Groucho's Fact Hunt

[summerisle]

 

[summerisle]

 

[summerisle]

 

[Yorkie]

The famous Hovis advert, one close to the heart of many wools in the north was actually filmed in Shaftsbury in Dorset.

 

[monty]

We've just booked a holiday cottage in a place called Kelbrook hope its a knock out

 

[Gladystweet]

Buddy Ebsen of Beverley hillbillies fame was originally cast as the the scarecrow in The wizard of oz. He then swapped roles with Ray Bolger (the original tin man) and went on to record songs for the film.
During production, Ebsen began complaing of cramps and shortness of breath. After an examination it was discovered this was caused by the aluminium powder used for the tin man's make up.
Ebsen dropped out of the role and was replaced by Jack Haley. Aluminium paste was then used for make up and Haley had no health issues.
Ebsen outlived the entire main cast of the wizard of oz.......

 

[Gladystweet]

The first worker to die during the Hoover dam's construction was J.G. Tierny on December 20, 1922. The last person to die there was J.G. Tierny's son, who died on December 20, 1935

 

[Gladystweet]

The drink "Fanta" originated due to a trade embargo placed on Germany during the Second World War.
Coca Cola Germany was no longer able to obtain the syrup from America so decided to make a version using ingredients available to them at that time.
Whey and apple pomace were used in production, which gave it its distinctive colour.
They needed a name so the head of the company asked his team to "use their imagination" (fantasie in German) and so they settled on Fanta.

 

[EFCPaul]

RMS Titanic fired eight emergency flares before sinking. A ship in the area, the SS Californian, saw the flares and that the ship appeared uneven in the water. The crew informed the captain, Stanley Lord of Wallasey, Merseyside, but he didn't believe the rockets were being fired in distress and so ordered everyone to carry on as normal and not to wake up the ship's wireless operator in order to make contact.

Most if not all of Titanic's passengers could have been saved had Lord taken action. He was vilified in the public enquiry and dismissed from his position shortly after but no charges were ever brought against him for negligence. According to historians he also never expressed any remorse for his inaction that night.

 

[gorgeousgeorgeEFC]

Arsenal tube station in London was originally known as Gillespie Road; it was renamed in honour of Arsenal Football Club in 1932.

 

[Groucho]

O

M

G

Chas and Dave lol

 

[Ashtonian]

former everton goalkeeper steve simonsen. Remember him?

turns out he is eligable to play for denmark AND he is the son of a danish seaman!

and is married to claire simmo from radio city traffic and travel.

 

[WA Toffee]

Surely the mosquito doesn't kill anyone, it is the microbes such as malaria which kill you?

 

[The Cowboy]

Interesting little tidbit about Tim Cahill that I just read, that he very likely could have played for Ireland.

From wiki:

In February 2002, Cahill's former manager at Millwall F.C. Mick McCarthy, then the manager of the Republic of Ireland national team offered Cahill the opportunity to play at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Cahill has Irish grandparents and McCarthy had hoped that Cahill would be interested.[57]However Cahill was not eligible as he was cap-tied to Samoa.

FIFA changed its eligibility rules in 2004, allowing players capped at junior levels to switch international allegiance, meaning that Cahill was then able to play for England, Ireland, Australia or Samoa. He chose to represent the country of his birth.

 

[deipnosophist]

Surely the mosquito doesn't kill anyone, it is the microbes such as malaria which kill you?

extending that rationale to man, surely the majority of deaths stated are inflicted by guns, grenades, bombs, RPGs, missiles, machetes, knives etc.