The countries of Europe had been invaded. The attack had come swiftly, and the invaders were winning. These desperate times called for extreme measures if there was going to be any hope […]
Why Did Europe Get Bombed With Severed Chicken Heads?
How the World Learned About the Theft of All of the U.S. Treasury’s Gold and Silver
It was the biggest crime in the history of the United States. Possibly, it was the greatest heist pulled off anywhere on the planet. The fact that it could occur was beyond […]
Spies, Invisible Ink, Toenails, and Other Declassified CIA Secrets
Secret messages written with invisible ink. It sounds like something straight out of a James Bond movie where the fate of the world rests upon the contents of the clandestine communication. It […]
Pitiful Perishing Under Pachyderm Poop
We acknowledge from the beginning that we have our doubts about the authenticity of this story. It has a been reported on several websites, such as this one, this one, and this […]
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 […]
The Nazi Invasion of Winnipeg
If you have spent any amount of time learning about World War II, you were probably taught that the lands of North America were blessedly exempt from combat. If so, you may […]
How Mark Twain Lobbied a Little Girl on Behalf of an Ambassador
Mark Twain proclaimed himself to be politically neutral. Using the terminology of the day, he was a “Mugwump.” This allowed him a convenient excuse when people asked him to use his celebrity […]
The Crazy Plan to Raise Hippos for Food in the USA
EDITOR’S NOTE: Special thanks to the office of Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (4th District, Missouri) for providing the legislative history on the American Hippo Bill. Who doesn’t enjoy a good ol’ slab of […]
What Happens When You Declare War and Forget About It?
Robert E. Lee famously said, “It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it.” Whether terrible or otherwise, war should be so significant that it […]
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 […]
Elvis, Marx, and Others Direct Traffic in Germany
Traffic lights are one of the last places you would expect to find artistic expression. The stick figure of a walking man and an upheld hand tell pedestrians all they need to […]
When Whistling Was a War Crime
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy describes the Marketing Department of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation as: “A bunch of mindless jerks who’ll be the first against the wall when the revolution comes.” […]
Shortest War Raged For 44 Minutes
What can you do with 45 minutes? You might watch an hour-long television program by skipping the commercials. You could walk three miles at an average pace. Your time could be spent […]
How a U.S. President Enabled a Soviet General’s Coke Addiction
Georgy Zhukov was a hero of the Soviet Union, but he had an embarrassing secret. He was an addict. What made it worse was that his addiction, if known, would be especially […]
Records For Most Curtain Calls and Longest Applause
Luciano Pavarotti made history on February 24, 1988. He played the part of Nemorino in Gaetano Donizetti’s “L’elisir d’amore” at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin, Germany. At the conclusion of the performance, […]
Commonplace Fun Facts 