The Great Fire of London (1666): Strange Facts Behind the Famous Disaster
The Great Fire of London wasn’t just a disaster—it was full of odd decisions and strange moments. Here are the quirkiest facts from 1666.
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Try the Seafood Dish That Is Both Dead and Alive
Read more: Try the Seafood Dish That Is Both Dead and AlivePhysicists are familiar with the concept of Schrödinger’s Cat — a creature that can be described as being simultaneously dead and alive. Most of us can relate to having been served undercooked meat that makes us wonder if the food on the plate still has a pulse. Both concepts come together for those who are…
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How Sony Accidentally Created a Camera That Could See Through Clothing
Read more: How Sony Accidentally Created a Camera That Could See Through ClothingIn 1998, Sony’s Handycam featured advanced night vision technology intended for wildlife filming. However, it unintentionally became popular for voyeurism, as a cheap filter transformed it into a camera that could see through clothing. Following media exposure, Sony faced a public relations crisis and recalled 700,000 units to avoid association with privacy invasion.
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Treasury Heist Hoax: The Greatest Gold Theft That Never Happened
Read more: Treasury Heist Hoax: The Greatest Gold Theft That Never HappenedDiscover the fascinating story behind the Treasury heist hoax, an elaborate April Fools’ Day prank that fooled newspapers worldwide in 1905. Learn how this hoax unraveled.
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The First Turkey Pardoned By a President
Read more: The First Turkey Pardoned By a PresidentThe U.S. Constitution gives the President virtually unlimited authority to grant pardons to anyone facing federal charges. Except for William Henry Harrison and James Garfield, all of the nation’s chief executives have exercised that privilege. Each time the President intervenes and wipes someone’s record clean, it has generated controversy and accusations of playing politics. Well,…
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Happy Thanksgiving!
Read more: Happy Thanksgiving!Skye, the Commonplace Fun Facts top canine consultant, wishes everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!
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Fun Google Tricks To Ward Off Boredom
Read more: Fun Google Tricks To Ward Off BoredomThe Commonplace Fun Facts Department of Data, Analytics, Viewer Demographics, and User Engagement (otherwise known as DAVDAUE — yeah, we know. We’re working on a better name) tells us that a significant number of our regular readers spend their lunch breaks with us. We also know a fair number of you are sneaking visits to…
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How the U.S. Nearly Created a $1 Trillion Coin
Read more: How the U.S. Nearly Created a $1 Trillion CoinRegardless of whether you are a coin collector, you probably would be interested in any currency with a big number on it. It might be something comparatively worthless, such as Zimbabwe’s $100 trillion bills or the valuable and massive Canadian $1 million coin. If collecting that kind of currency appeals to you, you no doubt…
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John Wayne on Life’s Gray Areas
Read more: John Wayne on Life’s Gray Areas“If everything isn’t black and white, I say, ‘Why the hell not?’” — John Wayne
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How Disney Made Us Believe Lemmings Commit Mass Suicide
Read more: How Disney Made Us Believe Lemmings Commit Mass SuicideIn this uncertain world, there are at least three things on which all of us can be certain: Disney loves animals, nature documentaries are reliable, and lemmings commit mass suicide by throwing themselves off cliffs. If that summarizes your philosophy of life, prepare to have your world shaken. One of the most enduring beliefs about…
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The Thule Incident: How a Seat Cushion Caused the U.S. to Lose a Nuclear Weapon
Read more: The Thule Incident: How a Seat Cushion Caused the U.S. to Lose a Nuclear WeaponLearn about the Thule Incident, where a defective seat cushion caused the USA to lose a nuclear weapon!
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Memorable Last Words of Famous People
Read more: Memorable Last Words of Famous PeopleExcept for the person who has never spoken, everyone will utter his or her last words. Those words may be an expression of surprise, such as Julius Caesar’s famous, “Et tu, Brute?” (Actually, he said something else, but that’s covered in this article.) Parting thoughts might be ironic, such as General John Sedgwick’s half-spoken final…
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Mr. Accordion’s Revenge From the Grave
Read more: Mr. Accordion’s Revenge From the GraveOak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois is not your typical graveyard. It receives visitors from all parts of the world who come to pay their respects at the final resting place of President Abraham Lincoln. Roy Bertelli wanted to be one of the 77,000 people who, in death, can claim Lincoln as a neighbor. His…
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Learning By Peeing On An Electric Fence
Read more: Learning By Peeing On An Electric Fence“There are three kinds of men: the ones that learn by readin’, the few who learn by observation; the rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.” — Will Rogers
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How much will kill you?
Read more: How much will kill you?The Oxford English Dictionary defines “poison” as “a substance that is capable of causing the illness or death of a living organism when introduced or absorbed.” At first glance, that seems to be pretty straightforward, until you realize that just about anything has the capability of causing illness or death if administered in sufficient quantities.…
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Politics Makes Estranged Bedfellows
Read more: Politics Makes Estranged BedfellowsKansas City native and humorist Goodman Ace summed up the divisiveness of certain types of discussion when he observed, “Politics makes estranged bedfellows.”
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A Buttload is an Actual Unit of MeasurementFebruary 5, 2020
