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Originally posted by P220 Smudge:
In WWII, the Italian armed forces were the only troops in the war wearing boots with rubber soles, and the first to do so in the world. Vibram boot soles, named for the inventor Vittorio Brimani, have been quite popular since.

Similarly, in Germany Adolph and Rudolf Dassler were shoe makers in the 1920's. They designed the first modern athletic shoe. When the Berlin Olympics rolled around, they knew they had a chance to make their name. They approached Jesse Owens as he exited a bus upon arrival in Berlin and made a deal with him. He wore their shoes to win his events. Fast forward a bit, and the war breaks out. Adolph joins the SS and allegedly becomes a party member, Rudolph doesn't. Postwar, they become rivals over this, with Adolph starting his own brand based off his nickname "Adi" and the first part of his last name, Dassler and Adidas was born. Rudolph named his company Puma, and they settled to seperate parts of their hometown of Herzogenaurach, which is divided by a river. To this day, there's a rivalry reflecting the brother's falling out during wartime with the two football clubs in the town each having chosen a respective brand label: Puma on one side of the river and Adidas on the other.

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Originally posted by smithnsig:

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Originally posted by StorminNormin:
No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver and purple.

You’ve obviously never had a purple nurple.

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Originally posted by smithnsig:
The reason they had a falling out was that Rudolph resented Adolph’s young wife interjecting herself in business decisions. Rudolph hated Adolph’s wife.

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Originally posted by tacfoley:

Those little pimples on a golf ball actually help to streamline it, and make it travel further.


tac

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Originally posted by jigray3:

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Originally posted by tacfoley:

Those little pimples on a golf ball actually help to streamline it, and make it travel further.


tac

Yes, dimples help a golf ball go farther, but, technically, rather than "streamilne" they create a turbulent layer that clings to the surface and in conjunction with spin provides lift. The lift is why the ball goes farther.

This attribute was discovered by accident when it was noticed that older scarred balls flew farther than new ones. Shortly thereafter, caddies were put to work hammering small imperfections in newly rolled golf balls.

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And the Mythbusters actually put dimples on a car to see if doing so would improve its gas mileage--it did.

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Originally posted by P220 Smudge:

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Originally posted by smithnsig:
The reason they had a falling out was that Rudolph resented Adolph’s young wife interjecting herself in business decisions. Rudolph hated Adolph’s wife.

Thanks, I had heard it the other way but that makes a lot more sense, honestly.

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Originally posted by heathtx:
The belly radiator of a P51 Mustang generated forward thrust by the Meredith Effect.

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Originally posted by ffips:
The world's largest ball of twine is in Cawker City, KS.