Really TRUE odd factoids

[ebikeerwidnes]

On the subject of 4 letters: Should you ever need to remember what is Port or Starboard on a ship, Port is Left and they both have 4 letters.

On which subject (sort of)

I recently got some hearing aids

When she showed me them and how to put them in and all that
she said the red one goes in the right ear which is easy to remember because red and right start with r

BUT - I was in Navy cadets when I was in school - went all the way to the end of school and I think I was the only one who went all the way who didn;t join up after
(one did "pretty well"!!)

AND my Scoutmaster was also one of the Officers in the Navy cadets
so it was hammered into me that Port in Green and LEFT (as you face the bow)

After that I spent many years sailing dinghies in races and on holidays abroad - where knowing port from starboard and what different bouy mean was important

so "red is right" is wrong

I mentioned that and she said she had heard it before - but not as clearly explained as I said it

Now I remember which one goes in which ear by "red is right is wrong"

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

And as the drink Port is red, it's a way of remembering the colour of the boat lights, straboard being green.

It's called 'starboard' (steorbord) as that was the side the steering oar was on, which meant they docked on the other 'port' side so as not to damage the oar.

Used to be starboard and larboard - steering board side and loading side (laden-borde)

 

[Beebo]

The northern tip of Brazil is nearer to Canada than it is to the Southern tip of Brazil

 

[Dave7]

The northern tip of Brazil is nearer to Canada than it is to the Southern tip of Brazil

Now that imo is an interesting factoid. I will borrow that one.

 

[Electric_Andy]

Now that imo is an interesting factoid. I will borrow that one.

there are quite a few similar ones I've seen recently, to do with the USA. e.g. something like the SE tip of Montana is closer to Texas than it is to the NW tip of Montana. But when you start reading the comments, some people are disputing it because of the Mercator projection i.e it looks that way on a map but is not in real life. I think when you have to start fact checking these things then it spoils the fun!

 

[classic33]

there are quite a few similar ones I've seen recently, to do with the USA. e.g. something like the SE tip of Montana is closer to Texas than it is to the NW tip of Montana. But when you start reading the comments, some people are disputing it because of the Mercator projection i.e it looks that way on a map but is not in real life. I think when you have to start fact checking these things then it spoils the fun!

The southeast corner is approximately 590 miles from Texas, while the northwest corner is about 627 miles away.