Foo - Post random interesting facts

The ammonia added to many brands of cigarettes free bases the nicotine...

Barqs root beer was never intended to be root beer, up until coca cola bought it and called it that.

Barqs root beer was never intended to be root beer, up until coca cola bought it and called it that.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barq's

The club that Alan Shepard used on the moon was a six iron.

Jamestown, VA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamestown_Settlement), was founded 400 years ago today!

Fredricksberg, TX is a German community, and during the 1800s was against slavery. During the Civil War, they organized an anti-Confederacy army with their own distinctive flag in case the Union needed them as reinforcements. This never happened.

To boot, the only Indian treaty in America which has not been broken was signed by the Fredricksberg people.

Six flags have flown over Texas (http://www.thc.state.tx.us/triviafun/trvflags.html): Spain, France, United Mexican States, Confederate States of America, the Republic of Texas and the United States of America, with eight changes of government.

trombicula alfreddugesi is the latin genus/species name for the common North American harvest mite, aka "crotch crickets"


Actually, the really random/interesting fact is that I have known that tidbit for close to 40 years, and am only just sharing it now.

Lead guitar on the Beatle's While My Guitar Gently Weeps is not played by George Harrison but rather by his close friend Eric Clapton.

King Camp Gillette (Yes, his first name was King), the foudner of the Gillette safety razor corporation, came up with the idea of the disposable blade razor when working at a bottle cap factory, another use and throw away item.

Prior to then, safety razor blades were regularly sent to a honer to be re-sharpened.

When Paul left the Beatles, the other three originally planned to continue the band with John, George and Ringo in their accustomned roles and "adding" Billy Preston on keyboards and Klaus Voorman on bass. ("Adding" is in quotes because Voorman did a bunch of bass work for them in studio sessions and Preston had done keyboards on the "Let it Be" album at least.) Obviously, they thought better of it, and the rest is hysteria.

Added bonus: Klaus Voorman also did the art work for the "Revolver" album cover.

Per the radio, Jerry Sloan is the longest current tenured coach in professional sports--19 years.

trombicula alfreddugesi is the latin genus/species name for the common North American harvest mite, aka "crotch crickets"


Actually, the really random/interesting fact is that I have known that tidbit for close to 40 years, and am only just sharing it now.

And that's something you shouldn't share.

Guayacum Real is a wood so hard that it was used for propeller shafts...

* One dragster's 500-inch Hemi makes more horsepower then the first 8 rows at Daytona.

* Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 1 1/2 gallons of nitro per second, the same rate of fuel consumption as a fully loaded 747 but with 4 times the energy volume.

* The supercharger takes more power to drive than a stock hemi makes.

* Even with nearly 3000 CFM of air being rammed in by the supercharger on overdrive, the fuel mixture is compressed into nearly-solid form before ignition. Cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic lock.

* Dual magnetos apply 44 amps to each spark plug. This is the output of an arc welder in each cylinder.

* At stoichiometric (exact) 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture (for nitro), the flame front of nitromethane measures 7050 degrees F.

* Nitromethane burns yellow. The spectacular white flame seen above the stacks at night is raw burning hydrogen, dissociated from atmospheric water vapor by the searing exhaust gases.

* Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed during a pass. After 1/2 way, the engine is dieseling from compression-plus the glow of exhaust valves at 1400 degrees F. The engine can only be shut down by cutting off its fuel flow.

* If spark momentarily fails early in the run, unburned nitro builds up in those cylinders and then explodes with a force that can blow cylinder heads off the block in pieces or blow the block in half.

* Dragsters twist the crank (torsionally) so far (20 degrees in the big end of the track) that sometimes cam lobes are ground offset from front to rear to re-phase the valve timing somewhere closer to synchronization with the pistons.

* To exceed 300mph in 4.5 seconds dragsters must accelerate at an average of over 4G's. But in reaching 200 mph well before 1/2 track, launch acceleration is closer to 8G's.

* If all the equipment is paid off, the crew worked for free, and for once NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs $1000.00 per second.

* Dragsters reach over 300 miles per hour before you have read this sentence.

Did you know …

… that the nitromethane-powered engines of NHRA Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars produce approximately 7,000 horsepower, about 37 times that of the average street car?

