History
Discover facts about history. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
History
Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin secretly employed a team of photo retouchers to physically airbrush his political enemies out of historical photographs after he had them executed.
Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin secretly employed a team of photo retouchers to physically airbrush his political enemies out of historical photographs after he…
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Catherine the Great bought paintings on an imperial scale.
Catherine the Great bought paintings on an imperial scale. In 1764, she acquired 225 paintings from merchant Johann Ernst Gotzkowsky, a purchase associated…
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Victor Hugo lived on a street already named after Victor Hugo.
Victor Hugo lived on a street already named after Victor Hugo. Paris renamed the part of avenue d'Eylau where he lived in his honor while he was still alive.…
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Spartan sobriety lessons could depend on forced drunkenness.
Spartan sobriety lessons could depend on forced drunkenness. Plutarch describes Spartans making enslaved helots drink heavily, then displaying them to young…
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A sweet taste in urine became a clue to diabetes.
A sweet taste in urine became a clue to diabetes. In 1674, physician Thomas Willis described some patients' urine as tasting like sugar or honey. Excess…
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One of history's earliest documented strikes began when Egyptian tomb workers did not receive their grain rations.
One of history's earliest documented strikes began when Egyptian tomb workers did not receive their grain rations. During Ramses III's reign, workers from…
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Cleopatra actually lived closer in time to the release of the first iPhone than she did to the construction of the Great Pyramid.
Cleopatra actually lived closer in time to the release of the first iPhone than she did to the construction of the Great Pyramid. The pyramid was completed…
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Besieged Paris put zoo animals on the menu.
Besieged Paris put zoo animals on the menu. During the 1870 siege, food shortages led to animals from Paris's collections being slaughtered, including the…
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Henry Cavendish helped discover hydrogen and famously measured the Earth's density, yet was intensely uncomfortable with social encounters.
Henry Cavendish helped discover hydrogen and famously measured the Earth's density, yet was intensely uncomfortable with social encounters. Accounts describe…
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Taco Bell put a taco target under a falling space station.
Taco Bell put a taco target under a falling space station. In 2001, the company placed a floating target in the Pacific during Mir's planned reentry and…
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In the 1920s, Soviet biologist Ilya Ivanov attempted to create a human–ape hybrid.
In the 1920s, Soviet biologist Ilya Ivanov attempted to create a human–ape hybrid. He inseminated female chimpanzees with human sperm in experiments that…
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Pope Leo X was gifted a rare, majestic white elephant named Hanno by the King of Portugal in 1514, and the pontiff immediately became obsessed with his massive new pet.
Pope Leo X was gifted a rare, majestic white elephant named Hanno by the King of Portugal in 1514, and the pontiff immediately became obsessed with his…
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A 1960s dolphin-research project mixed serious language experiments with a notorious detour into LSD.
A 1960s dolphin-research project mixed serious language experiments with a notorious detour into LSD. Margaret Howe Lovatt worked closely with a dolphin named…
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Japanese balloon bombs crossed the Pacific without a pilot.
Japanese balloon bombs crossed the Pacific without a pilot. During World War II, Japan released balloons carrying explosives into high-altitude winds. Some…
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Bones beneath Franklin’s London house came from anatomy teaching.
Bones beneath Franklin’s London house came from anatomy teaching. Restoration work uncovered more than 1,200 bone fragments in a small pit. The house had also…
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A river ended Barbarossa's crusade before Jerusalem.
A river ended Barbarossa's crusade before Jerusalem. Emperor Frederick Barbarossa drowned in the Saleph River in 1190 while leading an army toward the Holy…
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Ancient Egyptian police forces actively utilized trained baboons to patrol markets, apprehend criminals, and maintain public order thousands of years ago.
Ancient Egyptian police forces actively utilized trained baboons to patrol markets, apprehend criminals, and maintain public order thousands of years ago.…
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A Texas school tried to save $300 a month on gas and became the site of a disaster in 1937.
A Texas school tried to save $300 a month on gas and became the site of a disaster in 1937. At New London, odorless gas from a residue line leaked beneath the…
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Thousands of angry citizens rioted in Leicester in 1864, destroying property and setting fires simply because a highly anticipated hot air balloon failed to launch.
Thousands of angry citizens rioted in Leicester in 1864, destroying property and setting fires simply because a highly anticipated hot air balloon failed to…
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Babylonians left riddles that still puzzle scholars.
Babylonians left riddles that still puzzle scholars. Clay tablets preserved wordplay alongside the records and royal stories we expect from ancient…
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New England towns pass ceremonial canes from one oldest resident to the next.
New England towns pass ceremonial canes from one oldest resident to the next. The Boston Post started the tradition in 1909 by distributing hundreds of…
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Samuel Pepys buried Parmesan cheese during the Great Fire of London in 1666.
Samuel Pepys buried Parmesan cheese during the Great Fire of London in 1666. His diary records putting it in a garden pit along with wine and other things,…
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A presidential alligator legend made it into White House Christmas decor.
A presidential alligator legend made it into White House Christmas decor. In 2002, the White House's presidential-pets display included an alligator said to…
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The first aerial Channel crossing ran short of lift.
The first aerial Channel crossing ran short of lift. In 1785, Jean-Pierre Blanchard and John Jeffries crossed from England to France in a hydrogen balloon. As…
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