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I hate to beg, but we need your facts again, ladies and gentlemen. If I don’t meet my quota, the Amazing Fact Generator says he’s gonna send a couple of goons over to break my thumbs. What’s a man without his opposable thumbs? I know you don’t want to see this happen to me, but let me give you a little extra incentive to send some facts our way.
On the Move is Bono’s call to action for the world to come together to aid a suffering Africa. The publisher describes is as a “challenge to people of all faiths to reach across boundaries,” so this week’s topic will be boundaries. Tell us something we didn’t know about the Great Wall of China, national borders, the sound barrier or even Robert Frost (good fences make good neighbors, after all). It’s a broad topic, so get creative.
The rules remain simple, just leave your fact in the comments with your name and location. If it’s both amazing and true, we’ll plug it into the Generator and credit it to you. The supplier of the most amazing fact will receive a copy of On the Move. And don’t just go to a competing trivia site, copy/paste a fact and claim it as your own. That’s cheating. Also, everybody gets five submissions each, so make ‘em count.
To get a feel for the kinds of facts the Generator likes, take a look at what’s in there already.
Generations of children were apparently eager to take Mister Rogers up on his invitation: “Won’t you be my neighbor?” Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was the longest running public televion program in history when production ended, and has only recently been eclipsed by Sesame Street.
posted by Ira on 3-4-2008 at 11:13 am
The foreskin of just one newborn male’s penis can be used to generate AN ENTIRE FOOTBALL field’s worth of skin to cover wounds of burn patients, etc.
posted by Ingrid on 3-4-2008 at 11:22 am
The United State Constitution opens with a grammatical error. “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union…” If something is perfect, by definition it cannot be improved upon. Therefore something cannot be “more perfect.”
posted by Bruce on 3-4-2008 at 11:27 am
The Great Wall of China is made of 3,873,000,000 bricks.
posted by Sarah H. on 3-4-2008 at 11:34 am
Brazil shares common boundaries with every country in South America except for Chile and Equador.
posted by Sarah on 3-4-2008 at 11:35 am
The US Supreme Court settles boundary disputes between states.
posted by Sarah H. on 3-4-2008 at 11:36 am
When Robert Frost sent his poems into “The Atlantic Monthly,” they returned his poems with the following note: “We regret that the Atlantic has no place for your vigorous verse.”
posted by Sarah on 3-4-2008 at 11:37 am
QUEEN JANE - SHORTEST REIGN OF A BRITISH MONARCH-LADY JANE GREY was arrested 9 days after being proclaimed Queen. She was tried, found guilty ofhigh treason, and on February 12,1554 she and her husband were beheaded.
posted by JaneM on 3-4-2008 at 11:43 am
The Hyoid Bone (found in the neck) is the only bone that is not attached (non-articulated) to any other bone in the body
posted by JaneM on 3-4-2008 at 11:47 am
In 2000, the FDA granted the California Prune Board permission to use the term “dried plumb” instead of “prune” to entice more people to eat the fruit with the negative consumer perception. It seems that 90% of people would be more likely to eat a food called “dried plumbs” than “prunes.”
posted by Liz on 3-4-2008 at 11:53 am
The Great Wall of China is not just a wall, it is composed of a series of barracks and watchtowers that allowed the Chinese to position troops along the border to repel invasion from Mongol raiders.
posted by Scott on 3-4-2008 at 12:00 pm
Jackie Cochran was the first woman to break the sound barrier. Chuck Yeager, the first man to break the sound barrier, was on her wing.
posted by Lisa on 3-4-2008 at 12:07 pm
regional telephone numbers are only seven numbers because that is the highest number that can easily be remembered.
posted by Sarah on 3-4-2008 at 12:20 pm
The construction of the Great Wall of China began during the Han Dynasty (221 BC to 200 (ish) AD) under Emperor Shi Huang Di and was also known as the Wall of Sorrows because those that were forced to build it often died due to the harsh conditions and were simply buried into the wall during construction. As a side note the wall that remains today is a result of the joining up all of the smaller walls during the Ming Dynasty (1644) and was created to keep out the “barbarians” from Manchuria (modern day parts of Northern China and Mongolia) who threatened the rest of China for over a thousand years and culminated in their last invasion which created the last official dynasty in China, the Qing Dynasty.
posted by Katie on 3-4-2008 at 12:28 pm
Georgia’s physical border with Tennessee does not match the written borders in the US survey instructions. The Southern border of Tennessee and the northern border of Georgia should lie along the 35th parallel. However when the physical boundary, in this case stones, were laid, they were laid in error. Pushing the northwest corner of Georgia 1 mile south of the 35th parallel.
