Commonplace Fun Facts

Colorblindness: What It Is, What It Isn’t, and Why Your Charts Are the Problem

Explore colorblindness: what it is, common myths, causes, everyday challenges, and surprising advantages in this humorous, informative guide.

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April 4, 2026April 4, 2026

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The Dam So Big That It Slows Earth’s Rotation

If you aren’t particularly interested in dams, you might think that the day passes more slowly if you have to spend much time contemplating them. There is, however, a direct correlation between one particular dam and the length of the day. The Three Gorges Dam is so massive that it actually slows the speed at…
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Abraham Lincoln Wrestles With Dilemma of Representing a Guilty Client

Abraham Lincoln had quite a reputation as a trial lawyer. He represented many clients, including big businesses and indigent persons in both civil and criminal matters. He, like all lawyers, had to grapple with the question of whether he could represent someone he knew to be guilty. How do you defend a guilty person? Lincoln…
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Malbolge: The Programming Language Designed to Drive You Insane

Malbolge, created by Ben Olmstead in 1998, is a notoriously complex programming language designed to be nearly impossible to use, drawing inspiration from Dante’s Inferno. Its unique features include base-three arithmetic and self-altering codes. Despite its complexity, the first functional program took two years to develop using a beam search algorithm.
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The Nation With a Ghost Town for its Capital

Not too many of us can name the nations of the Lesser Antilles from memory. Fewer can name the capital cities of those island nations. There is a chance you know someone who lives in one of those cities, but it is guaranteed that you can name every single person who lives in one of…
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How to Steal an Airplane Without Breaking the Law

Ever wonder how to steal an airplane and still not break the law? One guy did it. Find out how in this intriguing article.
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The Most Expensive Hyphen In History

It has been called the most expensive hyphen in history. That is a bit of a misstatement. It was actually the most expensive overbar in history, but since most of us have no idea what an overbar is, “hyphen” will have to suffice. Whatever it was, history records that a missing horizontal line cost nearly…
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He Survived Niagara Falls, But an Orange Peel Did Him In

Going over Niagara Falls in a barrel is the Mount Everest of accomplishments for daredevils. It stands to reason that anyone who can survive such a feat must possess near-superhuman invulnerability and should be nigh unstoppable. Sadly for one man, he successfully overcame the challenge of the falls, only to fall prey to a slippery…
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Are Tomatoes Poisonous? The Answer Comes From One Man’s Daring Demo

Are tomatoes poisonous? For a long time, that’s exactly what people thought until one man proved them wrong with a daring demonstration.
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Would You Like Some Wasps With Your Figs?

If you are filling your plate at a banquet and see a tray of wasps in the midst of a selection of fruit, it’s a safe bet that you would take a pass on the insects. If one of your selections of fruit includes figs, you’re probably going to get a nice mouthful of wasp…
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What’s With the Nearly-Invisible Wire that Surrounds Many Major Cities?

In more than 200 cities around the world you can, if you look closely enough, find a thin wire that encircles a significant portion of the community. Most go about their days without even knowing it is there. If you happened to see it, there’s a good chance you just assumed it was a telephone…
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Why the Postmaster General Outearns the Vice President of the United States

Discover why the Postmaster General is the second-highest paid U.S. government official, earning more than the Vice President. Explore salary insights and bonuses.
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Zyzzyx Road: The Dreadful Journey to the Lowest-Grossing Movie in History

Discover the horrible history of Zyzzyx Road — the lowest-grossing movie of all time.
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Berlin’s Modern Airport That Has Never Seen an Airplane

Airports are for airplanes. Airports are for aviation passengers. Airports are complex logistical partnerships of commerce, transportation, and technology that pump life into the economy. With its reputation for top-notch efficiency, Germany should outperform all other countries when it builds an airport. That’s why it is so extraordinary to hear about its modern international airport…
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Welcome to the Museum Where Nothing Can Be Seen

UPDATED June 3, 2021 to include the recent sale of an Italian invisible sculpture. Perhaps it is only the unsophisticated among us who look at some examples of modern art and ask, “Why is this art?” Some look at pieces of valuable artwork and express revulsion at what they see. There is one art museum…
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Before He Was the Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen Was Very Bad at Flying

Before Manfred von Richthofen became the legendary Red Baron, he was a bored calvry officer and a very bad pilot.
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