Astonishing Facts....

Astonishing Facts....

Author
Discussion

bobtail4x4

3,716 posts

109 months

Tuesday 13th February 2018
quotequote all
m1dg3 said:
Nanook said:
Wiccan of Darkness said:
Shame the grammar police aren't experiencing cutbacks. Quit it please, and stop ruining what was an interesting thread.

Anyhoo....

Octopuses have blue blood.

An ostrich can run from London to Edinburgh - and back again - non stop. It won't get cramp, either.
Had to look into the last one, apparently an Ostrich could run a marathon in 45 minutes!
My favourite ostrich fact is that its brain is smaller than its eyeball.
I know people like that.

Sheets Tabuer

18,959 posts

215 months

Tuesday 13th February 2018
quotequote all
m1dg3 said:
Nanook said:
Wiccan of Darkness said:
Shame the grammar police aren't experiencing cutbacks. Quit it please, and stop ruining what was an interesting thread.

Anyhoo....

Octopuses have blue blood.

An ostrich can run from London to Edinburgh - and back again - non stop. It won't get cramp, either.
Had to look into the last one, apparently an Ostrich could run a marathon in 45 minutes!
My favourite ostrich fact is that its brain is smaller than its eyeball.
Mine is they taste bloody lovely.

anonymous-user

54 months

Sunday 18th March 2018
quotequote all
"pulling your legs'' comes from when people where hanged, the death was not quick, so your friends would pull your legs to kill you quicker.

davhill

5,263 posts

184 months

Sunday 18th March 2018
quotequote all
Thesprucegoose said:
"pulling your legs'' comes from when people where hanged, the death was not quick, so your friends would pull your legs to kill you quicker.
I think this begs a question. Where did,'Pull the other one, it's got bells on.' Come from?

The legendary jester executions of AD1296 perhaps.

Or maybe it's from the 1642 morris dancer pogrom.

Edited by davhill on Sunday 18th March 14:26

gothatway

5,783 posts

170 months

Sunday 18th March 2018
quotequote all
davhill said:
Or maybe it's from the 1642 morris dancer pogrom.
High time we had another one of those.

Russian Troll Bot

24,979 posts

227 months

Sunday 18th March 2018
quotequote all
davhill said:
Thesprucegoose said:
"pulling your legs'' comes from when people where hanged, the death was not quick, so your friends would pull your legs to kill you quicker.
I think this begs a question. Where did,'Pull the other one, it's got bells on.' Come from?

The legendary jester executions of AD1296 perhaps.

Or maybe it's from the 1642 morris dancer pogrom.

Edited by davhill on Sunday 18th March 14:26
I tried to search the death of comedy, but all I found were a load of results for Mrs Brown's Boys

anonymous-user

54 months

Sunday 18th March 2018
quotequote all

glenrobbo

35,251 posts

150 months

Tuesday 20th March 2018
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Did you know that if all the butterflies in the world were laid end to end, we would soon be inundated with caterpillars?

davhill

5,263 posts

184 months

Tuesday 20th March 2018
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If all the female students in Essex were laid end to end, I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised.

Ayahuasca

27,427 posts

279 months

Friday 23rd March 2018
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More than four billion people will die during the average person's lifetime.

Condi

17,188 posts

171 months

Friday 23rd March 2018
quotequote all
Ayahuasca said:
More than four billion people will die during the average person's lifetime.
How many will be born? I suspect the answer will be about 6 bn.

Greg_D

6,542 posts

246 months

Friday 23rd March 2018
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A western persons lifetime would be +\- a complete rotation of the whole worlds population. C.7bn today

anonymous-user

54 months

Saturday 24th March 2018
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Fireworks in Northern Ireland are illegal without a license.

As well, ''Ireland is one of the rare countries in the world, which has a tough approach on firework regulations. In fact, together with Chile, the countries are the only two in the world to ban fireworks in a stringent manner.''


Vaud

50,479 posts

155 months

Saturday 24th March 2018
quotequote all
Thesprucegoose said:
Fireworks in Northern Ireland are illegal without a license.

As well, ''Ireland is one of the rare countries in the world, which has a tough approach on firework regulations. In fact, together with Chile, the countries are the only two in the world to ban fireworks in a stringent manner.''
Plenty of US states ban fireworks. Even sparklers.

In Delaware, you don't need a licence to own a shotgun.
You don't need a permit to buy a shotgun or carry a shotgun.
If you're over 18, and you pass the background check, the state won't interfere with your shotgun.

Unless you have a permit for a public display, it is illegal to sell or possess fireworks in Delaware.
That includes sparklers...

Fermit The Krog and Sexy Sarah

12,949 posts

100 months

Saturday 24th March 2018
quotequote all
Just watching The Dark Knight Rises reminded me of this one.

The city of Gotham is loosely based on New York. There is a village near me, in Notts, called Gotham too, which is the basis for the name in the Batman franchise.

King John was due to travel through Gotham. Any road that the king traveled was then forwards deemed to be a public highway, and the residents weren't happy about this. At this time in history that mental illness/ madness was contagious, so if any such people were encountered they were given a wide berth. The residents of the town all took it upon themselves to fake mental illness, meaning it was decided that the town would not be on-route.

As a result Gotham is sometimes used as a nickname for New York, as it's considered/ joked that the place is made up of nutters.

Hence Batmans city being named after a sleepy Nottinghamshire village.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshi...

Bonefish Blues

26,713 posts

223 months

Sunday 25th March 2018
quotequote all
Condi said:
Ayahuasca said:
More than four billion people will die during the average person's lifetime.
How many will be born? I suspect the answer will be about 6 bn.
Worth a watch of the late, great Rosling de-mystifying this area. (No, it really is, it's a brilliant explanation):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FACK2knC08E

glazbagun

14,279 posts

197 months

Sunday 25th March 2018
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I didn't know Rosling had died. So many great insights in his talks! frown

toastybase

2,226 posts

208 months

Sunday 25th March 2018
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Oh that is sad 🙁

Bonefish Blues

26,713 posts

223 months

Frimley111R

15,661 posts

234 months

Sunday 25th March 2018
quotequote all
davhill said:
Thesprucegoose said:
"pulling your legs'' comes from when people where hanged, the death was not quick, so your friends would pull your legs to kill you quicker.
I think this begs a question. Where did,'Pull the other one, it's got bells on.' Come from?

The legendary jester executions of AD1296 perhaps.

Or maybe it's from the 1642 morris dancer pogrom.

Edited by davhill on Sunday 18th March 14:26
Actually the bells one does refer to jesters but not hanging any of them. And the hanging one is also not thought to be true, from a quick google search it seems no-one really knows where the phrase came from.