Due to the extreme drought condition occurring in Georgia at this time there is a case in motion for Georgia to get this land back. It would put a small portion of the Tennessee River in Georgia.
posted by Rob Van on 3-4-2008 at 12:29 pm
The International Boundary between Canada and the United States is 8,891 kilometers (5,525 miles) across North America and must be kept entirely free of obstruction and plainly marked.
posted by Brittany on 3-4-2008 at 12:41 pm
Google Hans Island for an interesting read.
posted by Rob Van on 3-4-2008 at 12:42 pm
The exact location of the Tenessee/Georgia border has been in dispute for 190 years. The border was drawn a mile off its mark when it was surveyed in 1818 (the surveyors either used antiquated equipment or were scared off by a party of Native Americans), and has stayed there since. The dispute has come up now and again throught the past couple centuries, and has recently sprung up again - this time because of the drought in the Southeastern U.S. If Georgia’s border is moved north to the 35th parallell, where legally the border should be, they would have access to the waters of the Tenessee river.
posted by Clotho on 3-4-2008 at 12:44 pm
Most people have more than the average number of legs for a human.
This is absolutely true, think about it.
posted by dinghao on 3-4-2008 at 12:45 pm
Toledo was once claimed by both Ohio and Michigan. This eventually led to a border dispute between the State of Ohio and the Michigan Territory during the first several decades of the nineteenth century.
On the condition that the Michigan Territory would become a state, Ohio would receive the disputed area of roughly four hundred square miles of land.
posted by Del on 3-4-2008 at 12:47 pm
Frost didn’t really mean that ‘good fences make good neighbors.’ That quote is taken out of context and the poem is actually making a case against fences.
“Before I built a wall I’d ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offence.
Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,
That wants it down.”
Frost is stating that nature works to destroy walls, just as people should work to get rid of the issues that divide them.
posted by Shelly on 3-4-2008 at 12:56 pm
Beer is sold on the Great Wall of China. I know this because I happened to consume a few myself.
posted by Shaun on 3-4-2008 at 1:07 pm
Collinsville, Illinois is the home of the worlds largest Catsup Bottle!
posted by Rain-X on 3-4-2008 at 1:08 pm
ooops, I re-facted Rob Van’s fact…sorry Rob ;)
posted by Clotho on 3-4-2008 at 1:20 pm
In 2004, the US government contracted the Southern California based Golden State Fence Company to build a border fence between San Diego and Mexico. Designed to prevent illegal immigration, over a third of the GSF Company’s employees were in-fact illegal immigrants themselves, hired to build a fence to keep their friends and family out of the US. That’s incentive for good quality craftsmanship.
posted by Mary on 3-4-2008 at 1:33 pm
Hemorrhoids are really just varicose veins of the anal canal.
posted by Ingrid on 3-4-2008 at 1:50 pm
It is against city code in Longview, TX to build a fence over 6 feet tall without the proper permits. Beat THAT!
posted by tommy on 3-4-2008 at 1:52 pm
Finland has more islands than any other country, estimated at 179,584. Of those, at least 60,000 are inland.
posted by Brian R., Canton MI on 3-4-2008 at 2:03 pm
The Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is piece of land that acts as a buffer between North and South Korea. It is 2.5 miles wide and 155 miles long, stretching across the Korean Peninsula. While the area within the zone is supposedly void of any people and arms, the areas on either side of the zone are not. It is arguably one of the most heavily armed borders in the world.
posted by Kat L. on 3-4-2008 at 2:09 pm
No duh! The Vatican is the country with the worlds lowest birth rate.
