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Trivial Trivia: Pushy Yanks saved themselves on Titanic

British passengers on board the sinking Titanic died while politely queuing to get their place on a lifeboat, while Americans pushed their way on, according to new analysis of passenger data.

.. The Original Thug Boat ..

The Titanic struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic on April 14, 1912, and sank off the Newfoundland Coast within hours. Most did not survive the disaster — 1,517 perished while only 706 survived.

David Savage, a behavioral economist at Queensland University of Technology, Australia, and Bruno Frey, of the University of Zurich, Switzerland, spent more than a year studying survival rates from one of the worst maritime disasters in history.

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Where's all this superstition come from? Nobody knows for sure. But it may date back to Biblical times (the 13th guest at the Last Supper betrayed Jesus). By the Middle Ages, both Friday and 13 were considered bearers of bad fortune.

Meanwhile the belief that numbers are connected to life and physical things - called numerology - has a long history.

"You can trace it all the way from the followers of Pythagoras, whose maxim to describe the universe was 'all is number,'" says Mario Livio, an astrophysicist and author of "The Equation That Couldn't Be Solved" (Simon & Schuster, 2005). Thinkers who studied under the famous Greek mathematician combined numbers in different ways to explain everything around them, Livio said.

In modern times, numerology has become a type of para-science, much like the meaningless predictions of astrology, scientists say.

"People are subconsciously drawn towards specific numbers because they know that they need the experiences, attributes or lessons, associated with them, that are contained within their potential," says professional numerologist Sonia Ducie. "Numerology can 'make sense' of an individual's life (health, career, relationships, situations and issues) by recognizing which number cycle they are in, and by giving them clarity."

Mathematicians dismiss numerology as having no scientific merit, however.

"I don't endorse this at all," Livio said, when asked to comment on the popularity of commercial numerology for a story prior to the date 06/06/06. Seemingly coincidental connections between numbers will always appear if you look hard enough, he said.

Here are 13 more facts about the infamous day, courtesy of Fernsler and some of our own research:

1. The British Navy built a ship named Friday the 13th. On its maiden voyage, the vessel left dock on a Friday the 13th, and was never heard from again.

2. The ill-fated Apollo 13 launched at 13:13 CST on Apr. 11, 1970. The sum of the date's digits (4-11-70) is 13 (as in 4+1+1+7+0 = 13). And the explosion that crippled the spacecraft occurred on April 13 (not a Friday). The crew did make it back to Earth safely, however.

3. Many hospitals have no room 13, while some tall buildings skip the 13th floor.

4. Fear of Friday the 13th - one of the most popular myths in science - is called paraskavedekatriaphobia as well as friggatriskaidekaphobia. Triskaidekaphobia is fear of the number 13.

5. Quarterback Dan Marino wore No. 13 throughout his career with the Miami Dolphins. Despite being a superb quarterback (some call him one of the best ever), he got to the Super Bowl just once, in 1985, and was trounced 38-16 by the San Francisco 49ers and Joe Montana (who wore No. 16 and won all four Super Bowls he played in).

6. Butch Cassidy, notorious American train and bank robber, was born on Friday, April 13, 1866.

7. Fidel Castro was born on Friday, Aug. 13, 1926.

8. President Franklin D. Roosevelt would not travel on the 13th day of any month and would never host 13 guests at a meal. Napoleon and Herbert Hoover were also triskaidekaphobic, with an abnormal fear of the number 13.

9. Superstitious diners in Paris can hire a quatorzieme, or professional 14th guest.

10. Mark Twain once was the 13th guest at a dinner party. A friend warned him not to go. "It was bad luck," Twain later told the friend. "They only had food for 12."

11. Woodrow Wilson considered 13 his lucky number, though his experience didn't support such faith. He arrived in Normandy, France on Friday, Dec. 13, 1918, for peace talks, only to return with a treaty he couldn't get Congress to sign. (The ship's crew wanted to dock the next day due to superstitions, Fernsler said.) He toured the United States to rally support for the treaty, and while traveling, suffered a near-fatal stroke.

12. The number 13 suffers from its position after 12, according to numerologists who consider the latter to be a complete number - 12 months in a year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 apostles of Jesus, 12 days of Christmas and 12 eggs in a dozen.

