Really TRUE odd factoids

[Beebo]

I recently saw a program where the Australian wine was shipped in the hold of container ships inside what were in all practicality giant plastic bags such as those inside wine boxes.

Hardy’s is shipped in huge bladders and bottled in a plant in London.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...n-wine-exports-ship-in-giant-plastic-bladders

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

Romans would crucify dogs while geese sat upon purple and gold pillows and watched. This was because when the Gauls attacked Rome in 390 BC the geese raised an alarm while the guard dogs were silent.

 

[lazybloke]

Regarding wine tasting, read up on the Brochet experiments, one where experts described red-dyed white wine as if it was really red, “well Oaked” another where mid range wine was described according to the label, so for instance in a table wine bottle it was weak and insipid, with an expensive label it was miles better.
Back when I cared about such things the weight of the bottle got very special consideration, wine in heavier bottles was seen as better, but too heavy and transport costs go up, as well as the price of bottles.

No chance of mis-identifying my home-made wine; it's all filth.

 

[classic33]

If sunrise and sunset were measured using the same means, the length of the day would differ by approximately nine minutes.

 

[classic33]

A Rare Astronomical Phenomenon of Three Planets Aligning Occurs Today.

Early Thursday morning (06:57:49 GMT), an extraordinary site will unfold in the sky. Three planets, Jupiter, Saturn, and Mercury, align in their their orbits, temporarily counteracting and lessening the Earth's gravity. You might experience a short period of light headedness, or a sensation of floating. This "planetary trio" will also be in conjunction with a waning crescent.

Planetary conjunction occurs when multiple planetary orbits line up. NASA reports in a statement, "Jupiter and Saturn appear so close to each other that they will resemble a giant star in the sky in what's known as The Great Conjunction". The last time this happened was 400 years ago.

Mercury, the smallest planet in our solar system, is difficult to spot with the naked eye because of its size and proximity to the sun.

 

[newfhouse]

You might experience a short period of light headedness, or a sensation of floating.

I thought this was the TRUE factoid thread...

Edit: damn, I’ve just realised what day it is. As you were.

 

[classic33]

The 1916 Easter Rising in Ireland, remains the only uprising where notification of it taking place, was done via an advertisement in a newspaper

 

[classic33]

If a Polar Bear and a Grizzly Bear were to mate, their offspring would be called a “Pizzy Bear”.

The first movie ever to put out a motion-picture sound track was Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

The tongue is the only muscle in the human body that is attached at one end.

 

[Tribansman]

Couth, ruly, ept, wieldy, persona grata, pecunious, gruntled, kempt, consolate...

...are all 'lost positives', previously in common use but now only living on in their negative form

 

[Chris S]

If a Polar Bear and a Grizzly Bear were to mate, their offspring would be called a “Pizzy Bear”.

Shouldn't that be a Prizzly Bear?

 

[Blue Hills]

During the peak years of english piracy in 17th century, pirates ships were almost exclusively homosexual

The source for this factoid is apparently a book called:

Sodomy and the pirate tradition

I haven't read it though - it was referenced in something else I was reading.

 

[classic33]

During the peak years of english piracy in 17th century, pirates ships were almost exclusively homosexual

The source for this factoid is apparently a book called:

Sodomy and the pirate tradition

I haven't read it though - it was referenced in something else I was reading.

Page 190

 

[Dave7]

During the peak years of english piracy in 17th century, pirates ships were almost exclusively homosexual

Homosexual ships Whatever next.

 

[Seevio]

Couth, ruly, ept, wieldy, persona grata, pecunious, gruntled, kempt, consolate...

...are all 'lost positives', previously in common use but now only living on in their negative form

As far as I could tell, ruly and unruly are not opposites and have different origins.
Ept and gruntled are words created in the 1930s - The in- and dis- parts of inept and disgruntled respectively, are not prefixes but part of the root word. Gruntled, in particular, should be used more often.
Persona grata is literally acceptable person in latin. If, for some obscure reason, you ever wanted to say that in latin, those are exactly the words that you'd use.

 

[Blue Hills]

Homosexual ships Whatever next.

not all I stress.
Little opportunity for mischief on the Knott End ferry.