Funerals can be awkward events for most people. Those who show up to provide emotional support to the grieving family frequently find themselves at a loss for words. Repeated expressions of, “I’m […]
A Voice From Beyond and an Ill-Timed Joke
The Great Panjamdrum — the Hilarious and Horrible Failed Weapon of WWII
Necessity is the mother of invention. Few things create greater necessity than war. Consequently, some of the greatest innovations in technology have arisen out of military conflict. World War II generated great […]
Deliver Us From Weevils — The Time a Town Put a Bunch of Insects on Trial
Something was bugging the people of St. Julien. The “something” was a bug. A bunch of them, actually. Weevils were threatening the peace and prosperity of the French town. Criminal trespass to […]
The Prime Minister Who Got Eaten By His People
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 […]
How General Patton’s Latrine Became a National Hero
Many monuments have been inspired by the horrors of war. None is more significant than the graves of soldiers who were killed in combat. Battlefield burial sites stand as sober reminders of […]
Prisencolinensinainciusol — The Nonsensical Hit Song that Sounds Like English to Non-English Speakers
Italian pop star Adriano Celentano wrote a song that rose to hit No. 1 on Italy’s music charts but wasn’t in Italian. It was inspired by English, but its words weren’t from […]
Bees Snacking on M&M’s Produce Multi-Colored Honey
If you are feeling a bit blue, there’s nothing like a little honey to cheer you up. What do you do if the honey itself is blue?
The Ungovernability of Cheese Lovers
Charles De Gaulle had more than his share of frustrations during his tenure as President of France. He summed up the difficulties of the job when he asked, “How can you govern […]
The Worst Traffic Jam Lasted 12 Days
No one likes to be tied up in traffic. It doesn’t matter whether the slowdown is caused by construction, a patch of ice, or an accident; when sitting in tangled traffic, every […]
The Hated Inventor and the Dreaded Thing He Created
Adolphe must have been the most unfortunate boy ever. He was certainly the most accident-prone. His mother concluded that he was “condemned to misfortune” and concluded that “he won’t live.” It seemed […]
The Freakish Fate of the Heart of Louis XIV
There is something about the heart of a king that wants to beat on after its owner’s death and earn its own place in history. This was true of Scotland’s Robert the […]
Switzerland’s Air Force — Now Able to Defend the Skies, Even During Lunch Hour
The high drama of the hijacking of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 702 ended without bloodshed. After the plane landed in Geneva, Swiss authorities took the hijacker into custody, and all 202 passengers and […]
A Non-Recommendation Letter of Recommendation from Benjamin Franklin
Have you ever been asked to give a recommendation for a person who had little to recommend about himself? Have you found yourself in a situation where you are called upon to […]
How to Tell Whether the Large Hadron Collider Has Destroyed the World
When the Large Hadron Collider went active in 2010, fears abounded that it would trigger the end of the world. Hypothetically, the world’s largest particle collider could generate stable microscopic black holes […]
Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary of Disdain
A common word of warning for those who might be inclined to argue with someone who writes or edits a newspaper is, “Never pick a fight with a man who buys ink […]
Commonplace Fun Facts 