Which is the world's shortest river?
That would be the Tamborasi River in Indonesia.
[quote]Tamborasi River
The Tamborasi River in Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia, is 20 meters long, 15 m wide and flows into the Flores Sea in Bone Bay. It is a tourist attraction given its forest-clad rocky banks and cool waters, as well as the white sand of the Tamborasi beach at its mouth. It is situated 85 km from the city of Kolaka and is fed by the numerous streams that run through the mountainous Sulawesi province.[/quote]
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/shortest-rivers-in-the-world.html (elburcher)
1 answer
Today
by odo5435
What was Operation Tic-Toc?
It could be either:
[quote]Operation Tic Toc is a fictional project that the United States of Americas first venture into time travel. It is never stated, but hindered that the project has something to do with the 20th Century cold war.[/quote]
https://scifi.fandom.com/wiki/Project_Tic-Toc
or it could be...
[quote]Seven alleged members of drug-trafficking gangs were jailed Tuesday at the end of a yearlong multi-agency investigation...
...According to court documents, the investigation, dubbed "Operation Tic Toc," revealed two networks of methamphetamine traffickers and distributors operating in San Diego.[/quote]
https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/seven-alleged-drug-trafficking-gang-members-arrested/509-c756d95c-7a48-4288-8b14-a7ffc65ce85a (elburcher)
1 answer
Feb 16 26 by serpa
2 answers
Sep 11 23 by BigTriviaDawg
1 answer
Feb 15 26 by tjoebigham
Which animal is closest to man? bonobos or chimpanzees?
So here's the deal - it's a tie! We humans share approximately 98.7% of our DNA with both bonobos (Pan paniscus) and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). While bonobos and chimpanzees are more closely related to each other than they are to us, they are both equidistant from humans on the evolutionary tree. In the Hominidae family, about 5 to 7 million years ago, the lineage that led to humans split off from the lineage that led to the Pan genus (chimps and bonobos). Much later, roughly 1 to 2 million years ago, the Pan lineage split into two separate species: chimpanzees and bonobos.
If one looks at behaviour, the answer is equally equal - we're a healthy mix of both of these apes. The main difference between chimpanzees and bonobos stemmed from the fact that the chimpanzees had to compete with gorillas, whereas the bonobos had the Congo River to separate them from any aggressive adversaries. Humans, the weakest of the four major genii, had to develop advanced tools to survive in the wild.
Then we developed machines that would think for us, and then they became sentient, and that became our downfall...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fylC9yMm1nE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxrXMKyB-Ug
https://www.apeinitiative.org/bonobos-chimpanzees
And Wikipedia (LeoDaVinci)
1 answer
Feb 16 26 by chabenao1
4 answers
Feb 12 26 by queproblema
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Feb 12 26 by queproblema
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Feb 12 26 by queproblema
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Feb 12 26 by queproblema
Astronaut Frank Borman (Apollo 8) is on the cover of which Led Zeppelin album?
Frank Borman appears on the cover of Led Zeppelin's second album titled "Led Zeppelin II". The album cover was based on a photo of The Red Baron (German pilot Baron Manfred Von Richthofen) amongst other German pilots. The artist David Juniper replaced the German faces with those of the band members, management and other famous people. Juniper stated he believed he used a photo of Neil Armstrong for one of the faces, however it turned out to be Frank Borman instead. Borman was Commander of Apollo 8, which was the first mission to fly humans around the moon.
https://web.archive.org/web/20140429124902/http://feelnumb.com/2014/04/26/led-zeppelin-twice-attempted-to-put-neil-armstong-on-album-covers-and-failed/ (patrickk)
1 answer
Feb 12 26 by serpa
In the U.S.A., which type of vehicle is required by law to meet more stringent passenger safety standards; a Sports Utility Vehicle or a standard sedan?
As SUVs are classified as "light trucks" they actually have less stringent safety standards than the traditional sedan. They're also both more likely to suffer rollover accidents, and for those rollover accidents to be fatal. In short, because of the additional size and weight of SUVs (light trucks) they're more statistically safer in a crash than a sedan, but also more likely to get into a crash in the first place.
