Humans have tried to emulate birds’ ability to fly since before recorded history. Despite centuries of effort, heavier-than-air flight remained out of reach. No one knows how many people lost their lives […]
Those who lived long ago, in a difficult-to-fathom age known by paleontologists as “the 20th century,” liked to imagine what life would be like in our era. They would likely be disappointed […]
It seems that every week brings reports of new advancements with electric vehicles. It’s easy to think electric cars are a new phenomenon, but they are nearly as old as the automobile, […]
Paul Harvey was one of the most popular radio personalities for nearly sixty years. Starting his career at the age of 14, he continued to broadcast until his death at 90. His […]
If you spend any amount of time looking at the headlines, you might wonder whether humanity’s clock is about to run out. If so, you would not be the first to come […]
Have you ever looked around and wondered if insanity is on the rise? Does it seem that the whole world is losing its mind? Are you increasingly convinced that sane people are […]
Horace Rackham needed a loan, but the banker wasn’t convinced. The year was 1903, and even though Rackham was a successful attorney with a keen mind, the bank president wondered what Rackham […]
When the respected astronomer announced that gravity’s effects would be briefly suspended, it got everyone’s attention. People who are accustomed to taking action in response to severe thunderstorm warnings, approaching blizzards, or […]
Edgar Allan Poe’s only novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, was published in 1838. He claimed the story to be based on true events. As it turned out, he […]
The American revolutionary James Otis Jr. hoped his death would come by a bolt of lightning and often told his friends and relatives about it. His sister reported him telling her, “My […]
Commonplace Fun Facts 