Really TRUE odd factoids

[ColinJ]

Source?

Their mutual great great great great great great great grandfather?

 

[ClichéGuevara]

The American Civil War, driven primarily by the issue of black chattel slavery, ended in 1865, yet a Civil War widow, who had been married to a Confederate soldier, was still alive in 2008, the year Obama became President.

Maudie White Hopkins married Civil War veteran, William Cantrell in 1934, when Cantrell was 86 and Maudie was 19.

 

[ClichéGuevara]

Oxford University existed for hundreds of years before the Aztec Empire.

 

[Blue Hills]

Their mutual great great great great great great great grandfather?

Mm - we all go back a long long way.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Gladiators the TV show was inspired by running man the film

 

[classic33]

Alberta Martin, one of the last known Confederate war widows and the last widow whose marriage to a Confederate soldier produced offspring. Died on the 31st May 2004.

Gertrude Janeway, last known widow of a Union veteran of the Civil War. She died on the 17th January 2003.

 

[Eziemnaik]

Bank of England was founded by a Scotsman whereas Bank of Scotland was founded by an Englishman

 

[Chris S]

Obama is related to Winston Churchill, George Bush, Dick Cheney and Brad Pitt

Source?

There's nothing about Churchill here but the rest are mentioned
https://www.factcheck.org/2008/03/are-obama-and-cheney-related/

 

[classic33]

There's nothing about Churchill here but the rest are mentioned
https://www.factcheck.org/2008/03/are-obama-and-cheney-related/

https://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0326/101276-uselection/

 

[Chris S]

Anybody of European extraction who is alive today is descended from all the Europeans who were alive in the ninth century, if they left surviving descendants.
https://www.theguardian.com/science...-genetic-ancestry-charlemagne-adam-rutherford

 

[rogerzilla]

The American Civil War, driven primarily by the issue of black chattel slavery, ended in 1865, yet a Civil War widow, who had been married to a Confederate soldier, was still alive in 2008, the year Obama became President.

Maudie White Hopkins married Civil War veteran, William Cantrell in 1934, when Cantrell was 86 and Maudie was 19.

He sounds like a distant relative. The spelling of the surname is one letter different but most of our lot ended up in America during the potato famine, they were mostly Williams or Josephs, and we always have younger wives

 

[Blue Hills]

There's nothing about Churchill here but the rest are mentioned
https://www.factcheck.org/2008/03/are-obama-and-cheney-related/

Thanks, but from that link, and related to my point upthread,
"We wouldn’t make too much of this, though. After all, according to at least some researchers, a common ancestor for all humans now alive may have existed just several thousand years ago. "

 

[classic33]

Gary Burghoff was in a band with Wonder Woman.

Prior to M.A.SH. he was a drummer in Lynda Carter’s band. Now, that’s something to add to your resume.

 

[And]

Shamelessly stolen from elsewhere....Chas 'n Dave were session musicians on the Labi Siffre track "I got the..' which was sampled by Eminem for 'my name is' - they played the guitar and bass respectively for the sampled bit, from about 2:10 onwards:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKISdd2mKzU&app=desktop

 

[Blue Hills]

Yes, I didn't realise until very late that those two were very well regarded and skilled session musicians. I think until then I imagined that they were two amiable codgers from an eastend pub circuit who had got lucky. They are on loads of stuff - very rock and roll.