Post Your Trivia: Interesting, Fun, or Useless Facts

Dr. Ben Goldacre, the science writer and debunker of various myths, quack cures and urban myths, is the son of Noosha Fox, lead singer of brilliantly quirky, and quirkily brilliant, 70s popsters Fox.

Their biggest hit was the fantastic "S-s-s Single Bed".

View here

Crows do not fly in a straight line.

Statistically you have more chance of being struck by lightening than winning the jackpot on the lottery (Mr Lockhart please note re 'Lottery tickets now £2') 

Mel Blanc didn't like carrots.

WC Fields was born in Sheffield.

All the gold ever mined would fit in a space equal to 3 Olympic sized swimming pools.

David Niven was a fan of German experimentalists Can.

Filipinos send/receive more text messages in one day than the whole of Europe does in one month.

Is that true or does it just seems like it?

There are some teenage girls around here that are either asleep or texting. That's it. They do nothing else.

I read it on the interweb so it must be true. Just google philippines texting capital of the world or some such. 

Jean-Luc Picard's fish is called Livingstone.

On average women say 7,000 words per day. Men manage just over 2000.

Stirling Moss was never won F1 world championship.

Useful Trival Pursuit answer.

We are all born without kneecaps

They form between 2 & 6 years of age 

The second biggest selling album ever, "Dark Side of the Moon", never reached No.1 in the UK (its highest position was No.2).

In the US, it only ever occupied the top spot for a week.

According to a www factoid blurb .....

...... more money is spent on gardening than on any other hobby

I wonder if Naim owners were included in that research???

The very first bomb dropped by the Allies on Berlin during World War II killed the only elephant in the Berlin Zoo.

Another war fact. The total material cost of the Second World War, adjusted for inflation, is about $106 TRILLION. More apparently, than every other war in history put together...

Not strictly true Mike. At birth many bones are not visible on X-rays, such as the kneecaps and bones of the wrist, but are still present in the form of cartilage. As the child grows these ossify at different ages but they are still present. In fact we use this 'bone age' to assess for delayed or accelerated growth in some children.

ATB

Steve

Its 10,000 kilometres from the North Pole to the Equator via Paris. Napoleon said so.

Cheers

Don

As of today, there are 14 (verified) people still alive who were born in the 19th century. The oldest was born in April 1897.

Dear Kevin,

About old people, the oldest I ever met and conversed with was born in 1875. My great Grand father, Ivar Erik Fiske.

Here he is somewhat before 1900, I think:

He was a brilliant engineer, and I last saw him in 1967 ...

ATB from George Fredrik Fiske J-

Hi George

Handsome chap! I love old photos.

How weird, because also in 1967, aged five, I met my great-grandfather, William "Billy" Taylor who was also born in 1875. He and my great-grandmother Alice (1880-1969) lived in Bristol all their lives. They were fairground people I think. I can't remember too much about him, other than the fact that he was blind and had fought in the Boer War. He died in 1970 or '71. Next time I speak to my mum I'll see if she has any pics of him.

Dear Kevin,

Please do post the pictures if you can. I have photos from 1961 to '67 of the times when I met my GGF and my Oldmor [died 1977]! But currently have no scanner.

The last time was at my Norwegian aunt's Wedding where my brosely and I were Page Boys [aged five and six], and my GGF was the most striking guest among two hundred. After that he said to my Oldmor that he had done everything, and then spent three weeks in bed before expiring. Those old folk knew how to pass away without troubling anyone. 

For that day he refused to use his customary walking stick. 

ATB from George