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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Have the Mysteries of the Voynich Manuscript Finally Been Unlocked?

For 500 years, the Voynich Manuscript has baffled cryptologists with its strange plants, astronomical drawings, and indecipherable script. Has modern computing and Google Translate finally unlocked its secrets?
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When the Church’s Pulpit Battled Lincoln’s Bully Pulpit

Although Abraham Lincoln had a deep faith in God, he was not as quick to put his faith in those who claimed to be God’s messengers. A distinguished clergyman happened to be giving a series of speeches on theological matters, and despite repeated invitations to come and listen, Lincoln stayed away.
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The Blind King Who Blindly Went Into Battle

To say that the King of Bohemia blindly rushed into battle is not an indictment on his judgment; it is a statement of fact. The Bohemian monarch lost his eyesight when he was 40 years old, thus earning him the nickname John the Blind. He met his end in battle, choosing to charge against the…
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A Royal Intervention Stops a Churchill Invasion

Winston Churchill was nothing if not determined. His tenacity and vision guided Great Britain and gave courage to all of the Allied nations at a time when those qualities were desperately needed. Sometimes his focused ambition went beyond the laudable qualities of leadership and developed into bull-headed obstinance. When this happened, no one could talk…
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Andy Rooney’s Recipe for Baked Potato Ice Cream

Andy Rooney (1919-2011) was a well-known television and newspaper writer. He was best known for his weekly commentaries on 60 Minutes, in which he offered humorous and often-biting observations about everyday life.
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Five Years of Blogging — What Do People Find Interesting?

When I started Commonplace on September 9, 2014, it was a way for my sons and me to document and share things that grab our interest. The first post was a minor trivia item about Franklin D. Roosevelt’s phobia about fire. I thought these things might be of interest to a few others, but after…
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Take to the Skies With These Fun Facts About Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport

Anyone who travels by airplane in the United States will inevitably travel through Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. Although millions pass through O’Hare every year, few take the time to contemplate some of the fun facts about this gateway to the world.
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A Cynic’s Guide to Congress

Readers of this site know that congress is the word used to describe a large group of salamanders. Most people, however, think of something completely different when that word is mentioned. Take a look at what some of the world’s great cynics think of this noble institution and the political system that makes it possible.
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Voltaire: A Fool and His Chains

Voltaire: “It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere.”
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Should Abraham Lincoln Have Been a Pastor?

As often as Abraham Lincoln referred to faith issues in speeches and ordinary conversation, one wonders if he may have felt a call toward pastoral ministry. An incident in the decade before Lincoln went to the White House suggests he might have been just as effective in ministry as he was in politics.
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The Kingdom the Mapmakers Forgot

1992 saw the birth of a new nation: the Kingdom of Torgu. If you happened to overlook this momentous occasion, don’t feel bad. The whole reason the new country sprang into existence was because of the people in charge of drawing the maps overlooked the area to begin with.
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Lincoln’s Faith

“We have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand, which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become…
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The Case That Kept Finding Presidents

Of the thousands of cases appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, only a few are accepted by the Court each year. Of those, most fade into obscurity and are interesting only to legal scholars. It is a rare case that stands out as a true landmark decision. In the case of Ex Parte Milligan, not…
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Great Emancipator, But No Great Romeo

Concerned that Abraham Lincoln was, at age 28, still a bachelor, one of his friends stepped in to play Cupid. She offered to introduce Lincoln to her sister, but with one condition — Lincoln would have to consider marrying her.
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An Hour at The World’s Most Polluted Lake Will Kill You

What could be more relaxing and beneficial to your health than an hour’s stroll beside a lake? This might be the case just about anywhere in the world except for Lake Karachay. Spend an hour beside this lake, and it will be your last. It isn’t frigid temperatures, riptides, or dangerous wildlife that make this…
Read more: An Hour at The World’s Most Polluted Lake Will Kill You