“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 […]
Some of the Articles We Never Got Around To
Using a Nuke to Put Out a Fire
Since the dawn of the nuclear age, much of the diplomatic and military strategies of nations have centered around preventing the world from going up in flames in a nuclear holocaust. Some […]
The Napoleonic Influence on American Law Enforcement
As Napoleon Bonaparte caused war to spread throughout Europe and his growing empire threatened to destroy long-established national borders, some in the United States feared that even the Atlantic Ocean would not […]
Getting Killed By the Bullet He Said Couldn’t Kill Him
The Spanish-American War was about to experience one of its most dramatic events. The date was July 1, 1898. Future President Theodore Roosevelt and his Rough Riders were positioned at the bottom […]
It Took One-Fourth of the U.S. Army to Capture Geronimo
The most feared Native American leader of the 19th century was a yawning man. At least, that’s what his name meant. Born on June 16, 1829, in what is now Turkey Creek, […]
I Feel the Need… for the Top Fun Facts About Top Gun
News of the long-hoped-for sequel to the 1986 movie Top Gun was loudly cheered by its fans. Originally scheduled for a June 2020, release date, because of COVID-19, it was pushed back […]
Was the USA Nuclear Launch Code Really ‘00000000’?
In the 1983 movie WarGames, the fictional W.O.P.R. succeeds in hacking NORAD’s launch code, revealed to be “CPE1704TKS.” National security experts at the time reassured the public that the movie was a […]
How an Overflowing Toilet Caused a Submarine to Sink
Few things are more distressing than an overflowing toilet. Aside from the utter revulsion at having one’s home invaded by the toilet’s contents and the need to get it cleaned up as […]
From Terminator to Virtuoso — the Pentagon is Developing a Jazz-Playing Robot
Imagine the most creative, intelligent, and innovative minds at the Pentagon using the government’s vast resources to build a cutting-edge robot. What will this mechanical marvel look like? What will it do? […]
A Man, His Two Houses, and a War that Wouldn’t Leave Him Alone
Wilmer McLean wanted to escape war, but war kept finding him.
Do You Know About Jefferson’s Woes?
So much is known about the life of President Jefferson, but there was a haunting tragedy about his past that history rarely mentions. He is remembered as a man of destiny. From […]
The Pepper and the Friendship that Endured Beyond War
George was cold. Actually, “cold” doesn’t begin to describe it. He was freezing. He was learning the hard way that although the desert is famously hot during the day, the nighttime conditions […]
The Award-Winning Great Dane With a Great Bladder
No account of the heroes of World War II can be complete without mentioning the two-time recipient of the Blue Cross medal. Juliana’s heroic acts included single-handedly defusing a bomb and saving […]
Fighting Terrorism With Cupcakes
When terrorist organization al-Qaeda published its first English-language publication, Inspire Magazine, it was with the intention of equipping would-be terrorists with tools of destruction. Thanks to British intelligence agents, the only damage […]
Was Alexander the Great Buried Alive?
When Alexander the Great died at the tender age of 32, he had conquered the known world. Many wondered at the time and since what he could have accomplished if he had […]
