Post obscure facts about any subject.

[Red Impact]

Plants belong to the Kingdom Archaeplastida, which also includes algae. Mushrooms belong to the Opisthokont kingdom, which are named because their cells have flagella. Animals, including humans, also belong in the Opisthokont group, meaning that, biologically, mushrooms and humans are closer evolutionary relatives than mushrooms and plants are.

[Mozenrath]

Japanese hornets are a terror to people, much less bees, who are mostly unable to fight back, save for one defense.

They climb onto the hornets and dogpile it, trying to raise the hornet's body temperature, as well as smother it. The hornet cannot endure the same level of heat that the bee can, and will die, but this is not a perfect defense, as it kills many bees in the process.

So, if a hornet is spotted spying on the hive, bees have actually begun to motion to the hornets that they are aware they are being watched, and that they intend to defend themselves if the hornet wants to take its chances, more or less. The hornets usually just look around for a less alert hive, since the dogpile defense isn't easy to coordinate, and the hive lives another day free of their cruelest predator.

Bees and hornets, engaging in basically cold-war era diplomacy.

Also, ants are close relatives of bees and wasps, as well as hornets, and that's not difficult to understand, all three being eusocial insects, but what isn't actually a close relative of theirs is termites. Termites are much more closely related to roaches and mantids. The mantis, despite resembling them in many ways, is not all that related to grasshoppers and locusts. Grasshoppers, in turn, are only somewhat related to crickets, who are more related to katydids and weta.

[Milkman Norm]

In 1919 an outfielder for the New York Yankees injured his hip sliding into third base ending his professional baseball career. The man had been a star in both baseball and football in college, having been the MVP of the Rose Bowl in 1918, so when he took a job as a sales rep for a starch manufacturing company it made sense for him to named coach of the companies football team. Borrowing the colors from his alma mater the University of Illinois his team went from semi pro to pro and in 1920 he was one of 14 founders of the American Professional Football Association. In 1921 he became owner of the team and renamed the club in honor of the local National League baseball club. One year later the APFA was renamed the National Football League. His Name was George "Papa Bear" Halas and the club he founded, the Chicago Bears is one of two remaining franchises that founded the NFL.

[Hit Girl]

The flag of Mozambique has an AK-47 on it.

[Sephiroth]

Sept 13, 2014 11:23:31 GMT -5 BayleyTiffyCodyCenaJudyHopps said:

During the making of Snow White, the Disney paint team added real makeup to some of the title character's cells in order to make her look more lifelike.

Maila Normi, best known for being TV's first horror host, Vampira, also served as a figure model for Maleficent during the production of Sleeping Beauty.

[Hit Girl]

The Irish Navy has only 8 ships and the Air Corps only 24 planes.

[Mozenrath]

Poison with animals, plants, and fungus refers specifically to ones which are toxic when eaten, and is a passive defense. Mushrooms which will kill you when eaten are poisonous.

Venom is an active defense or weapon, and must be injected through a bite, a sting, or other device. A snake's fangs utilize venom, a jellyfish's nematocyst fires barbs which inject venom, etc. Sea snails in particular can exhibit some of the most complex venom known to science, which makes sense given their prey is so much quicker than they are. Once they fire their lances, they want their prey dead or paralyzed almost instantly, and the attack on their organs by the toxins will often be on many levels.

[Bob Schlapowitz]

Sept 13, 2014 14:24:57 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

Poison with animals, plants, and fungus refers specifically to ones which are toxic when eaten, and is a passive defense. Mushrooms which will kill you when eaten are poisonous.

Venom is an active defense or weapon, and must be injected through a bite, a sting, or other device. A snake's fangs utilize venom, a jellyfish's nematocyst fires barbs which inject venom, etc. Sea snails in particular can exhibit some of the most complex venom known to science, which makes sense given their prey is so much quicker than they are. Once they fire their lances, they want their prey dead or paralyzed almost instantly, and the attack on their organs by the toxins will often be on many levels.

Venom is a Black Metal band, Poison is a Glam Metal band.

[Vampiro138]

Slash and Duff never signed the GnR name over before a show under duress nor did they sign it over the same day.