… that one cylinder of the eight cylinders of a Top Fuel dragster or a Funny Car produces 750 horsepower, equaling the entire horsepower output of a NASCAR engine?

… that the gasoline-powered engines of NHRA Pro Stock cars produce about 1,200 horsepower, about eight times that of the average street car?

… that an NHRA Top Fuel dragster accelerates from 0 to 100 mph in less than .8-second, almost 11 seconds quicker than it takes a production Porsche 911 Turbo to reach the same speed?

… that an NHRA Top Fuel dragster leaves the starting line with a force nearly five times that of gravity, the same force of the space shuttle when it leaves the launching pad at Cape Canaveral?

… that an NHRA Funny Car is slowed by a reverse force more than seven times that of gravity when both parachutes deploy simultaneously?

… that NHRA Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars consume between four and five gallons of fuel during a quarter-mile run, which is equivalent to between 16 and 20 gallons per mile?

… that NHRA Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars use between 10 and 12 gallons of fuel for a complete pass, including the burnout, backup to the starting line, and quarter-mile run?

… that NHRA Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars travel the length of more than four football fields in less than five seconds?

… that NHRA Top Fuel dragsters can exceed 280 mph in just 660 feet?

… that from a standing start, NHRA Top Fuel dragsters accelerate faster than a jumbo jet, a fighter jet, and a Formula One race car?

… that a fuel pump for an NHRA Top Fuel dragster and Funny Car delivers 65 gallons of fuel per minute, equivalent to eight bathroom showers running at the same time?

… that the fuel-line pressure for NHRA Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars is between 400 and 500 pounds, about 20 times greater than the pressure on passenger-car fuel pumps?

… that depending on size and angle, the large rear wing on an NHRA Top Fuel dragster develops between 4,000 and 8,000 pounds of downforce?

… that the 17-inch rear tires used on NHRA Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars wear out after four to six runs, or about two miles? Some brands of passenger-car tires are guaranteed for 80,000 miles.

… that it takes just 15/100ths of a second for all 7,000 horsepower of an NHRA Top Fuel dragster engine to reach the rear wheels?

… that it's desirable for an NHRA Top Fuel dragster to race with its front wheels inches off the ground for about the first 200 feet of the run? This ensures proper weight transfer to the rear wheels, a crucial part of a good launch and quick run.

Dr. Seuss' Hop On Pop contains a self-caricature of the author.

Lead guitar on the Beatle's While My Guitar Gently Weeps is not played by George Harrison but rather by his close friend Eric Clapton.Anyone know why this is/was? I don't, but I find it interesting that it was Clapton when it easily could have been George. It's lovely guitar, but there's no reason George couldn't have played that.

I found this on the Wiki entry:

The composition was met with little to no interest by the other Beatles (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles). Let down but undaunted, Harrison invited his friend Eric Clapton (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Clapton) to join him during a day's recording session. Despite Clapton's doubts ("Nobody ever plays on the Beatles' records"), Harrison convinced him otherwise. The inclusion of Clapton allowed for two things: a moment's relief from the inner turmoil the band was experiencing and a chance for Harrison to free himself of lead guitar, playing only rhythm (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhythm_guitar) and vocal.
Some have questioned whether the famous solo in "Gently Weeps" is actually played by Clapton; it has been rumoured that the solo was re-recorded and that Clapton's solo was not the one that was pressed. It has been said that the guitar solo was actually recorded by the reclusive studio guitar virtuoso Casey Vail. However, Harrison has said of the solo:
"So Eric played that, and I thought it was really good. Then we listened to it back, and he said, "Ah, there's a problem though; it's not Beatley enough." So we put it through the ADT (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_double_tracking) [automatic double-track] to wobble it up a bit."

"It's Colder than Hell, in Paradise! Michigan!

Neal Schon, lead guitarist of Journey, was a child prodigy and was asked to play in Derek and Dominos by Eric Clapton, but he turned it down because he had already agreed to join Santana.

Florida (Tampabay area specifically) is the lightning capital of the world.
-Bonus triva: The reason is because Florida is mostly limestone underneath (a base) and surrounded by saltwater (an acid) on 3 sides making it the world's biggest battery.

Hall of Famers Gehrig and Aaron share the given names "Henry Louis."

