The ‘I Never Knew That!’ thread

[Sinnlover]

I thought a thread where people could post useless knowledge, recent things you have discovered but have never thought about or just random factoids, might be a bit of fun, a bit like QI but giving us the opportunity to be “that bloke at the bar” in our local.

Todays snippet of wonder for me was learning that in the UK cauliflower can only grow in Cornwall.
The most bland and uninspiring of veg is a Mediterranean brassica and needs a Mediterranean climate to grow. I though it was so god bleedin’ awful it must have been a veg of UK origin. (Thank you countryfile)

Over to up you fine members.

[Chris_in_the_UK]

Cauliflower is grown in Lincolnshire?

[Sinnlover]

Cauliflower is grown in Lincolnshire?

Not according to Matt Baker

Anyhoo…

[catflem]

Not according to Matt Baker

Anyhoo…

It appears that Matt is wrong

https://www.thclements.co.uk/our-products/cauliflower

[sish101]

Dogger Bank itch is a cutaneous condition caused by exposure to the sea chervil.
The disease, common in fishermen who work in the North Sea, has been recognized by the Danish Workman's Compensation Act since 1939.

Sent through the ether by diddling with radio waves

[PhilT]

Our cauliflower comes from Devon.

How’s the new thread working out for you?! :-)

[Sinnlover]

Our cauliflower comes from Devon.

How’s the new thread working out for you?! :-)

Not very well apparently, I am not trying to prove anything just add a bit of fun.

[PhilT]

To try to redeem myself, I had never heard of Prince Rupert’s drop until recently. It has no practical relevance to my life but I still find it fascinating.

https://youtu.be/C1KT8PS6Zs4

[Ruggertech]

According to tonight's Antiques Roadshow we are the only country in the world that doesn't have to have its name on its postage stamps. Apparently an international concession because we invented the things.

[yumma]

I have seen fields full of Cauliflowers in Kent, no wonder its known as the garden of England. Goes to show you cannot trust everything you see on Countryfile and the BBC.

[Passenger]

Sliced the palm of my hand once, cutting cauli's as a lad in Lincs this was, that taught me.

[Papa Hotel]

Interesting fact: my grandad and dad used to grow cauliflower in Northern Ireland.

[hilly10]

I did not know that the suits Astronauts wear when carrying out a space walk from the ISS cost $15m each. That’s some suit.

[freeloader]

None of these are actually nuts.

Almonds, pistachios, peanuts, cashews and pecans.

Not sure if they can only be exclusively grown in one region?

[Sinnlover]

The Vadoma tribe in northern Zimbabwe are best known for their Ectrodactyly. (They have three toes.)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vadoma
This is due to the limited gene pool in the tribe as a result of their remote location and rules that prevent marriage outside of the tribe.
It is thought the genetic mutation helps them climb trees as part of their hunter gatherer way of living.

[Montello]

The Vadoma tribe in northern Zimbabwe are best known for their Ectrodactyly. (They have three toes.)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vadoma
This is due to the limited gene pool in the tribe as a result of their remote location and rules that prevent marriage outside of the tribe.
It is thought the genetic mutation helps them climb trees as part of their hunter gatherer way of living.

I think you are confusing that with Mersea Island in Essex.

[Saint-Just]

I think you are confusing that with Mersea Island in Essex.

You’ll find it’s also the Isle of Sheppey, Kent.

[Toad monitor]

The hedge sparrow isn't a sparrow.

[sish101]

The Jerusalem Artichoke is neither

Sent through the ether by diddling with radio waves

[Sinnlover]

The Red Panda is more closely related to raccoons weasels and skunks than it is to the Giant Panda. The latter is actually part of the bear family.




(Not according to Matt Baker this time)

[Passenger]

The Red Panda is more closely related to raccoons weasels and skunks than it is to the Giant Panda. The latter is actually part of the bear family.




(Not according to Matt Baker this time)

And the Kung Fu Panda?

[Sinnlover]

And the Kung Fu Panda?

He causes panda-monium…

[Mr Curta]

There are no bridges across the Amazon River.

[apm101]

The synthpop pioneer Thomas Dolby wrote the software for Nokia's polyphonic ringtones.

[ViperStripes]

There are no bridges across the Amazon River.

That was on “no such thing as a fish” podcast very recently. thought it was amazing fact too.

[zelig]

The difference between JIS & phillips head screws & screwdrivers

https://daitool.com/blogs/news/phill...d-screwdrivers

z
(from a James May clip)

[Mr Curta]

Juan Pujol García was awarded both the Iron Cross and an MBE in 1944.

