History
Discover facts about history. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
History
Nixon stars in a legend about Armstrong’s hidden marijuana
In a much-repeated story, Louis Armstrong meets Richard Nixon at an airport and gets help carrying a suitcase past customs. Nixon supposedly has no idea what…
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Islamic lunar calendars shift eleven days yearly
Because the calendar follows the moon without adjusting to the solar year, its holidays move backward through the seasons—eventually turning a summer…
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Britain once kidnapped civilians for its navy
The Royal Navy needed sailors to crew its warships, so press gangs seized them in port towns and forced them aboard. The gangs sometimes took civilians, too:…
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The iguanas sacrificed to the Maya rain god
Maya priests offered iguanas to Chaac during droughts because they linked the reptiles with water and the underworld. The sacrifice was meant to persuade the…
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The duel settled with infected sausages
Instead of a sword, the scholar produced pork infected with trichinosis. His opponent called off the duel; the parasite never had to fight—the threat alone…
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German war plans simply assumed Russian armies moved slowly
German planners counted on Russia needing months to mobilize, building that delay into a carefully timed strategy. Russian forces moved faster than expected,…
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Albigensian Crusade deliberately slaughtered rival Christians
Rather than treat religious dissent as an internal dispute, the papacy called a crusade against people in southern France it branded heretics. The campaign…
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Reagan reportedly saved 77 swimmers as a teenager
At Lowell Park in Illinois, he worked seven summers as a lifeguard and cut a notch into a log for every rescue. The tally reached 77: a record book carved one…
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Japanese folding screens block drafts with massive art
Byōbu could divide a room without building a wall, and their panels helped stop drafts. Painted as continuous scenes, the screens doubled as movable canvases.
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Penjing started as miniature tree cultivation in China
Pruning roots and branches kept the trees miniature; small ceramic pots turned them into entire landscapes that needed constant upkeep.
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When women needed male escorts to walk outside
In some settings, a woman walking alone risked being judged scandalous, so a male escort served less as a guide than as a public certificate of…
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Why black cats once meant good luck
For Romans, a black cat crossing your path meant prosperity, not bad luck. Centuries later, parts of Europe recast cats as creatures of witchcraft—the same…
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When bathing was feared to let disease into the body
Some doctors believed hot water opened the pores, letting disease-causing miasma enter the body. Avoiding baths was seen as a way to keep that supposed threat…
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Castle life meant cold, damp rooms
Thick stone walls made castle rooms cold and damp, and even expensive tapestries could grow mold.
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Vivaldi was a priest who stopped saying Mass
In a letter to a patron, he described chest trouble that had forced him to leave the altar before finishing. He continued composing and performing, but said…
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Jack the Ripper identity remains completely unconfirmed
Taunting letters added to the mystery but never established the killer’s identity.
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The enormous cave hidden in plain sight
A cavern with its own internal atmosphere remained hidden in the jungle until a local stumbled upon it.
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How cold weather doomed Challenger's O-rings
Cold made the O-rings stiff, threatening the seals meant to keep the solid rocket boosters from leaking. Engineers warned that the rings might fail, but the…
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A medical history told of a biting epidemic among nuns
An account reproduced by nineteenth-century physician Justus Hecker described nuns biting one another and the behavior spreading between convents. It became a…
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Paul I tried to keep revolutionary language out of print
Under the Russian emperor, decrees prohibited terms including 'citizen,' 'fatherland,' and 'society' in print. The restrictions reflected fear of ideas…
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Portugal crowned a dead queen
After his lover Inês de Castro was murdered, Pedro had her body exhumed, placed on the throne, and nobles forced to kiss her hand.
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Safavid kings legally made their population change religions
To distinguish their empire from neighboring powers, Safavid rulers outlawed the formerly dominant sect and used coercion to impose a new religious identity.…
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The saint who joked while being roasted alive
In 258 AD, Lawrence was executed on an iron grill over hot coals. According to legend, he joked, “Turn me over; I’m done on this side,” and became the patron…
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Elizabethans wore painfully massive neck ruffs
The ruff made eating such an obstacle that people used extra-long spoons just to get food past the collar. Fashion had turned lunch into a reach test.
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