The "Did you know" thread..... - Page 382

**rustler** · January 7th, 2015, 09:20 AM

These are the three coins that I have. It is actually the half piece that has the burr from the traders cutting still sharp on the edge, not the quarter piece. It is visible in the picture. These date to 1327-1377. Literally history in the palm of one's hand!

Thanks for the info Mal, I'd never thought about the origins of 'pieces of eight' before!

EDIT:

Think of how irritating, not to mention financially devastating, to lose that little quarter piece back in medieval times!

They must have been easily lost too!

**ubu55** · January 8th, 2015, 02:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GailFan

During the Battle of the North Cape, the British battleship Duke of York sunk the German battleship Scharnhorst in December 1943.

Did you know that the Scharnhorst was named after a Prussian general who served under the then-Duke of York in the late 18th century?

She was also considered a cursed ship. Even before her launch she rolled over in dock killing 61 workmen, and from then on was plagued by one tragic misadventure after another ...

http://histomil.com/viewtopic.php?f=211&t=8457

**rustler** · January 8th, 2015, 07:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ubu55

She was also considered a cursed ship. Even before her launch she rolled over in dock killing 61 workmen, and from then on was plagued by one tragic misadventure after another ...

http://histomil.com/viewtopic.php?f=211&t=8457

Sorry Ubu, but that article is totally bunkum!

Launching herself by night?
Rolling over ?
Guns exploding?
Ramming and sinking the Bremen?
Being severely damaged while shelling Oslo and having to be towed away by Gneisenau?
Survivors being killed by an exploding primus stove after landing on a rock?

The article is so far from the truth ( certainly not your fault!

) that it is almost not worth replying to, however a few points......

There are films of her being launched - in daytime! Hitler was there!

I have read that she had a slight list about one degree, but this was never a problem, but I have found no evidence of her ever having 'rolled over' or of killing so many people whilst doing so. And if she had, I doubt that at that time ( 1938 -39) that they would have had the means to right her. I do not know what her actual weight was, but she was nearly 800 feet long and had a displacement of some 32000 tons - she was big!

One of her turrets was put out of action during the Norwegian campaign, but that was because it got flooded! She was plagued by flooding all her career.

She wasn't damaged at Oslo either, she was with Gniesenau off Narvik and Trondheim!

The Bremen was lost as the result of an arson attack by a disgruntled crewman, in March 1941. Scharnhorst was out in the central Atlantic on operations at the time, and would later return ti Brest.

As for the bit about crewmen being found on a rock having been killed as the result of their primus stove exploding. North cape, the Barents Sea in December. Temperatures of perhaps -30c, huge seas (the navigator of HMS Scorpion said that the weather was so bad that he couldn't say within ten miles where he was! The wreck of the Scharnhorst was eventually found some 12 miles from where she was repoted to have sunk) and they survive in a dinghy, and just happen to find a rock...........

Oh, and I have an interview on tape with two of the 36 survivors, they said that it was always a lucky ship, and unsinkable. One of them said that even after she was sunk they still thought of her as a lucky ship!

Sorry Ubu, but it would make a good story for a fiction book!

Sorry Mods, maybe a bit OT, and perhaps this should be moved to the WWII thread )

Estreeter · January 8th, 2015, 08:46 AM

"Max"

That is the name of season 4 episode 19 of The X Files

Might explain a thing or 2

Estreeter · January 8th, 2015, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NIN

that not everything on this thread happens to be completely factual

I
Hate
Pizza

**rustler** · January 8th, 2015, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Estreeter

I
Hate
Pizza

I have suspected that for a long time ES, the pretending to like pizza was just a defence mechanism.

Ha, but I saw through it!

**rustler** · January 8th, 2015, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NIN

Did you know

that not everything on this thread happens to be completely factual

and I think everything on the web should be factually checked & verified by someone responsible,

Surely that precludes any of us on the forum then!

(No offence to brother ES!), just thinking out loud!

Estreeter · January 8th, 2015, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rustler

I have suspected that for a long time ES, the pretending to like pizza was just a

Never thought I'd suggest ya do this mate

**rustler** · January 8th, 2015, 10:00 AM

Is it that time of the year already!

**rustler** · January 8th, 2015, 01:49 PM

Life changing this,

, but evidently ............

Grapes explode if you put them in a microwave!

Or so I have heard, so please, anybody with any grapes please go and try this immediately!

Oh, the things we do for science!

January 7th, 2015, 09:20 AM	#3811
rustler Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: South of the North Pole Posts: 4,977 Thanks: 47,583 Thanked 84,530 Times in 4,955 Posts	These are the three coins that I have. It is actually the half piece that has the burr from the traders cutting still sharp on the edge, not the quarter piece. It is visible in the picture. These date to 1327-1377. Literally history in the palm of one's hand! Thanks for the info Mal, I'd never thought about the origins of 'pieces of eight' before! EDIT: Think of how irritating, not to mention financially devastating, to lose that little quarter piece back in medieval times! They must have been easily lost too! __________________ "I think on-stage nudity is disgusting, shameful and damaging to all things American. But if I were 22 with a great body, it would be artistic, tasteful, patriotic and a progressive religious experience." - Shelley Winters Please read and follow To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Last edited by rustler; January 7th, 2015 at 09:43 AM..

January 8th, 2015, 08:46 AM	#3814
Estreeter *Administrator* Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: The 19th hole Posts: 58,145 Thanks: 449,888 Thanked 896,971 Times in 60,346 Posts	Did You Know....................... "Max" That is the name of season 4 episode 19 of The X Files Might explain a thing or 2 __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

January 8th, 2015, 10:00 AM	#3819
rustler Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: South of the North Pole Posts: 4,977 Thanks: 47,583 Thanked 84,530 Times in 4,955 Posts	Is it that time of the year already! __________________ "I think on-stage nudity is disgusting, shameful and damaging to all things American. But if I were 22 with a great body, it would be artistic, tasteful, patriotic and a progressive religious experience." - Shelley Winters Please read and follow To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

January 8th, 2015, 01:49 PM	#3820
rustler Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: South of the North Pole Posts: 4,977 Thanks: 47,583 Thanked 84,530 Times in 4,955 Posts	Life changing this,, but evidently ............ Grapes explode if you put them in a microwave! Or so I have heard, so please, anybody with any grapes please go and try this immediately! Oh, the things we do for science! __________________ "I think on-stage nudity is disgusting, shameful and damaging to all things American. But if I were 22 with a great body, it would be artistic, tasteful, patriotic and a progressive religious experience." - Shelley Winters Please read and follow To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.