"Under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), passenger cars must adhere to stringent safety regulations that set specific requirements for bumper height, impact resistance, and crashworthiness. These "crash compatibility" requirements are designed to ensure that vehicles of different sizes and types interact as safely as possible during collisions. However, due to their classification, light trucks are subject to less stringent safety standards regarding their structure and crash compatibility, posing unique hazards to both pedestrians and occupants of smaller vehicles."
https://publications.lawschool.cornell.edu/jlpp/2024/11/25/the-unchecked-rise-of-trucks-and-suvs-in-america/
SUVs are considerably more dangerous to pedestrians as well, mainly due to the increased size, the shape of the front end, and the decreased visibility in the vehicles.
https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/24139147/suvs-trucks-popularity-federal-policy-pollution
Also, interestingly consumer reports won't even compare trucks/SUVs safety with sedans because of their size. They're more likely to get into accidents in the first place because the additional weight and size mean that they just can't avoid accidents that traditional sedans would.
"You won't see any full-sized SUVs or pickups on this list, either. "Larger vehicles take longer to stop and don't handle as nimbly as smaller vehicles," he says. "A large vehicle might get into a crash that a small vehicle could have avoided." https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/car-safety/how-to-find-safest-new-car-using-crs-safety-verdict-a3169270635/
So while your question was only about standards in the event of a crash, just overall, crashes are more likely in SUVs or trucks, but when they do happen they're slightly more safe from fatalities because larger vehicles tend to be safer in light impact crashes, especially between two vehicles.
(maripp2002)
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Feb 07 26 by odo5435
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Feb 07 26 by pehinhota
How did the cigarette snail get so named?
It is a nickname given to a highly venomous marine gastropod, so-called because if a person were to be stung by one they would only have time to smoke a cigarette before dying.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conus_geographus#:~:text=The%20geography%20cone%20is%20also,smoke%20a%20cigarette%20before%20dying.
(elvislennon)
1 answer
Feb 08 26 by serpa
What is a Cyr wheel?
It is a variation on the German wheel gymnastic / acrobatic apparatus. Instead of the double rim of the German wheel, the Cyr wheel consists of a single metal ring, similar to an oversized Hula Hoop with a diameter a bit larger than the user is tall.
Due to its narrow design, it is hard to balance, but also very flexible in the terms of movements and tricks it can do.
The wheel was developed as a circus apparatus by Daniel Cyr in the late 1990s. Official gymnastics championships using it have been held since the early 2010s, with the first World Championship in 2013.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyr_wheel (WesleyCrusher)
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Feb 07 26 by serpa
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Feb 07 26 by pehinhota
The so-called "quietest place on Earth" has something in common with the site of Earth's loudest noise. What is it?
The loudest noise is a volcano. The Krakatoa eruption was famously heard for thousands of miles away. At it's source it was 310 decibels (enough to shatter eardrums and shatter windows for miles around). So, the connection is Volcano.
The quietest place on earth is also...in a volcano (albeit a dormant one):
https://www.npr.org/2022/08/25/1119484767/experience-the-quietest-place-on-earth
https://www.audiology.org/the-loudest-known-sound-ever/ (maripp2002)
1 answer
Feb 06 26 by etymonlego
Why is January 1st considered to be the first day of a new year? Why not April 1st? Or October 15th?
1 January was traditionally used as the first day of the year from the period of the use of the Roman calendar, which was believed to have been established by the legendary first King of Rome, Romulus. Originally featuring ten months of 30 or 31 days, this was revised into a 12 month calendar that roughly corresponded to the solar year. In 46BC, the calendar was amended by Julius Caesar, creating the Julian calendar. This continued to have 1 January as the first day of the year. However, although other states began to align their calendars to the new Julian, many maintained their old customs of beginning the year on different dates - the Alexandrian calendar used in Egypt for example started the year on 29 August.
