Really TRUE odd factoids

[Chris S]

Passports weren't usually required for international travel before 1914.

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

The English and Scots letter ‘yogh’ was lost during the development of the printing press, which used a ‘z’ in its place. It survives in various Scots names, written as ‘z’ but pronounced either as a ‘g’ or a ‘y’. Examples are Menzies pronounced ‘Mingis’ or Dalziel pronounced ‘Deeyell’.

 

[Chris S]

All odd numbers have the letter 'e' in them.

 

[Seevio]

The Pacific ocean is so big that there are some parts of it where if you were to drill a hole down through the centre of the earth, the point where it came out the other side would still be in the Pacific ocean.

 

[classic33]

The Apollo 11 crew had to go through customs
After landing back on Earth, the Apollo 11 crew had to go through customs - as though they were returning from another country rather than from space. Their declared items included Moon dust and Moon rocks.

 

[Mike Ayling]

The Pacific ocean is so big that there are some parts of it where if you were to drill a hole down through the centre of the earth, the point where it came out the other side would still be in the Pacific ocean.

Sounds like BS to me!

 

[classic33]

Sounds like BS to me!

Start off the coast of Thailand and you'd end up in the Pacific, near Peru.

 

[Seevio]

Sounds like BS to me!

I didn't do full research but a quick go on google earth suggested that it was, at least, plausible.

 

[Mike Ayling]

Start off the coast of Thailand and you'd end up in the Pacific, near Peru.

OK then.

 

[classic33]

OK then.

You're going to be trying now to see if it can be done.

 

[Chris S]

The Apollo 11 crew had to go through customs
After landing back on Earth, the Apollo 11 crew had to go through customs - as though they were returning from another country rather than from space. Their declared items included Moon dust and Moon rocks.

It's a good thing none of them were Mexican, they wouldn't have got back in!

 

[Chris S]

Cats in Australia kill approximately one million birds every day.

 

[Chris S]

There are more possible chess games than there are atoms in the observable universe.
(On average atoms are spread out extremely thinly throughout the universe)

 

[Mike Ayling]

Cats in Australia kill approximately one million birds every day.

It's amazing that we have any birds left in Australia! Not only birds but small mammals and reptiles are targeted by cats. A number of local councils now require cats to be kept indoors 24/7. Because they are so good predators abandoned cats become feral and so it continues!

 

[Chris S]

It's amazing that we have any birds left in Australia! Not only birds but small mammals and reptiles are targeted by cats. A number of local councils now require cats to be kept indoors 24/7. Because they are so good predators abandoned cats become feral and so it continues!

It's the feral cats that are the problem. They've evolved into a vicious subspecies distinct from their domestic cousins.