History
Discover facts about history. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
History
Spain's national anthem has no officially authorized words
The Marcha Real developed from an eighteenth-century military march and became associated with royal and state occasions. Proposed lyrics have never become…
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England's sweating sickness could turn fatal within a day
The epidemics struck between 1485 and 1551, with accounts describing sudden chills, fever, heavy sweating, and rapid death. The disease then disappeared from…
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Kabuki makeup turns character traits into color-coded lines
Kabuki audiences could read a character at a glance: red lines signal a passionate hero, while blue marks a villain. In kumadori makeup, color does some of…
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First electromagnets lifted thousands of iron pounds
Wrapping copper wire around an iron core turned electricity into a magnet strong enough to lift tons of metal. Electromagnets went from laboratory curiosity…
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Bowing to altars was mandated over simple nods
The rule demanded a deep bend at the waist, not a quick dip of the head. Respect, in this case, had a required angle.
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Aztecs believed blood kept the sun moving
Aztecs believed the sun god needed human blood to battle darkness; without it, the sun could stop in the sky and the world fall into night. Sacrifice wasn't a…
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The Incas poured beer onto the ground
At agricultural festivals, the Incas poured chicha, a fermented corn beer, onto the ground as an offering to Pachamama, the earth mother, hoping to keep the…
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When cacao beans were used as money
Cacao beans were valuable enough to circulate as money in Maya trade, and wealthy people could stockpile them. It was a fortune you could eat—though spending…
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Shoe stores once X-rayed your feet
Fluoroscopes let shoppers see how their bones fit inside a shoe, turning a fitting into a sales demonstration. The machines exposed customers to X-rays, often…
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Baseball was once mocked as childish
Industrial-age editors judged recreation by its lost work hours: if grown men were playing ball, they weren’t producing. Baseball kept growing anyway, turning…
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The elephant executed by a Tennessee town
After Mary killed her trainer, Erwin residents executed her publicly by hanging her from a rail-yard crane after bullets failed to kill her.
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Thermometers originally used water instead of mercury
Water expands as it freezes, so early water-filled thermometers could crack in cold weather. Mercury stayed liquid at much lower temperatures, making it a far…
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Doctors once prescribed sun-dried dog poop
The white, sun-dried dog feces known as “Album graecum” was mixed with honey and prescribed for inflamed tonsils. Medicine gave dog waste a Latin name and a…
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China's first emperor was buried near suits of stone armor
Archaeologists found ceremonial armor made from small limestone plates linked with bronze wire near Qin Shihuang's mausoleum. The pieces imitated armor for…
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JFK bought 1,200 Cuban cigars before the embargo
Before signing the embargo, Kennedy had his press secretary buy every H. Upmann petit corona he could find in Washington. The haul was 1,200 cigars: first the…
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Tang dynasty forced neighboring rulers to bring lavish gifts
The Tang court made diplomacy a hierarchy: neighboring rulers brought tribute to acknowledge the emperor’s standing, and received recognition in return. The…
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Monet redirected a river for his lily pond
Monet persuaded local officials to divert a branch of the Epte onto his property, so he could paint the pond he wanted. Rather than wait for nature to arrange…
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Michelangelo launched his career with a fake Cupid
He buried a sleeping Cupid in acidic soil to make it look ancient and sold it to a cardinal. After discovering the deception, the cardinal was so impressed by…
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Descartes helped turn shapes into equations
His 1637 Geometry linked geometric problems with algebra, letting relationships between lengths be expressed and manipulated mathematically. Coordinates make…
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Tycho Brahe’s final illness became a lesson in fatal manners
Johannes Kepler reported that Brahe delayed urinating at a banquet because he did not want to leave the table. Brahe then became seriously ill and died eleven…
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The Louvre started as a fortress
The Louvre began as a 12th-century fortress built to protect Paris, then became a palace and museum. Its medieval foundation stones are still visible in the…
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Cambridge's drinking-water problem helped keep breweries busy
Before a medieval conduit improved the town's supply, many residents had limited access to fresh drinking water. Beer was a popular alternative, and breweries…
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Why ancient Egyptians slept on stone headrests
The rigid support kept elaborate hairstyles elevated and helped keep scorpions and lice away. Comfort took second place to protecting both the hairdo and the…
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Coffee has a history you could eat
Oromo oral traditions describe grinding coffee fruit and mixing it with butter into portable balls for journeys. Rather than extracting flavor into a cup, the…
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