Taking a stroll to the end of the street might be just the thing so you can get some fresh air and get the blood flowing. If you happen to be staying […]
Take a Stroll Down the World’s Shortest Street
The Real-Life Story of Agatha Christie’s Greatest Unsolved Mystery
Agatha Christie’s name is synonymous with mysteries. The author of such classics as Murder on the Orient Express, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, and Death on the Nile, her novels have sold […]
Meet the Man Who Was Struck By Lightning 7 Times
Whoever said lightning never strikes twice never met Roy Sullivan. Sullivan was born on February 7, 1912. From 1936 to his retirement in 1977, he served as a United States park ranger […]
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, […]
Largest Rube Goldberg Machine Lights Up the Holidays
Cartoonist Rube Goldberg (1883-1970) achieved fame for his popular cartoons in which he depicted ridiculously complicated machines invented by Professor Lucifer Gorgonzola Butts. Devices of this sort are now known as Rube […]
No Bones About It — Evel Knievel Holds the Record For Most Breaks
Do you think life has handed you some tough breaks? Odds are that as bad as things get for you, you haven’t had as many tough breaks as Evel Knievel.
This Tree Is So Deadly That You Can’t Even Stand Near It Without Danger
Joyce Kilmer wrote, “I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree…” Kilmer intended to express the beauty and serenity embodied by trees. If Kilmer’s inspiration had […]
Surviving a 75-Story Free Fall in an Elevator
Is there anyone who hasn’t gotten into an elevator and wondered what would happen if the elevator cable snapped, sending the elevator plummeting to the ground? If that thought has crossed your […]
Meet the Chimp Who Made a Monkey Out of Wall Street
A widely-held common belief tells us that only those with special education, training, and expertise are qualified to give investment advice. The world of Wall Street is far too complex for anyone […]
Take a Page From the Book With the Longest Title
We have already delved into the longest sentence ever published in a book, the beloved children’s book written in response to a bet, and the shortest poem on record. Oddly, we have […]
Shoes, Buildings, Sand, and Cheese — the Outlandish Spending Sprees of Imelda Marcos
Imelda Marcos (born 1929) was the First Lady of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. She made a name for herself as one of the biggest spendthrifts of all time, taking the […]
What English Word Holds the Record for the Most Definitions?
The English language is robustly filled with many homonyms — words that have multiple meanings. The word bark can refer to the outer covering of a tree as well as the sound […]
North Korea’s Spectacular and Embarrassing Hotel of Doom
Standing at 1,080 feet (330 meters), the Ryugyong Hotel towers over the Pyongyang skyline. The spectacular marvel of architecture has earned many distinctions. It was conceived to be the world’s tallest hotel, […]
The World Record Game Where the Most Goals Were Earned By the Losing Team
Spectators at the soccer (association football) match in Antananarivo, Madagascar on October 31, 2002 witnessed history. As if it were guided by a homing device, the ball flew repeatedly into SO l’Emyrne’s […]
Learn the Meaning of Mamihlapinatapai and Say a Mouthful
When you want to say a mouthful with just one word, you can do it with “Mamihlapinatapai.” Coming from the Yaghan language of Tierra del Fuego, it refers to “a look that […]
Commonplace Fun Facts 