By the Middle Ages, European nations had begun to accept 1 January as their official first day of the year, many of them doing so before the adoption of the new Gregorian calendar. One of the major outliers was England, and subsequently Great Britain, who kept their official start of the year as 25 March, which corresponded with the start of the legal year. By this system, the date would change from (for example) 24 March 1707 to 25 March 1708. It was the passing of the Calendar (New Style) Act in 1750, which mandated the change from the Julian to the Gregorian calendars in Great Britain and its colonies, that also brought about the change to the start of the calendar year. The provisions of the Act came into force following "the last said day of December 1751", meaning that, as 1752 officially began on 1 January, 1751 officially lasted for 281 days. Despite this, some areas of the UK continue to celebrate the new year on dates based on earlier calendars, with the Gwaun Valley in Wales, and the island of Foula in the Shetlands still having new year celebrations on 13 January, which is the corresponding date from the Julian calendar. (Red_John)
1 answer
Dec 31 25 by odo5435
As traditionally draped garments, do the Sari and Toga share techniques for construction or wear?
Not exactly. They may look similar, but there are significant differences.
First, the shape of the sari fabric is rectangular, while the shape of the toga fabric was more or less semi-circular. (It took a lot of effort and experimentation for a researcher to figure that out some decades ago, because the ancient sources do not tell us.)
In addition, a sari can be draped in several different ways, depending on the look you want, whereas there was only one really correct way to drape a toga. The main differences between togas involved colors (mostly variations on white) and borders. Sari fabric can be pinned in place, over a blouse and petticoat, but the toga was simply supposed to be draped over a tunic. However, given the annoyances of having to wear a toga, I wouldn't be surprised if some men occasionally used pins to help hold them in place. They were certainly used in other ancient garments.
Finally, of course, the sari is a garment for women, while the toga was for men. Roman women wore a garment called a "stola" over a long dress.
The sites below are instructive:
https://www.singhanias.in/blogs/singhanias-saree-journal/how-to-wear-a-saree-step-by-step-guide-to-draping-a-saree-perfectly?srsltid=AfmBOorORapQK1uAo78qjy0Qm1bpGxqIz4RcAodgKp76YJZnt2b4u2dH
https://www.tastesofhistory.co.uk/post/the-toga (lanfranco)
1 answer
Jan 29 26 by maripp2002
1 answer
Jan 25 26 by Iceni777
3 answers
Jan 21 26 by serpa
Why do many independent studies suggest that all table salt should be 'iodised'?
Essentially, because salt is easy to get and can be used in the needed amounts in most dishes, and iodine deficiency is nasty (can cause goiters or lead to intellectual disabilities) . So by iodizing salt, you've got an easy and effective way to help prevent iodine deficiency, especially in areas where iodine is scarce in the foods available.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK254244/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iodised_salt
https://www.webmd.com/diet/what-is-iodized-salt
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iodine_deficiency
(maripp2002)
1 answer
Jan 23 26 by odo5435
3 answers
Jan 21 26 by serpa
If a British doughnut is made from dough, what is used to make an American donut?
Homer Simpson told me they're made of d'oh.
Americans do spell them "doughnuts" too, but "donut" is a clear Americanism. The difference is in terminology only. It seems that various misspellings and shortenings have been in use since the recipes were written down (including "dow nut").
In one of the earliest references, Washington Irving described them as "balls of sweetened dough." The original donuts were nut-shaped with no hole - i.e., what we now call donut holes. You may thus make the argument that the modern toroidal donut is described by the absence of this nut, i.e., donuts are made of hole.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doughnut (etymonlego)
1 answer
Jan 22 26 by Lottie1001
When did the first direct assassination attempt on a Soviet leader, since Fanny Kaplan's assassination attempt on Vladimir Lenin in August 1918, take place?
The Wiki article agrees that the attack on Leonid Brezhnev in 1969 was the first "direct" assassination attempt since Kaplan. The assassin Viktor Ilyin was a soldier who disguised himself as a policeman to get close. Brezhnev's driver was killed; Brezhnev survived.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attempted_assassination_of_Leonid_Brezhnev
Another possible answer (depends what you mean by "direct") is rogue officer Savely Dmitriev's attempt on Joseph Stalin in 1942. Unlike other attempts that fizzled early, Dmitriev managed to get a shot off on a government car, but too bad for him, he hit a different car in the motorcade.
https://www.gw2ru.com/history/1536-mysterious-assassination-attempt-red-square
Both of these incidents remained secret for years; you've gotta wonder if there weren't other attempts we haven't heard about. (etymonlego)
1 answer
Jan 22 26 by pehinhota
What California high school has a football field made of dirt?
