History, vast and complex, is simplified into categories for manageability. While covering every detail is impossible, it’s the lesser-known, captivating facts that often surprise and delight. We’ve collected such historical tidbits that your teachers might not have mentioned. Let’s begin with:
Flour sacks were fashionable
During the Dust Bowl, people stitched clothes from flour sacks due to financial challenges. In response, flour distributors improved sack designs with colorful patterns, making the resulting garments more attractive and highlighting resourcefulness during tough times.
Winston Churchill loved smoking cigars
Winston Churchill is famously quoted as imposing a daily limit of 15 cigars upon himself. This seemingly generous restriction, even for the renowned British Bulldog, reflects his well-known affinity for cigars.
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Wikimedia Commons
King Tut’s parents were incestuous
Recent DNA tests have conclusively confirmed that King Tutankhamun’s parents were siblings, shedding light on potential explanations for the numerous health issues and deformities associated with the ancient Egyptian pharaoh.
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Wikimedia Commons
Einstein could have been president
Albert Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel but declined the position.
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Wikimedia Commons
The “Spanish Donkey” was a torture device, not a dance move
This form of torture involved forcing individuals to sit naked on an elevated board several feet in the air. Torturers would then secure progressively heavier weights to their feet, causing extreme discomfort and distress.
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Wikimedia Commons
Fingerprints
These two men, who shared the same name and looked nearly identical, were sent to the same prison without having met before. Their case led to the adoption of fingerprints as a method of identification.
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Generals brought hookers along for their men
Civil War General Joseph Hooker is notorious for bringing prostitutes to satisfy his soldiers, and his legacy is so prominent that his name has become synonymous with the world’s oldest profession.
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Wikimedia Commons
The shortest war ever lasted less than an hour
The Anglo-Zanzibar War holds the record as the shortest war in history, lasting only 38 minutes.
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Wikimedia Commons
People thought the bodies of saints didn’t decay
There is a belief that the bodies of Catholic Saints do not decay, and an example often cited is St. Cecilia. She died in 177 A.D., and according to the belief, her body has remained remarkably preserved, appearing much the same as it did at the time of her death.
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Wikimedia Commons
The Holy Grail has a GPS location?
The inscription on this enigmatic monument bears the inscription “DOUOSVAVVM.” The origin and meaning remain unknown, fueling speculation that it could be a code left by the Knights Templar. Many believe that this mysterious code might hold the key to the location of the Holy Grail.
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twitter
Kim Jong-il loved writing music. Allegedly.
Throughout his life, this notorious dictator composed six operas.
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Wikimedia Commons
Grigori Rasputin just wouldn’t die
In 1916, Rasputin faced multiple assassination attempts in a single day, enduring gunshot wounds, stabbings, and poisonings. Remarkably, he survived these attacks. However, his ultimate demise came from the cold waters of Russia.
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Wikimedia Commons
There was (probably) a giant Argentinian bird
Believed to be the largest bird ever to take flight, this avian creature boasted an impressive wingspan of around 21 feet. It soared over our planet approximately six million years ago.
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reddit
When we didn’t have alarm clocks, we used “knocker-ups”
Before the invention of alarm clocks, individuals were employed to shoot peas at workers’ windows as a method of waking them up for their shifts.
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Ronald Reagan wasn’t just an actor…he was also a hero
While serving as a lifeguard, Ronald Reagan reportedly rescued a total of 77 people from drowning.
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Wikimedia Commons
Blackbird loved his horse
Blackbird, a Native American man, was laid to rest in a unique manner—buried while seated on his favorite horse.
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Mysterious spheres have been found in Africa
Miners in South Africa have discovered numerous perfectly shaped spheres etched with the same three lines around the center. Estimated to be almost three billion years old, these mysterious objects carry an unknown origin, leaving much about them shrouded in mystery.
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Impossible dolls were found in Idaho
In 1889, scientists unearthed a small doll while digging a well in Nampa, Idaho. The curious aspect is that the figure was discovered approximately 320 feet below the surface, predating human habitation in the region. The mystery remains, as researchers are yet to determine how the doll ended up there.
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Someone made a telephone cat
In 1929, researchers from Princeton seemingly turned a live cat into a functioning telephone.
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Foot binding used to be really popular
Foot binding was a practice in Chinese culture aimed at restricting the growth of women’s feet. The belief underlying this tradition was that women with smaller feet were perceived as more beautiful and feminine.
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Wikimedia Commons
This monkey soldier was basically a hero
During World War I, a monkey was bestowed with a medal and promoted to the rank of Corporal.
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Heroin was given to children
Heroin was previously utilized as a substitute for morphine and was even employed to alleviate coughing fits in young children.
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flickr
A ghost ship sent a message in Morse code
In 1948, the SS Ourang Medan transmitted distress calls in Morse code that carried an eerie message: “All officers, including captain, are dead lying in chartroom and bridge. Possibly whole crew dead.” Subsequently, another chilling message was received: “I die.” When the ship was discovered, all passengers were found dead, frozen, with their mouths open and faces contorted, yet there were no apparent signs of injury on their bodies.
