In terms of volcano celebrity status, Mount Tambora’s name is rarely mentioned. If someone asks you to name a dramatic volcanic eruption, more than likely, it is Mount Vesuvius, Krakatoa, or Mount […]
T.S. Eliot (1888-1965) may have been a brilliant poet, author, and playwright, but as a judge of other authors, he was far from infallible. When given a chance to review one manuscript, […]
For book lovers, when it is cold and snowy outside, nothing can compare to staying inside and diving into a good book. Perhaps it is because of the perpetual wintery weather that […]
The Publishers’ Circular of January 11, 1902, contained a brief article that triggered a renewed interest in the most-read English author and the best-selling book of all time. It triggered a debate […]
History so often hinges upon accidents, such as the time Gutenberg was forced to invent the printing press because he missed an important date by an entire year, or the time Constantinople […]
“Don’t go getting mixed up in the business of your betters, or you’ll land in trouble too big for you.” — J.R.R. Tolkien Read more great quotations. Read more fun facts about […]
William Shakespeare was unquestionably one of the greatest influencers of English literature. He was also an unequaled contributor to the English language itself. Many of the words you have used in the […]
“It’s only those who do nothing that make no mistakes, I suppose.” — Joseph Conrad (1857-1924), British-Polish novelist. Read more great quotes. Read more fun facts about literature.
Chris and Denny might as well have been brothers. They had so much in common — particularly their conflict with their fathers — that it almost looks as if they had the […]
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was famous for his humorous, ironic observations. This quality stayed with him right up to the end. The final words attributed to the Irishman, as he lay on his […]
James Joyce’s novel Ulysses first appeared as a serial from March 1918 to December 1920. The primary character, Leopold Bloom, makes a seemingly-offhanded remark that spun into one of history’s most intriguing brain […]
“Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.” — Mark Twain Read more Mark Twain fun facts and funny quotes. Learn about fun and interesting customs.
“Prejudice is a great time saver. You can form opinions without having to get the facts.” — E.B. White Read more fun facts about authors. Read more great quotations.
“I don’t believe in astrology; I’m a Sagittarius and we’re skeptical.” — Arthur C. Clarke Read more funny quotes. Read Clarke’s Laws and other eponymous laws.
When Ernest Vincent Wright published his novel Gadsby in 1939, it was an immediate sensation. The plot centers around the life of a man who is committed to transforming his community through […]
Commonplace Fun Facts 