If everyone is laughing, that’s usually a sign that things are going well. Not so in the case of a peculiar and unexplained phenomenon that hit Eastern Africa in the 1960s. Plenty […]
The Not-So-Funny Tale of the Tanganyika Laughter Epidemic
Who Was the Richest Person in History?
When you think of countries with vast wealth and power, there’s a good chance Mali is not on that list. The United Nations ranks Mali 121st out of 213 on its list […]
Hippo Milk is Pink — and Ten Other Fun Facts about the Hippopotamus
Before you gulp down that glass of strawberry-flavored milk, you’d better make sure that you haven’t grabbed a beverage intended for a baby hippopotamus. The two milks may look identical, but the […]
Jokes About His Name Drove Him Bananas
Growing up with the surname Banana could not have been easy. Just ask Canaan Sodindo Banana. One can only imagine the ribbing he received from classmates and neighborhood bullies. His name was […]
Salute the Flag and Duck for Cover
While every country is willing to defend its flags with arms, if necessary, only two countries back that up with firearms on their flags.
Speedy Neurons … Or Are They?
“Some actions require split second responses–withdrawing a hand from a hot stove, for example. To relay the information necessary for such a reaction, there are large nerve fibers that can conduct impulses […]
A Beloved Children’s Book Gets Sensitivity Training
In the first edition of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the Oompa-Loompas were described as black pygmies from “the very deepest and darkest part of the African jungle where no […]
Commonplace Fun Facts 