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Random fact of the day thread.

(62 Posts)
Rebellious Wed 25-Sep-19 22:43:09

Random fact:

1.1% of UK land is taken up by homes.

2% of UK land is taken up by golf courses.

mumofmadboys Wed 25-Sep-19 23:02:02

That is hard to believe isn't it?

Witzend Thu 26-Sep-19 09:33:21

I've read or heard recently that quite a few golf courses are finding it hard to attract enough members - reasons being fees are too expensive and in younger families, one partner or the other (more often I suppose the wife) objects to the other spending a quarter of the weekend on the golf course - esp. when both are working.
So maybe the percentages will even out a bit in future, and some of them will be covered with houses instead.

Rebellious Thu 26-Sep-19 16:01:55

Random fact:

Wherever you live in the UK, you are no more than 75 miles away from the sea.

lovebeigecardigans1955 Thu 26-Sep-19 16:08:55

I wonder what percentage of land in the UK are taken up by race tracks - horses or motor racing?

Sara65 Thu 26-Sep-19 16:23:15

Rebellious

I simply don’t believe the golf course fact, but I imagine the other one is true

pinkquartz Thu 26-Sep-19 16:26:29

Also it is Trumps favourite hobby....ugh

LondonGranny Thu 26-Sep-19 16:29:39

To be fair, that golf course thing came about via serious research but doesn't include gardens, driveways etc, just the actual bricks and mortar footprint. On the other hand the golf course size doesn't include water or unplayable areas either so it's hard to tell.

LondonGranny Thu 26-Sep-19 16:31:15

Also what about high rise and high density housing? Small footprint but many residents.

Rebellious Thu 26-Sep-19 16:32:04

Sara65 It's truth bizarre as it appears.

phoenix Thu 26-Sep-19 16:42:49

Last Thursday was "International Talk Like a Pirate Day"

aggie Thu 26-Sep-19 16:49:15

today is the Feast day of saints Cosmos and Damian

silverlining48 Thu 26-Sep-19 17:03:34

Wherever we are we are never more than 15 feet from a rat,

Oldandverygrey Thu 26-Sep-19 17:26:27

A snail breathes through its foot.

Urmstongran Thu 26-Sep-19 17:31:56

I rarely do housework.

Willow500 Thu 26-Sep-19 17:48:01

50 years ago today husband and I started going out together. That's pretty random grin

grandtanteJE65 Thu 26-Sep-19 17:51:36

And you are still together, Willow500, congratulations. I hope you have many more years together to come.

Sara65 Thu 26-Sep-19 18:04:16

If you say so rebellious!
I guess there are a lot of golf courses around, but still find it hard to believe.
Unfortunately, I have heard the rat fact before Sikverlining, but it’s not one I like to dwell on.

newnanny Thu 26-Sep-19 18:08:07

@Phoenix I knew that one actually as it is my dh birthday and we always say 'a hearty happy birthday to you'.

LondonGranny Thu 26-Sep-19 18:13:48

Sara65
I think that applies to cities and sewers. However a bit of googling tells me that was originally a press release from a pest control firm so pinch of salt required.
There was a big scare a few years ago when it was widely reported that tube train seats were full of bedbugs. That was traced back to a press release from a pest control firm and was very far from the truth indeed.
I think they took a tiny sample along the lines that one carriage was found to have a couple of bedbugs (probably from a returning holidaymaker's luggage) and extrapolated wildly from that point, something like the train had one carriage out of six with bedbugs therefore one in six carriages right across the entire tube network was crawling with bedbugs which ain't the same thing and ain't scientific.

Sara65 Thu 26-Sep-19 18:20:26

Londongranny

Thankyou, that’s good to know

LondonGranny Thu 26-Sep-19 18:48:08

Sara65
It's known as churnalism and is very prevelant, especially on Slow News Days. Old article but it still applies.
www.theguardian.com/media/2011/feb/23/churnalism-pr-media-trust

GinJeannie Fri 27-Sep-19 11:22:40

Dartmouth railway station is the only station in the UK never to have been used!

sunseeker Fri 27-Sep-19 11:28:14

The tortoise Charles Darwin brought back from the Galapagos Islands didn't die until 2006

Blinko Fri 27-Sep-19 11:37:52

My birthday is the same as that of Isambard Kingdom Brunel... The day the sun rises and shines directly through Box rail tunnel in (I think!) Wiltshire. sunshine