OT: Share useless Trivia!

[AngelTears]

Here is some more useless trivia:

You are more likely to be hit twice by lightning then win the lottery.

There is a 500 member support group in the U.S. for those who are hit by lightning or experience high power electrical shocks.

The Bahai Faith with an estimated membership of 6 million is the worlds widest spread religion. It was founded about 150 years ago in then Persia.

The Jewish religion is hereditary, passed down along the mothers side. Making me half jewish, would my children then be 1/4th jewish?

The Zoreastrian religion is also hereditary. Only those who are Zoreastrian are allowed into the temple.

The crack of the whip is caused by the speed of the tip of the whip breaking the sound barrier.

-Angel Tears

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

Most car horns in America honk in the key of F.

I had this confirmed by my mom, who is a music teacher and has perfect pitch. We were in the car and I mentioned said fact. She honked the horn, hummed, thought for a second then said:

"Yup, F sharp."

 

[Numion]

In 1976 the russian cosmonaut Zholobov asked the ground control a permission to open a window in order to ventilate the space station - while in orbit. He was sent down shortly after.

(He also believed that the mission commander conspired to murder him. Space can mess your mind.)

 

[s/LaSH]

Statistically speaking, bows are deadlier than guns. In times of war, bows killed a ratio of more people than guns do today.

The Beatles sell more records today than they did when they were still together.

There is a small chance that you may be immortal. Look at the facts: Estimates vary, but out of our entire history the species Homo sapiens has had somewhere between 15 and 60 billion members, compared to 6-7 billion alive today. Out of all those people, only 60-90% of them have died. Pretty good odds, huh?

And apparently 83.6% of statistics are just made up...

OK, the last two were pretty off-topic, but they're useful at parties too. And while I'm at it: I'd hope that ancient Athens would have had women voters. Otherwise Athene would have kicked their butt. That's why I like her; during the Illiad she even beat up Ares, God of War. (At least in the version I read.)

 

[Agback]

Most car horns in America honk in the key of F.

I had this confirmed by my mom, who is a music teacher and has perfect pitch. We were in the car and I mentioned said fact. She honked the horn, hummed, thought for a second then said:

"Yup, F sharp."

Neither the F major scale nor the F minor scale includes F-sharp.

Regards,


Agback

 

[NoOneofConsequence]

I did a bit of checking and in 1863 all unmarried women over the age of 25 were given the same rights as men.

Although in 1906, Finland becomes the first country in Europe to grant women the right of suffrage and the first country in the world to grant women the right to be electoral candidates.

In 1907, the first woman was elected into parlament.

For more information about women's right and Finland check this link:

http://virtual.finland.fi/finfo/english/women/mileston.html

-Angel Tears

In Oceania, we're all taught that New Zealand was the first country to grant women universal suffrage, followed a year later by Australia. 1903 is the year that I remember. Also, remember that in the nineteenth century mindset, voting is not a right, but a responsibility (hence the term suffrage). Giving women men's rights probably didn't include the "right" to vote.

 

[Xeriar]

Well, sadly, we have no reliable record of that. Just rumors. I mean, how reliable was the Roswell crash of '47? Or the "Elvis is alive" schtick?

Bleh, it's hard to believe certain stuff nowadays.

We have the Greek & Norse legends, and the Etruscans themselves.

 

[Xeriar]

Originally posted by s/LaSH There is a small chance that you may be immortal. Look at the facts: Estimates vary, but out of our entire history the species Homo sapiens has had somewhere between 15 and 60 billion members, compared to 6-7 billion alive today. Out of all those people, only 60-90% of them have died. Pretty good odds, huh?

Of course, it would be more appropriate to look at compound statistics, in which case 99.9999% of all things that have ever lived are dead.

OK, the last two were pretty off-topic, but they're useful at parties too. And while I'm at it: I'd hope that ancient Athens would have had women voters. Otherwise Athene would have kicked their butt. That's why I like her; during the Illiad she even beat up Ares, God of War. (At least in the version I read.)

Women in Greece had no rights whatsoever. Very, very few made it anywhere. They never got to vote in Athens, anyway.

 

[apsuman]

I've heard that casinos (walk-in, not online) lose money on blackjack. But they gain it back on everyting else. And the loss to them is insignificant, so gon't gamble compulsively.

Untrue. EVERY game in a casino has an advantage to the house. the only thing you could do as a player to make an advantage is to count cards. By keeping track of the cards worth 10 and certain other cards (5,6,and 8 i think) you can bet big when the advantage is yours. Casinos frown upon this activity and will invite said players to leave. They will share their disinvited players' lists with other casinos.

I've also heard from a friend that Nevada enforced a law in which casinos are supposed to back every chip and progressive jackpot with cash on hand. (Thus, IIRC, the plot for the movie Ocean's Eleven.)

I believe this is true. There was a high roller at one of the casinos (the horseshoe?) that was on a large winning streak. He stored his chips ($100 chips I belive) at the casino (something that I guess they only do for whales like this guy). Well, he has so many of the $100 chips in his locker that floor managers had to go to upper management to ask if they could talk to this guy. Then the manager(s) asked him to cash out his chips they asked him what he was doing. He said that he was trying to break the bank, he wanted to own the Horseshoe. In short from the story, if you owned all the chips in the casino then you would "own" most of the money the casino had.

g!

 

[herald]

Florida leads the world Lightning strikes. Pinellas County (Home of St. Petersburg, Clearwater and many more towns and cities) is the Lightning Capital of the WOrld, with more lightning striking here than anywhere else.

Pinellas aslo share the distiction of more people per square mile than the rest of the Union. (Even more nthan New York City).