Some say that behind every successful man, you will find a successful woman. Commonplace Fun Facts rejects this sexist notion. In the spirit of equality, we affirm that it is far more […]
Eukonkanto — the Sport of Wife Carrying
Did a Monkey Get Hanged For Being a French Spy?
Just when we thought we had thoroughly combed the historical record and reported all interesting tidbits on a subject, we are reminded that there is no limit to strange stories from the […]
From Baseball to Fire and Brimstone — How Billy Sunday Transformed American Evangelism
He seemed to be born for baseball. William Ashley “Billy” Sunday was born on November 19, 1862. Seven years later, the first professional baseball team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, was founded. Billy […]
How the Baby Ruth Candy Bar Influenced the Bombing of Hiroshima
This morning’s headlines are filled with reports of war, pandemic, political turmoil, and — perhaps most distressingly — further chronicles in the lives of a couple of people named Harry and Meghan. […]
FDR’s Fishing Trip and Near Exposure of His Bare Buns
Franklin D. Roosevelt went to great lengths to hide the fact that he had been paralyzed by polio. Disguising his disability became even more complicated after his election to the presidency. Everywhere […]
Oofty Goofty — The Man Who Made a Living Getting Beat Up
To be successful, you need to find something you do well and get people to pay you to do it. As demonstrated by a fellow known as Oofty Goofty, it’s possible to […]
When The World’s Great Authors Formed a Cricket Team
What do literary giants do when they aren’t writing history’s greatest books? There’s no better way to stave off a case of writer’s block than to play a rousing game of cricket. […]
How Many People Were Killed in the Gladiator Games?
When you think about gladiators, what comes to mind? Perhaps you think of movies such as Spartacus, Ben-Hur, or Gladiator. Most of us have some awareness of the fact that gladiator games […]
How Arthur’s Secret Obsession Changed the World
If it was little known and uncommon, there was a good chance that Arthur would be drawn to it. His curious mind naturally gravitated toward things that polite society shunned. It was […]
The Ironic Reason O.J. Simpson Missed His Chance to Star in Terminator
James Cameron had a dream that inspired him to create the 1984 blockbuster Terminator. (Learn about that dream here.) Perhaps for that reason, he was willing to let his inner senses guide […]
The Famous Captain Who Didn’t Do What He Was Famous For
There seems to be an awful lot of uncertainty and misinformation surrounding the Captain. The thing he is most remembered for is something he probably had nothing to do with. The big […]
Fun and Surprising Facts About the Olympics
At this writing, the focus of the athletic world is in Tokyo for the 32nd Summer Olympic Games. While most of the attention will be on the winners of this year’s various […]
Knowing God Through Practice
“You will know as much of God, and only as much of God, as you are willing to put into practice.” — Eric Liddell
Black Underwear For Umpires and Other Weird Baseball Rules
Even the uninitiated know a few basic facts about the rules of baseball. Everyone knows the game is played on a diamond-shaped arrangement of four bases, and if the batter swings three […]
Arrhichion: the Olympian Who Won His Final Competition After Dying
Winning the top prize in the Olympics is considered the crowning achievement in the life of any athlete. Of course, there’s nothing that says this has to happen during the athlete’s life. […]
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