Today I learned...

[Jazzy G]

Do they still do the "special Olympics" over in America? 

 

Edit: yes, yes they do. 

Edited March 27, 2020 by jazzygeofferz

[Your Fight Site]

14 hours ago, Magnum Milano said:

So today I learned in Richmond, VA in the 1980's there was an Association for Retarded Citizens.  I've been watching a fair bit of 1984 Jim Crockett Promotions over the past couple of days (thank god for Buzz Sawyer showing up and saving me from tedious eight minute squash matches) and usually fast forward through the adverts, although for some reason didn't this time.  Imagine my surprise to hear an advert from the Richmond Association for Retarded Citizens advertising an upcoming family picnic!  Crazy how in this day and age that word is a complete no no, yet here it is back in 1984 not only being used and said in an advert but being used in the name of an actual association to describe a group of people.  How times have changed.  

Reminds me of the time my science teacher wrote “Anal.” as an abbreviation for “analysis” on the whiteboard during a lesson. Cue room full of children giggling and teacher very quickly wiping it off the board when he realised.

[HarmonicGenerator]

Today I learned that 'Young Nastyman' referenced in that Tenacious D song was the name for Shazam villain Black Adam over here in the 1950s after the UK publisher lost their licence for the characters but kept on going with their own plagiarised versions.

That's a very long sentence for a very trivial fact.

[tiger_rick]

Has everyone in the world learned the word "furlough" this week?

[Bellenda Carlisle]

1 hour ago, HarmonicGenerator said:

Today I learned that 'Young Nastyman' referenced in that Tenacious D song was the name for Shazam villain Black Adam over here in the 1950s after the UK publisher lost their licence for the characters but kept on going with their own plagiarised versions.

That's a very long sentence for a very trivial fact.

I also read cracked yesterday, I hate that site now but that was a good article. 

[garynysmon]

On 3/26/2020 at 11:03 AM, Carbomb said:

Thinking about it, the area now known as Westminster is one of the oldest parts of London, so I guess it makes sense it would be known by its older name in the language of a culture geographically close enough and old enough to have recorded it as that. It is interesting, though, that the change to "Westminster" from "St. Stephen's" wasn't recorded. 

I think its because the palace was dedicated to St Stephen. So the Palace of Westminster is "Palas San Steffan" (though we don't say 'palas'.)

Edited March 27, 2020 by garynysmon

[Carbomb]

1 hour ago, HarmonicGenerator said:

Today I learned that 'Young Nastyman' referenced in that Tenacious D song was the name for Shazam villain Black Adam over here in the 1950s after the UK publisher lost their licence for the characters but kept on going with their own plagiarised versions.

That's a very long sentence for a very trivial fact.

Not so much the name for Black Adam as it was for his analogue they created for the Shazam/Captain Marvel analogue, Marvelman (now known as Miracleman). 

BTW if you haven't read Alan Moore's Miracleman, read it - it's fucking ace. Neil Gaiman continued it, but didn't get to finish the arc he started, and, after a long legal brangle over the rights, he's managed to secure them; there's a lot of hope he's going to finally finish the story. 

[Bellenda Carlisle]

Today I learned Paul Hollywood is only 5'7. No offense to shortarses but I'm a bit disappointed as I thought he was a big bear type dude.

[SuperBacon]

Not something I learnt, but something I want to know (didn't seem to fit any other thread). Do Americans call Mummies (as in Egyptian Mummies) Mummies or Mommies?

Home schooling is going great. All the big questions are being answered.

[Onyx2]

53 minutes ago, Carbomb said:

after a long legal brangle over the rights

I was sure that was a typo! 

1. a squabble, dispute, or wrangle. verb (intransitive) 2. to squabble, dispute, or wrangle.

 

[Astro Hollywood]

5 hours ago, Dazzer said:

However some words not used in the UK because they are insensitive can be commonplace in the US and are used in the mainstream.  Two specific examples of the are the aforementioned "Spaz" and the "Special" Olympics.  No mainstream outlet would use those phrases here but I have heard both used on US TV in the last month or so.

Best use of the term 'Special Olympics' of course is when that chap with Down's Syndrome jumped over the railing to help HBK against Austin, and JR, clearly panicked about how to describe him, stuttered and bumbled before blurting out "a Special Olympian's fallen over the rail!"

[Chest Rockwell]

53 minutes ago, SuperBacon said:

Not something I learnt, but something I want to know (didn't seem to fit any other thread). Do Americans call Mummies (as in Egyptian Mummies) Mummies or Mommies?

Home schooling is going great. All the big questions are being answered.

Mummies.

[Ronnie]

7 hours ago, Dazzer said:

However some words not used in the UK because they are insensitive can be commonplace in the US and are used in the mainstream.  Two specific examples of the are the aforementioned "Spaz" and the "Special" Olympics.  No mainstream outlet would use those phrases here but I have heard both used on US TV in the last month or so.

Occasionally a US firm will unwittingly introduce something into the UK market which is a touch problematic:

 

[Kaz Hayashi]

I’ve always known that you can only use one hand when playing Jenga, but TIL that you can use that hand to steady/straighten blocks in the tower when it’s your go.

I’ve always assumed that was cheating, but the official rules say you’re allowed. Shit rule if you ask me, it makes it too easy. 

Edited March 30, 2020 by Kaz Hayashi

[Frankie Crisp]

TIL that the bloke who played Butch Dingle in Emmerdale was the same bloke who did Gerry Adams' voiceovers on the telly throughout the eighties.

Edited April 9, 2020 by Frankie Crisp