25 Interesting Bits of Trivia and Stuff

25 Interesting Bits of Trivia and Stuff from Cheezburger.com.

 

Consider Your Spleen

Mental_floss presents 7 facts about the spleen, that like the spleen itself, are mostly insignificant. At least, now you will know something about your spleen.

Get a spleenful HERE.

IBM Once Made A Computer With An Oil Pressure Warning Light

As a computer history buff, I love finding an obscure bit of tech trivia, but this one is really obscure. I recently heard about the IBM 7094’s Oil Pressure Warning light on a YouTube video, and further research provided very little additional information. The oil light was needed because the computer’s core memory was oil cooled. This main frame cost about $3 million, in 1960’s dollars.

The YouTube video is a 1993 episode of Computer Chronicles. The episode is Computer Bowl V, a trivia game that was featured annually on Computer Chronicles. Watch a young Bill Gates read the question about the IBM 7094 HERE. This page mentions the oil cooled core memory on the IBM 7094.

If anyone has more info about the IBM 7094 or oil cooled computers, please post a comment.

23 Thanksgiving Food Facts [video]

72 Facts That Will Teach You A Damn Thing For Once In Your Life

BuzzFeed published this collection of strange-but-true stuff, such as #5. Ketchup used to be sold as medicine.

Read the other 71 items HERE.

 

100 Things We Learned In 2013

Most items in the list are not actually discoveries, but are trivia that you may not have been aware of previously Still, it is an interesting collection of factoids. For instance – I did learn that there is a ‘universal law of urination’ (#77) , and New Zealand won’t allow parents to name their child ‘Princess’, among other names (#34).

Read all 100 items HERE

 

 

8 Strange Geography Facts [video]

Weird Trivia – The Entire State Of Wyoming Has Only 2 Escalators

Why? (according to TheAtlantic) –

The dearth of escalators in Wyoming could also have to do with the particularities of the state’s buildings themselves. “I think a lot of it has to do with some of the buildings being older,” Sue Goodman said — and older buildings with multiple stories tend to rely on stairways and elevators for their inter-floor transport. Two of the most common settings for escalators are malls and larger airports, and places like Sheridan have neither: their stores tend to be standalone structures. Plus, “in the Great Out West, I think land is probably cheaper,” Goodman said. So rather than build up, “we spread out.”

Read more HERE

Excellent Site – ’20 Things You Didn’t Know About’ by Discover Magazine

Discover Magazine has an excellent collection of lists.  They cover a wide range of subjects and present 20 unusual facts in each one.

Browse the lists HERE.