13. The seals on the back of a dollar bill include 13 steps on the pyramid, 13 stars above the eagle's head, 13 war arrows in the eagle's claw and 13 leaves on the olive branch. So far there's been no evidence tying these long-ago design decisions to the present economic situation.

What's really going to chap your Triskaidekaphobiac ass is the next Friday the 13th from today (02.13.09) comes in March, followed by Nov. 13. And these little hat tricks only come around every 11 years according to Thomas Fernsler; a math specialist at the University of Delaware who has studied the number 13 for more than 20 years.

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Good show, there's also 13 in a bakers dozen. Witch makes a lot of peopleFAT.

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The Gun - Guns The common name for firearms is derived from "Lady Gunilda" -- a large crossbow that defended Windsor Castle in the 14th century. The crossbow was given the female name "Gundahild," which translates to "war sword." And, honestly, is there anything sweeter than a gal called War Sword?

Melissa Worm (virus) - In early 1999, Melissa crashed e-mail systems around the world. New Jersey resident David L. Smith wrote the nasty virus and named it after a lap dancer he met in Florida. Smith never revealed if the etymology had anything to do with the stripper having any viruses.

USS Hopper Destroyer (DDG-70) - Named for Grace Murray Hopper, a tech pioneer who helped the Navy go digital, the Hopper is a guided-missile destroyer able to take out the enemy with a pay load of Tomahawks and a host of anti-aircraft guns. In other words, you don't want to make this lady angry.

Bloody Mary Cocktail - Queen Mary I (the first) just loved to persecute Protestants, earning her the precious nickname "Bloody Mary." Now the moniker is associated with the tomato-and-vodka beverage that can help cure hangovers. It can also get you way too wasted, way too early in the day.

Ackerman Tumor - Known as a Verrucous carcinoma, this kind of cancer often shows up in those who chew tobacco, which also got it the name "snuff dipper's cancer." Professor Lauren Ackerman, a cancer pathologist, is the Ackerman in question, though we've long lobbied for it to be changed to the "Dykstra Tumor."

Enola Gay - Enola Gay Tibbets' son, Paul Tibbets, the pilot of the Enola Gay, named the plane that dropped the first atomic bomb after his mother. When he came home, we're guessing they had a long talk about that decision.

Jezebel - This term is used to describe a beautiful woman with loose morals. It's derived from a Phoenician princess, who convinced her husband, Israeli King Ahab, to build temples to a pagan god and kill prophets. Of course, we've all met women like that and learned the hard way to steer clear of their kind.

Baby Ruth (candy bar) - Named for Ruth Cleveland, daughter of president Grover Cleveland, this candy bar is heavy in saturated fat, and the majority of its calories come from sugars. Eating them in large quantities can contribute to obesity, a problem ol' Grover struggled with mightily.

Big Bertha - Named for the sweet old lady Bertha Krupp, granddaughter of German arms maker Alfred Krupp. The long-range WWI-era German gun known as the "Big Bertha" was named after her. The howitzer repeatedly pummeled Paris during the war, perhaps making her not seem so sweet after all.

Canavan Disease - This affliction is a degenerative disorder that causes progressive damage to the brain. In 1931, Dr. Myrtelle May Canavan published a description of Canavan Disease forever linking herself to literally losing your mind.

Hurricane Katrina - While not named after any actual woman, Katrina gets an honorable mention. Since the hurricane destroyed much of the Gulf Coast, the girl's name is about on par in popularity with the boy's name Adolf.

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Todays date in the six digit date format (MMDDYY or YYMMDD) is in binary style.

This looks like it will be the only year it happen on these dates: 01/01/10 or 10/01/01, 01/10/10 or 10/10/01, 10/10/01 or 10/10/01 and 10/10/10.

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Cinco de Mayo is a voluntarily-observed holiday that commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862 > NOT Mexico's Independence Day. That would be Just before midnight on September 15 into September 16th.

Most people don't know that back in 1912, Hellmann's Mayonnaise was manufactured in England. In fact, the Titanic was carrying 12,000 jars of the condiment scheduled for delivery in Vera Cruz, Mexico, which was to be the next port of call for the great ship after its stop in New York.