posted by Brian R., Canton MI on 3-4-2008 at 2:09 pm
At 7,061 miles in length (including Alaska), the US-Canadian border is the longest militarily undefended international boundary in the world.
posted by Gary on 3-4-2008 at 2:12 pm
Tijuana is the foreign city most visited by US citizens.
posted by Brian R., Canton MI on 3-4-2008 at 2:12 pm
The first and last play of Brett Favre’s professional career both resulted in an interception.
posted by Kevin on 3-4-2008 at 2:18 pm
Arthur John Rambo was killed in Vietnam, and his name is on the Vietnam Memorial Wall, panel 16W, line 126.
posted by Johnny Cat on 3-4-2008 at 2:21 pm
Ketchikan Alaska has the highest zip in the US, 99950. The lowest is 00501 for the IRS center in Holtsville New York.
posted by Brian R., Canton MI on 3-4-2008 at 2:27 pm
The layout of the US-Canadian boundary requires that residents of Point Roberts, Washington, and Angle Inlet, Minnesota, must pass through Canada in order to drive to anywhere else in the United States.
posted by Gary on 3-4-2008 at 2:32 pm
Canada consumes more Mac `n` Cheese than any other country. They call it “Dinner” there.
posted by Brian R., Canton MI on 3-4-2008 at 2:36 pm
Matt,
You say, “don’t just go to a competing trivia site, copy/paste a fact and claim it as your own. That’s cheating.”
I assume if I have a random fact that it is okay to visit a competing site to verify it before submitting. Correct?
posted by It's good to be the King on 3-4-2008 at 2:53 pm
While accurate numbers are difficult to come by, it is estimated that as many as 3.8 million US citizens live abroad. This does NOT include military personnel or US government employees. That’s as many as the number of USC’s currently living in Wyoming, Vermont, Alaska, North and South Dakota, and the District of Columbia, combined. Of these, over 1 million live in Mexico.
posted by Gary on 3-4-2008 at 2:57 pm
The border of your lips is called the vermilion-skin border.
posted by Kat L. on 3-4-2008 at 3:02 pm
Hadrian’s Wall was 80 Roman miles or 73.5 English miles, and served as Romes northern boarder in Britain until antonine wall was built in 142 AD
posted by Joshua S. on 3-4-2008 at 3:06 pm
Personal space differs depending on the culture. At 1-1/2 to 4 feet, Americans have a wider personal space than most other cultures.
posted by Sheryl H. on 3-4-2008 at 3:44 pm
Skin is a human’s boundary between the body and the world. In one day, a human sheds 10 billion skin flakes. Every square inch of the human body has about 19,000,000 skin cells.
posted by Sheryl H. on 3-4-2008 at 3:44 pm
The Historical Main Building at Ellis Island is the property of Manhattan, while the surrounding parts of the island are property of New Jersey
posted by Kevin, Bentonville, AR on 3-4-2008 at 3:51 pm
The longest fence in the world is the Dingo Fence, located in Australia. It spans 3,306 miles and was erected to keep the wild dogs away from the sheep of Queensland.
posted by Kevin, Bentonville, AR on 3-4-2008 at 3:55 pm
According to a little known Los Angeles municipal law, if a fruit tree extends over the owner’s property boundaries onto public land, the fruit which overhangs the public land is no longer the sole property of the tree owner and can be legally harvested.
As a result of this, a group of artist/activists have actually begun mapping fruit trees in the Los Angeles area which can publicly accessed.
posted by Florida on 3-4-2008 at 3:56 pm
The oldest Botanical Gardens in the western hemisphere are located right outside of Kingstown, St. Vincent.
posted by Laura on 3-4-2008 at 4:13 pm
There have been three proposed states in the US that never gained support. The state of Jefferson would have encompassed parts of Southern Oregon and Northern California. Lincoln would have been Eastern Washington and the panhandle of Idaho, and Franklin was a region of western North Carolina, later annexed to Tennessee.
posted by Jenny on 3-4-2008 at 5:10 pm
The inventor of the precurssor to the office cubicle, Robert Propst died regretting that his invention evolved into what he called “monolithic insanity.”
