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What interesting things have you only recently learned about?

To be clear, this is about things which have been true for some time and you only recently learned about, not things that only happened recently. In particular, recent deaths of celebrities and other high-profile individuals should go in the General RIP Thread.

    Original post 
Hey guys...and gals...I was just browsing through an XKCD strip and ended up learning that Jimmy Carter was attacked by a swimming rabbit.

Courtesy link...

So, what interesting things have you guys...and gals...only recently learned about?

Edited by Twiddler on Apr 8th 2023 at 1:07:55 AM

rjung Since: Jan, 2015
#3926: Apr 14th 2011 at 10:54:55 AM

Eating goat testicles will apparently make you more manly.
There's an entire laundry list of animal body parts that supposedly make one more manly/virile if they're injested, such as tiger penises and powered rhinoceros horn. Why do you think those animals are endangered?

—R.J.

KitsuneInferno Jackass Detector from East Tennessee Since: Apr, 2009
Jackass Detector
#3927: Apr 14th 2011 at 1:40:52 PM

Because they weren't manly enough to take a tiger's penis while it was still breathing.

"It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt." - Some guy with a snazzy hat.
Justice4243 Writer of horse words from Portland, OR, USA Since: Oct, 2009 Relationship Status: Brony
Writer of horse words
#3928: Apr 14th 2011 at 9:53:12 PM

I wonder if Charlie Sheen got his "tiger's blood" from eating tiger penis.

If so, I'm content using old fashion will power to stave off addiction. If winning at addiction require eating the phallus of furry beasts, count me out.

Justice is a joy to the godly, but it terrifies evildoers.Proverbs21:15 FimFiction account.
Zudak Since: Dec, 1969
#3929: Apr 14th 2011 at 9:54:02 PM

*just found out who Charlie Sheen is today after getting sick of hearing his name all over the place and not knowing who the fuck everybody was talking about*

Justice4243 Writer of horse words from Portland, OR, USA Since: Oct, 2009 Relationship Status: Brony
Writer of horse words
#3930: Apr 14th 2011 at 9:58:24 PM

The below video is pretty much all you need to know. It full of useful facts. Like Charlie Sheen is on a drug called "Charlie Sheen."

Justice is a joy to the godly, but it terrifies evildoers.Proverbs21:15 FimFiction account.
Zudak Since: Dec, 1969
#3931: Apr 14th 2011 at 10:01:22 PM

That was quite... enlightening.

juancarlos11 Since: Aug, 2011
#3932: Apr 14th 2011 at 10:48:59 PM

Well, now I know that eating nuggets is winning.

It's not exactly naive. And it can happen. But it's tough. And definetly worthwhile.
lolacat Dead? You thought wrong from Vancouver Island Since: Mar, 2011
Dead? You thought wrong
#3933: Apr 14th 2011 at 11:01:47 PM

Actually he shot an arrow up in the air while he was on the ground and it either scraped or got in the side of his head. He didn't do that and skydiving at the same time. but still, going skydiving is still pretty awesome. He's a really nice old teacher too.

edited 14th Apr '11 11:03:59 PM by lolacat

Seeing all these piss ant tropers trying to talk tough makes me laugh. If Matrix were here, he'd laugh too.
Nyarly Das kann doch nicht sein! from Saksa Since: Feb, 2012
Das kann doch nicht sein!
#3934: Apr 15th 2011 at 5:15:05 AM

Charlie Sheen played Topper Harley. That's everything you need to know about him.

At least, that's the only thing that interests me about him.

People aren't as awful as the internet makes them out to be.
annebeeche watching down on us from by the long tidal river Since: Nov, 2010
watching down on us
#3935: Apr 15th 2011 at 5:46:37 AM

So apparently you don't have to be a woman to be a Volva, you can also be a feminine man.

I don't know how true this is, though.

edited 15th Apr '11 5:47:05 AM by annebeeche

Banned entirely for telling FE that he was being rude and not contributing to the discussion. I shall watch down from the goon heavens.
Artemis92 Cogito Gratia Cogitan from contemplation Since: Dec, 2009
Cogito Gratia Cogitan
#3936: Apr 15th 2011 at 7:28:14 AM

Only recently heard all of Michael Jackson's Thriller. Still haven't actually seen it, though, I searched the lyrics 'cause I was curious as to whether it was actually about zombies.

Also looked up "Like a Boss" on Know Your Meme. They didn't actually make money off of that, did they?

Ponders too much; thinks too little. Currently goes by Knowlessman.
Myrmidon The Ant King from In Antartica Since: Nov, 2009
The Ant King
#3937: Apr 15th 2011 at 7:29:20 AM

Yes, bands to tend to make money off of hit songs.

Kill all math nerds
KitsuneInferno Jackass Detector from East Tennessee Since: Apr, 2009
Jackass Detector
#3938: Apr 15th 2011 at 10:07:58 AM

The same studio worked on Pokemon, Beserk, and Kanye West's "Good Morning". That's quite a repertoire.