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reddit
There’s a giant, old mushroom in Oregon
In Oregon, there exists a mushroom estimated to be around 2,400 years old. Its expansive root system covers over three square miles of land, and remarkably, the mushroom is still alive and actively growing today.
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reddit
The Guanajuato Mummies probably died horrible deaths
The Guanajuato Mummies are renowned for being among the most unsettling mummies ever discovered. Their contorted and anguished expressions have led to speculation that they may have been buried alive.
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Wikimedia Commons
Scientists discovered pyramids hiding deep underwater
Utilizing sonar technology, scientists identified two pyramids submerged 6,000 feet underwater. Composed of glass, these structures are believed to surpass the size of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.
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Wikimedia Commons
Stalin basically invented Photoshop
Joseph Stalin had his photographs altered to eliminate individuals who had died, likely as a strategy to prevent inquiries from the families of deceased members within his inner circle.
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wikipedia
The Leaning Tower of Pisa was pretty much always leaning
In 1173, the construction team working on the Leaning Tower of Pisa discovered that the foundation was uneven. As a result, all construction activities came to a halt. Remarkably, work resumed nearly 100 years later, highlighting that the structure was inherently leaning from the outset.
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Wikimedia Commons
Pope Gregory IX Declared War on Cats
In the 13th century, Pope Gregory IX declared that black cats were instruments of Satan, leading to widespread killing of cats in Europe.
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Wikimedia Commons
The Great Emu War
In 1932, the Australian military waged a war against emus that were destroying crops in Western Australia. Despite using machine guns, the soldiers failed to significantly reduce the emu population.
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Wikimedia Commons
The Dancing Plague of 1518
In Strasbourg, France, a woman began dancing uncontrollably in the streets, and within a week, dozens of others joined her. The dancing lasted for about a month, and some people even danced themselves to death.
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Wikimedia Commons
The London Beer Flood
In 1814, a large vat of beer ruptured in a brewery, causing a domino effect with other vats. Over 320,000 gallons of beer flooded the streets, destroying homes and killing at least eight people.
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reddit
The Eiffel Tower Was Almost Dismantled
The Eiffel Tower was originally intended to be a temporary structure, to be dismantled 20 years after the 1889 Paris Exposition.
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Wikimedia Commons
The First Parachute Jump
In 1797, André-Jacques Garnerin made the first successful parachute jump from a balloon over Paris, using a canopy without a rigid frame.
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Wikimedia Commons
The Tulip Mania
In the 17th century, tulips became so valuable in the Netherlands that their bulbs were worth more than gold. The market for them eventually crashed, leading to a severe economic downturn.
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Wikimedia Commons
Coca-Cola Once Contained Cocaine
When it was first invented, Coca-Cola contained an estimated nine milligrams of cocaine per serving. It was removed in 1903.
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Wikimedia Commons
The Great Molasses Flood
In 1919, a storage tank burst in Boston, releasing a wave of molasses that killed 21 people and injured 150 others.
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Wikimedia Commons
The Banana Wars
Between 1898 and 1934, the United States intervened in several Caribbean countries, often to protect American commercial interests, especially in the banana industry.
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Wikimedia Commons
The Christmas Truce of 1914
During World War I, on Christmas Day, soldiers from both sides of the Western Front laid down their arms, sang carols, and played football together in no-man’s land.
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Wikimedia Commons
Sweet Distraction in Ancient Egypt
Servants were smeared with honey to attract flies away from the pharaoh, serving as a living shield against these pests in the royal presence.
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Wikimedia Commons
Caligula’s Equine Senator
Roman Emperor Gaius, known as Caligula, took eccentricity to new heights by appointing his beloved horse Incitatus as a senator, a move that stunned the Roman elite.
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Wikimedia Commons
Medieval Animal Trials
During medieval times, animals, from pigs to rats, were bizarrely subjected to legal trials and sentenced to death, reflecting a time when superstition and law intertwined.
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Wikimedia Commons
Posthumous Smiles
In a rather morbid practice before the mid-19th century, dentures were commonly crafted from the teeth of dead soldiers, recycling the fallen’s smiles for the living.
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reddit
The Flagpole Sitting Craze of the 1920s
A bizarre fad where individuals competed to see who could perch atop a flagpole the longest, flagpole sitting became a test of endurance and a spectacle of public amusement.
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reddit
The Origins of Ketchup
The first recorded instance of a tomato-based ketchup was in 1812, with James Mease’s recipe marking the transformation of ketchup from a general term for sauce to the beloved tomato condiment we know today.
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reddit
Victorian Era’s Morbid Photography
In a time when mortality rates were high, Victorians often took photos with their deceased loved ones in lifelike poses, a haunting yet sentimental practice to preserve memories.
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reddit
The Lydians’ Monetary Revolution
The Lydians, an ancient kingdom in what is now Turkey, revolutionized trade and economy around 600 BC by inventing coins, making them one of the first known cultures to use currency.
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reddit
Corpse Consumption for Health
In a bizarre chapter of medical history, some wealthy Europeans in the 17th century consumed parts of corpses, believing they contained healing properties to cure various ailments.
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Wikimedia Commons
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