Things you only found out today

[filthyfox]

On 27/05/2026 at 17:52, FoxesDeb said:

Yes I also only learned that this year too, and also Eid in Tétouan means people buying live sheep from Carrefour to sacrifice at home 

I went to Ftench exchange with a Muskim family at "lamb Eid"

 

Saw the kamb slaughtered, and everything

 

Most AMAZING kebabs i have ever tasted!

[Free Falling Foxes]

The girl in the latest Sainsbury ad is an employee.

It is their policy to use their staff in ads apparently 

Not the voiceover in the ad though, that's Stephen Fry.

[STEVIE B]

.......That when England won the 1966 World Cup, only 16 teams took part. 

[Trav Le Bleu]

46 minutes ago, STEVIE B said:

.......That when England won the 1966 World Cup, only 16 teams took part. 

It annoys me (slightly) that people giving out stats such as the one I saw recently about Pickford having the most WC appearances, don't realise that this is because a) It's a lot easier to qualify due to more spaces and b) more teams qualifying means more games are played, often against easier teams (unlike earlier WC where you were immediately playing against the best). It's not because he is somehow one of our best keepers. Historically I'd place several ahead of him, though he's still a good keeper.

Edited 13 July by Trav Le Bleu

[STEVIE B]

1 hour ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

It annoys me (slightly) that people giving out stats such as the one I saw recently about Pickford having the most WC appearances, don't realise that this is because a) It's a lot easier to qualify due to more spaces and b) more teams qualifying means more games are played, often against easier teams (unlike earlier WC where you were immediately playing against the best). It's not because he is somehow one of our best keepers. Historically I'd place several ahead of him, though he's still a good keeper.

Absolutely spot on. Lots of modern football, sporting facts & figures in general need an asterisk next to them. 

[Trav Le Bleu]

1 hour ago, STEVIE B said:

Absolutely spot on. Lots of modern football, sporting facts & figures in general need an asterisk next to them. 

Most of the top scorers are because they played far more games than those who played when international travel was more expensive and why play games halfway round the world when nobody could watch it on very rare televisions.

 

I looked it up and even only going back to the 70s they'd play less than 10 games a year, max, whereas now it's 13-17 in the 2020s.

[Trav Le Bleu]

The longest insect in the UK is a stick insect.

 

 

The unarmed stick insect has established itself from New Zealand in Cornwall and Devon.

[Free Falling Foxes]

2 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

The longest insect in the UK is a stick insect.

 

 

The unarmed stick insect has established itself from New Zealand in Cornwall and Devon.

You've only just twigged that.

[Trav Le Bleu]

23 minutes ago, Free Falling Foxes said:

You've only just twigged that.

Tbh, I'm just glad it's not the armed stick insect.

[davieG]

That Southampton FC is our parent club but we're not getting their youngsters to prepare them for top level football we're getting their older players preparing them for retirement.

[Free Falling Foxes]

The probability of two people having the same PIN on their bank card is 1 in 10,000, or 0.01 percent. It would only take a group of 119 people however, to have odds in favor of two people having the same PIN.

[ramboacdc]

I only found out a few weeks ago that a mimossa and bucks fizz are the same drink

[leicsmac]

4 minutes ago, Free Falling Foxes said:

The probability of two people having the same PIN on their bank card is 1 in 10,000, or 0.01 percent. It would only take a group of 119 people however, to have odds in favor of two people having the same PIN.

Ah, the birthday paradox.

 

Likewise, it only takes 23 people in a group to make the odds in favour of two of them sharing the same birthday. 

 

The nature of exponential combinations and probabilities can be pretty counterintuitive at times.

[Kopic]

1 hour ago, Free Falling Foxes said:

The probability of two people having the same PIN on their bank card is 1 in 10,000, or 0.01 percent. It would only take a group of 119 people however, to have odds in favor of two people having the same PIN.

My mate at uni set his pin to the same as mine as he couldn't remember his so he could always ask me.

[Parafox]

6 hours ago, Free Falling Foxes said:

The probability of two people having the same PIN on their bank card is 1 in 10,000, or 0.01 percent. It would only take a group of 119 people however, to have odds in favor of two people having the same PIN.

With the same bank?

[FoyleFox]

20 hours ago, ramboacdc said:

I only found out a few weeks ago that a mimossa and bucks fizz are the same drink

Made correctly, they aren't exactly the same. Same ingredients but different ratios. A mimosa should be 50% each of orange and fizz, bucks fizz should be 2 parts fizz and 1 orange. 

[Trav Le Bleu]

20 hours ago, Kopic said:

My mate at uni set his pin to the same as mine as he couldn't remember his so he could always ask me.

Bright enough to go to uni, but not remember 4 digits.

 

Explains a lot.

[ozleicester]

On 25/01/2026 at 23:50, Trav Le Bleu said:

Centrifugal force doesn't exist.

outrageous that is is ..true?...not challenged?
 

On 28/02/2026 at 06:57, Trav Le Bleu said:

Would inflating your tyres with helium make them lighter and improve fuel economy?

was a big thing in the 90s in Oz..people buying special lighter than air air

 

On 31/05/2026 at 18:55, AyewJoking said:

What other reason could there be for flashing your lights?

 

I flash (my headlights) at someone who is using high beams so I'm basically warning them I am there because they either forget they have high beams on or they are inconsiderate of other road users which I could use as an excuse for flashing my lights to let them know I AM there.

In Oz (again).. we use flashing headlights to advise oncoming traffic about mobile speed cameras. So they dont get caught and fined/photographed

[Trav Le Bleu]

2 hours ago, ozleicester said:

outrageous that is is ..true?...not challenged

100% true 

[MPH]

 I absolutely can not believe that I have only just found out/ realized that the famous boxing announcer Michael Buffer and the Famous UFC announcer Bruce Buffer are brothers!

Edited Saturday at 22:22 by MPH

[Heathrow fox]

12 hours ago, ozleicester said:

outrageous that is is ..true?...not challenged?
 

was a big thing in the 90s in Oz..people buying special lighter than air air

 

In Oz (again).. we use flashing headlights to advise oncoming traffic about mobile speed cameras. So they dont get caught and fined/photographed

We do the warning of speed cameras thing here to.Along with a downward waving of the arm.If the oncoming car gets the message then they slow down forcing everyone behind them to follow suit.

[ozleicester]

10 hours ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

100% true 

further googling..suggests that also... Gravity in NOT a force!... At some point now, i expect to learn that Division 3 is the peak league

[SemperEadem]

That you can see Old John from the stadium.

[VLC86]

4 minutes ago, SemperEadem said:

That you can see Old John from the stadium.

You’ll probably be able to see him in the stadium this season when John Stead is our number 9.

[Alf Bentley]

On 13/07/2026 at 08:16, STEVIE B said:

.......That when England won the 1966 World Cup, only 16 teams took part. 

 

There were still only 16 teams in 1978.

 

It was expanded to 24 teams in 1982 - with a second group stage with 4 groups of 3, with the 4 group winners going straight into the semis (no quarter-finals).

That idea never caught on....