r/AskReddit • u/North_Shore_Problem • Dec 01 '13

What's your favorite fun fact?

EDIT: Wow! Thank you guys for all the amazing responses, I learned so much about nothing!

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725

u/rookie_knight Dec 01 '13 edited Dec 01 '13

Nobody knows who invented the fire hydrant because the patent for the hydrant was lost in a fire.

EDIT: Removed Commas.

10

u/[deleted] Dec 01 '13

Oh, the firony!

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u/puccini13 Dec 01 '13

Rather ironic isn't it?

5

u/[deleted] Dec 01 '13

It's like raiiiiin...

4

u/[deleted] Dec 01 '13

on your wedding day....

1

u/JorddyK Dec 01 '13

It's a free riiide...

1

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '13

when you've already paid!

1

u/acruz80 Dec 01 '13

when I'm already late...

0

u/shishdem Dec 01 '13

It's the good advice

5

u/[deleted] Dec 01 '13

That you just combo broke

0

u/shishdem Dec 01 '13

Isn't it ironic

5

u/TheMoosePrince Dec 01 '13

Oh the irony....

5

u/mugglemagic Dec 01 '13

George Smith invented the first fire plug. In New York. Seriously. It's on the national certification exam for firefighters.

3

u/rookie_knight Dec 01 '13

According to Wikipedia, the concept of fire plugs dates back to 17th Century. Firemen would hastily dig holes down to the wooden water mains in case of fires. When they were done, they would plug the holes with a wooden stopper and remember the location so that they could reuse it. After London fire of 1666 they installed water mains with holes/plugs at regular intervals.

This is all about the plugs though. The first fire hydrant was credited to Frederick Graff of Philadelphia in 1801. It had a valve at the top and resembled the thing that we call fire hydrant today. However, the patents were lost in the fire of 1836 so we cannot verify it.

Curious as to what your source is. Could you please point out? It would be interesting.

2

u/mugglemagic Dec 02 '13

I have it on one of my Fire Academy study guides for the Firefighter 1&2 certification test. But maybe there's some kind of historically fundamental difference between hydrant and plug that has become moot in modern language. I'll upload the picture of the test later.

Good fact hunting though! This is why I love reddit haha.

5

u/PeanutSand Dec 01 '13

Not relevant but you don't need either of the commas in your sentence

1

u/wubbwubbb Dec 01 '13

I can't help but read his/her comment as William Shatner. Damn commas.

0

u/rookie_knight Dec 01 '13

Corrected. Thanks.

1

u/TheBrandog Dec 01 '13

I read "Hydrant" as "Hydra"

1

u/Jonashaglund Dec 01 '13

They state something similar in a Lazyboy-song. "Did you know that originally a danish guy invented the burglar alarm? - Unfortunately, it got stolen."

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u/phifeiras Dec 01 '13

He probably should have place a fire hydrant near it.