"It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt." - Some guy with a snazzy hat.
lolacat Dead? You thought wrong from Vancouver Island Since: Mar, 2011
Dead? You thought wrong
#3939: Apr 15th 2011 at 10:08:30 AM

I also recently found out that it was one of my classmates who found Kimberly Proctor's body. All this time i thought it was some random guy walking down the trail.

Seeing all these piss ant tropers trying to talk tough makes me laugh. If Matrix were here, he'd laugh too.
TheGinkei A Pheasant Experience from Reality Since: Sep, 2010
A Pheasant Experience
#3940: Apr 15th 2011 at 2:34:42 PM

The chemical name for titin breaks the hottip markup.

And "Reality" is unveiled. What did it want...? What did it see...? What did it hear...? What did it think...? What did it do...?
Zudak Since: Dec, 1969
#3941: Apr 15th 2011 at 3:43:13 PM

De-railing a bit to tell you something interesting: during the Winter War (and the following Continuation War), the USSR used primitive cluster bombs against Finland. This was of course omitted from Soviet reports (propaganda); instead, the Soviet press said that the planes were dropping food aid to the poor Finns suffering from a Fascist regime until the Soviets come 'round to liberate us. So, we started calling the cluster bombs "Molotov's breadbaskets" 'cause that's what our humour is like. (For those who don't know, Molotov was the Foreign Minister of the USSR.)

We came up with a method of blowing up Russian tanks: fill a bottle with strong alcohol, tar, and some other substances, put a burning rag in the bottle's mouth and throw it at the enemy tank so that the mixture inside will ignite and spill burning liquid through the tank's cooling grills and ignite the fuel, ammunition and other explosive targets inside the tank. We called it the "Molotov's cocktail", so that we'd have "a drink to go with the food".

Wicked223 from Death Star in the forest Since: Apr, 2009
#3942: Apr 15th 2011 at 4:03:16 PM

[awesome] for Finland.

You can't even write racist abuse in excrement on somebody's car without the politically correct brigade jumping down your throat!
BestOf FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC! from Finland Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: Falling within your bell curve
FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC!
#3943: Apr 15th 2011 at 4:19:49 PM

OK, in case I'm giving my country too much credit (and thus unintentionally deceiving you), no one's sure who invented the Molotov's Cocktail. It was used in Spain and possibly some other places before the Winter War broke out, so it's possible that someone in Finland just copied it. On the other hand, it's a very simple improvised weapon, and I'm pretty sure many people have invented it independently. So we're not sure if we invented it independently or not.

But I do agree about giving a medal of [awesome] to the people who came up with the weapon's name (and the term "Molotov's breadbasket") 'cause that is really great black comedy.

(In case you're wondering, I wrote the post quoted in [up][up], so that's why I'm elaborating on it here.)

edited 15th Apr '11 4:21:54 PM by BestOf

Quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur.
thekikoperson from Australia Since: Mar, 2010
#3944: Apr 16th 2011 at 7:59:21 PM

"Rather than being modelled on chicken eggs, mini eggs are in fact modelled on the eggs of the Great British Tit which are the same size and also come in several speckled colours." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mini_Eggs

annebeeche watching down on us from by the long tidal river Since: Nov, 2010
watching down on us
#3945: Apr 17th 2011 at 4:23:23 AM

However the genealogy in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle year 855, versions B and C, explains instead that Scef was born in Noah's ark, interpreting Sceaf as a non-Biblical son of Noah, and then continuing with the ancestry of Noah up to Adam as found in Genesis.

wait what

</Anglo-Saxons essentially Handwaving/Retconning a pagan figure into christianity>

oh.


I also found out that Scef was the one who showed up on a boat as a kid, not Scyld Scefing, completely trumping something I'm writing since part of the point was that Scef found Scyld and adopted him as his son and that the story's being told by the King of the Scyldings.

-thunks head on wall repeatedly-

edited 17th Apr '11 4:23:34 AM by annebeeche

Banned entirely for telling FE that he was being rude and not contributing to the discussion. I shall watch down from the goon heavens.
Idler20 Rabbit Season Since: Oct, 2010
Rabbit Season
#3947: Apr 17th 2011 at 4:15:06 PM

Awwwww. How sweet.

You're an ad hominem attack!
MrAHR Ahr river from ಠ_ಠ Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: A cockroach, nothing can kill it.
KitsuneInferno Jackass Detector from East Tennessee Since: Apr, 2009
Jackass Detector
#3949: Apr 18th 2011 at 1:44:18 PM

I could make more working 40 hours a week at Wal-Mart than relying on scholarships.

"It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt." - Some guy with a snazzy hat.
annebeeche watching down on us from by the long tidal river Since: Nov, 2010
watching down on us
#3950: Apr 18th 2011 at 1:45:16 PM

I still don't regret not signing up for any scholarships.

Banned entirely for telling FE that he was being rude and not contributing to the discussion. I shall watch down from the goon heavens.

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