*The Did you Know thread*

[Android 07]

Did you know......

The county town of Derbyshire is NOT Derby.

Is it similar to how City on Nottingham is surrounded by Nottinghamshire ?

 

[Seafarer1966]

The county town of any English county is where the county seat of govt is located. In Nottinghamshire's case it is Nottingham. In Derbyshire's case it is Matlock. it was Derby until 1962 when the county council upped sticks and moved to Matlock.

 

[Seafarer1966]

I don't think he ran very fast.

His batman complained about the extra duties he was required to provide.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._E._Lawrence#Sexuality

That's a very interesting link thankyou John. Seems he was a masochist as well. Oh the joys of the English public school system.

 

[Seafarer1966]

Just on about T.E. Lawrence again, I think his masochistic nature eventually killed him. He died whilst riding a Brough Superior SS100 (probably the fastest motorbike available at the time...he owned a few of them.....capable of 100mph which during the inter-war years was some going). Coincidentally going on about Notts earlier, Broughs were built in Nottingham at Haydn Road. His head injuries brought about the crash helmet law.

 

[Brigadier]

Not so much of a "Did you know?" thing, but more of a "Makes you wonder" one instead.......

....I have been listening to Jim Naughtie over the break: among other things, he was talking about the recent US election, and the shape of things to come.

Pete Buttigieg is heralded as a rising star of the Democratic party, and is tipped for high office in years to come (perhaps even the presidency).
He ran Bernie Sanders close in the New Hampshire primary, before putting his support behind Joe Biden.
Biden has since nominated Buttigieg for Secretary of Transportation.

Here's the "Makes you wonder" bit........

....if Buttigieg runs for President in 2054, he will still be younger than Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Mike Pence, Nancy Pelosi, Mitch McConnell, Elizabeth Warren et al, are now............

 

[Android 07]

Did you know that

Riding a bike/scooter on the pavement is illegal.
[ Highways Act 1832 Section 42 ]

unless you are a child.

 

[transam]

Just on about T.E. Lawrence again, I think his masochistic nature eventually killed him. He died whilst riding a Brough Superior SS100 (probably the fastest motorbike available at the time...he owned a few of them.....capable of 100mph which during the inter-war years was some going). Coincidentally going on about Notts earlier, Broughs were built in Nottingham at Haydn Road. His head injuries brought about the crash helmet law.

the borough superior name has been revived

think there was a limited run of 300 bikes made or being made
Stunning looking bikes with throw back styling of the original SS 100

 

[Tigercubrider]

Mark Upham bought the name a few years ago. He organised a new bike design and a factory in France.
Not quite sure how much TE Lawrence had to do with the helmet law, he died 30 years before but his Dr. Insisted that a helmet might have saved his life and army dispatch riders in ww2 had to wear helmets.


Uk helmet laws didn't come in until '73

 

[wobs]

Before he died, Prince Philip was th last surviving naval officer to have trained at WATU in Liverpool. WATU effectively won the battle of the Atlantic.
Story of WATU here:

 

[transam]

Electric cars / vehicles pre date petrol cars

Scottish inventor Robert Anderson built a battery powered carriage in 1832

french engineer Gustave Trouve
Built a car in 1881

Thomas Parker a Brit in 1884

 

[transam]

An electric car held the land speed record in 1899

65.79 mph

a German built Flocken Electrowagan

 

[Bodd]

I will say this must be the most interesting on going thread. Better than what have you had for breakfast bla bla bla

 

[transam]

The first modern masse produced electric car was the GM EV1

1996 / 99

GM did not think it had a future so took all the cars back in 2002
Scrapped most if em and disabled the power trains of the 40 it donated to museums and educational establishments

film maker Francis Ford Coppola managed to cling on to a working example

 

[Mottie]

I will say this must be the most interesting on going thread. Better than what have you had for breakfast bla bla bla

Or that cheap post-builder of a quiz thread where you post a question, get 20 wrong answers, reply 'no/nope' to 19 wrong answers with a lot of chit chat in between.
Pop over to the what have you bought/what are you drinking/what are you doing threads for some entertainment and interest.

Just realised, I’ve been caught up in the 'look at my thread' solicitations. I prefer my threads to grow organically.

 

[Bodd]

Just realised, I’ve been caught up in the 'look at my thread' solicitations. I prefer my threads to grow organically.

Unlike the white bread you toast on thd Breakfast thread