Few images are more closely associated with France and its Reign of Terror than the guillotine. The horrifying execution device seems to be a relic of the past that faded away with […]
The Reign of Terror of the Nazi Guillotine
The Heroic Pigeon of WWI Who Saved Nearly 200 Lives
They called him a bird-brain, but it wasn’t an insult. He was known to fly from battle, but no one called him a coward. He spent the entirety of his military service […]
The Day Sark Was Invaded by One Man
The island of Sark has many admirable features. It is beautiful, idyllic, and has some of the lowest-priced rental property in the world. Located between Guernsey and Jersey in the Channel Islands, […]
Cube-Shaped Wombat Poop and Other Scientific Breakthroughs
We at Commonplace Fun Facts are big fans of the Ig Nobel Prize and its mission to “first make people laugh, then make them think.” The list of 2019 laureates touched on […]
The Island that Switches Countries Every Six Months
If you want to experience international travel without ever leaving your home, you might want to consider living on Pheasant Island. This island has the distinction of belonging to one country for […]
Parisian Parrots Protect People From Planes
During World War I, citizens of Paris were quick to contribute to the war effort in any way possible. Parisians of all walks of left chipped in, whether poor or rich, young […]
All Meters Go Through Paris
The history of how the unit of length known as the foot ended up being 12 inches is long and varied. When it came time to develop a metric unit of length, […]
Meet the Animals Who Were the First Hot Air Balloon Passengers
Everyone knows the names of Neil Armstrong, Charles Lindbergh, Ferdinand Magellan, and other brave pioneers who were the first to accomplish feats that were theretofore only dreamed of. Although you may know […]
Churchill and the French Bathing Llama
Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle were far from being close friends. When the French general got on the Prime Minister’s nerves, he wasn’t reluctant to express his irritation in the form […]
Losing Your Head Over France’s Not-Too-Distant Past
The guillotine came to symbolize the brutal Reign of Terror in France in the late 18th century. It is not something that was just used in distant history. The guillotine continued to […]
Napoleon Was French — Just Barely
Napoleon Bonaparte has achieved immortality as one of France’s greatest citizens. Had he been born just a wee bit sooner, he wouldn’t have been French at all. Napoleon was born on in […]
The King Who Thought He Was Made of Glass
There is no shortage of leaders who have wondered if they might break under the pressure of their responsibilities. King Charles VI of France (1368-1422) wasn’t being rhetorical when expressing this concern, […]
The brutal execution of Robert-François Damiens.
Originally posted on History of Sorts:
Regicide is the deliberate killing of a monarch, or the person responsible for the killing of a person of royalty. Through the ages there have been a…
The Month a Whole Town Danced Until They Dropped
Dancing is typically associated with happiness and celebration. If you see someone dancing, you are safe to assume that person is having a good time. You would have been wrong in your […]
When the French Have a Problem, it’s REALLY a Problem
When Apollo 13 astronaut Jim Lovell said the famous line, “Houston, we have a problem,” the words triggered alarm throughout NASA and around the world. If Apollo 13 had been manned by […]
