The Strange History of Lorem Ipsum Dolor

“There is no one who loves pain itself, who seeks after it and wants to have it, simply because it is pain”

I’ve been saving this topic for a week when I’d be out of town and unable to cover freelance news as I normally do. But I think you’ll enjoy and appreciate this topic just the same.

If you’re a regular listener of Niche Pursuits–a podcast about blogging, small businesses and side hustles that I guest host from time to time–you know it’s tradition for the hosts to share a “Weird Niche Site” at the end of each episode. Often, the featured sites perform odd functions but receive surprising amounts of web traffic — and frequently, a surprising amount of ad revenue to go with it.

Earlier this month, on one of my episodes, I decided to feature a website that’s been near and dear to my heart for the past two decades — Lipsum.com, a Lorem Ipsum generator. I shared the bizarre but fascinating history behind the filler text that thousands of creatives — from designers to SEOs — use daily across various industries, yet never give a second thought to.

The episode clearly struck a chord, as I received a few DMs about it afterward. This led me to share the strange history of Lorem Ipsum with you here today.