[TKH]

Jimi Hendrix played his guitar upside-down

[unclealec]

Jimi Hendrix played his guitar upside-down

Did it not make him dizzy?

[TKH]

Did it not make him dizzy?

haha

he played a right handed guitar left handed because he could not find a leftie.

[Mr Curta]

Jimi Hendrix played his guitar upside-down

That must have made kissing the sky even trickier.

[Saint-Just]

That must have made kissing this guy even trickier.

FTFY
Oh, wait

[Wallasey Runner]

Jimi Hendrix played his guitar upside-down

There was a sad story that Eric Clapton managed to find an incredibly rare left hand Strat and had bought it for Hendrix as a gift. By the time Clapton got back to London Jimi had just died. The upside down guitar could have been a thing of the past.

[Mr Curta]

The sheep and bird sounds on Kate Bush's song The Dreaming were provided by Percy Edwards.

[ryanb741]

Hot water turns to ice faster than cold water

[TKH]

Lemons Float in water Limes Sink

[Raffe]

Lemons Float in water Limes Sink

ChatGPT does not agree:


User
Do lemons float in water, while limes sink?

ChatGPT
The floating or sinking of lemons and limes in water is not determined by their type or variety (i.e., lemon or lime), but rather by their density. Both lemons and limes can float or sink depending on their specific density.

The density of a lemon or lime depends on its size, ripeness, and other factors. Generally, if a lemon or lime is denser than the water it is placed in, it will sink. Conversely, if it is less dense than the water, it will float.

Keep in mind that even within a single type of fruit, there can be variations in density. Therefore, some lemons may float while others sink, and the same applies to limes. The density of a fruit can also be influenced by factors such as air pockets within the fruit, variations in ripeness, or the presence of any additional substances on the surface.

[Possu]

The longest English word you can write without vowels is rhythm

It has always perplexed me why Y isn’t a vowel in English. In Finnish the vowels are AEIOUYÄÖ.

[monogroover]

It has always perplexed me why Y isn’t a vowel in English. In Finnish the vowels are AEIOUYÄÖ.

But do you have a hard Y - like the English "yoghurt", or do you use a J for that?

I had a Finnish girlfriend once, but only learned the words useful in coffee shops, bars and during sexual intercourse.

[TKH]

ChatGPT does not agree:


User
Do lemons float in water, while limes sink?

ChatGPT
The floating or sinking of lemons and limes in water is not determined by their type or variety (i.e., lemon or lime), but rather by their density. Both lemons and limes can float or sink depending on their specific density.

The density of a lemon or lime depends on its size, ripeness, and other factors. Generally, if a lemon or lime is denser than the water it is placed in, it will sink. Conversely, if it is less dense than the water, it will float.

Keep in mind that even within a single type of fruit, there can be variations in density. Therefore, some lemons may float while others sink, and the same applies to limes. The density of a fruit can also be influenced by factors such as air pockets within the fruit, variations in ripeness, or the presence of any additional substances on the surface.

Challenge accepted
https://www.bestfoodfacts.org/lemons-float-limes-sink/

[A440]

The square root of minus 1 is imaginary (i).

[RJM25R]

The drummer from ZZTop is called Frank Beard. He’s the only member of the band without a long beard.

[tixntox]

Rhubarb is grown in the dark!

[unclealec]

The fifteen gold circles on the badge of Cornwall are fifteen gold coins (Bezants) that were the ransom demanded by and paid to the Saracens for the release of Richard Duke of Cornwall (later King Richard II) after he was captured during the Crusades.
The citizens of Cornwall crowdfunded the ransom money, which is where the Cornish motto "One and All" originated.

Allegedly.

This was told to me by Matt Baker when he was in Cornwall doing a piece on slow worms for Countryfile.

[notnowkato]

A bloodhounds sense of smell is so acute it could detect a kipper on the moon.

[freeloader]

Rhubarb is grown in the dark!

Only if it's "forced", this give sweeter rhubarb and allows an earlier crop.

[Dave O'Sullivan]

Rhubarb is grown in the dark!

And you can hear it growing.

[blackal]

There is a small town in Alaska, which as it was growing from a handful of houses into a community - required to have a name.

The locals wanted to call it after the Ptarmigan (now the State bird of Alaska) but they were unsure of how to spell it, so to avoid embarassment - they decided to call the town.............................. CHICKEN.

[Mr Curta]

Hot water turns to ice faster than cold water

"There exists a set of initial parameters, and a pair of temperatures, such that given two bodies of water identical in these parameters, and differing only in initial uniform temperatures, the hot one will freeze sooner."

- Jeng

[Mj2k]

Hot water turns to ice faster than cold water

I still struggle with that despite having been sad and tested it out myself. Always a geek!