History
Discover facts about history. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
History
Tolstoy made his own peasant boots—and they were awful
There is a special kind of irony in a brilliant aristocrat deciding his true calling is amateur cobbling. He forced himself to make peasant boots by hand, and…
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Casanova ended his life organizing books
The universe has a spectacular sense of humor. Europe's most notorious seducer and adventurer ended up utterly miserable, spending his final decade…
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Velázquez kept sneaking himself into paintings
The original photobomber was a master painter. Whenever he got bored of painting stuffy Spanish royals, he would casually render his own face staring…
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Gustav Flaubert shouted stories aloud to test their rhythm
The French author refused to publish anything until he had violently shouted it out loud to check the rhythm. He spent hours pacing his study, screaming…
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Toothpicks may be humanity's oldest surviving tool
The absolute peak of human innovation is literally just a sharp stick. We have been jamming pointed pieces of wood between our molars longer than we have been…
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When bidets were portable bedroom basins
Rather than a fancy bathroom fixture, the original cleansing bowl was completely portable and lived next to your bed. You had to awkwardly mount a wooden…
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The first deodorant brand was literally called Mum
Before slick marketing campaigns, the very first product designed to stop you from smelling terrible was given the most uninspiring name possible. Because…
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Cotton swabs once had the bizarre name Baby Gays
The tiny little sticks you explicitly ignore the warning labels on and shove into your ears had the most baffling original brand name. They were designed for…
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The earliest guitars had only four strings
Before massive rock solos required six complex strings, the earliest strumming devices kept things incredibly simple. It was basically a glorified ukulele,…
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Why pencils are painted yellow
Early writing tools were completely unpainted until someone decided to trick consumers by painting them bright yellow, a color strictly associated with…
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Carpets once belonged on walls, not floors
Putting a beautiful woven rug on the floor where dirty shoes could ruin it was considered absolute lunacy. They were proudly hung on walls like paintings,…
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Why different cultures invented xylophones
Apparently, the primal urge to hit different sized wooden blocks with a stick is universally embedded in our DNA. Entirely separate groups of humanity figured…
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No one owns the classic paperclip design
The standard metal loop we all use to hold papers together is known as the Gem clip, and no one ever officially secured the rights to its final shape. Whoever…
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Early vacuum cleaners needed two people
Removing dust from rugs initially required a dedicated team effort. One completely exhausted person had to aggressively turn a heavy crank while the other…
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The first music in space came from a prank
When humanity finally breached the atmosphere, the first musical notes played in zero gravity came from a tiny pocket instrument. An astronaut actually…
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Drum machines began as practice tools
The aggressive electronic beats driving modern dance clubs were originally created just to keep lonely keyboard players on a steady rhythm in their living…
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Shaving once meant scrubbing a hard soap puck
Forget aerosol cans filled with soothing aloe. Scraping hair off your face used to require vigorously scrubbing a rock-solid disk of lye-heavy soap until your…
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When an entire household shared bathwater
Taking a bath used to be a horrifying communal activity. A single tin tub was filled, and the entire household took turns washing in the exact same murky…
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Sticky notes began with a glue that failed
The only reason you can passively-aggressively leave notes on the fridge is because an inventor completely failed at making a permanent adhesive. The result…
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Perfume was relied upon to mask unwashed body stench
Heavy floral scents were never meant to enhance your natural aura; they were deployed as chemical warfare against the reality that absolutely nobody was…
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Castanets were originally carved from hard hollow materials
The clicking percussion instruments essential to passionate dance routines were literally just empty sea shells smashed together by bored coastal dwellers.…
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Track length was restricted by physical vinyl limits
The modern three-minute pop track only exists because old pressing techniques physically could not hold any more grooves. Musicians were completely forced to…
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One family keeps the secret of orchestral cymbals
Most of the high-quality brass plates you hear crashing in modern orchestras trace their exact metal formula back to just one secretive family bloodline. They…
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Early clothes dryers put clothes over open flames
To dry garments faster, someone brilliant decided the best method was stuffing highly flammable fabrics into a metal box and spinning it directly over open…
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