posted by Jenny on 3-4-2008 at 5:35 pm
The three-note NBC “song” (also known as a stinger) is made up of the notes G, E, and C, standing for General Electric Company, the company that owned the channel.
posted by Johnny on 3-4-2008 at 5:43 pm
90% of the population of Canada lives within 100 km of the US border
posted by Basil on 3-4-2008 at 5:55 pm
The city of Lloydminster straddles the Alberta and Saskatchewan border but is a single municipality. the two parts (one in each province) have different taxation, area codes and postal codes even though the town. even though the east part of Lloydminster is in Saskatchewan, the city follows Mountain Time standards. new smoking ban in the saskatchewan only applies to the eastern part of Lloydminster
posted by Basil on 3-4-2008 at 6:04 pm
Mesa, Arizona is the most populous suburb in the United States–second largest in North America. The largest in North America is the Toronto suburb of Mississauga.
posted by Kevin on 3-4-2008 at 7:06 pm
Boundaries is the only English word to contain all 5 vowels. Woo hoo !
posted by Kevin on 3-4-2008 at 7:12 pm
It’s good to be the King,
Verifying the accuracy of your fact is definitely encouraged, we just frown upon people lifting things verbatim from other sites. Your fact can be all over the web elsewhere, but we appreciate if you phrase it in an original way.
posted by matt on 3-4-2008 at 8:55 pm
A grammatical error in the fifth Amendment to the US Constitution actually puts into doubt the government’s right to acquire land through eminent domain. The pertinent text reads, “…nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.” It’s unknown whether the comma was supposed to be there but if it is, then the government may be able to take whatever property it wants…for free!
posted by Nick Fabiani on 3-5-2008 at 7:12 am
When navigating the Panama Canal from the Atlantic to the Pacific, a ship actually sails east.
posted by Del on 3-5-2008 at 7:55 am
Kevin,
That would be awesome if it (boundaries) were true. how about “simultaneous”?
You could even get “facetious”, which not only contains all 5 vowels, but they are in the correct order.
posted by It's good to be the King on 3-5-2008 at 8:44 am
Future US president John Adams defended the British soldiers accused of the Boston Massacre, winning the acquittal of 6 of the 8 defendants.
posted by Bruce on 3-5-2008 at 9:00 am
It’s Good to be the King–Hey, thanks for letting me know. That’s cool. Kevin
posted by Kevin on 3-5-2008 at 9:08 am
Jacksonville, Florida is the largest city in the contiguous United States, at least in land area.
posted by Augusta on 3-5-2008 at 9:17 am
The northern border of Delaware is curved, with all points being exactly 12 miles from the old court house in New Castle.
posted by Augusta on 3-5-2008 at 9:22 am
The site of the supposed UFO crash at Roswell, NM is actually closer to Aztec, NM than Roswell.
posted by Bruce on 3-5-2008 at 11:56 am
I’ve been thinking about this all morning…
The sunburst dome of the Chrysler Building is covered in a specialized stainless steel that has never needed to be cleaned or polished in these 78 years.
The Great Barrier Reef is the only living thing that can be seen from space.
Near the event horizon of a black hole (the boundary in spacetime surrounding said black hole), ’spaghettification’ will occur, tearing matter into thin strips.
posted by Augusta on 3-5-2008 at 12:26 pm
From Detroit, MI you can look south to see Canada. The only area, in the contiguous U.S., for which that can be said.
posted by Paul C. on 3-5-2008 at 1:45 pm
But then the African swallow’s not migratory…
Guard in Monty Python and the Holy Grail
posted by Chris on 3-5-2008 at 2:16 pm
The town of Angle Inlet, MN is separated from the rest of the United States by the enormous Lake of the Woods. It can only be reached by crossing the lake or by traveling through Canada.
posted by Anne on 3-5-2008 at 2:50 pm
The northernmost point in the contiguous US is in Minnesota- it’s the little finger coming up in the middle of the country. That part of the state is the only stretch of land (and lake) in the contiguous US above the 49th parallel.
