Interesting Facts - Page 97

481

The province of Newfoundland and Labrador did not join Canada until 1949.

482

No Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup in 27 years. The odds of this happening, if all NHL teams have the same chance of winning, is about one in a thousand.

483

Albert Einstein's brain was secretly removed by the doctor who performed his autopsy. After the theft was discovered in 1978, scientists studied the organ to find explanations for Einstein's genius. To date, nothing special has been discovered.

484

In 1882, author Morgan Robertson wrote a book about ship called the "Titan" which sank in the North Atlantic after striking an iceberg. Thirty years later, the Titanic did the exact same thing. The similarities are eerie. The Titan was 800 feet long while the Titanic was 882 feet long. Both ships sank in April. Neither ship had enough lifeboats aboard to save all the occupants.

485

The Dingo Fence is the largest fence in the world. Built to protect sheep from dingoes, it very nearly divides Australia in half. At 5614 km in length, it is longer than the border between Russia and China, and longer than the distance between Los Angeles and New York.

Page:1...9596979899...194

Also see:

Level ∞

Oct 5, 2020

Credit to MG17 for facts 483–485.

Level 51

Sep 22, 2020

The average secretary's left-hand does 56% of the typing

Level 51

Sep 22, 2020

In 15 million years, San Francisco and Los Angeles will border each other.

Level 75

Sep 26, 2020

In 15 million years when LA and SFO might not exist, that is

Level 67

May 6, 2021

I remember being excited as a kid that I would be able to visit disneyland in 15 million years.

I did not realize how long away that would be...

Level 51

Sep 22, 2020

In the 2018 world cup, Mexican fans jumped so much that it caused a minor earthquake.

Level 84

Sep 23, 2020

As a Mexican, I can confirm that.

For our American friends, remember Beast Quake. The same process, only in Mexico City instead of Seattle

I remember that game (vs Germany)... The anthem ceremony! It seemed that Moscow was part of Mexico! Even some Germans commented that thing.

Level 26

Sep 22, 2020

that why there is an earth coming around the orbit to every countries if it is in 1 year

+22

Level 75

Sep 26, 2020

I have no idea what that means

Level ∞

Oct 4, 2020

The answers to all your questions can be found here.

Level 73

Feb 10, 2024

what the heck is that

Level 71

Aug 15, 2021

So much time and effort into such rubbish.

Level 67

Sep 23, 2020

There are 7 people who can legally turn off the internet.

Level 67

Sep 23, 2020

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KDBpn8fW78

Level 63

Oct 2, 2020

Half as Interesting Sam, (Don't forget about Wendover Productions!)

Level 52

Dec 9, 2020

Seems like everyone's source is a YouTube video...

Level 59

Jun 3, 2023

The video itself isn’t the source. The video’s sources are the source, and the video is provided as a more interesting way of learning about the topic.

Level 20

Sep 23, 2020

Democratic Vietnam's flag and Vietnam's communist flag have the same colours.

Level 52

Dec 9, 2020

So do the US and North Korea. Your point being?....

Level 62

Aug 31, 2021

I think he means the exact same colors, as South Vietnam and North Vietnam both use the red #DA251D and the yellow #FFFF00

Level 67

Sep 24, 2020

In April 1861, just as the civil war was starting, former president Franklin Pierce wrote to the other living former presidents and asked them to consider meeting and to use their influence to stop the civil war. Pierce asked Martin Van Buren to call the meeting, because he was the senior former president, but Van Buren suggested James Buchanan do it, because he was the most recent former president, or, if he was so passionate about it, that Pierce should do it himself. Neither Buchanan, Pierce, or Van Buren was willing to make the proposal public, so the plan went nowhere. Source, Martin Van Buren's Wikipedia article. I think it is fascinating to think about what would have happened if the plan went through, and I think that this would make a great interesting fact!

Level 69

Dec 28, 2020

Back then, ex-presidents were expected to stay out of politics even more so than today.

Level 51

Sep 24, 2020

King Tut's Parents were siblings. His wife was also his half-sister. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2010/09/tut-dna/

Level 84

Sep 25, 2020

They could've been cool friends with the Habsburgs.

Level ∞

Oct 5, 2020

True. You can find some more royal incest facts here.

Level 56

Apr 22, 2022

Why would I want to find more royal incest facts? That sounds like an article on some sketchy news site.

Level 40

May 31, 2021

You can view their family "tree" on Incestry.com

Level 71

Mar 23, 2022

Does that mean Tut's father was also his father-in-law, his mother was his mother and also his mother - in - law. His wife was also his sister. His father was also his uncle and his mother his aunty. Tut was his father's son and also son-in-law and Tut's wife was her father's daughter and also daughter in law.

Level 51

Sep 24, 2020

You wouldn't be able to tolerate the quietest room for even 45 minutes. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2010/09/tut-dna/

Level ∞

Oct 5, 2020

Color me skeptical.

Level 51

Oct 6, 2020

Oops https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/earths-quietest-place-will-drive-you-crazy-in-45-minutes-180948160/

Level ∞

Oct 6, 2020

Yeah, I don't think that's true.

Level 52

Jun 15, 2021

its not, veratasium disproved it

Level 82

Dec 15, 2022

bullshit

Level 63

Oct 2, 2020

There is a farm inside Tokyo's Narita Airport.

Level 84

Oct 6, 2020

Meh... That's not completely interesting... I would say it's half as interesting.

Level 56

Apr 22, 2022

lol

Level 63

Oct 2, 2020

If the entire world had a Population Density the same as Macau, the population will be 3,178,379,600,000! (3 trillion 178 billion 379 million 600 thousand.)

