Independence Day in the United States falls on July 4, year after year. New Year’s Day is always on the first of January. Christmas occurs on December 25, unless you are part […]
When is Easter? It’s Complicated….
An Important Distinction Between Trousers and Drawers
The English language is infinitely flexible, providing multiple synonyms for almost every word. While that is helpful in most situations, it can also contribute to some confusing and embarrassing slips of the […]
I Before E Except After C — And Other Lies Your Grammar Teacher Told You
“I” before “e,” except after “c,”Or when sounded as “a” as in “neighbor” and “weigh.” This easy-to-remember jingle is one of the first spelling rules we learned as children. It has been […]
Why Nevada Created a County With No People, Buildings, or Roads
Nevada has gained a reputation for converting harsh, barren desert land into thriving tourist destinations. This made its decision to create an empty county that much more curious. The new county had […]
Can You Cut the Cake Into Eight Pieces?
It’s your lucky day! Just in time for your birthday party, a beautiful circular cake has been delivered to your house. It promises to be just as pleasing to the tastebuds as […]
Can You Identify the Only Three Non-Rectangular National Flags?
The United Nations recognizes 193 national flags of its member states. Each flag is unique, giving the full collection a great variety of symbols and colors. Despite all the diversity, almost all […]
The Great Panjamdrum — the Hilarious and Horrible Failed Weapon of WWII
Necessity is the mother of invention. Few things create greater necessity than war. Consequently, some of the greatest innovations in technology have arisen out of military conflict. World War II generated great […]
Does Beautiful Art Make You Sick?
A sure sign of getting older is when you struggle to make sense of the younger generation’s lingo. For those of Generation X or older, declaring that something is “sick” means that […]
The Presidency and Proctoscopes
No president had a greater battle with the press than Richard Nixon. He blamed the media for treating him unfairly throughout his political career and made no secret about it. He summed […]
What Could Go Wrong When Using Dynamite to Move a Whale?
November 12, 1970, was a whale of a day at Florence, Oregon. The sun was bright, and the skies were clear. Only the presence of a decomposing whale carcass marred the beautiful […]
Making Nuclear Reactors Safe From Butt-Pinching
Harnessing the power of the atom provides humanity with virtually unlimited power. It also poses devastating consequences if things go poorly. The nuclear disasters at Chernobyl, Fukushima, and Three Mile Island happened […]
How the Wizard of Oz Destroyed the Musical Career of a Famous Actor
It seemed that Christian Ludolf was destined for musical greatness. His father was a choreographer, and Christian was dancing as soon as he was able to walk. When he was ten years […]
Less Than Half of American Colonists Supported the Revolution
At the heart of American democracy is the concept of democracy. Every government and civics textbook declares the noble principle that self-governing people preserve the rights of the minority, but it is […]
Did Pepsi Promise to Raise the Dead or Did Coca-Cola Invite China to Bite the Wax Tadpole?
Weird things can happen when mistranslating words from one language to another. See these articles for some examples. The results can be hilarious, embarrassing, or disastrous. If you search for examples of […]
How a $40 Overdue Fine Created Netflix
Some people face hardships, concede that they are inevitable, and deal with them. Others can see the same difficulties and be pummeled into defeat or paralyzed into inaction. Then we have the […]
Commonplace Fun Facts 