Jimi Hendrix is responsible for the creation of the 100-watt, tube driven Marshall Stack guitar amplifier

WWE matches are staged. :p

Brian May plays a guitar dubbed the "Red Special" he built with his dad from scratch. The bulk of the wood was taken from an old fireplace mantle.

if there are 23 people in a room, there's a 50/50 chance that two of them will have the same birthday.

this was a great conversation starter in a busy bank when the teller looks at my license and goes "that's my dads birthday"

Contrary to popular opinion, you can't get to Paradise, Pennsylvania directly from Intercourse. But it is true that if you're going from Fertility to Intercourse, you will probably go through Bird-In-Hand. Oh those crazy Amish ;) (no offense to our Amish brethren on here... just sayin')

the angle of the dangle is directly proportional to the heat of the meat

Don't worry, this is an Amish Laptop Computer:p :D
http://www.mystique.net/images/laptop.jpg

http://www.mystique.net/amish-2.html

the angle of the dangle is directly proportional to the heat of the meat
Only if the mass of the ass remains constant.

Don't worry, this is an Amish Laptop Computer:p :D
http://www.mystique.net/images/laptop.jpg

http://www.mystique.net/amish-2.html


Now THAT is amazing!

BMW (Bavarian Motor Works) first made bicycles. Later they began to make automobiles.

BMW (Bavarian Motor Works) first made bicycles. Later they began to make automobiles.

in response to that, yamaha started off making pianos and musical instruments. hence the tuning fork logo.

Peugeot started out making bicycles as well. So did the Wright brothers.

I read or heard somewhere the BMW began with bicycles and later went to automotibles. Then I checked the German edition of Wikipedia and it appears not to be so. A history of BMW by BMW indicates they trace their roots to the Otto Werke, an aircraft company from 1916. They have also made motorcycles. Bicycle production began in the 21st century.

Here is a favorite piece of trivia. In the 1920s half of the people in the USA were unable to read and write. At the same time Parker Pen Company marketed its Duofold models in bright colors. They sold very well. People bought the pens to carry in a front pocket where they would be easily visible to all. It gave the impression the owner was literate, even if he was not.

if there are 23 people in a room, there's a 50/50 chance that two of them will have the same birthday.

this was a great conversation starter in a busy bank when the teller looks at my license and goes "that's my dads birthday"

Are you sure she didn't mean the year? :p :D

A history of BMW by BMW indicates they trace their roots to the Otto Werke, an aircraft company from 1916.
BMW's Roundel (the blue and white circle thingy) represents a spinning propeller. The colors represent the Bavarian flag.

The King Ranch in southern Texas is bigger than the entire state of Rhode Island.

1/7 people are gay, and they are born gay

New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the US.
South Carolina grows more peaches each year than Georgia, the peach state.
The band America was formed in England.
Bob Dylan's real name is Robert Allen Zimmerman.

1/7 people are gay, and they are born gay
how do the rest become gay? I hear some are just sucked into the lifestyle.

New Jersey has more horses/capita than either Texas or Kentucky!

New Jersey has more horses/capita than either Texas or Kentucky!
http://www.horsequest.com/journal/educate/populate.html

New Jersy had less than 155,000 horses in 1999 while Texas had over 600,000.

NJ population 8.7 mil

Texas population 22.8 mil

based on 2000 census numbers.

Texas has more horses per capita according to my very basic research.

It takes 25 character strokes to write the word "bay" in traditional Chinese, and 44 to write "I sneeze".

http://www.horsequest.com/journal/educate/populate.html

New Jersy had less than 155,000 horses in 1999 while Texas had over 600,000.

NJ population 8.7 mil

Texas population 22.8 mil

based on 2000 census numbers.

Texas has more horses per capita according to my very basic research.
OK, HAD then, and Texas went on a breeding binge after they found out!:p

how do the rest become gay? I hear some are just sucked into the lifestyle.

I guess that must be the reason

Apparantly, the most polite drivers live in Portland Oregon.

Apparantly, the most polite drivers live in Portland Oregon.
There must be a qualifier on that study according to size of the city. Here in soutwestern Idaho people actually sit at four-way stop signs and motion to the other guy to go first.

The SR-71 would leak fuel while sitting in the hangar.

The aircraft that dropped the second atomic bomb was called "Bock's Car".

The Roman Province Brittania never had Senatorial representation in Rome.

Sharks poop in spirals.