Benjamin Franklin is credited with some of the greatest ideas of all time. Not only was he the inventor of bifocal glasses, the Franklin stove, and lightning rod, but as one of […]
Ben Franklin Needed a Sarcasm Sign
Something Old and Something Neuf
The oldest bridge in Paris, France is Pont Neuf. The name means “New Bridge.”
One Heartbeat Away — Two Different Times
William Rufus King may have risen to the highest political office of any person from Alabama, but history has all but overlooked the man who had the singular distinction of twice being […]
1890: Not a Good Year to Be Born in France
Half of all male babies born in France in 1890 were killed or maimed during World War I. source
Longest Novel Will Take a While to Read
The world record for the longest novel ever published goes to A la recherche du temps perdu by Marcel Proust. It was published in 13 volumes beginning in 1912. With an estimated 9,609,000 characters […]
I’ll Take My Winnings By Check, Mate
The longest tournament chess game, in terms of moves, ever to be played was Ivan Nikolic vs. Goran Arsovic in Belgrade, Serbia in 1989. The game lasted for 269 moves and took […]
World’s Most Difficult Math Problem Took 357 Years to Solve
Pierre de Fermat (1605-1665) wrote in the margin of a book, next to the equation xn + yn = zn, “I have discovered a truly remarkable proof of this theorem which this margin […]
How Do You Say ‘Sarcasm’ in French?
A French lady to an American who was trying to converse in French: “How wise of you not to attempt the French accent!” source
Which is More Formidable?
In the early days of World War II, the Duke of Windsor (the former King Edward VIII), paid visits to French troops to help boost their morale. His flaccid grasp of the […]
To Critique or Not to Critique?
Voltaire wrote of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, “It is a vulgar and barbarous drama, which would not be tolerated by the vilest populace of France, or Italy…. One would imagine this piece to be […]
Funny… I Don’t Remember Being Absentminded
Jean de La Fontaine was a 17th century French author who wrote simple animal stories that contained elements of satire and social criticism. He was famous for his absentmindedness. He once called […]
Long Live the …. Whoops… Too Late
King Louis XIX succeeded to the throne of France upon the abdication of his father, Charles X. Twenty minutes later he abdicated in favor of Henry V.
The Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower
Victor Lustig was one of the most successful con men of all time.
Commonplace Fun Facts 