Interesting but largely useless facts

[SmallTown]

Most people literally don't understand the meaning of the word literally.

It figuratively kills me when people get this wrong

 

[SmallTown]

My current favourite fact is that Australia is wider than the moon.

It blows my mind that one. (Not literally)

 

[hopesoboro]

Pound for pound grasshopper meat has more protein in it than beef steak

Ah but we've gone metric!

 

[Baggins]

The longest recorded flight of a chicken is 13 seconds

 

[Cecil J McTumshie]

The word “radar” is an acronym. An acronym is a word formed from other words’ initials. Radar actually stands for “radio detection and ranging.” This technology was developed in the 1930s, though the word “radar” wasn’t invented until 1942.[/QUOTE]
Its also a palindrome

 

[SmallTown]

The word “radar” is an acronym. An acronym is a word formed from other words’ initials. Radar actually stands for “radio detection and ranging.” This technology was developed in the 1930s, though the word “radar” wasn’t invented until 1942.
Its also a palindrome

If you take out the punctuation, as is "A man, a plan, a canal, Panama!"

 

[FartingGnome]

The longest single word palindrome in the world is saippuakauppias (or it was last time I looked). It's Finnish for soap seller.

 

[BaronSmoggie]

Sticking with the Finnish theme

Kalsarikännit

It means when you have a feeling of wanting to stay at home and get drunk in your underwear.

 

[Ignore_Alien_Orders]

In the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest. The UK judge gave ABBA’s Waterloo. Nil points.

 

[Funky_Chicken]

Sticking with the Finnish theme

Kalsarikännit

It means when you have a feeling of wanting to stay at home and get drunk in your underwear.

Can we have that in our anthem

 

[FartingGnome]

In the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest. The UK judge gave ABBA’s Waterloo. Nil points.

Kind of goes some way to explaining the Brit judgement of Eurovision success. Could also be the epitome of something "interesting but useless"

 

[Cecil J McTumshie]

In the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest. The UK judge gave ABBA’s Waterloo. Nil points.

And rightly so-its an awful song

 

[FartingGnome]

And rightly so-its an awful song

Not in comparison to pretty much every other Eurovision song. Ever.

 

[guisborough_rob]

I read somewhere that tchst is the longest run of consonants you can have in a word in English.

 

[FartingGnome]

rhythms is a good shout for that

 

[Cecil J McTumshie]

what about 'rhythm'-that's one more

 

[scuzzmonster]

Women can’t read maps . Or throw for that matter

Tessa Sanderson and Fatima Whitbread being notable exceptions, of course.

 

[HarryVegas]

I read somewhere that tchst is the longest run of consonants you can have in a word in English.

There's also Knightsbridge

 

[NorthumberlandBoro]

You can track the world's population in real time, not a fact, but quite interesting nonetheless

https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/

Thanks for that. I love stats.
My knowledge of country populations is way out of date...did not realise that India has almost caught up with China!

 

[FartingGnome]

You could fit the entire human population of earth into Yorkshire - they'd have almost 2 sq metres each.