Groucho's Fact Hunt

[JimmyJeffers]

The line of longtitude are straight, but for convenience, the time zones, which are based on Longtitude ( can't be any other way ) swerve around sticky out bits of territory.

The whole of China, Operates using one time zone for the entire country

 

[nosejam]

 

[JammyP]

I heard that South America is much larger than it appears on the maps.

Peters projection - tries to get the landmasses right - about right for South America

Mercator - NB the poles are points at the top of a sphere. UK not really not big, just in the middle.

Maps are rectangles but the world is round, like.

 

[JammyP]

Africa is as big as China, India, the US and most of Europe put together

 

[peteblue]

Africa is as big as China, India, the US and most of Europe put together

And still has a GDP the size of Bootle........

 

[JammyP]

Knowing your History: The Agents of King Leopold II of Belgium killed about 10 million Africans between about 1880 and 1909. He presented himself as a philanthropist eager to bring the benefits of Christianity, Western civilization and commerce to African natives. But he should probably be remembered as a monster with Hitler and Stalin. Congo is about the size of Western Europe.

 

[wm02]

ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard was the only member of the band not to have one

 

[Groucho]

ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard was the only member of the band not to have one

Seen them twice. Ace live. He tried to grow one in the late '70's but gave up and shaved apart from the muzzie.

Anyway....

Merseyside has a greater population (approx. 1.3 million) than Alaska (approx. 730,000).

 

[Jamo Martinez]

Birkenhead park was the first public park in the world.

 

[Eggs]

....apparently the 2 animals on the Australian cricket badge cannot walk backwards. Not a lot of people know that.

 

[Ashtonian]

the film shrek only came about after a fallout at disney

the guy who should have became assistant to the head of disney got turned over so he left and formed dream works theatres with none other than steven speilburg.

On other notes shrek is based on a childrens book and the person who bought the rights back in the 80s long before a film was mooted was mr speilburg again

 

[Eggs]

.....heard yesterday that Seve Ballasteros' 3 Open Championship victories happened on a Saturday, Sunday and Monday a feat unlikely to ever be repeated. Not a lot of people know that.

 

[Whistlin' Dixie]

Birkenhead park was the first public park in the world.

And central park in New York is modelled on it.

 

[marnie]

And central park in New York is modelled on it.

lol beat me to it.

 

[Whistlin' Dixie]

Not very nice for the poor sod behind them........