Stuff I learned today

[Roadtrip635]

I learned that Beatrice Straight won Best Supporting Actress in 1977 for the movie "Network" and that she only had about 5 minutes of screen time.

 

[VaqueroTD]

The reason why you are supposed to count rooms in a house from right to left (so first room on right is Bedroom #1 in a 4 Bedroom house) is because that is the same system firemen use when checking out a house to evacuate to make sure they get every room.

 

[Roadtrip635]

I learned that Alan Ritchson from "Reacher" was once a contestant on "American Idol" and even released an album.

 

[Creeper]

I learned that the Scud missile that struck an Army Reserve barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia killing 28 soldiers in 1991 was not intercepted by the Patriot missile batteries protecting the military base there because of a software bug. In fact, the bug, which effected the automatic firing function of the Patriot Missile system, was the result of a miscalculation from decimal to binary in the programming. Because of the bug, the system saw the missile, but then lost it. That resulted in the system doing nothing instead of firing missiles to intercept the Scud.

The bug was first detected by the Israelis who determined that the longer the system was in operation the worse the effect of the timing problem. The Israelis recommended shutting the system down periodically to prevent the system from getting so out of sync that it became ineffective. This worked until a software fix could be applied.

What we were not told back then is, those explosions filmed by TV cameras in the sky were often Patriot missiles detonated by Patriot system operators when they went off target.

 

[VaqueroTD]

I learned a lot about recent history of Israel & Palestinians. Great documentary (and free) on PBS.

Think the saddest part about it is they were on their way to paving a peace process 25 years ago but hardline extremists on both sides made sure it never happened.

 

[Montanalo]

Julia Child, the renowned chef, author and TV personality, worked for the OSS (precursor to the CIA) from 1942-1945. At one point, she reported directly to William "Wild Bill" Donovan, director of the OSS. Apparently, she developed a shark repellent for the military.

 

[nightrain]

Watching a Seinfeld rerun, I learned that they are indeed spectacular. Can't definitively say they are real, but who would care?

 

[Creeper]

Pretzels were first invented in Italy by an Italian monk who uses scraps of bread dough that he twisted into the familiar 3 ring shapes we know for most pretzels. He gave the pretzels to his students as a reward for their work. The 3 rings represent the holy trinity of the Catholic religion.

Of course they were popularized by other cultures but the first pretzels were made in Italy 600 years ago.

Mama Mia! That's a nice-a pretzel!

 

[Runwildboys]

Julia Child, the renowned chef, author and TV personality, worked for the OSS (precursor to the CIA) from 1942-1945. At one point, she reported directly to William "Wild Bill" Donovan, director of the OSS. Apparently, she developed a shark repellent for the military.

Yeah, I think I tasted that once, when my mother tried one of her recipes.

 

[Runwildboys]

Watching a Seinfeld rerun, I learned that they are indeed spectacular. Can't definitively say they are real, but who would care?

It moved!

 

[Tabascocat]

On average, about 8 people die every year due to aircraft bird strikes

 

[Creeper]

Montana is the largest grower and producer of dried beans in America. The garbanzo bean is the most consumed bean in the world.

 

[paladin]

In the days of the Roman Empire, women were perceived as being of so little worth.... that they actually didn't have specific names.
If you were a daughter of Claudius, you were named Claudia. If she had a younger sister, the older daughter became Claudia Maior and the younger Claudia Minor.

 

[paladin]

There is a theory that one of the major factors in Britian becoming a great empire was....tea.
Because
It was not available locally
It was light weight, so it could be easily transported
It was small in bulk... so a lot of it could be transported in each ship.
It was one of the first addictive substances sold, so a constant expanding market was guaranteed
As a result the markups were incredible
It also, of course, required the heating of water to prepare, so harmful microbes, though unknown, were destroyed
Hence a healthier population, more births and an expanding community

As a result, you had a horde of really healthy, really wealthy Englishmen, all hopped on caffeine with nothing do to but.... rule the world

 

[paladin]

If you're in the Atlantic Ocean and enter the Panama Canal.... you go SOUTHEAST, thru the Canal... to reach the Pacific Ocean.

 

[Runwildboys]

If you're in the Atlantic Ocean and enter the Panama Canal.... you go SOUTHEAST, thru the Canal... to reach the Pacific Ocean.

Oh wow, I always assumed you'd go west or southwest! Nice bit of trivia there!

 

[HotDog37]

I learned that there is no pulp-free orange juice in Kroger on a Sunday just before they close @ 11:00pm.

 

[Montanalo]

The average American family spent about $2,200 in 2023 for gasoline, representing 4-5% of household income. By comparison, that same family spent about $1,500 in 2020

 

[zrinkill]

I learned that the VA facilities and Doctors are pretty darn good vs the horror stories you hear about in some areas.

Been to some really good ones ....... and seen some really bad ones ........ I have noticed it depends on the State they are in unfortunately.

 

[Tabascocat]

Skunk smell is very different at ground zero than from a distance. Our pup got sprayed in the face and it is pungent!