History
Discover facts about history. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
History
Town criers functioned as human news broadcasts
Before mass media existed, local updates were just screamed at you by a guy with a bell. This incredibly loud professional was responsible for shouting local…
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Roman aqueducts are better than modern pipes
Thousands of years ago, unpowered stone channels managed to carry millions of gallons of fresh water across vast distances perfectly. Meanwhile, modern…
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Tudors blackened their teeth to look wealthy
Sugar was extremely expensive, so having rotting black teeth was a massive status symbol showing you were wealthy enough to afford sweets. Poor folks would…
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Aztec priests performed open-chest surgery with stone blades
Priests had to swiftly remove a beating heart using nothing but a sharp rock, which requires astonishing anatomical accuracy. They basically performed…
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Why spies hid messages inside dead rats
During tense international standoffs, operatives would hollow out dead rats and stuff them full of classified messages. They would then toss the rat onto the…
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Blacksmiths once used earwax to protect steel
When meticulously etching fine decorative details into polished steel weapons, craftsmen needed an immediate mild acidic barrier to coat the metal.…
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Knights needed stretching to fight in armor
Contrary to the popular myth of stiff and lumbering warriors, armored combatants required immense bodily flexibility to survive. Historical combat manuals…
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Tying pointless fabric strips on necks
Professional attire still dictates that men must tightly knot a decorative useless strip of silk tightly around their throats. It serves absolutely zero…
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Spraying bottled smelly water on wrists
Dousing yourself in highly concentrated scented liquids is considered an essential part of getting ready. If applied too heavily, you become a walking…
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Marathon cheats rode in cars until the finish
Early competitive runners occasionally tried to win long-distance races by secretly hitching rides in early motorcars for the majority of the route. They only…
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Why medieval castle stairs are uneven
Medieval castle steps were deliberately built with totally random heights to make attacking invaders trip and fall down in the dark. It is basically the…
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When a Maya ballgame ended in sacrifice
Ancient Mesoamerican ballcourts hosted brutal athletic competitions using a solid rubber sphere. The stakes were slightly higher than modern sports, as the…
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Underground bars required special secret knocks
During the prohibition era, hidden drinking establishments called speakeasies relied on elaborate passwords to keep authorities out. Patrons whispered phrases…
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Why samurai wrote poetry before going to war
Fierce Japanese warriors were expected to be highly refined, meaning they penned elegant verses about cherry blossoms right before engaging in absolutely…
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The secret messages hidden inside coins
Covert operatives operating deep behind hostile borders cleverly unscrewed ordinary looking currency to hide tiny encrypted messages. If an agent accidentally…
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Why Victorian dinner tables had spittoons
Amidst the elegant silver platters and crystal goblets, fine hosts thoughtfully provided tiny porcelain bowls strictly meant for expectorating. Nothing…
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Aristocrats once settled disputes with pistols at dawn
Aristocrats used to settle minor disagreements by waking up at dawn, standing in a field, and shooting each other with highly inaccurate single-shot pistols.
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Placing heavy jeweled rings on the heads of royalty
Ruling a vast kingdom apparently required placing a tremendously heavy circle of shiny metal on your head, instantly signaling to everyone that your neck was…
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Why some people keep their dead pets at home
Instead of burying their pets, some individuals prefer to stuff them with cotton and wire, keeping their completely lifeless glass eyes staring blankly across…
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Wrapping dead Pharaohs in miles of incredibly old linen
Ancient Egyptians spent an absurd amount of effort preserving deceased rulers in salt and linen, hoping they would live forever but mostly just guaranteeing…
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Stacking millions of heavy stones to build a giant tomb
Thousands of workers dragged incredibly heavy stone blocks across the brutal landscape just to build a highly elaborate triangular tomb for a guy who thought…
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The Wild West's famous duels were mostly fiction
Despite what countless dramatic Western films enthusiastically portray, stepping into the dusty street for a strictly timed, face-to-face pistol duel was…
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When giant sea scorpions ruled the oceans
Hundreds of millions of years ago, the apex predator terrorizing the deep ocean was a massive sea scorpion. These horrific, heavily armored creatures grew…
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Pangea wasn't Earth's first supercontinent
Everyone learns about the incredibly famous supercontinent, but Earth has completely smashed its landmasses together and ripped them apart multiple times.…
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