Pointless facts
- lloydie
- Posts: 20923
- Joined: Mon Jan 17, 2011 11:16 pm
- Location: In the garage somewhere in Coventry
Pointless facts
Feel free to add to this thread if you have a pointless fact .
I found out yesterday that carrots wasn't always orange in fact they were purple !
Before the 17th century, almost all cultivated carrots were purple.
The modern day orange carrot wasn’t cultivated until Dutch growers in the late 16th century took mutant strains of the purple carrot and gradually developed them into the sweet, plump, orange variety we have today. Before this, pretty much all carrots were purple with mutated versions occasionally popping up including yellow and white carrots. These were rarely cultivated and lacked the purple pigment anthocyanin.
It is thought that the modern day orange carrot was developed by crossing the mutated yellow and white rooted carrots as well as varieties of wild carrots, which are quite distinct from cultivated varieties.
Some think that the reason the orange carrot became so popular in the Netherlands was in tribute to the emblem of the House of Orange and the struggle for Dutch independence. This could be, but it also might just be that the orange carrots that the Dutch developed were sweeter tasting and more fleshy than their purple counterparts, thus providing more food per plant and being better tasting.
Bonus Facts:
It is actually possible to turn your skin a shade of orange by massively over consuming orange carrots.
Orange carrots get their bright orange color from beta-carotene. Beta-carotene metabolizes in the human gut from bile salts into Vitamin A.
The origins of the cultivated carrot is rooted in the purple carrot in the region around modern day Afghanistan.
When cultivation of the garden style orange carrot lapses for a few generations, the carrots revert back to their ancestral carrot types, which are very different from the current garden variety.
In ancient times, the root part of the carrot plant that we eat today was not typically used. The carrot plant however was highly valued due to the medicinal value of its seeds and leaves. For instance, Mithridates VI, King of Pontius (around 100BC) had a recipe for counteracting certain poisons with the principle ingredient being carrot seeds. It has since been proven that this concoction actually works.
The Romans believed carrots and their seeds were aphrodisiacs. As such, carrots were a common plant found in Roman gardens. After the fall of Rome however, carrot cultivation in Europe more or less stopped until around the 10th century when Arabs reintroduced them to Europe.
British gunners in WWII were able to locate and shoot down German planes at night due to the invention of radar, which the Germans knew nothing about. To cover up the invention and extreme effectiveness of radar, the British spread about an urban legend that said that they massively increased the night vision of their pilots by having them consume large amounts of carrots. This lie not only convinced the Germans, but also had a bonus effect of causing many British people to start planting their own vegetable gardens, including planting carrots. This urban legend has persisted even to this day.
The largest carrot every grown was 19 pounds; grown by John Evans in 1998 in Palmer, Alaska.
The Vegetable Improvement Center at Texas A&M recently developed a purple-skinned, orange fleshed carrot called the Beta Sweet. This carrot is specialized to include substances that prevent cancer. It also has extremely high beta-carotene content.
Almost one third of all carrots distributed throughout the world come from China, which is the largest distributor of carrots in the world. Following them on gross production is Russia and then the United States.
Although the orange carrot was not cultivated before the 16th and 17th centuries, there is a reference in a Byzantine manuscript around 512AD which depicts an orange rooted carrot, suggesting that at least this mutant variety of carrot could be found at this time.
I found out yesterday that carrots wasn't always orange in fact they were purple !
Before the 17th century, almost all cultivated carrots were purple.
The modern day orange carrot wasn’t cultivated until Dutch growers in the late 16th century took mutant strains of the purple carrot and gradually developed them into the sweet, plump, orange variety we have today. Before this, pretty much all carrots were purple with mutated versions occasionally popping up including yellow and white carrots. These were rarely cultivated and lacked the purple pigment anthocyanin.
It is thought that the modern day orange carrot was developed by crossing the mutated yellow and white rooted carrots as well as varieties of wild carrots, which are quite distinct from cultivated varieties.
Some think that the reason the orange carrot became so popular in the Netherlands was in tribute to the emblem of the House of Orange and the struggle for Dutch independence. This could be, but it also might just be that the orange carrots that the Dutch developed were sweeter tasting and more fleshy than their purple counterparts, thus providing more food per plant and being better tasting.
Bonus Facts:
It is actually possible to turn your skin a shade of orange by massively over consuming orange carrots.
Orange carrots get their bright orange color from beta-carotene. Beta-carotene metabolizes in the human gut from bile salts into Vitamin A.
The origins of the cultivated carrot is rooted in the purple carrot in the region around modern day Afghanistan.
When cultivation of the garden style orange carrot lapses for a few generations, the carrots revert back to their ancestral carrot types, which are very different from the current garden variety.
In ancient times, the root part of the carrot plant that we eat today was not typically used. The carrot plant however was highly valued due to the medicinal value of its seeds and leaves. For instance, Mithridates VI, King of Pontius (around 100BC) had a recipe for counteracting certain poisons with the principle ingredient being carrot seeds. It has since been proven that this concoction actually works.
The Romans believed carrots and their seeds were aphrodisiacs. As such, carrots were a common plant found in Roman gardens. After the fall of Rome however, carrot cultivation in Europe more or less stopped until around the 10th century when Arabs reintroduced them to Europe.
British gunners in WWII were able to locate and shoot down German planes at night due to the invention of radar, which the Germans knew nothing about. To cover up the invention and extreme effectiveness of radar, the British spread about an urban legend that said that they massively increased the night vision of their pilots by having them consume large amounts of carrots. This lie not only convinced the Germans, but also had a bonus effect of causing many British people to start planting their own vegetable gardens, including planting carrots. This urban legend has persisted even to this day.
