It wasn’t that long ago that people believed mental illness behaved like the common cold. One of the reasons for the establishment of mental asylums was to quarantine the insane, thus protecting […]
The official editorial position of Commonplace Fun Facts takes a skeptical view toward government programs. We adhere to Ronald Reagan’s warning, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m […]
“Folks are usually about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”
“It isn’t brain surgery.” We use the phrase to describe simple tasks that anyone should be able to do. The unstated assumption behind this is that brain surgery is far from simple […]
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.” […]
Traffic lights are one of the last places you would expect to find artistic expression. The stick figure of a walking man and an upheld hand tell pedestrians all they need to […]
Welcome, Dear Reader. How are you doing? Are you having a good day? Did you have a nice time during the holidays? Gee, that’s wonderful. You obviously did not spend those hours […]
Do you cringe at the prospect of having to endure one more social gathering? Do you find yourself tongue-tied at the seemingly-impossible task of engaging in small talk over dinner? Would you […]
Do you feel like you don’t know enough? Do you find yourself at a loss for things to talk about at social gatherings? Do you wish you knew some interesting tidbit of […]
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 […]
If you harbor some anxiety about visiting the dentist, you certainly aren’t alone. As many as 75% of adults report some level of dentophobia — fear of dentists. For those who dread […]
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 […]
Some of our favorite childhood memories may have had decidedly unchildlike origins. We have told some examples in these articles concerning the scary origins of fairy tales. The following article by Nicholas […]
No one likes to be tied up in traffic. It doesn’t matter whether the slowdown is caused by construction, a patch of ice, or an accident; when sitting in tangled traffic, every […]
The age of space tourism is upon us. At this writing, the world (and Trekkies, in particular) is reveling in William Shatner’s recent journey into space, becoming the oldest person to do […]
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