You know what they say about pursuing a career in politics. It is a vocation fraught with hazards. The public is so fickle and can love you one day, only to chew […]
The Prime Minister Who Got Eaten By His People
Why Call a Lawyer When You Can Summon a Prince to Help Through Clameur de Haro
What do you do if someone is occupying or infringing on your rights to your land? Yes, you could call the police, or you could bring a lawsuit against the offender. Or […]
Mixed Scottish Feeling About Global Warming
It’s the End of the World As We Know It…. And We’re Still Waiting
If you spend any amount of time looking at the headlines, you might wonder whether humanity’s clock is about to run out. If so, you would not be the first to come […]
Royal Right to Summer Snowballs
As has been previously noted in articles such as this one, the real estate agreements involving the British royal family can be a bit outdated or unusual. None, however, can surpass the […]
Seven Monarchs For 465 Days
Between November 9, 1683, and February 6, 1685, (465 days), the nation now known as the United Kingdom had seven current and future monarchs alive at the same time. Charles II Born: […]
Sharpen Up Your Knowledge of the Pencil
As summer ends and students return to school, it is appropriate to take a moment and reflect on one of the things that is as indispensable to studies as notebooks and backpacks: […]
What’s the Difference Between Great Britain and the United Kingdom?
Have you ever wondered how you are supposed to refer to that nation that is home to Queen Elizabeth II? Are you supposed to call it England? Great Britain? The United Kingdom? […]
The Geographic Knowledge of Britney Spears
An earlier Commonplace post noted that the music of Britney Spears is one of the most effective deterrents to Somali pirates. Lest that be construed as some kind of derogatory judgment on […]
Nothing Says, “I Love You” Like Your Husband’s Severed Head in a Bag
Sir Walter Raleigh’s life came to an end on October 29, 1618. On orders from James I, the executioner took Raleigh’s head from his shoulders (although needing two strikes of the axe […]
What Happens If They Have a War, But Everyone Forgets About It?
Hostilities broke out in 1651 between the Netherlands and the Isle of Scilly. While the details are a bit sketchy, it appears that Dutch Admiral Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp arrived at Scilly to […]
The Ugliest Man Ever
John Heidegger rose to fame in Switzerland and later in England as a promoter of masquerade balls. It should be no surprise that Heidegger was drawn to a profession that depended on […]
Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire. Really. As in, “Help! Fire!”
Every year the firemen of Gillingham, in Kent, England, would construct a makeshift house out of wood and canvas for the popular fire-fighting demonstration at the fundraiser for St. Bartholomew’s Hospital.
Don’t Be a Writer If You Can’t Handle Rejection Letters
“Curse the blasted, jelly-boned swines, the slimy, the belly-wriggling invertebrates, the miserable soddingrotters, the flaming sods, the sniveling, dribbling, dithering, palsied, pulse-less lot that make up England today. They’ve got white of […]
Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire
The World’s Biggest Liar competition is held every year in Cumbria, England. Contestants have five minutes to tell the biggest and most-convincing lie. Lawyers and politicians are barred from participating, out of […]
Commonplace Fun Facts 