Really TRUE odd factoids

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Chris S

Legendary Member
Location
Birmingham
Frank Bough was 50 years old when he presented Breakfast TV. Basically the same age as Ant and Dec are now. (They are 49)
People just looked much older then!
View attachment 775521

That's because Ant and Dec are made-up to look like they're still PJ and Duncan. They give me the creeps.
 

Alex321

Guru
Location
South Wales
I agree. They dye their hair and have Botox.
But it’s interesting to compare how TV personalities were presented when we were young.

You have to remember the difference in what they are presenting too though. Frank Bough was mainly a presenter of "serious" programmes, while Ant & Dec are presenters of light entertainment.

As such, Frank looking older lent an air of gravitas, which is not required for what they present.
 

Chris S

Legendary Member
Location
Birmingham
Earth worms can live under water. They don't have lungs like mammals, they diffuse oxygen through the surface of their skin.
 

classic33

Leg End Member
The passenger steamer SS Warrimoo was quietly knifing its way through the waters of the mid-Pacific on its way from Vancouver to Australia. The navigator had just finished working out a star fix and brought Captain John DS. Phillips, the result. The Warrimoo’s position was LAT 0º 31’ N and LONG 179 30’ W. The date was 31 December 1899.
“Know what this means?” First Mate Payton broke in, “We’re only a few miles from the intersection of the Equator and the International Date Line”. Captain Phillips was prankish enough to take full advantage of the opportunity for achieving the navigational freak of a lifetime.
He called his navigators to the bridge to check & double check the ship’s position. He changed course slightly so as to bear directly on his mark. Then he adjusted the engine speed.
The calm weather & clear night worked in his favor. At mid-night the SS Warrimoo lay on the Equator at exactly the point where it crossed the International Date Line.
The consequences of this bizarre position were many:
The bow of the ship was in the Southern Hemisphere & in the middle of summer.
The stern was in the Northern Hemisphere & in the middle of winter.
The date in the aft part of the ship was December 31, 1899.
The date in the forward part of the ship was January 1, 1900.
The ship was therefore concurrently in:
two different days,
two different months,
two different years,
two different seasons
and in two different centuries.
 
The passenger steamer SS Warrimoo was quietly knifing its way through the waters of the mid-Pacific on its way from Vancouver to Australia. The navigator had just finished working out a star fix and brought Captain John DS. Phillips, the result. The Warrimoo’s position was LAT 0º 31’ N and LONG 179 30’ W. The date was 31 December 1899.
“Know what this means?” First Mate Payton broke in, “We’re only a few miles from the intersection of the Equator and the International Date Line”. Captain Phillips was prankish enough to take full advantage of the opportunity for achieving the navigational freak of a lifetime.
He called his navigators to the bridge to check & double check the ship’s position. He changed course slightly so as to bear directly on his mark. Then he adjusted the engine speed.
The calm weather & clear night worked in his favor. At mid-night the SS Warrimoo lay on the Equator at exactly the point where it crossed the International Date Line.
The consequences of this bizarre position were many:
The bow of the ship was in the Southern Hemisphere & in the middle of summer.
The stern was in the Northern Hemisphere & in the middle of winter.
The date in the aft part of the ship was December 31, 1899.
The date in the forward part of the ship was January 1, 1900.
The ship was therefore concurrently in:
two different days,
two different months,
two different years,
two different seasons
and in two different centuries.

Such excitement over arbitrary manmade concepts. The stars do not know what "day" you are in.
 

Beebo

Firm and Fruity
Location
Hexleybeef
Such excitement over arbitrary manmade concepts. The stars do not know what "day" you are in.

On one level you are right. Everything anyone ever does is inconsequential when viewed on an astrological timescale.
But in our own little way this is quite unique. Albeit, I doubt they were exactly where they say they were at that exact time. But it makes a good story.
 
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