The United Nations recognizes 193 national flags of its member states. Each flag is unique, giving the full collection a great variety of symbols and colors. Despite all the diversity, almost all […]
When you think about gladiators, what comes to mind? Perhaps you think of movies such as Spartacus, Ben-Hur, or Gladiator. Most of us have some awareness of the fact that gladiator games […]
When bystanders saw the man rise from his wheelchair moments after being blessed by the Pope, they were aghast. A miracle had taken place in their midst! Or maybe not….
It is hard enough coming up with just the right Christmas gift when you have a year to plan for it. What do you do when you need to choose an appropriate […]
Whenever the elements of government corruption, shady characters, monumental stupidity, mind-numbing monetary mismanagement, and poop all come together, it’s a safe bet that it is a story that will make it into […]
History books tell us that England embraced the Protestant Reformation because its king wanted a divorce. What the books frequently fail to point out is that a dog — more precisely, a […]
During the political chaos of the early Middle Ages, there was one stable, unifying force that held things together in Europe: the Roman Catholic Church. While Europe scrambled to pick up the […]
Michelangelo (1475-1564) was not only sensitive to criticism and bore some questionable quirks (as has been documented in these posts), but he revealed himself to have at least one thing in common […]
No one enjoys receiving criticism. Even the greatest artists in history dislike critiques. Unlike the rest of us, great artists have a way of getting even that should give all of us […]
Visitors to Vatican City anticipate seeing beautiful architecture, holy sites, and perhaps a glimpse of the pope. What they may not know is that they are visiting the nation with the highest […]
Many things about the Vatican are difficult to understand. Some of it is due to intentional secrecy. Some require a deeper understanding of the history of the papacy or the traditions of […]
The Vatican Bank (officially known as the Institute for the Works of Religion) is the only bank in the world that allows the user to select “Latin” as the language of choice. […]
Pope John XXIII (1881-1963) had an impatience for bureaucracy and a wonderful sense of humor. Sometimes these two qualities came together with memorable results. When asked how many people work at the […]
Commonplace Fun Facts 