Random Facts Thread.

nivek

As Above So Below
Penguin egg whites turn clear when boiled because the glycoprotein that would typically make chicken eggs white, ovalbumin, is less present in penguin eggs; there is more of another glycoprotein, called penal albumin. This makes the egg more cold resistant.



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The shadow

The shadow knows!
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II had a lifetime association with the UK's Armed Forces. At her own insistence, Princess Elizabeth joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), the women’s branch of the British Army, in 1945, aged 18.

In doing so, she became the first female member of The Royal Family to join the Armed Forces.

Her father, King George VI, made sure that his daughter was not given a special rank in the Army. She was appointed as a second subaltern in the ATS on 24 February 1945.

By the end of #ww2, Princess Elizabeth had reached the rank of Junior Commander, the equivalent of Captain, having completed her course at No. 1 Mechanical Training Centre of the ATS and passed out as a fully qualified driver.FB_IMG_1662822242976.jpg
 

nivek

As Above So Below
The detonation of a nuclear bomb, captured by Harold Edgerton’s Rapatronic camera, in 1952. This particular Rapatronic camera had a shutter speed of one hundred millionth of a second.

 

The shadow

The shadow knows!
History repeats itself…

Queen Victoria reigned for 63 years.
When she died, Her son became Edward VII.
A woman named Alice Keppel was his long-time mistress and confidante.

Queen Elizabeth II reigned for 70 years FB_IMG_1663861627734.jpg.
When she died, Her son became Charles III.

Charles III is Edward VII’s Great-Great Grandson.
Camilla is Alice Keppel’s Great Granddaughter.
 

The shadow

The shadow knows!
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How Archie and the gang look in 2022.
Jughead now looks like shaggy.
Veronica has a skunk stripe in her hair ..
Archie drives a muscle car instead of a jalopy
 

nivek

As Above So Below
Yesterday was the equinox. On every equinox day, March 21 and September 22, everyone visiting the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in the capital city of Kerala, will see the setting sun aligning through each of the window openings in almost five-minute intervals.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaLTdL9CEzQ


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wwkirk

Divine
Yet another Quora steal.
Question: Who was the best, brilliant general in WW2 at the European theater?

"
IMHO the man who did the most for his country with the least resources ought to be considered the best, brilliant General in WW2 in the European theatre.

So what three European Combatants never had their Capital occupied in WW2? Soviet Union, United Kingdom and Finland.

Of those who had the smallest Army? Finland.

Of those which army was able to inflict the most disproportionate number of casualties on their enemies? Only Finland was able to inflict more casualties on its opponents than it suffered. Soviet losses were astronomical compared to Finnish losses.

Accordingly, I nominate: Carl Gustaf Mannerheim as the best, brilliant general in WW2 at the European theater. He stood up to the Red Army - an Army that had more soldiers than Finland had citizens."


As a bonus, a cool if true anecdote from Wikipedia.

"There is an unsubstantiated story that while conversing with Hitler, Mannerheim lit a cigar. Mannerheim expected that Hitler would ask Finland for more help against the Soviet Union, which Mannerheim was unwilling to give. When Mannerheim lit up, all in attendance gasped, for Hitler's aversion to smoking was well known. Nevertheless, Hitler continued the conversation calmly, with no comment. By this test, Mannerheim could judge if Hitler was speaking from a position of strength or weakness. He refused Hitler, knowing that Hitler was in a weak position, and could not dictate to him."
gustav.jpg
 

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
Yet another Quora steal.
Question: Who was the best, brilliant general in WW2 at the European theater?

"
IMHO the man who did the most for his country with the least resources ought to be considered the best, brilliant General in WW2 in the European theatre.

So what three European Combatants never had their Capital occupied in WW2? Soviet Union, United Kingdom and Finland.

Of those who had the smallest Army? Finland.

Of those which army was able to inflict the most disproportionate number of casualties on their enemies? Only Finland was able to inflict more casualties on its opponents than it suffered. Soviet losses were astronomical compared to Finnish losses.

