The word “draconian” is used to describe laws or methods considered particularly harsh and unforgiving. It is not the way any politician would seek to be described — particularly if seeking the […]
In the movie Patton, we see General George S. Patton visiting a battlefield from the Third Punic War. He describes the battle that was fought there 2,000 years earlier and proclaims, “I […]
Everyone reading this is a girl. You lived much of your life in the Matrix. You’re really not all that fantastic; in fact, you’re really quite awful. Even before you were born, […]
At this writing, the focus of the athletic world is in Tokyo for the 32nd Summer Olympic Games. While most of the attention will be on the winners of this year’s various […]
Winning the top prize in the Olympics is considered the crowning achievement in the life of any athlete. Of course, there’s nothing that says this has to happen during the athlete’s life. […]
There wasn’t much about the little man’s life that would make a good tale for children, but almost every child has heard his stories. He lived a life of depressing slavery, but […]
In the 2007 Australian federal election, Geoff Richardson changed his full name to “Of The Above None,” running for the seat of Gilmore. His name thus appeared on the ballot as “NONE, […]
On October 31, 1963, John F. Kennedy held one of his final press conferences. A reporter reminded him that she had once before asked him toward the beginning of his presidency whether […]
Archytas (428 BC–347 BC) was a mathematician and scientist of Ancient Greece. He was a member of the Pythagoreans. (Click here to learn how Pythagoras was killed by his phobia of beans.) […]
There are times when history’s balance hinges upon the inspiration of animals. Scotland’s greatest king was inspired by a tenacious spider, and the civilization of Ancient Greece owed its survival to a […]
Even the most casual student of the Bible knows that Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden because they ate the forbidden fruit. Have you ever wondered what kind […]
Diogenes (c. 412 BC – 323 BC) was a Greek philosopher and one of the founders of Cynic philosophy. He urged his followers to live as simply as possible. He may also […]
Greek philosopher Gorgias of Epirus (c. 485 BC – c. 380 BC) narrowly avoided being buried alive on the first day of his life. Gorgias was born inside his recently-deceased mother’s coffin. […]
Aristophanes (427 BC – 386 BC) was groundbreaking with his plays. His skills as a satirist and as a keen observer of everyday life led him to give us one of the […]
Greece boasts the longest national anthem on record. “Hymn to Liberty” was written in 1823 and consists of 158 verses. To sing the entire song, it takes about one hour. Listen to […]
Commonplace Fun Facts 