“[It is a] room that a person can only enter when they have real need of it. Sometimes it is there and sometimes it is not, but when it appears, it is […]
How Did a Guy Live in a Mall for Four Years?
Oofty Goofty — The Man Who Made a Living Getting Beat Up
To be successful, you need to find something you do well and get people to pay you to do it. As demonstrated by a fellow known as Oofty Goofty, it’s possible to […]
Listen to One of the Hardest Piano Pieces Ever Written
If you are looking for a piece of piano music that will test your skill and patience, you would be hard-pressed to find anything that compares to Opus Clavicembalisticum. Written by English […]
The Crazy Plan to Raise Hippos for Food in the USA
EDITOR’S NOTE: Special thanks to the office of Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (4th District, Missouri) for providing the legislative history on the American Hippo Bill. Who doesn’t enjoy a good ol’ slab of […]
Peas Mean Something
We are frequently asked where we get our ideas for Commonplace Fun Facts. The question suggests a scarcity of interesting topics. In reality, the bigger challenge is “what NOT to write about.” […]
Did an Indian King Use Rolls Royces to Collect Garbage?
Have you heard about the fabulously wealthy Indian ruler who was snubbed at a Rolls Royce showroom? When the salesman did not recognize the distinguished visitor and dismissed him as someone who […]
How Arthur’s Secret Obsession Changed the World
If it was little known and uncommon, there was a good chance that Arthur would be drawn to it. His curious mind naturally gravitated toward things that polite society shunned. It was […]
The First Attempted Murder in Antarctica Was Because of Spoiling the Ending of a Book
We are generally a bunch of law-and-order types here at Commonplace Fun Facts, and we cannot condone the wanton violation of the law. That being said, there are times when even the […]
George and His Stamp Collection
George had a thing for postage stamps. You might say it was his passion.
Beware the Dangers of Eating Yourself to Death
For those of you who did not exercise a great deal of self control during your Thanksgiving meal and whose mouths may already be watering at the thought of the leftovers in […]
That Time the United States Had an Emperor
Suppose fortune fails to smile upon you. Despite your best efforts at gaining wealth, you are bankrupt and have no professional skills to speak of. You could give up and embrace a […]
The Epic Prank that Became History’s Greatest Practical Joke
Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446) was an accomplished architect, designer, sculptor, and mathematician. He is considered to be one of the founding fathers of Renaissance architecture and holds the distinction of being the first […]
Carl Tanzler and the Love that Creepily Continued After Death
Volumes of poetry and countless love songs are dedicated to the proposition that love endures forever. This is an honorable and appropriate sentiment. Even so, it is possible to take things too […]
Getting Votes Through Hypnosis
Political campaigns are notorious for accusations about opposing candidates. More than one politician has accused the opposing candidate of brainwashing his or her supporters. As far as we have been able to […]
That Time the President Gave the Pope a Strange Christmas Present
It is hard enough coming up with just the right Christmas gift when you have a year to plan for it. What do you do when you need to choose an appropriate […]
Commonplace Fun Facts 