Really TRUE odd factoids

[colly]

Some historic UK drain covers carry remarkably detailed inscriptions—not just the foundry name, but also the supplier's location, the specific service beneath (sewage, gas, water), and even the casting date. A Blackpool Corporation sewage inspection cover shows all four elements clearly marked.

The 'Pantameallurgicon' drain cover in Sloane Street London is unique. It is the only one of its kind.


Two facts for the price of one.

 

[kynikos]

The 'Pantameallurgicon' drain cover in Sloane Street London is unique. It is the only one of its kind.

no - it's a coal 'ole cover not a drain cover...

 

[lenfield]

I still struggle with 'penguin' being a Welsh word. It supposedly originally referred to the great Auk and means white head.
Apart from there being none in Wales, neither they nor Penguins have a white head, and surely someone else would have seen them before taffy rocked up?

The name 'pen gwyn' was originally given to the great auk. It was a large, flightless, black-and-white bird native to the North Atlantic. It was then transferred to the birds that we know as penguins today.

 

[Beebo]

The Rolling Stones formed in 1962 and are still a huge band.
Had they been where they are now back in 1962, they would have had to be formed in 1898.

 

[kynikos]

The Rolling Stones formed in 1962 and are still "the greatest rock and roll band in the world".
Had they been where they are now back in 1962, they would have had to be formed in 1898.

FTFY

 

[lenfield]

It is illegal to import or sell baby walkers in Canada. Perpetrators can receive a fine of up to 100,00 dollars or six months imprisonment.

 

[Beebo]

It is illegal to import or sell baby walkers in Canada. Perpetrators can receive a fine of up to 100,00 dollars or six months imprisonment.

Is that the same as Johnnie Walker’s, but for babies?
It can be right selling hard liquor to babies.

 

[colly]

Fountain pen nips reach their peak smoothness after about 2 to 3 months of regular use.

 

[Dave7]

In the 1930s a woman in Romania found a nice piece of rock in a stream. She took it home and for decades used it as a door stop.
Eventually the woman died and the new house owners kept the rock where it lay.
Eventually 'someone' decided to find out what the 'nice looking' rock was and took it to the authorities.
It turned out to be a rare type of amber, the largest piece ever found.
It was claimed as national treasure** and now sits in a museum.
Its value is minimum €1.1M but some same its priceless.
**the report didnt say if anyone got a finders fee.

 

[classic33]

Raw pineapple contains an active enzyme that breaks down protein, meaning as you eat the fruit, the pineapple is literally eating you back.

When you eat fresh pineapple, the enzyme bromelain, starts dissolving the protective mucous membranes and soft tissues inside your mouth, causing that familiar tingly or raw sensation.

 

[ClichéGuevara]

Gotham City of Batman fame was inspired by an actual medieval village in Nottinghamshire, England, which is pronounced locally as "goat-em" rather than the gothic pronunciation used for Batman's home.

According to 15th-century folklore, the villagers of Gotham once acted like fools to trick King John's men into avoiding their town and refusing a royal road tax.

Author Washington Irving first applied the nickname "Gotham" to New York City in 1807 in his satirical periodical Salmagundi, comparing the eccentric habits of New Yorkers to the legendary fools of the English goat village.

Creators Bill Finger and Bob Kane adopted the well-known New York nickname for Batman's fictional Gotham City starting in 1940, shifting the pronunciation to sound darker and more ominous.

 

[Dave7]

Dementia, as we know, affects even 'younger' people.
The youngest person to die in the UK as a result on this horrible desease was just 24 years old......a young man in Norfolk.

 

[Punkawallah]

Dementia, as we know, affects even 'younger' people.
The youngest person to die in the UK as a result on this horrible desease was just 24 years old......a young man in Norfolk.

For context, that’s one in 72,000 dementia deaths (out of the 570,000 deaths in 2025) with those over 65 making 99% of the total dementia deaths. Apparently the chance of dying from dementia at that age would be nearly zero.

 

[Dave7]

For context, that’s one in 72,000 dementia deaths (out of the 570,000 deaths in 2025) with those over 65 making 99% of the total dementia deaths. Apparently the chance of dying from dementia at that age would be nearly zero.

Sadly that statistics will be of no solace to the guys family.
But I do take your point.

 

[Punkawallah]

Sadly that statistics will be of no solace to the guys family.
But I do take your point.

Agreed. I think there’s enough in life to be concerned about without adding to it unnecessarily.