It’s bad enough that Colombia has to deal with the ever-present problem of cocaine trafficking. Now it has to deal with “cocaine hippopotamuses,” as well.
Colombia Clashes With Cocaine Hippos
Why Call a Lawyer When You Can Summon a Prince to Help Through Clameur de Haro
What do you do if someone is occupying or infringing on your rights to your land? Yes, you could call the police, or you could bring a lawsuit against the offender. Or […]
The Surprising Unknown Life of Aviation Legend Anne Lindbergh
The name Lindbergh is inseparable from aviation. If you think you know about Lindbergh’s accomplishments, you might be surprised at what you never heard of. For example, you may be aware of […]
A Look at the Secret U.S. Plans to Invade Canada and Fight the U.K.
Admittedly, the United States isn’t exactly on the BFF list for too many countries. Being the leader of the Free World may garner a certain measure of respect but not necessarily a […]
Sweden’s Scale Model of the Solar System Spans the Whole Country
As young students, we all got our first introduction to the solar system through pictures that showed the planets orbiting the sun. Those pictures frequently showed equal distance between the planets and […]
Most Dangerous Places in The World
Have you considered what might be the most dangerous place in the world? We had always assumed the riskiest thing to do would be to try to stand between a politician and […]
The Haunting Lake That Turns Creatures Into Statues
Greek mythology describes Medusa as a horrifying creature who can turn anyone who looks at her into stone. Perhaps Tanzania’s Lake Natron would better be named Lake Medusa because of its horrifying […]
Why Do Thousands of Mysterious Arrows Cover the USA?
You can be driving through what appears to be the middle of nowhere when you see it. With no explanation as to its presence in that place, you will find a massive […]
How Did Scotland’s Imperial Plans Destroy Its Independence?
In 1314, King Robert the Bruce led Scotland to a heroic victory over the English at the Battle of Bannockburn. The unlikely trouncing of one of the world’s mightiest armies boldly proclaimed […]
Stand Up and Salute Some Supremely Strange Flags
Thanks to The Big Bang Theory’s “Fun With Flags” feature, we have seen a noticeable increase in our articles about flags. In recognition of this interest in vexillology, we present you with […]
How a Boy With a Kite Helped Bridge Two Nations
On March 8, 1855, history was made when a 23-ton railroad engine crossed over the Niagara River on the world’s first working railway suspension bridge. The bridge was an engineering marvel, spanning […]
Visit the Place Where Your Nearest Neighbors Are In Space
Readers of Commonplace Fun Facts already know that the most remote piece of real estate in the world is Bouvet Island. When you are there, you are on the most isolated island […]
Australia’s Name-Changing Tallest Mountain
If you stand on the summit of Mount Kosciusko, you have made it to the peak of Australia’s highest mountain. You share that achievement Pawel Edmund Strzelecki, the first Westerner to reach […]
How Thousands of Rubber Bath Toys Helped Unlock the Ocean’s Secrets
The container ship Ever Laurel was en route from Hong Kong to Tacoma, Washington. On January 10, 1992, it was only halfway to its destination when it encountered a violent storm. The […]
Some of the Articles We Never Got Around To
“How do you come up with ideas for articles on Commonplace Fun Facts?” Not a week goes by without that question being posed to members of the Commonplace creative team. The tone […]
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