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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Taking a Bat to Library Pests

Librarians have long fought against three primary antagonists: people who talk too loudly, those who do not return their books on time, and book-eating bugs. Stern words and fines can take care of the first two offenders, but when it comes to the third problem, the guardians of the world’s books need to look to…
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Celebrating Independence Day … a Little Too Early

John Adams envisioned the day being celebrated with fireworks, parades, and massive celebrations, as Americans commemorated the day that brought them independence from Great Britain. As it turns out, Adams was right, but he got the date wrong. The date Adams had in mind was July 2, 1776. It was on that day that the…
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The High Court Grapples With “What Is Golf?”

“Either out of humility or out of self-respect (one or the other) the Court should decline to answer this incredibly difficult and incredibly silly question.”
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A Dog’s Loyalty is a High Honor

The love and loyalty of man’s best friend is not something that should be taken for granted. No one recognized this fact better than the Irish. There, the dog (known in Celtic as Cú) was so highly respected, that it was assumed that anyone who, in turn, earned the respect of a dog was worthy…
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The Price of Freedom Equals the Cost of Postage

If $86 seems like a lot to pay for postage — especially in 1849 — you might think differently if you realized that was how much it cost to buy one man his freedom.
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Is the Tomato a Fruit or Vegetable? The Supreme Court Decides

Is the tomato a fruit or vegetable? The US Supreme Court finally answered that all-important question.
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Unlimited Potential

After becoming President of the United States, Ronald Reagan looked back on his years as a student at Eureka College and confessed to being less than a committed scholar. “I let football and other extracurricular activities eat into my study time with the result that my grade average was closer to the C level required…
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The Ballet Buffet

Marie Taglioni (1804-1884) was one of the most celebrated ballerinas of her day. Born in Sweden and trained in Austria, Taglioni used her talents to gain the adoration of culture lovers throughout Europe. While touring in Russia from 1837 to 1842, she developed such a following that her fans were referred to as the Cult…
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Toy Story 2: How One Line of Computer Code Nearly Killed the Pixar Hit Movie

Did you know a single mistake almost erased Toy Story 2 forever? Discover the incredible true story behind Pixar’s $100M recovery.
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What Starts with ‘T’ and Makes Tea?

For Great Britain, the importance of tea time ranks nearly as high as the monarchy. It is so ingrained in their culture that not even a fierce armored battle should get in the way. That’s why British tanks are equipped with something you will find in the mechanized armored vehicles of no other country: a…
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Jimmy Carter’s Nuclear Launch Code Mishap: A Dry Cleaning Blunder

Discover how President Jimmy Carter accidentally sent nuclear launch codes to the dry cleaners, and explore other surprising security mishaps in U.S. history.
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Mars: The Only Planet Known to Be Entirely Inhabited By Robots

A planet inhabited entirely by robots? It’s not the stuff of science fiction — it is a lot closer. Welcome to Mars, where only robots rule.
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The Shady History of Sunglasses

Sunglasses can make the wearer look cool, and they certainly can help on sunny days, but that was not their original intent when they were invented.
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When the Rules of the Baseball Discouraged Strikes

For baseball fans, few things are more exciting than watching a no-hitter. Surprisingly, under the original rules of the game, not only would a no-hitter not occur, but it would have resulted in stern rebukes directed at the pitcher and a word of encouragement to the batter. Baseball’s original rules called for the pitcher to…
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Did Bugs Bunny Save Mel Blanc’s Life?

It is not possible to speak at any length about the animated cartoon industry without mentioning Mel Blanc. He provided voices in over 3,000 cartoons for over 400 different characters, including over 100 characters for Looney Tunes, as well as a number of voices for Hanna-Barbara, such as Barney Rubble, Dino the Dinosaur, and Cosmo Spacely.…
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