posted by Valerie on 3-5-2008 at 3:04 pm
The shortest international bridge crosses the Canada-US border between two small islands in the 1000-Islands area of the St Lawrence River. The smaller of the two islands is apparently the backyard of the house on the larger island
posted by Basil on 3-5-2008 at 4:42 pm
Did you know that it takes tons more power to keep a goat in a boundary than it does either a horse or a cow? Horses twitch when a fly lands on them, cows will not even go near an electric fence once they have touched it. If a goat can get its head under the fence no matter how juiced up it is, it will just hollar and keep on going.
posted by Marsha on 3-5-2008 at 5:21 pm
Sitka, Alaska, is the largest city (incorporated area) in the United States with a total area of 4,811.5 square miles. About 40% of it is water.
Jacksonville, Florida is the largest city in area in the contiguous 48 states at 758 square miles.
posted by Cat on 3-5-2008 at 5:51 pm
I need to alter my previous fact to say that Jacksonville, Florida, is actually 874.3 square miles including water (13%).
posted by Cat on 3-5-2008 at 5:59 pm
There’s a California Prune Board?
posted by Pointy-Hatted Geek on 3-5-2008 at 7:32 pm
The Great Firewall of China is quite long, but you can see right through it if you wear a mask.
posted by spooler on 3-6-2008 at 2:03 am
Armadillos always give birth to identical quadruplets
posted by Samantha on 3-6-2008 at 11:24 am
A micronation is an invented country, not recognized by any other. One of the most interesting is the Principality of Sealand, on an ocean platform off the coast of England. They’ve got their own currency, stamps and passports, and have argued their right for sovereignty (and lost) several times in court.
posted by Jenny on 3-6-2008 at 1:22 pm
At the height of Great Brittian’s world domination, it ruled over one quarter of the total land area in the world (14.2 million square miles) and approx. one quarter of the population of the world (458 million people). Following the end of WWII, its territories gained their independence, with the last major territory, Hong Kong, becoming part of China in 1997. Currently, Great Brittian’s empire is limited to a few islands in the Carribbean, as well as some remote islans such as the Falklands, Pitcairn Island and Tristan De Cunha.
posted by Jenny on 3-6-2008 at 1:49 pm
Mormon founder Joseph Smith and Quaker founder George Fox are typically overshadowed by their proteges and the locations they made famous. Brigham Young made Salt Lake City the eventual Mormon home, while William Penn’s family were given tribute through the naming of Pennsylvania.
posted by Steve F on 3-6-2008 at 1:55 pm
The Haskell Free Library and Opera House straddles the Canadian and Vermont border. The actors perform in Canada while most of the audience sits in the United States. There is even a painted line running through the building.
posted by Owen on 3-6-2008 at 2:41 pm
Terminus was the Roman god of boundaries and landmarks.
posted by Survey Steve on 3-6-2008 at 3:06 pm
No part of New Zealand is more than 128 km from the sea.
posted by Rebecca on 3-6-2008 at 3:12 pm
In ancient Egypt, people shaved eyebrows as a mourning symbol when their cats died.
posted by Rebecca on 3-6-2008 at 3:18 pm
Georgia has more counties than any other state, a total of 159, and every single county except one is named after a person.
posted by Amy on 3-6-2008 at 4:05 pm
The Great Barrier Reef is the only living thing on Earth that can be seen from space!
posted by Amy on 3-6-2008 at 4:16 pm
I have not fact checked this myself, but my brother-in-law swears by it! - In Scotland, if someone knocks on your door and requires the use of your toilet, you must let them enter.
posted by Matt on 3-7-2008 at 1:01 pm
also - it is illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament in a suit of armor.
posted by Matt on 3-7-2008 at 1:02 pm
Around 1784 representatives from western North Carolina seceded their counties and formed the State of Franklin. Not recognized by the US or North Carolina, Franklin enjoyed very brief independance. During its four year history the state constitution attempted to ban preachers, lawyers and doctors from elected office, thus making it the inspiration for Ross Perot’s political campaign.
posted by Steve on 3-8-2008 at 2:53 pm