On the morning of September 1, 1859, amateur astronomer Richard Carrington pointed his telescope at the sun. He immediately noticed some unusual activity. A cluster of massive dark spots marred the sun’s […]
Birthdays and parties go together. It is a time of celebration for the one who is having a birthday, as well as his or her friends and family. At some point during […]
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 […]
Humans have tried to emulate birds’ ability to fly since before recorded history. Despite centuries of effort, heavier-than-air flight remained out of reach. No one knows how many people lost their lives […]
Independence Day in the United States falls on July 4, year after year. New Year’s Day is always on the first of January. Christmas occurs on December 25, unless you are part […]
Originally posted on Stuff I Learned:
Sunrise and Sunsets are always stunning to watch and some rare occurence during these events makes it more beauiful to watch. Yes, there is an interesting…
As readers of Commonplace Fun Facts know, the U.S. military has drawn up plans for war with the United Kingdom, invading Canada, and surviving the Zombie Apocalypse. There are even plans for […]
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 […]
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 […]
If you are a reasonably well-informed person (which you obviously are, since you read Commonplace Fun Facts), you know that the U.S. government has plans for just about everything. These contingencies range […]
If you spend any amount of time looking at the headlines, you might wonder whether humanity’s clock is about to run out. If so, you would not be the first to come […]
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 […]
One of the biggest honors a person can receive is to become the namesake of a unit of measurement. Daniel Fahrenheit, Andres Celsius, and Charles Richter are just a few individuals whose […]
For over 50 years, Sesame Street’s Big Bird has been one of the most iconic and beloved children’s characters. The 8-foot 2-inch (249 cm) bright yellow bird has been teaching children how […]
Assuming you are a person of reasonable intelligence, (actually, since you are a reader of Commonplace Fun Facts, we assume you are a person of extraordinary intelligence), what would you make of […]
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