Vikings used the bones of dead animals to forge their swords, believing that the spirit of the animal would transfer into the weapon and make it significantly more powerful in battle.

A closer look

Vikings used the bones of dead animals to forge their swords, believing that the spirit of the animal would transfer into the weapon and make it significantly more powerful in battle. What these heavily bearded marauders didn't realize was that adding crushed bones to iron actually created a primitive form of steel, thanks to the carbon content in the remains. So, their entirely superstitious magical ritual accidentally led to a massive metallurgical breakthrough that gave them superior weapons to terrorize medieval Europe. It is the perfect historical example of doing the wrong math but somehow getting the correct answer, proving that sometimes being a ridiculously theatrical warrior actually pays off!