Random Facts Thread.

wwkirk

wwkirk

Divine
Why the numbers 9-1-1 for emergency calls.

From Quora:
The logic was as follows: the emergency number must be something that can be dialed [ the number was established when rotary phones were the norm] quickly and the time is directly proportional to the number of the digit. It takes far more time to dial, say “9”, than it does to dial “1”, so “1” will be favored. It should also be easy to remember, but difficult to dial accidentally, to avoid mistaken emergency calls. It should also be easy to remember, two identical digits plus one extra digit at the start or end is the maximum complexity you want.
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Additional fact from NENA: The 9-1-1 Association
because it is a unique number, never having been authorized as an office code, area code, or service code, it best met the long range numbering plans and switching configurations of the telephone industry.
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Bonus Facts:
On February 16, 1968, Rankin Fite, then Speaker of the House, placed the ceremonial first 9-1-1 call from the town of Haleyville.(Wikipedia)
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Regarding national U.S. coverage, by 1979, 26% of the U.S. population could dial the number. This increased to 50% by 1987* and 93% by 2000. As of December 2017, 98.9% of the U.S. population has access. (Wikipedia)
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* To me, the service expanded rather slowly!
 
wwkirk

wwkirk

Divine
Learning about the American Revolution led me to this tidbit. Vermont was once it's own country!

The Vermont Republic , officially known at the time as the State of Vermont, was an independent state in New England that existed from January 15, 1777, to March 4, 1791.
 
wwkirk

wwkirk

Divine
What is the best seller among American publications? I'm not sure about right now, but as of 2006 it was Thomas Paine's Common Sense.

In proportion to the population of the colonies at that time (2.5 million), it had the largest sale and circulation of any book published in American history. As of 2006, it remains the all-time best-selling American title and is still in print today.
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nivek

nivek

As Above So Below
 
nivek

nivek

As Above So Below
 
nivek

nivek

As Above So Below
 
nivek

nivek

As Above So Below
K18-adb32be7.png
 
nivek

nivek

As Above So Below
None of these people are real. Those are all AI-generated faces, and there are millions of them already generated, ready to be used for the next crisis.

 
wwkirk

wwkirk

Divine
Both Mussolini and Himmler had their brains, or parts thereof, removed to find out what made them evil.
From Quora:
According to a 1985 Mirror article, Himmler’s brain was removed by physicians and sent to London to see if doctors could determine the source of the evil in Himmler. The current location of the brain is still unknown.
Mussolini’s brain was removed and sent to the US to determine the root cause of his behavior which they suspected to be syphilis. Syphilis was not detected and the brain was returned to his widow in 1966. The US did retain slices of his brain. They ended up for sale in EBay for €15,000.
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Some corroborating links.
Top 10 Famous Stolen Body Parts - TIME
Death of Benito Mussolini - Wikipedia
International: A Grave on the Heath
 
nivek

nivek

As Above So Below
Kchoo said:
How do the help with a crisis?
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I'm not sure what is meant by that, perhaps used as fake crisis actors?...

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Kchoo

Kchoo

At Peace.
How much caffeine is in decaf coffee?
Decaffeination removes about 97% or more of the caffeine in coffee beans. A typical cup of decaf coffee has about 2 mg of caffeine, compared to a typical cup of regular coffee, which has about 95 mg of caffeine.

All About Decaffeinated Coffee.
 
nivek

nivek

As Above So Below
Actual longest continuous path you can walk on… Except zigzaging

 
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