Quirky Facts Reveal Human Fascination with the Unusual - Episode Hero Image

Quirky Facts Reveal Human Fascination with the Unusual

No Such Thing As A Fish · · Listen to Original Episode →
Original Title:

TL;DR

  • The Vatican Apostolic Library preserves a vast collection of hiccup remedies sent to Pope Pius XII, highlighting historical approaches to common ailments and the administrative processes for handling correspondence to religious leaders.
  • The US state of Alabama's constitution, estimated at over 373,000 words, is longer than Leo Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina," suggesting a disproportionate amount of legislative text relative to literary works.
  • Shipstation's integration with Shopify automates order fulfillment and inventory management, enabling businesses to grow three times faster and ship 15 times more orders by streamlining shipping workflows.
  • Jungle gyms were invented in the 1880s in Japan by Charles Howard Hinton, a British mathematician, as a tool to help children intrinsically comprehend fourth-dimensional geometry through coordinate drills.
  • Wandering albatrosses possess an elbow-locking mechanism allowing them to fly hundreds of miles without flapping, a biological adaptation that enables extensive migratory journeys.
  • The Philippines Basketball Association, the world's second-oldest professional basketball league, features uniquely named teams like the "Rain or Shine Elasto Painters" and "San Miguel Beer Men."
  • Elephants on the moon would require limbs approximately 10 meters long to maintain their Earth-based gait mechanics, a biomechanical necessity dictated by lunar gravity.

Deep Dive

This episode of "No Such Thing As A Fish" presents a collection of disparate, often quirky, facts submitted by listeners, highlighting the human tendency to imbue everyday objects and concepts with unexpected significance. The implications suggest that even the most mundane items or abstract ideas can become focal points for intricate historical narratives, scientific inquiry, or personal expression, revealing a collective fascination with the unusual and the overlooked.

The facts shared span a wide range, from the practicalities of e-commerce shipping and mattress technology to the historical origins of playground equipment and the peculiar nature of language. For instance, the promotion of ShipStation as a Shopify partner underscores how specialized tools can create significant business growth, implying that efficiency gains in logistics directly correlate with scaling potential. Similarly, the emphasis on Ghostbed's mattress technology and its benefits points to a broader consumer trend of prioritizing sleep quality and wellness through scientifically engineered products, suggesting a growing market for comfort-driven innovations.

Further exploration into historical curiosities reveals the layered meanings we assign to objects and events. The origin of jungle gyms, linked to a mathematician's attempt to teach fourth-dimensional geometry, illustrates how practical inventions can emerge from highly theoretical pursuits, suggesting that abstract concepts can have tangible, albeit unintended, real-world applications. The anecdote about actor Richard Todd playing his commanding officer in "The Longest Day" highlights the human element in historical reenactments, where personal experience can lend profound authenticity to artistic representation, and implies a deep-seated desire to connect with historical events through lived experience. The mathematical breakdown of consuming a "full Jesus" via communion wafers, while humorous, also touches upon the quantitative analysis of religious practices, suggesting a drive to apply logical frameworks even to matters of faith.

The episode also delves into the idiosyncrasies of language and cultural expression. The Icelandic place name "Gjalda" meaning "parking fees apply" and the Polish phrase "Bravo Yazdi" translating to "driving license" demonstrate how common terms can be misinterpreted as proper nouns, leading to amusing misunderstandings and underscoring the importance of linguistic context. The sheer length of the Alabama constitution, exceeding that of "Anna Karenina," satirizes bureaucratic verbosity and prompts reflection on the nature of governance and legal documentation.

Finally, the discussion of animal locomotion on the moon, specifically elephants requiring 10-meter legs, represents a playful application of biomechanics to hypothetical scenarios, suggesting that scientific principles can be used to explore imaginative possibilities and engage the public with complex fields like physics and biology. The case of the wandering albatross and the introduction of cats and mice on Marion Island illustrates the unintended ecological consequences of human intervention and the ongoing efforts to restore natural balances, implying a continuous struggle with managing our impact on the environment. Collectively, these facts reveal a pattern of seeking out the extraordinary in the ordinary, a drive to quantify the unquantifiable, and a persistent curiosity about the historical, linguistic, and scientific oddities that shape our world.

Action Items

  • Audit historical facts: Identify 3-5 recurring themes or categories of facts presented across 10 episodes to understand common areas of interest.
  • Create a fact verification checklist: Define 5 criteria for assessing the accuracy and novelty of submitted facts to prevent the inclusion of unverified or redundant information.
  • Measure fact submission impact: Track the number of submitted facts that are featured on the show over a 3-month period to gauge audience engagement with fact submission.
  • Analyze fact categories: Categorize 50 recently submitted facts by subject matter (e.g., history, science, animals) to identify potential biases or underrepresented areas.

Related Episodes

Key Quotes

"Jungle gyms were invented in Japan in the 1880s by a British polygamist with the goal of training a generation of children to intrinsically comprehend the fourth dimension."

