The Day a Cheese Cannonball Was Fired in War (Yes, Really)
Yes, a cheese cannonball was really fired in war. Discover this bizarre moment and other strange facts from the devastating Paraguayan War.
Keep readingCheck Out the Latest
-
How Did a Measles Outbreak Lead to the Use of Telephone Numbers?
Read more: How Did a Measles Outbreak Lead to the Use of Telephone Numbers?As events such as the COVID-19 outbreak affecting the ability to travel, many people are grateful for the option of picking up a phone, dialing a number, and being able to speak with people on the other side of the world. Surprising as it may seem, it was because of an infectious disease outbreak nearly…
-
Parenting and the Presidency: the Limits of Power
Read more: Parenting and the Presidency: the Limits of PowerWhen President Theodore Roosevelt was confronted with complaints about the behavior of his 19-year-old daughter, Alice, he responded, “I can do one of two things. I can be President of the United States, or I can control Alice. I cannot possibly do both.” Read more fun facts about Presidents. Read more funny quotes.
-
How ‘I Don’t Care’ and ‘Whatever’ Became a Profitable Business Naming Strategy in the Telecom Industry
Read more: How ‘I Don’t Care’ and ‘Whatever’ Became a Profitable Business Naming Strategy in the Telecom IndustryDiscover how a clever business naming strategy like ‘I Don’t Care’ and ‘Whatever’ led to surprising profits in the telecommunications industry.
-
Harvard’s History of Rebellion and Food Fights
Read more: Harvard’s History of Rebellion and Food FightsStudent protests seem to be a phenomenon that started in the 1960s, but they are much older than that. The proud history of protests on college campuses got its start in America before there was such a thing as the United States. The subject of the protest was something that is still near and dear…
-
The Postage Stamp Responsible for the Panama Canal
Read more: The Postage Stamp Responsible for the Panama CanalThe Panama Canal is so inseparably linked to the nation of Panama that it is difficult to imagine it existing anywhere else. As it turns out, the site for the canal was very nearly the nation of Nicaragua. When it came down to the moment of decision, it was a pretty tiny thing that decided…
-
Did William Shakespeare Help Translate the Bible? Psalm 46 Mystery Explored
Read more: Did William Shakespeare Help Translate the Bible? Psalm 46 Mystery ExploredExplore the fascinating theory that William Shakespeare left clues in the 46th Psalm that he helped translate the King James Bible.
-
Jousting is the Official Sport of Maryland
Read more: Jousting is the Official Sport of MarylandDiscover why jousting is the official state sport of Maryland.
-
Andy Rooney on the Usefulness of Computers
Read more: Andy Rooney on the Usefulness of ComputersAndy Rooney (1919-2011) had a career as a writer for over 60 years, but he insisted upon using a manual typewriter, even into the 21st century. In explaining his reticence in switching to digital technology, he said, “Computers make it easier to do a lot of things, but most of the things they make it easier…
-
John Adams Equates Uselessness and Congress
Read more: John Adams Equates Uselessness and CongressJohn Adams (1735-1826) was notoriously thin-skinned and rarely responded to criticism or ridicule with anything approaching a light-hearted spirit. When he found his role as Vice President did not earn him the respect in Congress he expected, he did not try to hide his feelings. He summed up his thoughts, saying, “In my many years…
-
Singing These National Anthems Will Leave You Speechless
Read more: Singing These National Anthems Will Leave You SpeechlessReaders 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 it really easy, because there are no words to remember.
-
Showing Respect With a Kiss and a Ring of Truth
Read more: Showing Respect With a Kiss and a Ring of TruthDon 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 comedian’s scathing humor. Rickles once said of Sinatra, “When you enter a room, you have to kiss his ring. I don’t mind, but…
-
How Scientists Turned a Live Cat Into a Telephone
Read more: How Scientists Turned a Live Cat Into a TelephoneA favorite children’s game is to make a telephone out of two tin cans and a piece of string. Hobbyists with more advanced skills can make a functioning telephone with a relatively-simple electronics kit. It takes true skill, however, to do what two scientists did in 1929 when the turned a living cat into a…
-
Getting a Hole in One in Basketball
Read more: Getting a Hole in One in BasketballThere is much about the game of basketball that is easy to understand. Beginners can grasp basic concepts very quickly. There is one aspect of the game that, in retrospect, seems glaringly obvious, but it took several years for the early participants to figure out: the hole in the bottom of the basketball net.
-
Rabbits: The Terror of Australia
Read more: Rabbits: The Terror of AustraliaRabbits are so cute and cuddly that it is hard to imagine the word “terror” being associated with them. (NOTE: This would be news to Napoleon and Jimmy Carter, each of whom had horrifying encounters with rabbits, as detailed here.) Despite such rabbit horror fantasies as Night of the Lepus, and Year of the Angry…
-
Shakespeare’s Role in a Real-Life Birdemic
Read more: Shakespeare’s Role in a Real-Life BirdemicNo one who has ever watched Birdemic: Shock and Terror would ever equate the name of William Shakespeare with the movie. The film, widely regarded as one of the worst movies ever made, centers around the disasters that take place when birds wreak havoc on their surroundings. While Shakespeare may have had nothing to do with Birdemic…
