Chain letters have been around for more than a century. Explore their strange history, the “send-a-dollar” scam, why people believed them, and how they still survive online today.
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Discover why jousting is the official state sport of Maryland.
Andy 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 (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…
Readers 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.
Don 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…
A 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…
There 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 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…
No 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…
History so often hinges upon accidents, such as the time Gutenberg was forced to invent the printing press because he missed an important date by an entire year, or the time Constantinople was conquered because someone forgot to lock the city gate. The same would hold true with the celebrated record of one of history’s…
Uncover the untold story of Christopher Columbus, not just as the man who ‘discovered’ America, but as a master manipulator who used clever tricks and deception to complete his legendary voyage.
Your age is one thing that is cross-cultural, or so you would think. If you are 25 years old in the United States, you are 25 years old in South Africa. This should be the same everywhere on earth. Your assumption would be true just about everywhere, except in Korea.
President Calvin Coolidge was famous for being a man of few words. This was not just a personality trait; it was strategic. Throughout his public service career, he was forced to listen to a steady stream of constituents throughout the day. No matter how many appointments filled his calendar, he always left the office at…
Odds are that you have never heard of the Kingdom of Redonda. Even if you know where it is, it’s unlikely you have a map that is detailed enough to find it. This tiny island may be cloaked in obscurity, but it is claimed by at least 9 kings. Despite the disputed claim of these…
Many human-made objects have been placed in space, including this comprehensive list of items that remain on the moon. None of these items retain quite the drama or personal impact as the wedding ring that was lost — and found — in the vacuum of space.
