Really TRUE odd factoids

[Chris S]

In 1995 a man in Pittsburgh robbed two banks after covering his face in lemon juice, believing it would make him invisible to security cameras.

His reasoning was based on the fact that lemon juice can be used as invisible ink, which only becomes visible when exposed to heat. He assumed the same principle would apply to surveillance film.

 

[Chris S]

There are four times as many suicides in the UK each year as there are road deaths.

 

[T4tomo]

"Feel the rhythm, feel the rhyme, get on up, it's bobsled time"

The Cool Runnings story isn’t over!
The Jamaican bobsleigh team has officially qualified for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, securing spots across multiple events. This includes a two man sled, a four man sled, and a women’s monobob entry.

They did at Beijing 2022 also I believe, but predictably didn't trouble the medal table

Trinidad also debuted in Bob in 2022, Bobsleigh and sprinting have a good crossover hsstory
They are back for 2026 also with a couple of alpine skiers, which is more of a surprise!

 

[Punkawallah]

There are four times as many suicides in the UK each year as there are road deaths.

The UK has one of the lowest suicide rates in the world.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_suicide_rate

 

[Chris S]

I see Greenland has the highest. Perhaps Donald had a point.

 

[Dave7]

Contrary to popular belief the word GOLF is not an acronym for Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden.
It comes from the Dutch word 'kolf' meaning club.

 

[Dave7]

Clownfish.
Most (maybe all of us) are familiar with the very colourful Clownfish and thier symbiotic relationship with poisonous anemones.
There are approximately 30 species with a variety of colours eg orange and white, red, yellow and black.
They are all born males but circumstances can force some to change to female..... this is irreversible.

 

[classic33]

Donna Griffiths holds one of the strangest records ever—she sneezed continuously for 977 days. The episode began on January 13, 1981, and didn’t stop until September 16, 1983. In the first year alone, she was estimated to have sneezed around one million times, turning a simple reflex into a baffling medical mystery.

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

The UK has one of the lowest suicide rates in the world.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_suicide_rate

More men in the UK under 50 die from suicide than any other reason.
14 men a day die from suicide in the UK.
75% of suicides are men

 

[DaveReading]

More men in the UK under 50 die from suicide than any other reason.
14 men a day die from suicide in the UK.

And within that, the highest rate is for men in their forties.

 

[Seevio]

The human race will not go extinct within your lifetime.

 

[classic33]

The human race will not go extinct within your lifetime.

True, but you might be there when that extinction occurs.

 

[Dave7]

The distance from the earth to the moon is exactly the same as from the moon to the earth.

 

[Chris S]

The human race will not go extinct within your lifetime.

True, but you might be there when that extinction occurs.

You would have to be the last person alive then.

 

[Dave7]

You would have to be the last person alive then.

Unless evey single person goes at exactly the same moment.