after airing only 1 episode,but the Australian show "Australia's Naughtiest Home Videos" has the distinction of being yanked WHILE the show was in progress. (The show aired videos of sexual situations and other sexually explicit content.)Kerry Packer(whose company owned the Nine Network,where the show aired)was said to be so incensed that he called the studio operators to "get that **** off the air!" And...they did;some areas showed a couple episodes of Cheers in its place. The host was fired and banned for life from the network.

However...they've managed to find a copy of the tape,and will run it in its entirety on August 28th.

[white avenger]

Johnny Sheffield, who played Boy in the Weismuller "Tarzan" movies couldn't swim until Weismuller taught him, but Sheffield wasn't Weismuller's most famous pupil. He also taught the son of Al Capone.

[Blackloliita]

Though Americans don't like subtitles, Amélie had also great succes in the USA.

[caitaintdead]

Umm I know quite a few random facts about Belgium from working at a Belgium theme pub.

Fries were first created in Belgium not France
Belgium has the highest suicide rate in the world
Belgium are the largest comic book producers
Belgium had the first female minister

Oh another random fact - I am awesome.

[Aethra]

Both Gatorade and vodka help stop contractions (my sister came yesterday swigging Gatorade 'cause she refused to go on bedrest)

[Blackloliita]

Umm I know quite a few random facts about Belgium from working at a Belgium theme pub.

Fries were first created in Belgium not France
Belgium has the highest suicide rate in the world
Belgium are the largest comic book producers
Belgium had the first female minister

Oh another random fact - I am awesome.

Well the fact you put some facts of Belgium makes you awesome jep :D...

I didn't know all of them yet, but I must say we have a lot of comics... Kuifje (Tintin I think in English, Spielberg is planning to make movie of it), F.C. De Kampioenen (means something like F.C. The Champions, great comics), Kiekeboe, Suske & Wiske, Jommeke, ...

I'm not sure about the suicide fact btw. I can't imagine so many people want to do suicide here, well maybe with the economy that goes wrong at the moment, but still...

Random fact of me now:
Tarja (ex-singer Nightwish) is coming up with third album (if you count Christmasalbum with her albums), she said some titles already and sang one of them live already: The Crying Moon & Enough (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDAhuztnoAE).

[Element]

In England football is ACTUALLY illegal.

[Blackloliita]

Sandra Kim was the only singer who ever won the Eurovision festival for Belgium + She's the youngest winner ever in the contest.

[white avenger]

In "The Matrix," when Neo visits the Oracle for the first time, the tv in the lobby is showing "The Night Of The Lepus," possibly the worst horror movie since "Plan 9 From Outer Space."

[Aussie]

One in 10 Europeans are conceived in IKEA beds

There is a sub type of blood called A-H, but to date, only three people are recorded as having it

The average employee spends 14 working days per year on personal emails, phone calls, and web browsing, outside official breaks

The honey sucker is the only bird that can fly backwards

WD-40 dissolves cocaine – it’s been used by a pub landlord in England to prevent drug- taking in his pubs toilets

The red sea is not mentioned in the bible

NASA invented dust busters

Eagles can’t hunt while it’s raining

It is possible for a human to blow up a balloon via the ear

A hundred cups of coffee in 4 hours can actually kill you

Duno how true they all are but oh well :p

[Lyri]

One in 10 Europeans are conceived in IKEA beds


I really hope this isn't true...but then again, the number of beds I put through the checkouts every day, it probably is.

[Aethra]

Your dominant nostril switches approximately every half hour.

[Edmund Blackadder]

Originally Posted by shadowcay
Disney's The Little Mermaid was the first ever animated film.How can that be possible when it's the 28th film in the animated Disney canon? And made in 1989?

I think I know what the mix up here might be.
This is a masterpiece of cinema that is discussed at length in Movie Class.

It was THE last Disney film to have the cells hand-painted and a new digital system was installed for all subsequent movies it DID get used in Mermaid but unlike later movies, not exclusively.

Also this is the first movie of the new wave of films. Anyone remember a truly successful Disney cartoon between 1977 (The Rescuers) and 1989 (The Little Mermaid), no, because animated movies were in a steady decline.

Many reasons for this, least of all is that a) Disney Cartoons were known for their musicals and in this time period the Musical Cartoons were abandoned by the studio because it was thought musical cinema was dead/dying b) the cartoons just weren't that engaging/good.

The Little Mermaid ALSO earned nearly $200M globally making it by any measure a smash hit making the way for some of the most successful Disney films of all time, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Lion King and Toy Story.

I am such a geek.

Another bit of trivia

There are several 'moons' that orbit the Earth, the one we see and the rest too small to see with the naked eye BUT still large enough to be a satellite. One of these is called Cruithne.