GNR ended the US run of the Illusions tour October 6, 1992 and didnt do another gig until November 25th, 1992. Slash singed the document on October 15th and Duff signed it on October 21st.

[Bob Schlapowitz]

Milwaukee is actually pronounced "Mill-wah-kay", which is Algonquin for "The Good Land".

[Deleted]

More Beach Boys facts!
-Darryl Dragon (aka, Captain of Captain and Teneile fame) worked with the band (mostly with Dennis Wilson) during the late 60's/early 70's.
-Ricky Fatarr was a member of the band in the mid 70's. He's probably best known today for playing Stig in "The Ruttles."
-Brian Wilson has won only two grammy's...both related to SMiLE (2005: Best Rock Instrumental for Mrs' O'Leary's Cow and 2013: Best Historical Recording "The SMiLE Sessions."
-In the late 60's, the band nearly changed it's name to just "Beach."
-More songs the members of the band did that took years to get out
*Surf's Up (Started in 1966, released in 1971.)
*Big Sur (Started in 1971 in 4/4, released in 1973 in 3/4 time.)
*Sandy (Started in 1965, worked on in 1976 as Sherry, She Needs Me, and finished in 1998 as She Says that She Needs Me.)
*Endless Harmony (Started in 1972 as Ten Years of Harmony, released 1980.)
*Walkin' (Started in 1968, worked on in 1970. Elements incorporated and released as "Morning Beat" in 2007.)

[The Unconquered Sun]

Cleopatra lived closer in time to the first Moon landing than to the building of the Great Pyramid.

[Deleted]

The Most Interesting Man in the World is based on Fernando Lamas, an actor and father of Lorenzo Lamas.

[Deleted]

- The Kelly Clarkson songs "Longshot" and "Hook Up" were originally unreleased Katy Perry songs. They were to be featured on Katy Perry's (A) Katy Perry album.

- Katy Perry's real name is Katherine Hudson, and she originally went by Katy Hudson. Due to confusion from record companies that she was actress Kate Hudson, she changed her name. However, when Kate Hudson introduced Katy Perry at the IHeartRadio festival last year, neither acknowledged it.

- Katy Perry has a brother named David Hudson that is the vocalist for a straight up rock n roll band on an indie label called HUDSON.

- Even though they are both pastors and raised their children very strict, Katy Perry's father used to cook meth in the house and her mom used to bang Jimmi Hendrix.

[Eunös ✈]

Charlie Chaplin once entered a Charlie Chaplin look alike contest and only came 3rd

[Deleted]

The sound test for 1991's Sonic the Hedgehog was supposed to feature Sonic breakdancing. It was scrapped and the remaining cartridge space was used to insert the famous "Sega!" choir.

On a related note, the Sega choir comes from the company's Japanese commercials, and the Master System used an 8-bit version on its boot-up screen. Meanwhile, non-Japanese Sega commercials used the infamous "SEGA!" scream, because attitude.

[El Pollo Guerrera]

Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers was the first musical group to sign with Motown Record that wasn't all-African-American. The one back-up singer who wasn't African-American was future comic actor Tommy Chong (his mother was Scot-Irish/French and his father was Chinese).

[Ryback on a Pole!]

Wombat shit is cube shaped.

[Jonathan Michaels]

A View to a Kill is the only Bond theme to hit #1 on the charts.

The highest grossing independent film of all time is Star Wars: Episode One: The Phantom Menace.

John C. Reilly costarred in three of the five Best Picture nominees in 2002.

Evan Almighty cost $175 million dollars, the most expensive comedy of all time.

The record for biggest opening weekend of all time was broken three times in the space of one month, first by Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade on Memorial Day weekend 1989, then by Ghostbusters 2 three weeks later, then by Batman the very next weekend.

[The Unconquered Sun]

Found these, some are just...WOW!
Russia has a larger surface area than Pluto.
Betty White is actually older than sliced bread.
North Korea and Finland are separated by one country, Russia
Will Smith is now older than Uncle Phil was at the beginning of The Fresh Prince.
Pluto never made a full orbit around the sun from the time it was discovered to when it was declassified as a planet.
You can’t hum while holding your nose.