Commonplace Fun Facts

Why Are Old Dolls So Creepy? The Psychology Behind Their Unsettling Stare

Why are old dolls so creepy? Explore the psychology, history, and uncanny valley effect behind antique dolls’ unsettling stare and lifelike features.

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April 24, 2026April 24, 2026

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Australia’s Name-Changing Tallest Mountain

If you stand on the summit of Mount Kosciusko, you have made it to the peak of Australia’s highest mountain. You share that achievement Pawel Edmund Strzelecki, the first Westerner to reach the mountaintop. Well, technically, that’s not quite true. Yes, Strzelecki was the first Westerner to climb Mount Kosciusko, and yes, Mount Kosciusko is…
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How Many Ways Can You Spell Scissors?

How many ways can you spell scissors? The word can be spelled in over 240 ways, according to T.T. Barrow, who wrote about it in his 1895 article “To the Curious.” Barrow proposed even more variations and pondered philosophical questions related to writing. He humorously suggested that authors should focus on simpler topics like “scissars”…
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Arrhichion of Phigalia: The Olympic Champion Who Won After Death

Ancient Greek athlete Arrhichion won his final Olympic pankration match even after dying. Discover the incredible true story and historical sources behind it.
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The Ones and Twos of Going Number 1 and Number 2

Did you ever complain while doing your math homework and ask, “Why do I need to learn this?” Probably someone responded by telling you that no matter what you choose to do with your life, you’re going to have to use math in some way. It turns out this is true, even if you plan…
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Jefferson’s Illiteracy Preference

“The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers.” – Thomas Jefferson
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Does the World Seem Crazy? An Expert Predicted This Would Happen

Have you ever looked around and wondered if insanity is on the rise? Does it seem that the whole world is losing its mind? Are you increasingly convinced that sane people are in the minority? Perhaps you aren’t imagining things. On Friday, August 2, 1912, the Vancouver Daily World carried an article under the headline,…
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The First Speeding Ticket Was for Driving 8 mph

Learn the surprising facts about the first speeding ticket.
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Learn About the Creepy Phonograph Dolls That Became One of Thomas Edison’s Greatest Failures

Thomas Edison’s Phonograph Dolls, patented in 1891, aimed to blend a phonograph with a child’s toy but became a failure due to high costs, technological issues, and unsettling aesthetics. While initially promising, the dolls were withdrawn from the market shortly after their release, marking a notable disappointment in Edison’s career.
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Certain Rewards for Contributing to the Well-Being

“No man who continues to add something to the material, intellectual, and moral well-being of the place in which he lives, is left long without proper reward.” — Booker T. Washington
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How Thousands of Rubber Bath Toys Helped Unlock the Ocean’s Secrets

The container ship Ever Laurel was en route from Hong Kong to Tacoma, Washington. On January 10, 1992, it was only halfway to its destination when it encountered a violent storm. The ship survived, but twelve of its shipping containers were washed overboard. While the owners of those lost containers presumably wrote off their losses,…
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The True Story of the Pre-Teen Pirate of the Caribbean

John King, the youngest documented teen pirate in history, seized his dream of adventure after pirate Samuel Bellamy captured the ship Bonetta in 1716. Despite being only 8-11 years old, he joined Bellamy’s crew and raided ships in the Caribbean. Tragically, his life ended in 1717 when the Whydah sank in a storm.
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Contentment is the Enemy of Success

Novelist and short story writer Louis L’Amour (1908-1988) recognized the connection between success and motivation to pursue it. He said, “Nobody got anywhere in the world by simply being content.”
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Meet the Chimp Who Made a Monkey Out of Wall Street

A widely-held common belief tells us that only those with special education, training, and expertise are qualified to give investment advice. The world of Wall Street is far too complex for anyone who lacks bona fide credentials. Raven defied this conventional wisdom, however, by becoming one of the most successful money managers in the United…
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Made For Another World

British author and theologian C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) had a good explanation for the inability of mankind to find fulfillment. He said, “If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.”
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The Story of Two Trials that Launched a Life of Greatness

George Jacobs was arrested for an unspeakable offense. He was innocent, as he loudly proclaimed to anyone who would listen, but his protests fell on deaf ears. Whatever her reasons, George’s granddaughter had accused him of such a despicable crime that there was nothing he could do to clear his name. He was tried, sentenced,…
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