This fact, presented by Eli Jones, suggests a surprising origin for jungle gyms, linking them to advanced mathematical concepts rather than simple play structures. The interpretation by the podcast hosts highlights the unusual goal of teaching fourth-dimensional geometry to children through this invention.

"The UK actor Richard Todd was a D-Day veteran and he was in a film called The Longest Day which is a really famous Second World War film. It's about three hours long, it recreates large chunks of D-Day. Basically, he was in the film The Longest Day playing his real-life commanding officer."

Andy Walker shares this fact about actor Richard Todd, emphasizing the unique casting choice in "The Longest Day." Walker points out the surreal nature of Todd portraying his own commanding officer from the actual D-Day invasion two decades prior.

"It would take just over 1,418 years to eat a full Jesus. So what Dario has done here is assumed that when you're eating a communion wafer which is the body of Christ, that that is actually Jesus and he's worked out all the stuff."

Dario Persaccino's fact, as explained by the podcast host, calculates the time it would take to consume a symbolic "Jesus" made of communion wafers. The calculation assumes one wafer per week, leading to the lengthy duration and humorously noting it doesn't account for philosophical or physical complexities.

"The Vatican Apostolic Library holds shelf after shelf of self-help hiccup remedies. Did they have the finger up the anus which is I believe the only medically certain way to cure it?"

Anton Gyllenborg's fact reveals the Vatican's extensive collection of hiccup remedies, prompting a host to question the inclusion of a specific, unconventional method. The interpretation explains that these submissions were preserved due to their correspondence being addressed to the Pope, regardless of their nature.

"As the highest estimate, the Constitution of the US state of Alabama sources vary, but 373,000 words is probably the best estimate, is longer than Anna Karenina, which is around 364,000."

Caleb Groen, a US law student, presents this fact comparing the length of the Alabama state constitution to Leo Tolstoy's novel "Anna Karenina." The hosts find this comparison amusing, suggesting that the constitution's length might be due to extensive details, similar to those found in the novel.

"The wandering albatrosses... they've got the longest wingspan of any bird, it's two and a half meters roughly and I really like this, they've got this elbow locking mechanism. They can keep their wings open for as long as they want without activating their muscles and basically they can fly several hundred miles in one go without flapping their wings once."

Yana Row, a seabird researcher, shares facts about the wandering albatross, highlighting its impressive wingspan and unique flight adaptation. The hosts are particularly struck by the albatross's ability to fly vast distances without flapping, likening it to a long journey without any wing movement.

Resources

External Resources

Books

  • "The Theory of Everything Else" by Dan Schreiber - Mentioned as an example of the tone and content of his live tour.

Articles & Papers

  • "What's Going On on Marion Island" (Source not specified) - Discussed in relation to the efforts to eradicate mice and their impact on albatross populations.
  • Paper on elephant locomotion on the moon (Society of Biomechanics in Marseille) - Presented by Ralph de Roa Macado Mesquita's team, discussing the hypothetical leg length needed for elephants to maintain normal gait on the moon.

People

  • Charles Howard Hinton - British mathematician who attempted to teach his children fourth-dimensional geometry, leading to the invention of the jungle gym.
  • Richard Todd - UK actor and D-Day veteran who played his real-life commanding officer in the film "The Longest Day."
  • Jeffrey Pine Coffin - Superior officer of Richard Todd on D-Day.
  • Pope Pius XII - Reportedly suffered from chronic hiccups, leading to the Vatican Apostolic Library holding a collection of hiccup remedies.
  • Dan Schreiber - Host, author of "The Theory of Everything Else," and performer of a live tour titled "This Changes Everything."
  • Andy - Host, involved in curating facts for the podcast.
  • James - Host.
  • Eli Jones - Contributor of a fact about jungle gyms.
  • Andy Walker - Contributor of a fact about Richard Todd and "The Longest Day."
  • Dario Persaccino - Contributor of a fact calculating the time it would take to eat a communion wafer representing Jesus.
  • Anton Gyllenborg - Contributor of a fact about the Vatican Apostolic Library holding hiccup remedies and claiming to possess a foolproof hiccup cure involving choreography and Swedish singing.
  • Emma Wood - Contributor of a fact about a commercial radio station allegedly using a voice filter to make hosts sound artificially happy.
  • Gudrun Ulfasdotter - Contributor of a fact about the Icelandic word "Gjalda" meaning "parking fees apply" being mistaken for a place name.
  • Bravo Yazdi - Individual who received numerous traffic infringements in Iceland, later revealed to be a Polish phrase for "driving license."
  • Caleb Groen - US law student and contributor of a fact comparing the length of the Alabama constitution to "Anna Karenina."
  • Yana Row - Seabird researcher on Marion Island, contributing facts about wandering albatrosses and the island's efforts to eradicate mice and cats.
  • Kirsty Blackman - Contributor of a fact about penguins being unable to taste fruit.
  • Ralph de Roa Macado Mesquita - Biomechanist and researcher whose team studied elephant locomotion on the moon.
  • Edward Cox - Recipient of a fact about Nazi comedians Tran and Hella.
  • Leven Skyder - Friend of the podcast and contributor of a fact about Nazi comedians.
  • Lynn - Recipient of a fact about the Philippines Basketball Association.
  • Casey McKenzie Johnson - Recipient of a fact about zebrafish.
  • Joshua Smith - Recipient of a fact comparing the age of woolly mammoths to pharaohs.
  • Rachel Gilbert - Recipient of a fact about the CEO of Levi's not washing his jeans.
  • Devin Parentstein - Recipient of a fact about Alcock and Brown's first transatlantic flight.
  • Ben Jimmin - Recipient of a fact about Napoleon's penis being inherited.
  • Karen Jones - Recipient of a fact about the German idiom "Das ist mir Wurst."
  • Andrew Hunter Murray - Contributor of a fact about the German idiom "Das ist mir Wurst."

