On October 31, 1963, John F. Kennedy held one of his final press conferences. A reporter reminded him that she had once before asked him toward the beginning of his presidency whether […]
How JFK Found Happiness in the Presidency
The Man Who Was President for One Day and the Day When There Were Two Presidents
If you had to list the names of the men who have served as President of the United States, you will almost certainly write the names Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Roosevelt. If […]
Two Hotheaded Boys and Two Patient Mothers
David and Leslie had a couple of things in common: each had volatile tempers, and both of them had mothers who believed those tempers could and should be controlled. David was known […]
The Baffling Mystery of New Zealand’s Exploding Pants
Farmers have a hard enough time of it with all the challenges they have to face. Weather, regulations, animal diseases, crop blights, and fluctuating commodities markets are only a few of the […]
The Town With a Population of 1
If the prospect of knowing everyone who lives in your community appeals to you, you might consider moving to Monowi, Nebraska. Getting to know all of the residents won’t be too difficult. […]
This is the King, and I’ll Be Your Pilot Today
Whenever you fly, you expect your pilot will have the highest qualifications. You take it for granted that he or she has the appropriate pilot’s license and training for that aircraft and […]
The Postmaster General is the Second-Highest Paid Person in U.S. Government
If the importance of a position is measured by the paycheck, it makes sense that the President of the United States draws the biggest salary of federal government officials. Using salary as […]
The Famous Pilot Who Crashed His First Solo Flight
Manny wanted nothing more than to be a pilot, but it just didn’t seem to be in the cards. How he managed to get his wings and become one of the most […]
NASA Knows it Needs an Official Nose
When you contemplate all the skills involved in sending someone into space, you think about math, physics, rocketry, and orbital dynamics. Odds are that you didn’t spend a lot of time thinking […]
Real Life Romance for the Voices of Mickey and Minnie
When Russi Taylor visited Disneyland as a young girl, she met Walt Disney. She thought that was the pinnacle of any experience any fan of the Magic Kingdom could ever have. As […]
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 […]
Fun Facts About the First Ladies — Part 1
One of the most powerful positions in the world is unelected, unpaid, and technically has no official authority. The wife of the President of the United States — the first lady — […]
Could You Pass Edison’s Employment Test?
Thomas Edison famously distrusted formal education. It isn’t that he did not recognize the importance of knowledge; he just thought it was more important that a person be able to remember a […]
Predestined to be President
It takes a certain level of self-confidence for anyone to think he or she is capable of being President of the United States. For the 28th President, it was more than self-confidence; […]
Starbucks at the CIA: Customer Names Are a Grande Secret
If you visit the Starbucks at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, everything about the experience will be just like it would be in any of the other 31,000-plus stores around the world […]
Commonplace Fun Facts 