Odd factoids

[Drago]

Scrabble was originally played by the Romans using roof tiles.

 

[classic33]

A new resident at an elderly people’s home was rejected from the home on the grounds of being ‘incompatible’ when she confessed that she didn’t play Scrabble.

Meanwhile

In Leicester, England, a five year old boy phoned the police to tell them that his sister was cheating at Scrabble.

 

[Drago]

...although he'd turned 18 by the time he'd actually got through.

 

[Profpointy]

Llanelli uses all the 'L's in Scrabble in one go as place names are now allowed.

There is a Welsh language version.
Remmber in Welsh, ll, dd, th, ch, ng, ff, etc are considered "letters" in their own right. And of course, there is no x, z or in theory j, though bizarely the latter is included

 

[bruce1530]

Ivor the Engine was runner-up in the 1976 “Welshman of the Year” competition, being pipped at the post by Terry Yorath. John Toshack came 3rd.

 

[Drago]

Coincidentally, the famous Scottish nationalist, Sean Connery, won Spaniard of the Year in 1976.

 

[classic33]

Sean Connery, Scottish, played the parts of an Irish miner,"Black Jack" Kehoe in "The Molly Maguires", and an Irish policeman, Jimmy Malone in "The untouchables".

 

[bruce1530]

Ivor The Engine and Thomas The Tank Engine were second cousins. They share the same surname (Engine) and middle name (The).

Despite their cheery screen personalities, they are bitter enemies, and have not spoken since 1971.

This animosity does not extend to their friends and colleagues; indeed Jones the Steam, Dai Station and their families regularly go on holiday with the Fat Controller and often indulge in karaoke and wife-swapping.

 

[bruce1530]

Coincidentally, the famous Scottish nationalist, Sean Connery, won Spaniard of the Year in 1976.

This feat was even more incredible since Connery did not emirate to Spain until 1980. When he did emigrate, he had no difficulty gaining a visa, as he was a former “Spaniard of the Year”. By this time he had of course lost his title to another famous Spaniard, Andrew Sachs.

Connery lived in Marbella, Spain from then until the late 1990s, when he sold up and left the country. According to press reports, this was because recent building works meant that his neighbours might see him in his underwear. It had absolutely nothing to do with tax evasion or fraud, he told a fraud trial.

 

[Profpointy]

Sean Connery, Scottish, played the parts of an Irish miner,"Black Jack" Kehoe in "The Molly Maguires", and an Irish policeman, Jimmy Malone in "The untouchables".

Quite a good film, the Molly Maguires. Based on a Sherlock Holmes story, albeit with sympathy for the miners' secret (terrorist?) organisation rather than the forces of law and order (capitalist opression?)

 

[Drago]

Sherlock Holmes was inspired by the Victorian property development company, Sherlock Homes.

 

[bruce1530]

Sherlock Holmes was named after a quaint Victorian exclamation, “No sh1t Sherlock”.

 

[classic33]

Sherlock Holmes was inspired by the Victorian property development company, Sherlock Homes.

Sherlock Holmes was named after a quaint Victorian exclamation, “No sh1t Sherlock”.

The latter was due to the lack of plumbing.
Usually said when you became aware of the dire need to go.

 

[bruce1530]

Despite being portrayed in movies as a bumbling assistant, and a bit of a buffoon, Dr Watson was the brains behind the operation, and owner of the “Sherlock Holmes” franchise and copyright. Holmes was merely an employee.

He would regularly sack Holmes, replacing him with a new model if his financial demands became unreasonable or if his drug taking impacted the business.

Watson also founded Mensa, and invented Soduku

 

[Drago]

Soduku was unleaded on the west with an insulting name by the Japanese, who are still smarting at the drubbing the got in the war.

The idea was to enslave those of the West with the addictive game, and the final insult was naming it Sod U Ku.