The California high school with the famous dirt football field is Trona High School. Their field is nicknamed "The Pit". It is made entirely of dirt and rocks because grass won't grow in their harsh desert environment. It has become a source of local pride and tradition for the Trona Sandmen football team. Sadly, the arid nature of the football field mirrors the sad state of the Trona academics; a very low percentage of high school students (around 8% in 2024-2025) meet proficiency in reading and math.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trona_High_School (LeoDaVinci)
3 answers
Jan 21 26 by serpa
1 answer
Jan 20 26 by pehinhota
Shirley Dinsdale was the first person to win what award?
She won the first emmy, via being the first award from the first presentation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Dinsdale
https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/news/the-heartbreaking-story-behind-the-first-ever-emmy-winner-s-road-to-success/ar-AA1MtVGB (maripp2002)
1 answer
Jan 17 26 by serpa
What is a scrooch gun?
A kind of "freeze ray" from the Rocky and Bullwinkle "universe" mainly used by the moon men Gidney And Cloyd.
https://rockyandbullwinkle.fandom.com/wiki/Scrooch_Gun
https://thetinkersworkshop.blogspot.com/2017/11/the-scrooch-gun-project-is-born.html (maripp2002)
1 answer
Jan 17 26 by serpa
1 answer
Jan 15 26 by Thesuperyoshi
1 answer
Jan 01 26 by gmackematix
The oldest verified Border Collie lived to be how many years old?
Here's a source that claims Bramble is the oldest Border Collie.
[quote]Bramble lived in the UK and held the Guinness World Record for being the oldest living dog at the time.[/quote]
https://freshwoof.com/blogs/freshwoof-blog/bramble-s-secret-to-living-over-25-years (wellenbrecher)
2 answers
Dec 29 25 by GBfan
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Dec 29 25 by GBfan
1 answer
Jan 10 26 by DomiNeyTor
1 answer
Jan 08 26 by Thesuperyoshi
US President Woodrow Wilson won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1919 for establishing the League of Nations, but why did the USA NOT join the organisation that he founded?
Learned about this in Social Studies, way back when: so, while President Woodrow Wilson was the League's primary visionary, the United States remained outside the organization due to a disagreement of constitutional law, fierce political rivalries, and an argument over whether this would or would not impact American sovereignty.
Under the Constitution of the United States, their president has the power to negotiate treaties. However, in order for them to become enacted, the Senate (upper house) must ratify them by a two-thirds majority. By numbers, in 1919, the Republicans held a slim majority in the Senate, meaning that Wilson (who was a Democrat) needed to win over a significant number of political opponents to succeed. His failure to invite any high-ranking Republicans to the peace talks in Paris was seen by many as a deliberate snub.
When debate raged, the biggest deal-breaker was listed as Article X of the League of Nations Covenant. This article required member nations to come to the aid of any other member experiencing external aggression. Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, leader of the opposition, feared that Article X would force the U.S. into "entangling alliances" and foreign wars without a formal declaration of war from Congress (essentially, what started WWI in the first place). They believed it stripped the U.S. of its sovereignty and violated the Constitution's mandate that only Congress can declare war. Also, there was a smaller group of senators, mostly isolationists, who refused to join the League under any circumstances, regardless of amendments. This was because of political lines being drawn.
Wilson and Henry Cabot Lodge intensely disliked each other. Lodge drafted a list of "14 Reservations" (a mockery of Wilson's 14 Points speech) that would limit U.S. obligations to the League. Wilson, the stubborn fool that he was, did not want to compromise. He tried to rally public support by travelling across the country, but (and perhaps it was the exertion) he had a stroke on the way and became partly paralyzed. He ordered the Democrats to not give in to Lodge's demands under any circumstances.
So, with two votes, one in 1919, and the other in 1920, the Senate did not meet the 2/3 majority needed to ratify the treaty either time. Interestingly, it was not from Henry Cabot Lodge that we get the expression "to lodge a complaint", but he used that to the best of his abilities to ruin Wilson's reputation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_Nations
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1914-1920/league
https://www.jstor.org/stable/25144432 (LeoDaVinci)
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Jan 04 26 by ozzz2002
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Jan 04 26 by serpa
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Jan 04 26 by Philip_Eno
What is the fastest recorded speed of a cricket ball legitimately delivered during a Test Match?