[pernilleborup]

Denmark is holding the record of the most drunk teen society in EU

[nerd4hire]

I just stubbed my big toe on the fridgerator door...and it hurts.

Wait now. You won't win any trivia contests with that one. Try this then...

Al Gore, the guy who won an academy award, and a nobel prize scaring us with proposals like 20 foot sea rises wiping out miles of existing coast line used his global warming hysteria money to buy a million and a half dollar condo by the beach.

[pernilleborup]

Donald,Mickey, and Goofy appears in "The little Mermaid" under the sea in the beginning

[Blackloliita]

The little girl that was singing at the olympics, was playbacking. The real singer didn't may sing 'cause her teeth weren't nice looking...

[pernilleborup]

^I knew that :D I'm so smart XD

Tomatoes are fruits

[Blackloliita]

^Oh very well :D.

Black & white aren't real colours.

[Edmund Blackadder]

The little girl that was singing at the olympics, was playbacking. The real singer didn't may sing 'cause her teeth weren't nice looking...

It wasn't just the teeth.

The girl was chubby and according to the press release 'didn't promote a positive look of China'.


Has anyone ever sat and watched an episode of QI with Stephen Fry?

Basically a quiz show where Stephen will ask questions that we ALL(usually) know the answers to and then tells us why we are wrong.

eg - What colour is space?

Immediate answers are Black and/or Dark Blue.

Wrong - recently using the Hubble Telescope, and the dulux colour scheme, it was determined that the Universe is actually beige - I shit you not!!!

[Kemy]

Has anyone ever sat and watched an episode of QI with Stephen Fry?

Basically a quiz show where Stephen will ask questions that we ALL(usually) know the answers to and then tells us why we are wrong.

I've seen just about every program.

[itsxpaperdoll]

Oh man, I'm sitting here with my QI-book of general ignorance, and this topic.. I'm in heaven ^^

For example, did you know that the moon smells of gunpowder?
That Celts have never lived in the UK, but somewhere along the Danube?
That, in Fleming's books, James Bond has a drink every seven pages and that his favourite is tripple whisky?
That Roman emperors ordered the death of a gladiotor with a thumbs up? ( Freedom was a closed fist)
That kilts, bagpipes, haggis, porridge, whisky and tartan are respectively Irish (the word Kilt is Danish), from central asia, Greek, Scandinavian or central european, chinese, and a 18th century myth? They did however invent, among other things, adhesive stamps, bycicle pedals, chloroform, the Encyclopedia Britannica, the lawnmower, marmalade, the raincoat, the speedometer, tarmac, universal standard time and vacuum flasks. (that one was for the scots here)
That five people died in the Great Fire of London? And Samuel Pepys buried a large parmezan cheese in his backyard on the first evening.
And that Columbus thought th Earth was pear-shaped (ever since the ancien Greeks every simple farmer could tell you the Earth was round)

So, that was it for now. And yeah, I loooooove QI ^^

[Edmund Blackadder]

I've seen just about every program.

It just is one of the funniest, intelligent shows on TV.

German football club FC Hamburg have taken merchandising to its inevitable conclusion, by opening their own cemetery.

The cemetery's entrance is adorned with a large concrete goal-posts; for just over 2000 Euros fans can be buried in a team-coffin.

[itsxpaperdoll]

Oh, Napoleon's most humiliating defeat was when he was attacked by rabbits during a nice afternoon of rabbit-shooting. They were tame rabbits and thought they were about the be fed. Napoleon had the flee and sped off in his carriage :p

[Blackloliita]

Pirates are from all time... they still exist :D

[ckg927]

For you Firefly fans out there:

The character of bounty hunter Jubal Early was named after an ancestor of Nathan Fillion(Mal);Jubal fought in the Civil War as a lieutenant general for the Confederacy. When Nathan mentioned it to Joss Whedon,he named the character after him.

And speaking of Fillion: one of the first roles he auditioned for after leaving the ABC soap One Life to Live was(drumroll,please)...everyone's favorite tortured vamp with a soul,Angel.(Of course,he'd pop up on the show in the last 5 episodes as Caleb.)

[Blackloliita]

I read in newspaper that the brains of vegy persons reduce (hope translator translated it right)...

[SC7 Fan]

S Club 7's single Natural was filmed on an island.

[littlewilly]

Alaska law says you cant look at a Moose from an airplane.

[SpoonsAreCool]

Oh I know one, Mel Blanc was allergic to carrots. Weird eh :lmao:

[SC7 Fan]

Rachel Stevens didn't need to audition for S Club 7 because she had already recorded a demo CD.

S Club 7 were managed by Simon Fuller, the former manager of Spice Girls.

[Blackloliita]

Bloody Mary is the nickname of Mary Tudor, a queen in history of England.