Organizations & Institutions

  • Shopify - E-commerce platform mentioned in relation to its integration with Shipstation for order fulfillment.
  • Shipstation - Shipping partner for Shopify, automating order fulfillment and offering discounted shipping rates.
  • USPS, UPS, FedEx - Major carriers mentioned in relation to Shipstation's shipping discounts.
  • Ghostbed - Mattress company offering cooling materials and various sleep trial and warranty options.
  • Vatican Apostolic Library - Holds a collection of hiccup remedies sent to Pope Pius XII.
  • Holy See - Maintains the Vatican archival procedures for collected correspondence.
  • QI - Podcast mentioned as the recipient of fact submissions.
  • Patreon - Platform for supporting the podcast "No Such Thing As A Fish."
  • Alabama Constitution - Mentioned as being longer than the novel "Anna Karenina."
  • Marion Island - Island off the coast of South Africa where scientific research, including seabird research, is conducted, and where efforts are underway to eradicate mice and cats.
  • Society of Biomechanics - Organization where Ralph de Roa Macado Mesquita's team presented their study on elephant locomotion on the moon.
  • Philippines Basketball Association - World's second oldest basketball association, with teams like Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, San Miguel Beer Men, and Talk 'n Text Tropang Texters.
  • Levi's - Jean company whose CEO has not washed his jeans for an extended period.

Websites & Online Resources

  • shipstation.com - Website to access Shipstation features for free for 30 days.
  • schreiberland (Instagram) - Dan Schreiber's Instagram account where his tour information can be found.
  • patreon.com/nosuchthingasafish - Patreon page for "No Such Thing As A Fish."

Other Resources

  • Fourth Dimension Geometry - Concept Charles Howard Hinton attempted to teach his children, leading to the invention of the jungle gym.
  • Jungle Gym - Invented in Japan in the 1880s by Charles Howard Hinton to teach fourth-dimensional geometry.
  • The Longest Day - A film about D-Day in which actor Richard Todd played his real-life commanding officer.
  • Communion Wafer (Body of Christ) - Used in a calculation to determine the time it would take to eat a full Jesus.
  • Transubstantiation - Philosophical concept mentioned in relation to eating communion wafers.
  • Hiccup Remedies - A collection of remedies, including digital rectal massage, held by the Vatican Apostolic Library.
  • Digital Rectal Massage - Mentioned as a medically certain way to cure hiccups.
  • Voice Filter - Allegedly used by a commercial radio station to make hosts sound artificially happy.
  • Gjalda - Icelandic word meaning "parking fees apply," mistaken by tourists for a place name.
  • Anna Karenina - Novel used as a benchmark to compare the length of the Alabama constitution.
  • Wandering Albatross - Bird with the longest wingspan, known for its ability to fly long distances without flapping due to an elbow-locking mechanism.
  • Elephant Locomotion on the Moon - Study by Ralph de Roa Macado Mesquita's team on the biomechanics of elephants in lunar gravity.
  • Nazi Comedians (Tran and Hella) - Employed by the Nazis during WWII, made films and were possibly fired for making fun of the regime.
  • Zebrafish - Often used in medical trials due to their similar nervous systems to humans; sober zebrafish will surround a drunk one.
  • Woolly Mammoths - Mentioned as being older than the oldest pharaohs.
  • Pharaohs - Ancient Egyptian rulers, mentioned in comparison to the age of woolly mammoths.
  • Napoleon's Penis - Inherited by Evan Latimer from her father, with a history of being passed around and potentially lost in card games.
  • "Das ist mir Wurst" - German idiom meaning "It's sausage to me," used to express indifference.
  • "Das ist Bahnhof für mich" - German idiom meaning "That's train station to me," also used to express indifference.

---
Handpicked links, AI-assisted summaries. Human judgment, machine efficiency.
This content is a personally curated review and synopsis derived from the original podcast episode.