Edith Wheeler, a veteran actress, was playing the death scene in a Baltimore production of The Drunkard, in November 1986, when she dropped to the stage and, to tremendous applause, died. source
Commonplace Fun Facts
From the Poison Pen of Robert Quillen
Robert Quillen (1887-1948), the editor of the Fountain Inn Tribune in South Carolina, was known for writing whatever came into his head. Heaven help whomever he was writing about if he was […]
Laziness: the Cause of Boredom
Whenever he had to listen to a long-winded speaker or read a letter that went on and on, Abraham Lincoln would observe, “It’s like the lazy preacher who used to write long […]
Newtonian Forgetfulness
Sir Isaac Newton was sometimes very absent-minded. One day a visitor stopped by to see him. A servant told the visitor that he would have to sit down and wait, since Sir […]
Funny… I Don’t Remember Being Absentminded
Jean de La Fontaine was a 17th century French author who wrote simple animal stories that contained elements of satire and social criticism. He was famous for his absentmindedness. He once called […]
Don’t Look an Educated Horse in the Mouth
“Bernarr MacFadden had the wild glare of an educated horse doing a problem in arithmetic.” — Alva Johnston Source
Did You Know…………..?
Originally posted on lisadblog:
Did you know…. Ten random fun facts that may help at your next trivia contest. 1. The letter A was inspired by the ox. The letter A is…
What Does He Really Think of Him?
“Calvin Coolidge, that runty, aloof little man who quacks through his nose when he speaks.” — William Allen White
No Awards for Presidential Grammar
H.L. Mencken did not hide his dislike of President Warren G. Harding. He especially loathed Harding’s mangling of the English language and called such utterings “Gamalielese”, in honor of the President’s middle […]
In a Democracy the People Always Get What They Deserve
“As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folks […]
Adding New Meaning to “Having the Runs”
In honor of World Toilet Day (November 19, for those of you who havent yet sent out your annual World Toilet Day greeting cards), take note that the world record for running […]
Who Was the Only President to Obtain a Patent?
Abraham Lincoln holds the distinction of being the only US President to have obtained a patent.
The Jury Has Deliberated… And Deliberated… And Deliberated….
The longest U.S. jury deliberation in a civil lawsuit took place in a 1992 California trial in which a woman and her son sued the City of Long Beach for preventing the opening […]
Happy Birthday! Now Let’s Pick Out Your Casket
Yet one more reason to dread the approach of your birthday: researchers have concluded an increased risk of dying on the anniversary of your birth. Annals of Epidemiology, Volume 22, Issue 8 […]
You Mean Peter Parker Wasn’t the First Spider-Man?
Shortly before the start of the Marvel Era of comic books, Journey Into Mystery #73 published “Where will you be, when… The Spider Strikes!” In it, a common household spider was doused with radioactive rays. […]
Commonplace Fun Facts 