Laughs for Today

[Dividend Watcher]

Stumbled upon this site today, http://www.straightdope.com/ from a link I don't even remember where. Interesting reading some of the myths debunked but that's not the point of this thread.

They have a message board for readers to interact. One thread on there, "The Thread Of Ridiculous Lies And Made Up Facts That Aren't Facts But Kinda Sound True", is a hilarious read if you have some free time (and you won't have free time once you start reading). I've copied some of them below in case you need help avoiding the temptation ...

• Canadians have over three dozen words for poutine.
  
  
• Due to a combination of loopholes written in after the Civil War and people not bothering to update old laws, slavery in still technically legal in three US states.
  
  
• Though he is best known for his books, Carl Sagan's true passion was poetry. However, he was afraid to publish it, fearing the public would dislike his work - in his will, he instructed that his poems be burned after his death, along with his journals.
  
  
• Because of the tonal nature of the Chinese language, the Chinese did not have any concept of music with lyrics until they made contact with Europeans in the 17th Century.
  
  
• John Wesley Powell led 1869 Colorado River Expedition...it is well known that he did it with just one arm. What is not so well known is that he wore a pink dress during the entire trip.
  
  
• Dogs can't look up.
  
  
• Dehydrated cat meat tastes like salty bacon with a hint of lime.
  
  
• During World War II there was a tremendous need for the destruction of confidential documents. As the mechanical shredder had not yet been invented, the covert operations agencies employed vast numbers of little old ladies with excellent security clearances to tear pieces of paper into long, narrow strips.
  
  
• There is a small section of Antarctica that never gets snow or ice- in fact it has an almost tropical climate, with palm trees and white sand beaches. It is kept warm by an ocean current from the Pacific that flows down past the coast of South America, called the Tierra Del Fuego Flow (or just Fuego Flow). It is called El Ricardo Grandé and is a peninsula which curves upward, jutting into the southern Pacific Ocean. It is about half the size of Florida (to Antarctica's eternal embarrassment). It was named after its discoverer, Big Dick McGee- a Scottish sea captain who, through a series of unusual events ended up with an entirely Spanish crew. "El Ricardo Grandé" is how they affectionately referred to their beloved leader.
  
  
• Adolf Hitler took ballet as a child. Since 1938 and the annexation of Austria by Germany, there has not been a single ballet performance in the entire country.
  
  
• Swiss cheese has been proven to be as intelligent as the average American voter.
  
  
• The Red Baron never actually flew an airplane.
  
  
• Capitalizing Every Word In A Sentence Makes It Easier To Read.
  
  
• Morgan Freeman was the original Gordon on Sesame Street.
  
  
• J. Edgar Hoover wore a left-handed hat even though he was right-handed.
  
  
• Mountain Dew was originally created as an aftershave.
  
  
• The 80's rock group Blondie was named after Adolf Hitler's German Shepherd.
  
  
• During Michael Jackson's autopsy, it was discovered that his nose was prosthetic.
  
  
• In Beethoven's Fifth, the first 4 notes, da da da daaaah, were chosen by Beethoven because he was a supporter of Napoleon and ". . . _" is Morse code for "V", as in "V for Victory".
  

If you dare, the thread starts here.