This would have been the largest single shipment of mayonnaise ever delivered to Mexico. But as we know, the great ship did not make it to New York. The ship hit an iceberg and sank, and the cargo was forever lost. The people of Mexico, who were crazy about mayonnaise, and were eagerly awaiting its delivery, were disconsolate at the loss.

Their anguish was so great, that they declared a National Day of Mourning, which they still observe to this day. The National Day of Mourning occurs each year on May 5th and is known, of course, as Sinko de Mayo.

.. True Story ..

Update: Just kidding - the part about the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862 is very true. The bit about the sinking mayonnaise not so much.

As far as anyone knows the Titanic was not carrying jars of mayonnaise among its cargo; at least not Helmann's brand - It was not sold or manufactured in England until fifty years after the Titanic's ill-fated voyage. The "Sinko de Mayo" joke is older than the internets but I get a chuckle every time I read it.

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First "That's What She Said" joke EVER recorded by a very young Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcock was the first to say it on camera in this 1929 sound test for his film Blackmail.

Check it out via this conveniently provided link to the YouTube clip

Note: The line is "as the girl said to the soldier" in case you missed it.

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Obi Wan Kenobi never said "May the Force be With You" in Star Wars. Obi Wan Kenobi actually said “The Force will be with you…always”, and “Remember, the Force will be with you…always”. Han Solo, on the other hand, did say this at one point in the film.

"KA-POW SUCKA!"

“Beam me up, Scotty!” was never uttered by Captain Kirk in Star Trek. The closest he's said was “Scotty, beam me up”.

Hater's .. gonna hate!

"I vant my smack ~I mean medicine. And you will bring it to me!"

"I want to suck your blood!" is usually attributed to Bela Lugosi who played Dracula in 1931. Lugosi never said this. However, it was used for humor in Tim Burton’s 1994 Ed Wood.

It's not "He’s Alive!" that's used in the 1931 Frankenstein. The actual phrase used is “It’s Alive”. Used in both the 1931 Frankenstein film and the comedy version in 1974 starring Gene Wilder.

"Now, if you're blue, And you don't know where to go to, Why don't you go where fashion sits - Puttin' on the Ritz"

"Me Tarzan, you Jane!" and as believable as it seems, this line was not spoken in the 1932 film Tarzan the Ape Man.

Fuck Yeah its HELLBOY ~YEAARRRRGGHHHHH!!!!1!!!1

Here is what was actually said:
Jane: (pointing to herself) Jane.

Tarzan: (he points at her) Jane.

Jane: And you? (she points at him) You?

Tarzan: (stabbing himself proudly in the chest) Tarzan, Tarzan.

Jane: (emphasizing his correct response) Tarzan.

Tarzan: (poking back and forth each time) Jane. Tarzan. Jane. Tarzan…

Incidentally there was a similar conversation between Wario and a Peach.

"Come up and see me sometime" comes pretty close, but not close enough. What Mae West actually said in She Done Him Wrong 1933 was “Why don’t you come up sometime ‘n see me?”

Just say "NO" kids.

“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” is an incorrect quotation. In Disney’s 1937 animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs , the super hot albeit wicked Queen asked: “Magic Mirror on the Wall, who is the Fairest one of all?”

Betcha didn't see that one coming my trixies!

“We have ways of making you talk.” is allegedly from the 1935 film Lives of a Bengal Lancer. The actual statement was “We have ways of making men talk.”

Which leads into another one  “Badges? We don’t need no stinkin’ badges!”. In its original form in director John Huston’s The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, it was actually: “Badges? We ain’t got no badges. We don’t need no badges. I don’t have to show you any stinkin’ badges!”

Who needs stinkin' badges when you have a License to Kill

Here's another Star Wars quote from the Empire Strikes Back: “Luke, I am your father”. Of course this is believed to have been said by Darth Vader, (yet) this quote did not actually occur at all. The actual quote was “No, I am your father” and it was not even delivered on camera – it was dubbed in later; what was originally said on camera was “Obi-Wan killed your father”.

"Whose Your Daddy?"