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No Such Thing As A Fish
No Such Thing As A Fish

Little Fish: Accordion To Whom?

June 07, 2026 • 29m

Summary

⏱️ 7 min read

Overview

This episode of Little Fish features the team reviewing listener-submitted facts, including quirky discoveries about sumo wrestling salt consumption, buried accordions in Sweden, pig semen in cancer treatment, and various other unusual trivia. The hosts discuss etymology, geography oddities, CPR training innovations, and conclude by awarding fact custodianship to top-tier supporters.

Sumo Wrestling Salt Consumption

The episode opens with a discussion about the massive amount of salt used in professional sumo tournaments in Japan. Matthew Bright calculated that approximately 4,000 kilograms of salt are consumed annually across six tournaments, with wrestlers throwing salt to purify the ring before matches. This leads to a broader conversation about sumo wrestlers' life expectancy and the ceremonial significance of salt in the sport.

  • Professional sumo tournaments in Japan consume about 4,000 kilograms of salt each year across six tournaments lasting 15 days each
  • Each tournament uses approximately 650 kilograms of salt for ring purification
  • Sumo wrestlers have a 9.8 year negative lifespan compared to non-sumo wrestlers
  • Gymnasts have 8.2 years higher life expectancy, while pole vaulters surprisingly have the highest at 8.4 years
" Do you throw salt over your shoulder for good luck when you use it? I do, actually, yeah. Even though I know it's stupid and I'm not very superstitious generally, I just like, I think it's cool. "

The Accordion Graveyard Mystery

Duncan Pierce shares an intriguing story about a Swedish town called Alvdalen where 10,000 accordions are allegedly buried under a parking lot. The myth stems from a 1960s business decision when accordion manufacturer Hagstrom buried their inventory after the accordion market collapsed. A documentary crew later excavated the site and found evidence supporting the urban legend, though the exact number remains unverified.

  • 10,000 accordions are allegedly buried under a parking lot in Alvdalen, Sweden
  • The accordions were Eastern European models bought by Hagstrom in the 1930s for renovation
  • When the accordion market crashed in the 1960s and production moved to Asia, the company buried their inventory
  • A documentary crew excavated the site and found remnants confirming the myth
" If you ever, in 10,000 years, if someone digs up that parking lot, they'll probably think, like, the king of tedious, annoying instruments was buried there. "

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