The Unexpected Hanging Paradox — also known by various names such as the Surprise Examination and the Surprise Drill — has stumped the most brilliant of thinkers. It has been debated in […]
Can You Solve the Unexpected Hanging Paradox?
Commonplace Fun Facts
Patton’s Pugnacious Party Pummeling
The greatest battlefield commander of the modern age was, by most accounts, General George S. Patton. His understanding of military history, instinctive grasp of technological innovation, and dogged determination rightly cemented his […]
The Contagious Insanity of the Lincoln Assassination
It wasn’t that long ago that people believed mental illness behaved like the common cold. One of the reasons for the establishment of mental asylums was to quarantine the insane, thus protecting […]
Ithkuil: the Most Complicated Language in the World
Frequent readers of Commonplace Fun Facts know that we like languages. They also know that we probably need to spend more time learning the nuances of English before we delve into others. […]
Understanding the Different Types of Queens
When it comes to queens, there are all sorts. There are bees, playing cards, rock-and-roll bands, and men who wear women’s clothing. And, of course, there is “The Queen,” the one person […]
A Limerick for Mathematicians
For those of us who have yet to memorize our multiplication tables, the concept of someone doing math for fun is as paradoxical as putting pineapple on pizza. Even so, Leigh Mercer […]
The Nazi Invasion of Winnipeg
If you have spent any amount of time learning about World War II, you were probably taught that the lands of North America were blessedly exempt from combat. If so, you may […]
Luxembourg Cars Must Have Windshield Wipers But Windshields Are Optional
Governments can be famous for making regulations that put more emphasis on form than substance. No better example can be found than the highly-bureaucratic Vogons in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: […]
Happy Pi Day!
Happy #PiDay
How To See Impossible Colors
This is an article about colors, written by a person who is colorblind. Impossible, you say? So did this writer. In the course of protesting this assignment, however, it was pointed out […]
Did a Monkey Get Hanged For Being a French Spy?
Just when we thought we had thoroughly combed the historical record and reported all interesting tidbits on a subject, we are reminded that there is no limit to strange stories from the […]
How Do Barcodes Work?
If you were born before 1970 or so, you undoubtedly remember that the responsibilities of the clerk at a grocery store were different than they are today. Back in the murky past, […]
The Chaos — The Aptly-Named Poem About the Insanity of the English Language
Those of us who love the English language have to admit to a bit of schizophrenia about the love affair. On the one hand, English is an utterly-flexible and ever-changing language, allowing […]
Commending Your Brand of Craziness
Author Lani Lynn Vale offers wonderful words for the people in your life who seem to have waded a bit too far into the deep end of insanity: “I don’t understand your […]
Why Are There No Rats in Alberta, Canada?
The official editorial position of Commonplace Fun Facts takes a skeptical view toward government programs. We adhere to Ronald Reagan’s warning, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m […]
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