Taking a stroll to the end of the street might be just the thing so you can get some fresh air and get the blood flowing. If you happen to be staying […]
Take a Stroll Down the World’s Shortest Street
Mark Twain’s Thoughts On Turning Tom Sawyer Into a Play
Mark Twain was at the height of his popularity when he received a request to dramatize Tom Sawyer. The director of a theater company asked the author’s permission to use his name […]
The Disaster That Haunted An Unlikely Hero
The weather couldn’t have been better for travel. As Charlie made his way home by train, neither he nor his fellow passengers had any clue that they were headed toward an unspeakable […]
How NOT to Get Around Word Limits
Many of our readers are students, preparing to return to school after Christmas break. They will undoubtedly encounter essay and research paper assignments with strict requirements concerning the number of words. For […]
Study Finds Poor Writing, Not Legalese, Makes Legal Documents Difficult
According to the Commonplace Fun Facts Legal Department, one of the first things they teach in law school is, “Never use one word where ten will suffice.” Actually, what they told us […]
Mark Twain on Entitlement
“Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.” — Mark Twain
Shakespeare’s Final Blessing and Curse
No writer is more celebrated than William Shakespeare. His plays and poems transformed literature, culture, and even the English language itself. Such a man should leave this life by writing his own […]
Quoth the Parrot, “Pretty Boy… Nevermore… Polly Got a Cracker? Nevermore…”
One of the most famous poems in American literature started as something quite different. The eponymous talking bird who is featured in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” was originally cast as a […]
The Secret Royal Lineage of a Weird, Awkward Boy
At the time of this writing, the world’s attention is on the events surrounding the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the ascendency of King Charles III to the throne. One can’t […]
A Bright Mind Suggested Using Bright Light For Winning Chess Strategy
Chess presents a near-infinite number of moves. Consequently, there is no shortage of self-proclaimed experts to offer helpful advice on how to master the game. As far back as A.D. 840, when […]
How Sherlock Holmes’ Author Was Tricked Into Believing in Fairies
Humanity has been looking for proof of the paranormal for a long time. Many people insist there is more to the world than the things most of us see. Skeptics need evidence, […]
The Horrible Five-Week Visit That Destroyed a Friendship
It shouldn’t have been surprising that Chuck and John struck up a friendship. After all, the two men had a lot in common. They shared many of the same interests, a common […]
Big Brother Keeps an Eye on Orwell Home
George Orwell’s novel 1984 took the world by storm when it was published in 1949. It told the story of a dystopian future where the government maintained control by keeping a close […]
How to Write 100,000,000,000,000 Poems
A sonnet is a one-stanza, 14-line poem, written in iambic pentameter. William Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets, all of which are required reading for students of great literature. Shakespeare may be the most […]
Why Would You Want a Book of a Million Random Numbers?
Are you looking for a good book for this weekend? Let us tell you about one that will really hold your attention. It’s a little hard to describe the overall plot, but […]
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