The general scientific consensus was that someone was trying to pull off a hoax. The newly-discovered animal could not possibly be real. It was an admirable effort, to be sure. It appeared […]
Perplexing Platypus Promotes Plentiful Pondering
Research Proves Benefits When Doctors Prescribe Ice Cream
It sounds like the stuff of fairy tales or a thing that could only happen in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Imagine a doctor writing the words “ice cream” on a prescription […]
Lucy’s Quest For Wisdom
Quoth the Parrot, “Pretty Boy… Nevermore… Polly Got a Cracker? Nevermore…”
One of the most famous poems in American literature started as something quite different. The eponymous talking bird who is featured in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” was originally cast as a […]
An Alarm Clock That Guarantees a Rude Awakening
Let’s face it: sometimes it is hard to get out of bed in the morning. Some of us simply aren’t morning people. There are days when it’s going to take a little […]
How a Popular Snack Was Born Out of a Fit of Frustration
George Crum had run out of patience. He certainly subscribed to the adage that the customer is always right, and he tried his best to be accommodating, but enough was enough!
How Many of These Crazy English Words Do You Know?
We love words. We especially love strange words. Fortunately, the English language has a limitless supply of them to tantalize even the most discriminating lexophile.
Compare Jefferson’s Declaration of Indepence With the Final Version
You probably learned that Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence. Although he was responsible for most of the document’s content, the version that was approved contained 86 […]
Fairies Intervene to Keep Churchill Humble
“When Winston [Churchill] was born, lots of fairies swooped down on his cradle with gifts–imagination, eloquence, industry, ability–and then came a fairy who said ‘No one person has a right to so […]
Depression, Tragedy, Suicidal Thoughts, and the Man Who Overcame Them
He had so many nicknames and titles throughout his life that we’ll just call him G.E. for now. His name isn’t nearly as important as his symptoms. It doesn’t take a psychiatrist […]
Does Pink Purposefully Prevent Prisoners From Pummeling People?
When you see the color pink, you might think about any number of things: the panther nemesis of Inspector Clouseau, Floyd’s first name, the last name of Clara Oswald’s boyfriend in Doctor […]
Handguns, Hot Sauce, Board Games, and Testosterone
Many important scientific studies have expanded the realm of human knowledge. Commonplace Fun Facts has faithfully informed its readers about innovative research that has answered questions such as “How long does it […]
A Royal Round of Queenly Quizzes
For the past week and a half, the world’s attention has been on the events leading up to the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. In her honor, we present this queenly […]
Politics: The Groucho Marx Way
Words That Seem Like They Should Rhyme But Don’t
Unquestionably, the English language is insane. It is so insane that there is even a poem dedicated to its insanity. We have devoted numerous articles on this site to English and its […]
Commonplace Fun Facts 