The largest carrot every grown was 19 pounds; grown by John Evans in 1998 in Palmer, Alaska.
The Vegetable Improvement Center at Texas A&M recently developed a purple-skinned, orange fleshed carrot called the Beta Sweet. This carrot is specialized to include substances that prevent cancer. It also has extremely high beta-carotene content.
Almost one third of all carrots distributed throughout the world come from China, which is the largest distributor of carrots in the world. Following them on gross production is Russia and then the United States.
Although the orange carrot was not cultivated before the 16th and 17th centuries, there is a reference in a Byzantine manuscript around 512AD which depicts an orange rooted carrot, suggesting that at least this mutant variety of carrot could be found at this time.
Last edited by lloydie on Wed Jun 18, 2014 5:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Pointless fact 1.
Yes and vitamin A is toxic if you take too much carrots as 1 molecule of beta carotene = 2 molecules vitamin A. Vitamin A is stored in the liver and once the limit is reached it overflows. Into the blood stream causing death via toxicity.
In the early days of polar exploration, explorers have died from eating polar bear livers which is a super rich source of vitamin A aka retinol
K
In the early days of polar exploration, explorers have died from eating polar bear livers which is a super rich source of vitamin A aka retinol
K
Re: Pointless fact 1.
As a side note.. (again not knowing if it's true but probably cobblers) Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny was actually allergic to carrots.
Why ask... sometime you just go to do it and find out?
Re: Pointless fact 1.
Yes, I imagine the polar bear would be mightily unimpressed and would make it's displeasure known in a terminal way.kitsun wrote: In the early days of polar exploration, explorers have died from eating polar bear livers
K
It's not falling off, it's an upgrade opportunity.
Re: Pointless fact 2
If you take an ordinary sewing needle & cut a few mm's of the end with a pair of side cutters it will be point less.
Making up since 2007, sometimes it's true...Honest...
Re: Pointless fact 2
MacV2 wrote:If you take an ordinary sewing needle & cut a few mm's of the end with a pair of side cutters it will be point less.
you can go and sit in the nice padded room with Tony now
AMcQ
Re: Pointless facts
you will be telling us next that custard crèams used to be bourbons
and wouldn't a white carrot be a parsnip?
and wouldn't a white carrot be a parsnip?
3 out of 4 people make up 75% of the worlds population.
-
- Posts: 1549
- Joined: Thu Apr 14, 2011 1:22 pm
- Location: Tayside
Re: Pointless facts
also,
"thread hijack here-feel free to move it"
post it note are only "post-it" notes if they are made by 3M, others can only be referred to as sticky notes.
The correct way of "dispersing them is to peal from side to side as to peal from the bottom up will in fact roll the paper and make it less effective.
(courtesy of my 4 day course in how to be an efficient manager)
the other 2 things I learnt will be dispersed soon.
"thread hijack here-feel free to move it"
post it note are only "post-it" notes if they are made by 3M, others can only be referred to as sticky notes.
The correct way of "dispersing them is to peal from side to side as to peal from the bottom up will in fact roll the paper and make it less effective.
(courtesy of my 4 day course in how to be an efficient manager)
the other 2 things I learnt will be dispersed soon.
Don't hassle me
I'll get there at some time
I'll get there at some time
Re: Pointless facts
grumpyfrog wrote:also,
"thread hijack here-feel free to move it"
post it note are only "post-it" notes if they are made by 3M, others can only be referred to as sticky notes.
The correct way of "dispersing them is to peal from side to side as to peal from the bottom up will in fact roll the paper and make it less effective.
(courtesy of my 4 day course in how to be an efficient manager)
the other 2 things I learnt will be dispersed soon.
isn't that an oxymoron?
3 out of 4 people make up 75% of the worlds population.
- bigtwinthing
- Posts: 5577
- Joined: Mon Dec 17, 2012 7:52 pm
- Location: Hampshire
Re: Pointless facts
Heres one, when your doing 120mph, what speed is the bottom of your tyre doing? and what speed is the top doing?
missing the noise, not the vibes. However never say never!
Re: Pointless facts
Hmmm.... been mulling this over! in theory they are both travelling at 120mphbigtwinthing wrote:Heres one, when your doing 120mph, what speed is the bottom of your tyre doing? and what speed is the top doing?
Buuut in another theory the contact patch at the bottom is static and the top is going 240mph relative to the ground.
I've probably balls'd that up!
Jamie
Re: Pointless facts
You can make plasma by cutting a grape in half and placing in a microwave.
Jamie
- Pete.L
- Forum Health And Safety Officer
- Posts: 7228
- Joined: Fri Sep 26, 2003 5:09 pm
- Location: Bristol
Re: Pointless facts
Hmm! interesting. I see a little lunch time experiment going on with the works microwaveJamoi wrote:You can make plasma by cutting a grape in half and placing in a microwave.
There are three ways to use the word 2
One plus one equals two
I went to the bike shed
and Virt came too
Its pointless telling you all this cause you just keep using them wrong!
Pete.l
My new ride is a bit of a Howler and I love to make her Squeal
- lloydie
- Posts: 20923
- Joined: Mon Jan 17, 2011 11:16 pm
- Location: In the garage somewhere in Coventry
Re: Pointless facts
Too true :-) guilty here also
Re: Pointless facts
but what if Virt came twice.......... would that be too or two?
and where was the blow up sheep, was it there to?
and where was the blow up sheep, was it there to?
AMcQ