Round the Square

DRIVING: Winter has certainly made itself known lately, and not in the mild form we’ve seen in the past few years. One of people’s least favorite wint...

TWAIN: We can never resist a story about the author and humorist Mark Twain — Samuel Clemens by birth. Stories say he may have been the American write...

GEORGE: A dollar bill like any other, except for a handwritten, highlighted note along the bottom edge. “Track me @ www.wheresgeorge.com ” OK. “By ent...

MATH: Here are some math problems from Rural Arithmetic (1913) by John E. Calfee. The answers weren’t included, so we’ll have to trust that we can fig...

BRANDS: In 2025, “Ouija” brand by Hasbro turns 135. Hasbro has a few other big anniversaries this year. Monopoly turns 90. Barrel of Monkeys turns 60....

SCHOOL: “School days, school days, dear old Golden Rule days…” the song says. We’re sure you remember your own school days, and all that’s different n...

POPCORN: Jan. 19 is National Popcorn Day! The Popcorn Board offers a recipe to celebrate — Popcorn party cake! Ingredients: 4 quarts plain popped popc...

PRESIDENTS 3: The National Constitution Center is the source of lots of great information, including facts about American presidents. William Howard T...

PRESIDENTIAL 2: We promised more details from the National Constitution Center about the American presidents. Millard Fillmore, 13th president, refuse...

PRESIDENTIAL: This month will feature the inauguration of the 47th president of the United States, Donald Trump, only the second president to serve no...

MOVIES: This year is the 50th anniversary of some unforgettable films, including one that is so rooted in pop culture that shadow productions take pla...

SPEECH: Since George Washington in 1789, every President has delivered an Inaugural address, ranging from 8,445 words to just 135. The 60th Presidenti...

DOORBELL: Two words — fish. doorbell. Have you heard of it? Doesn’t ring a bell? (See what we did there?) In the Netherlands, in the waterways of the ...

MONSTER: Dracula, the vampiric count from Transylvania, may have been made famous by Bram Stoker, but the author insisted his tale was based on a true...

THRIFT: It pays to shop at thrift stores. Back in 2018, Texas woman Laura Young was shopping at Goodwill in Austin, Texas, when she noticed a bust und...

SNAFU: We’ve heard the term SNAFU before, and that it’s meaning in military slang is “situation normal: all (fouled) up.” What is less familiar are th...

FACTS: What sea-dwelling creature has three hearts, blue blood, a donut-shaped brain and eight tentacles? That last one gave it away, didn’t it? It’s ...

RESOLUTIONS: New Year’s resolutions begin with the best of intentions. How do we stay on that well-intentioned path and really make a difference? You ...

AWARENESS: It’s January, which means a whole slew of awareness months are on the calendar, from the very serious to the rather silly. For example, It’...

JANUARY: With apologies to those with important celebrations this month, doesn’t January — with its post-Christmas let down and often worsening weathe...