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? […]
Fans of the Hollywood musicals of the 1950s and 1960s are frequently surprised to learn that the voices of their favorite actresses are someone else’s. If you listen carefully, you will notice […]
If you are ever lost in the jungle and you are about to give up hope, there is one sound that will instantly let you know that help is on the way. […]
In the 2020 movie Bill & Ted Face the Music, Jimi Hendrix teams up with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and a number of other musical geniuses from history to perform a song that […]
They say some people are like Slinky’s — they’re not really good for anything, but they bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs. If […]
It was 1969 and Fred Silverman had to scramble to revise his big plans. He staked a lot on a new children’s program that he was sure was going to be a […]
Many people find comfort in music. They find encouragement in the lyrics, or they allow the upbeat tempo of the music to lift their spirits. In one case, there was a message […]
Every schoolchild knows there are 26 letters in the English alphabet. It seems self-evident that this fact must be as old as the language itself. Surprising as it may seem, as recently […]
Readers of Commonplace know about the world’s shortest national anthem, and the longest national anthem. When it comes to learning the official lyrics for national anthems, there are four countries that make […]
Don Rickles owed his career to the fact that he was discovered by the legendary singer Frank Sinatra. This fact did not exempt Sinatra from being on the receiving end of the […]
Type the words “worst Christmas song ever” into any search engine, and you are guaranteed to see “Wonderful Christmastime” by Paul McCartney. Some critics have even gone so far as to label […]
As raids by Somali pirates cause havoc and send fear rippling throughout the shipping industry, mariners have been forced to break out the ultimate weapon: Britney Spears.
In 1969, a musician named Jim Sullivan recorded an album called U.F.O., which featured strange lyrics about leaving his family and being abducted by aliens. Sullivan disappeared six years later without a […]
Due to its portability and ability to be carried during a march to a construction site or a “voluntary” day of hard labor in the fields, the accordion has been a favorite […]
When you look at your paystub and see how much of your earnings ended up being sent to Washington, DC in taxes, you may occasionally wonder how the government uses your money. […]
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