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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A Crazy, Messed Up, Fraudulent, Stolen Election — (Not the One You’re Thinking Of): The Story of the 1876 Election

The 1876 election between Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel J. Tilden was marked by controversy, allegations of fraud, and a disputed Electoral College outcome despite Tilden winning the popular vote. The resulting Electoral Commission ultimately awarded the presidency to Hayes, ending Reconstruction and initiating systemic racism, echoing divisions seen in modern elections.
Read more: A Crazy, Messed Up, Fraudulent, Stolen Election — (Not the One You’re Thinking Of): The Story of the 1876 Election
Remember How to Calculate the Volume of a Cylinder With Pizza: The Mathematically Perfect Food

Want to remember how to calculate the volume of a cylinder? Learn how pizza can help you.
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Three Guests, One Room, and a Dollar That Disappeared into the Void: Can You Solve The Missing Dollar Riddle?

The missing dollar riddle has befuddled the best of brains for years. Learn how to solve it here.
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When Does the Winner of the Election Become the President-elect?

When does the winner of the election become the president-elect? Discover the timeline and constitutional process for when a U.S. President-elect officially assumes the title. Learn about the Electoral College and key election milestones.
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How Often Do You Call Yourself a Fool?

Russian author and philosopher Fyodor Dostoyevsky is regarded as one of the greatest psychological novelists of all time. For all of his success, he espoused the greatest confidence in a truly humble person. He said, “The cleverest of all, in my opinion, is the man who calls himself a fool at least once a month.”
Read more: How Often Do You Call Yourself a Fool?
Long Live the Queen (Termite)

It is a common complaint that those in power get all the benefits, while those who remain suffer all the burdens. Nowhere is that more true than in the caste system of the termite world.
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What is Brain Freeze and What Can You Do About It?

The experience is one of the cruelest nature can produce. You take a bite of tasty ice cream, delicious milkshake, or a refreshing slushie. Just as you are reveling in the delightful taste, your brain is assaulted with a vice-like pain that instantly makes you forget the pleasure of just a moment before. Instead of…
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Absaroka — the State that Never Was

Talk of secession was in the air. No, it wasn’t slavery in the days leading up to the Civil War, and the movement wasn’t fueled with weapons and rebellion. This time, secessionists planned to use the legitimate force of law, and they wouldn’t be forming their own country; they wanted to create a brand new…
Read more: Absaroka — the State that Never Was
Meet the Man Who Sold the Brooklyn Bridge Over 3,000 Times

If a stranger approached you, saying, “Hey, Buddy…. I have a bridge to sell. Are you interested?” Odds are that you would quickly put your hand over your wallet and hurry away. Anyone who falls for a scheme like that is so gullible that they’ll fall for anything. This principle is so ingrained in the…
Read more: Meet the Man Who Sold the Brooklyn Bridge Over 3,000 Times
From Terminator to Virtuoso — the Pentagon is Developing a Jazz-Playing Robot

Imagine the most creative, intelligent, and innovative minds at the Pentagon using the government’s vast resources to build a cutting-edge robot. What will this mechanical marvel look like? What will it do? Surely, we are talking about something out of the video game MechWarrior or even the unstoppable killing machine in Terminator. If this prospect…
Read more: From Terminator to Virtuoso — the Pentagon is Developing a Jazz-Playing Robot
Whose Vote Counts the Most?

“The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything.” — Joseph Stalin
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How About An Election Where You Can Vote for “None of the Above”?

In the 2007 Australian federal election, Geoff Richardson changed his full name to “Of The Above None,” running for the seat of Gilmore. His name thus appeared on the ballot as “NONE, Of the Above.” His strategy did not win him the election, but it draws attention to the fact that sometimes voters are less…
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Pigs, Politicians, Elections, and Executions

Author Orson Scott Card summed up the shortsightedness of much of the electorate. He said, “If pigs could vote, the man with the slop bucket would be elected swineherd every time, no matter how much slaughtering he did on the side.”
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A Man, His Two Houses, and a War that Wouldn’t Leave Him Alone

Wilmer McLean wanted to escape war, but war kept finding him.
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The Chief Justice Who Had All of His Trial Cases Reversed on Appeal

As noted in this article, there is no requirement that a person has prior judicial experience to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court (or any real requirements, for that matter). While there is no prerequisite of having served as a judge, most members of the Court have spent time as judges at the trial and…
Read more: The Chief Justice Who Had All of His Trial Cases Reversed on Appeal