A ball delivered at 160.4 km/h (99.66 mph) by Australian bowler Mitchell Starc.
"Australia's Mitchell Starc delivered a ball at 160.4 km/h (99.66 mph) during a Test match between Australia and New Zealand at the WACA in Perth, Australia, on 15 November 2015. The left-armer's yorker was defended by New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor, who weathered the storm and went on to make 290 - the highest Test score by a visiting batsman in Australia."
https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/413738-fastest-ball-bowled-in-a-test-match (Philip_Eno)
1 answer
Dec 31 25 by odo5435
Why did the Hamilton Watch Company move its manufacturing operations from Pennsylvania, USA, to Switzerland, in 1969?
Hamilton acquired the Swiss company Buren in 1966. Three years later it closed its US operations because of lower labour and manufacturing costs: [quote]In 1966, the brand acquired the Buren Watch Company of Switzerland, including their factories and technologies likeBuren's innovative micro-rotor. The two companies mixed components for the next three years before Hamilton finally ended its seventy-seven-year history of American manufacturing and routed all production to Switzerland. This shift - made in part due to the low comparative cost of labor and manufacturing - proved well-timed.[/quote] https://windupwatchshop.com/en-au/blogs/chronicle/a-history-and-guide-to-hamilton
This website doesn't mention Buren. It was Hamilton's diversification and the associated losses, as well as the poor quality of watches, which caused the closure of the US watch division. The author blames Jacob Hain: [quote] In 1961, the HWC bought Standard Time Corporation, A Virgin Islands wholly owned subsidiary company. This division was making the Vantage products at a greatly reduced price and quality for the HWC's lower end products. The obvious ploy was to compete with the Swiss as they had lower labor costs, and it was hard for the HWC to compete. The HWC grew into a large conglomerate; it was more than just a watch company. The HWC became involved in Wallace Silversmiths, Puritan Fireplace Furnishings, Industrial products, elapsed time indicators, gauges, battery operated timing devices, photo etched products in electrical components for computers and aerospace ... They were all over the place and they were not focused on what they did best, watches. In the 1964 Annual Report it states, "In May the Canadian plastics business was sold and a contract for the sale of the Puritan Fireplace Furnishings division was executed in January 1965, neither of these businesses was compatible with our other operations nor did they promised sufficient profit in the foreseeable future to warrant continuing our investment in them." The key words here, "not compatible with our other operations."
The demise could either be attributed to Art Sinkler and his expansions outside of the watch making arena, the Swiss competition or probably was more likely due to a fellow named Jacob Hain, through his Penn Square Mutual Fund (Bush Terminal out of Reading, PA), who bought a large chunk of the HWC. His company owned 30% of the stock in 1961 which they started buying two years prior, and by December 1963, his company owned nearly 54% of the common stock ... When the HWC acquired Standard Time in 1961 for its inexpensive Vantage line of watches. This was contrary to the HWC longstanding practice of elevating quality over quantity. Through Sinkler's leadership, the quality of Hamilton watches in the early 60's took a steep dive: dials were now for the most part embossed and made of brass, not of sterling with solid gold numerals; most of the cases were made in stainless steel and rolled gold plate, micro plated, not gold filled; and most the movements were imported from Switzerland and marked "Hamilton" ...
In closing, the demise was either through the expansions of Art Sinkler (20% of the blame in my opinion) or Jacob Hain's Penn Square-Bush Terminal (80% of the blame in my opinion). This is 100% my opinion from the materials I have read. I also feel that if Hamilton just made watches of high quality, they could have survived as just a watch company as many of the other major American watch brands were out of business. [/quote] https://www.vintagehamilton.com/articles/the-demise-of-the-hamilton-watch-company-in-lancaster-pa-and-the-rise-of-the-swiss-owned-hamilton-watch-company
(gtho4)
1 answer
Jan 03 26 by Thesuperyoshi
1 answer
Jan 01 26 by DomiNeyTor
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