Commonplace Fun Facts

Euphonia: The Creepy Talking Head That Helped Inspire the Telephone

Joseph Faber’s eerie Euphonia talking machine synthesized speech, fascinated scientists, and helped shape ideas that pointed toward the telephone.

Keep reading

September 24, 2026

Check Out the Latest

Hot Flying Marvels

Butterflies can fly long distances (the monarch butterfly’s migration route is over 2,000 miles long), and reach speeds of 30 mph (as opposed to moths, which have been clocked at 70mph), but if their body temperature drops below 85 degrees, they can’t even get off the ground. source
Read more: Hot Flying Marvels
James Garfield: 12 Fun Facts About the 20th President

While President James Garfield tends to be little more than a footnote in the history of the US presidency because of the short time that he served, he was a truly remarkable man and deserves to be better remembered. Following are a few facts about the 20th President of the United States: Visit the James…
Read more: James Garfield: 12 Fun Facts About the 20th President
Seven Score and Three Years Later, The Last of the Civil War Widows Passes Away

The last widow of a veteran of the US Civil War died on August 17, 2008, at the age of 93.
Read more: Seven Score and Three Years Later, The Last of the Civil War Widows Passes Away
Welcome to the Heat Ray of Death Building

One of the newest additions to the London skyline is the skyscraper at 20 Fenchurch Street. Popularly known as the “Walkie Talkie” because of its shape, the building is rapidly becoming better known as the “Walkie Scorchie.” Because of the concave, reflective shape of the structure, light is reflected and focused in an intense beam…
Read more: Welcome to the Heat Ray of Death Building
Feeling Old? Tell People Your Age in Galactic Years

A galactic year (also known as a cosmic year) is the amount of time it takes for our solar system to orbit the center of the Milky Way. Traveling at 514,000 mph relative to the galaxy’s center, that works out to between 225 million and 250 million years in one orbit. To put it in…
Read more: Feeling Old? Tell People Your Age in Galactic Years
Ancient Breed — Noble Character

The greyhound is among the oldest breeds of dogs, yet it remains one of the most misunderstood. Consider the following facts about this ancient and noble breed:
Read more: Ancient Breed — Noble Character
I’ll Be There in a Jiffy. Start Your Stopwatch

A “jiffy” is more precise in its definition than you may have thought. The earliest technical usage was defined by Gilbert Newton Lewis (1875–1946). He defined the “jiffy” as the time it takes light to travel one centimeter in a vacuum (approximately 33.3564 picoseconds). It has since been redefined for different measurements depending on the…
Read more: I’ll Be There in a Jiffy. Start Your Stopwatch
Would They Let You Name Your Baby “Red Tape”?

Choosing a baby’s name is exciting. If you live in Denmark, it is also complicated.
Read more: Would They Let You Name Your Baby “Red Tape”?
You Can Tell Him to Go, But You Can’t Make Him

It was during his governorship of Massachusetts that Calvin Coolidge honed much of his wit. On one occasion, he was sitting quietly in his office, strumming through a legal text, half-listening to two politicians arguing in front of him. Finally, one of the men told the other to go to hell, and the insulted man…
Read more: You Can Tell Him to Go, But You Can’t Make Him
Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire. Really. As in, “Help! Fire!”

Every year in Gillingham, England, a makeshift house was built for a fire-fighting demonstration fundraiser. Tragically, in 1929, a fake fire turned real, and 15 people, including nine boys and six firemen, perished while spectators mistakenly believed it was part of the show.
Read more: Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire. Really. As in, “Help! Fire!”
The Great Molasses Flood: When Boston Was Nearly Drowned in Syrup

Boston’s Great Molasses Flood of 1919 was a real industrial disaster—millions of gallons of syrup, collapsed buildings, and deadly consequences. Here’s how it happened and why it still matters.
Read more: The Great Molasses Flood: When Boston Was Nearly Drowned in Syrup
Looking for Gas Leak with Open Flame… Anyone Else See a Problem with This?

The largest cylindrical gas container in the world in 1927 was in the heart of the industrial center of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. On the morning of November 14, 1927, it developed a leak, so repairmen set out to look for it…. ….with an open-flame lamp.
Read more: Looking for Gas Leak with Open Flame… Anyone Else See a Problem with This?
Nerd Humor for Punny Chemists

A mosquito was heard to complain,“A chemist has poisoned my brain!”The cause of his sorrowWas paradichloro-triphenyldichloroethane. paradichlorotriphenyldichloroethane is an insecticide, closely related to dichlorotriphenyldichloroethane, more commonly known as DDD
Read more: Nerd Humor for Punny Chemists
Accepting Responsibility

At a White House press conference ABC reporter Sam Donaldson directed a question to President Ronald Reagan: “Mr. President, in talking about the continuing recession tonight, you have blamed Congress and mistakes in the past. Does any of the blame belong to you?” The President’s response: “Yes, because for many years I was a Democrat.”…
Read more: Accepting Responsibility
Is There a Third Option?

Illinois Representative William McKendree Springer quoted Henry Clay during a debate in the US House of Representatives, saying, “As for me, I would rather be right than be president.” Speaker Thomas Reed immediately responded, “The gentleman need not trouble himself. He’ll never be either.” The Life of Thomas Brackett Reed, chapter 21, page 246 (1914)
Read more: Is There a Third Option?

Like this:

Trending

Thank you for your response. ✨