Accordingly, I nominate: Carl Gustaf Mannerheim as the best, brilliant general in WW2 at the European theater. He stood up to the Red Army - an Army that had more soldiers than Finland had citizens."


As a bonus, a cool if true anecdote from Wikipedia.

"There is an unsubstantiated story that while conversing with Hitler, Mannerheim lit a cigar. Mannerheim expected that Hitler would ask Finland for more help against the Soviet Union, which Mannerheim was unwilling to give. When Mannerheim lit up, all in attendance gasped, for Hitler's aversion to smoking was well known. Nevertheless, Hitler continued the conversation calmly, with no comment. By this test, Mannerheim could judge if Hitler was speaking from a position of strength or weakness. He refused Hitler, knowing that Hitler was in a weak position, and could not dictate to him."
View attachment 17254

Never really thought about it but I agree. The Commies were as inept then as now but came on in numberless hordes. The Finns are smart, tough customers in defense.

In the military surplus rifle arena Finnish SAKO Mosin–Nagant 91/30s are highly desirable as collectors and shooters. Russian ones are heaped in piles. A US Federal Firearm License 01 means you're a dealer "in the business of buying and selling firearms" and must maintain an inventory that can be called upon for inspection. It was not uncommon for someone to want an FFL01 for their own purposes who would just buy a crate of 20 Russian 91/30s for a couple hundred bucks to satisfy that requirement. Pretty cool. Big crate with foreign markings, rifles still greased up with who knows what. Matching numbers, matching number bayonets. Likely undisturbed since WW2 manufacture except for the importer clamping a gadget on the receiver to bang in the required import stamp. I've got a couple. Cool but in general, crude as hell.

Waaaay off topic but I got an early Chinese SKS rifle as a 'gunsmith special' that I, well, gunsmited into a nice shooter. but when I opened the wrapper the grease had animal hair in it. I guess you use what you got. Ick
 

nivek

As Above So Below
In 1983, the Soviet Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov single-handedly averted a worldwide nuclear war when he chose to believe his intuition instead of the computer screen. Stanislav Petrov was on duty at an air surveillance center near Moscow when the computer indicated five US missiles had been fired in the direction of the Soviet Union. He reported a false alarm to his superiors at the time. "I didn't want to be responsible for World War III," he said. "I wasn't sure."

According to recent investigations the attack by American nuclear missiles came about because reflections of sunbeams in clouds had been identified by the early warning systems as energy discharges during a missile launch. Petrov believed it was a false alarm because, in his estimation, not only five missiles would have been involved in a US attack: a nuclear attack would have the destructive power of hundreds of missiles at once.

The incident was kept secret and was only published 10 years later after the fall of the Soviet Union. Worldwide headlines followed, as well as numerous awards. He was celebrated as “The Man Who Saved the World…"



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nivek

As Above So Below
70irgneehls91.jpg
 

wwkirk

Divine
The Resolute desk, also known as the Hayes desk, is a nineteenth-century partners desk used by several presidents of the United States in the White House as the Oval Office desk, including the five most recent presidents. The desk was a gift from Queen Victoria to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880 and was built from the oak timbers of the British Arctic exploration ship HMS Resolute.

Obama at the desk.
Barack_Obama_sitting_at_the_Resolute_desk_2009.jpg

JFK, Jr. in the desk
Resolute Desk JFK and son.jpg
 

nivek

As Above So Below
GPS tracking of six wolf packs - showing how they avoid each other’s range. [Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota]



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pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
Been watching Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and have been really enjoying it. The stories are pure original Roddenberry. #8 was a klinker but I like the series much more than I expected to

The new young Spock grew on me, he's doing a good job. Ethan Peck. Ethan Gregory Peck. Guess who his granddad is?

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nivek

As Above So Below
How Coke bottles change over time. The first one looks like a elixir that replenish your health and your stamina. That's actually what it was marketed as, no?

 
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