Level 43

Oct 5, 2020

I'm so grate for this! Thanks @Quizmaster!!!

Level 69

Oct 23, 2020

#484 The second sentence should start "Thirty years later" instead of "Thirty years,"

Level ∞

Oct 23, 2020

Okay, fixed.

Level 69

Dec 28, 2020

Secretariat's heart was 25-50% larger than a normal horse's heart. I heard the same about Sham's heart from one source.

Level 84

Jul 6, 2021

I think you messed up the math on #482. I calculated the odds by taking the number of Canadian teams and the number of American teams each season and, assuming that each team has an equal chance, calculated the odds of an American team winning all 27 years at 1 in 975.4611313. Then I realized that there was no 2004-05 season. So while it has been 27 years, as you said, the Stanley Cup was only awarded in 26 of those years. When I removed that season, the odds dropped to 1 in 780.3689051.

This season is a special case. In every other season since the Canadiens won in 1993, it has been possible for every Canadian team to make the playoffs. This year, it was guaranteed that exactly 4 Canadian and 12 American teams would make the playoffs, making the odds of a Canadian win 25% -- the best odds since 1996. At the end of this season, if Montreal doesn't pull off a reverse sweep, the odds of a Canadian drought this long will reach 1 in 1040.491873, or about 1 in 1000 as you said.

Level 84

Jul 6, 2021

For those interested in the math, normally it has been possible for every Canadian team to make the playoffs, and also possible for no Canadian teams to make the playoffs, so it's just equal odds for every team. In years when 18 of 26 teams were American ('94, '95), the odds of an American win were 69.2%. When 19 of 26 ('96), it was 73.1%. When 20 of 26 ('97, '98), it was 76.9%. When 21 of 27 ('99), it was 77.8%. When 22 of 28 ('00), it was 78.6%. When 24 of 30 ('01-'11), it was 80%. When 23 of 30 ('12-'17) it was 76.7%. When 24 of 31 ('18-present) it has been 77.4%. This year, it was guaranteed that the playoffs would have 25% Canadian teams and 75% American teams.

Level 84

Jul 6, 2021

When you flip a coin, the odds of either result is 1 in 2. You get the odds of that result continuing to occur after each additional flip by multiplying whatever 1 in x you're up to by another 2. (So 1 in 2, 4, 8, 16, etc.) The odds of an American team winning in 1994 were 1 in 1.444, and the odds in 1995 were also 1 in 1.444, so 1.444 x 1.444 = 2.086. Keep multiplying by the odds in that year by the odds so far, and the odds of no Canadian wins had become 1 in 19.3 by 2004, 1 in 163.2 by 2014, and 1 in 780.4 by last year. This year the odds of an American win were 1 in 1.3333333, so multiply that by 780.3689051 to get 1040.491873.

Level 63

Nov 14, 2021

Well he's not called sumguy for nothing. He's very good at sums.

Level 67

Feb 20, 2022

I like how this started out really complicated, and ended with you explaining to me what a coin flip was.

Level ∞

Jul 6, 2021

I missed the lockout season, you are right. But as you calculated, it doesn't really change things that much.

Level 84

May 15, 2023

With Edmonton eliminated, it's now been 29 years since a Canadian team has won the Cup, the odds of which are 1 in 1704.741885.

Level 43

Jul 31, 2021

President Franklin D. Roosevelt has a movie credit, he wrote the 1936 movie "The President's Mystery".

Level 67

Sep 28, 2021

Newfoundland fact is interesting. I have a Newfoundland specific penny from the 1940s.

Level 62

Sep 29, 2021

The Wreck of the Titan was actually written in 1898, but everything else is correct.

Level 69

Jun 6, 2022

In many respects, William Thomas Stead's short story, "How the Mail Steamer Went Down in Mid Atlantic by a Survivor", is even more similar to the Titanic. The story is a warning against steamers having insufficient lifeboats.

And Stead published his story in 1886, 12 years before Robertson published "Wreck of the Titan".

Spookiest of all: Stead died on April 15th, 1912. . .he was on the Titanic.

https://www.businessinsider.com/titanics-books-predicted-disaster-2018-4#:~:text=The%20second%20novella%20%E2%80%94%20%22The%20Wreck,the%20North%20Atlantic%20and%20sinks.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_the_Mail_Steamer_Went_Down_in_Mid_Atlantic_by_a_Survivor

Level 82

Dec 15, 2022

huh. I don't follow any professional sports, really, and certainly haven't been paying attention to hockey since the Washington Capitals fired my dad some 25 or so years ago... but #482 certainly seems surprising. Considering that from 1893-1928 the cup was never NOT won by a Canadian team except once... and then from 1930-1980 it seems like it was almost always won by the Montreal Canadiens (and on the years it wasn't it was usually the Toronto Maple Leafs). Only two Canadian victories since then, though. What the heck happened?

Level 84

Jun 18, 2023

Expansion has made Canadian teams a smaller portion of the league, reducing their odds in any given year. A bigger reason is that players are paid in American dollars. When the Canadian dollar loses value relative to the American dollar, Canadian teams struggle financially. Also, American teams get more government subsidies. So, despite the greater popularity of hockey in Canada, Canadian teams can't always afford to spend to the cap, so American teams are able to build better rosters. Then there's the supposed invisible hand of the NHL, trying to rig the odds in favor of American teams. Hockey will always be popular in Canada. It will only be popular in places without winter -- Florida, California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas -- if they have winning teams.