Do you feel weighed down by the burdens of the day? Does the prospect of a sleepless night weigh heavy on you? Do you wish you could float away from the cares […]
Try Sleeping While Floating on this $1.5 Million Levitating Bed
Make Plans to Watch the Movie That Won’t Be Released Until 2115
As a result of COVID-19, moviegoers have had to deal with the delay of a number of long-awaited films. If you are one of those who struggle to have the patience to […]
Top 5 Stolen Art of All Time That You Should Know About
Originally posted on MORRONGO TV:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-VZIiwqomk Click to watch video Some people just have a knack for taking things that don’t belong to them. In this case, it comes in the form…
Dreams So Powerful That They Shaped History
Scientists, philosophers, and theologians have long pondered and theorized about dreams. What are they? What causes them? What purpose do they serve? The debates about dreams continue, but one thing is certain: […]
Doggie Hamlet Brought to You By Your Tax Dollars
“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” (“Hamlet”, Act I, Scene 5) When Shakespeare wrote those immortal words, one wonders if even he […]
Sharpen Up Your Knowledge of the Pencil
As summer ends and students return to school, it is appropriate to take a moment and reflect on one of the things that is as indispensable to studies as notebooks and backpacks: […]
Can You Crack the Code that Stumps the CIA?
It should not be surprising that CIA Headquarters is home to some of the world’s biggest secrets. What may raise your eyebrows is the fact that one of its biggest secrets is […]
Welcome to the Museum Where Nothing Can Be Seen
UPDATED June 3, 2021 to include the recent sale of an Italian invisible sculpture. Perhaps it is only the unsophisticated among us who look at some examples of modern art and ask, […]
The Armless Wonder Who Rose Above Her Circumstances
By just about every standard of society, no one should have heard about Kathryn M.R. Smith (1882-1967). Horribly disfigured at the hands of an abusive alcoholic father, the girl who went by […]
Visit the Museum Where Peanut Butter is Art
If you like art, and if you are particularly fond of peanut butter, a visit to Rotterdam’s Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen has all the makings for your perfect day. It is the […]
Picasso’s Full Name Was 103-Letters Long
Some people achieve such fame that they can be known by last name only. Say the name of Einstein, Beethoven, or Descartes, and no one will ask you to elaborate. Perhaps this […]
Grawlix, Plewds, and Briffit: the Literary Language of Cartoons and Comic Strips
Regular readers of Commonplace Fun Facts are well versed in the meaning and use of some very unusual words. Even the most learned lexicologist may stumble over words such as briffit, grawlix, […]
Finding an Aspiring Artist In Every Child
Legendary cartoonist Mort Walker is remembered as the creator of the popular comic strips Beetle Bailey and Hi and Lois. In his book, Lexicon of Comicana, he reflected on the artistic potential […]
Pierre Brassau: the Chimpanzee Who Made a Monkey Out of Modern Art
When the paintings of Pierre Brassau were released for public viewing in 1964, the artistic community was lavish in its praise. Rolf Anderberg of the Göteborgs-Posten wrote, “Brassau paints with powerful strokes, […]
The Unlikely Origin of a Comic Book Legend
Joe and Jerry had an idea that was sure to be a goldmine. The 18-year-old high school students thought up a terrific story featuring a terrifying character. Between Jerry’s writing talents and […]
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