Odd factoids

[Dave7]

The World Coal Carrying championship is held in Yorkshire every Easter Monday.

The ideal weight of the winner is said to be 10st 7lb and the most successful entrants are window cleaners, builders and farmers.

You mean each guy is a window cleaner, a builder and a farmer at the same time . No wonder they win.

 

[Dave7]

One of the early giant wind turbines was built on a Vermont hill called "Grandpa's Knob".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smith–Putnam_wind_turbine

Now if had been called @Drago's a**e that would have worked.

 

[classic33]

In olden days it was believed that Saturdays were the appropriated days to hunt down Vampires. Because, on Saturdays, they are restricted only to their coffins and are not allowed to get out.

In the Balkans tradition, those who are born on Saturdays are entitled to become vampire hunters as they can see vampires but not by others.

 

[colly]

The first wireless television remote control was developed 64 years ago in 1955 by one Eugene Polley

 

[Dave7]

The day after Eugene Polly invented the first tv remote control it disappeared and was found 3 years later down the side of the settee cushion.

 

[NorthernDave]

Sunderland is so called as it's the sunniest place in the UK, holding the record for the longest continuous period of sunshine in a day at 25 hours.

 

[classic33]

The first President of the United States, George Washington, had ancestral connections to Sunderland. Several generations of his family lived at Washington Old Hall on the outskirts of the city. The Washington family crest, which features red and white stripes and three red stars, is thought to have inspired The Stars and Stripes.

Sunderland also has a bizarre presidential link. On the night President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated at the theatre, he was watching "Our American Cousin"' a play written by Sunderland-born Tom Taylor.

 

[NorthernDave]

The first President of the United States, George Washington, had ancestral connections to Sunderland. Several generations of his family lived at Washington Old Hall on the outskirts of the city. The Washington family crest, which features red and white stripes and three red stars, is thought to have inspired The Stars and Stripes.

Washington Services on the A1(M) is named in his honour.

 

[classic33]

There’s a fair chance your childhood was interspersed with the adventurs of grubby hand puppets Sooty and Sweep, and that your birthday party was held at Harry Ramsden’s. But did you know that you owe the creation of both these Leeds institutions to the same family? Sooty and Sweep were the brainchild of Guiseley resident Harry Corbett, the nephew of Harry Ramsden himself.

Sooty had a cousin named Scampi.

 

[Drago]

Sooty was eventually sacked from the show over allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour towards Sue. His replacement was Bernard Manning in a sooty suit.

 

[classic33]

The iconic Temple Mill building in Holbeck was once home to a flock of sheep, who were kept there to maintain the grassy roof, which was in turn used to maintain a level of humidity in the building itself, which in turn kept the wool yarns from separating. Phew!

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

Pharaohs were buried with their hands crossed over their chests because the Ancient Egyptians believed the afterlife was accessed via a giant water slide.

 

[Drago]

Water slides were invented to allow holiday park staff to get to work as quickly as possible.

 

[NorthernDave]

Sooty was eventually sacked from the show over allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour towards Sue. His replacement was Bernard Manning in a sooty suit.

Sweep tried to report Sooty's inappropriate behaviour on several occasions, but only being able to communicate via a kazoo no-one realised he was whistle blowing.

 

[classic33]

Sooty was discovered on July 19, 1948 when Harry Corbett bought the famous puppet for 7s 6d, as a present for his son Matthew while on holiday in Blackpool.