“Time immemorial.” That’s the term we use to describe anything that has been around for so long that no one knows when it started. It is older than human memory. It refers […]
Human Memory Began on Thursday, July 6, 1189
Does the Way Music is Tuned Explain Why the World is a Mess?
Welcome, Dear Reader. How are you doing? Are you having a good day? Did you have a nice time during the holidays? Gee, that’s wonderful. You obviously did not spend those hours […]
France’s Brief Experiment With Decimal Time
Much to our dismay, we came across the information for this article a few days too late to wish you a Happy Manure Day. Not to despair — December 28 will roll […]
Addressing the Ancient Problem of Lawyers Talking Too Long
At the time of this writing, much of the attention of U.S. legal scholars is directed at the televised trial of Kyle Rittenhouse. This article does not address the merits of either […]
Flush These Fun Toilet Facts
Perhaps the most important but least-talked-about piece of furniture in your home is the humble toilet. We tend to take it for granted — unless it is unavailable when we need it. […]
It’s the End of the World As We Know It…. And We’re Still Waiting
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 […]
The Ones and Twos of Going Number 1 and Number 2
Did you ever complain while doing your math homework and ask, “Why do I need to learn this?” Probably someone responded by telling you that no matter what you choose to do […]
Why Was 2011 the Shortest Year for Samoa?
The year 2011 will be remembered by most of the world for its political and geological upheaval. Osama bin Laden and Muammar Gaddafi were killed, the Arab Spring saw protests in Libya, […]
Totally Awesome Facts About Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure
As the release date for Bill & Ted Face the Music approaches, the nerdiness level at Commonplace Fun Facts Headquarters is rising exponentially. In anticipation of the sequel that has been almost […]
The Dam So Big That It Slows Earth’s Rotation
If you aren’t particularly interested in dams, you might think that the day passes more slowly if you have to spend much time contemplating them. There is, however, a direct correlation between […]
The Time Politicians Messed With Time to Prevent Anyone Messing With Time
There have been situations where politicians have thought themselves capable of legislating against nature itself, such as the time Indiana considered changing the value of pi, or the Norwegian town where it […]
Do You Know Which Day is Leap Day?
Every four years we get to experience the phenomenon known as Leap Year. One additional day is added to the calendar to account for the fact that it takes about 365.25 days […]
5 Minutes For An Oscar
It may take years to hone the acting skills necessary to win an academy award, but in terms of screen time, a few minutes will do it. In 1977, Beatrice Straight won […]
Kodak’s 13-Month Calendar
George Eastman (1854-1932) was a man of great accomplishments who was ahead of his time. The visionary founder of the photography company Eastman-Kodak did so much in the fields of photography and […]
Cleopatra Lived Closer in Time to the Moon Landing than the Construction of the Great Pyramid
When you look at the building of the Great Pyramid of Giza, the life of Cleopatra, and Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon, which of those is the most out of […]
Commonplace Fun Facts 