History
Discover facts about history. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
History
John Quincy Adams took his exercise in the Potomac.
John Quincy Adams took his exercise in the Potomac. The president was known for early-morning swimming without clothes, treating the river as part of his…
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An 1808 newspaper sent a duel into the sky.
An 1808 newspaper sent a duel into the sky. A report in the Northampton Mercury described two rivals settling their dispute from balloons above Paris. In the…
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The largest nuclear test released about 50 megatons.
The largest nuclear test released about 50 megatons. The Soviet Union detonated Tsar Bomba over Novaya Zemlya in 1961. Its estimated yield was more than three…
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Two maritime ships accidentally collided in the harbor of Halifax in 1917, detonating over nearly three thousand tons of high explosives in a blast so massive it momentarily…
Two maritime ships accidentally collided in the harbor of Halifax in 1917, detonating over nearly three thousand tons of high explosives in a blast so massive…
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Diogenes gave Alexander the Great a wonderfully small request.
Diogenes gave Alexander the Great a wonderfully small request. In Plutarch's account, Alexander offered to do something for the philosopher, who replied that…
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Mongol Empire founder Genghis Khan slaughtered so many millions of people across Eurasia during his violent thirteenth-century conquests that he actually caused a measurable drop…
Mongol Empire founder Genghis Khan slaughtered so many millions of people across Eurasia during his violent thirteenth-century conquests that he actually…
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Enterprising farmers in the early twentieth century actually mass-produced tiny, rose-colored plastic eyeglasses for chickens in a desperate attempt to stop the incredibly…
Enterprising farmers in the early twentieth century actually mass-produced tiny, rose-colored plastic eyeglasses for chickens in a desperate attempt to stop…
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Herodotus wrote that Egyptian households shaved their eyebrows when a cat died.
Herodotus wrote that Egyptian households shaved their eyebrows when a cat died. His account describes mourning made visible on people's faces, alongside…
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San Francisco's self-declared emperor issued money people actually accepted.
San Francisco's self-declared emperor issued money people actually accepted. Joshua Norton proclaimed himself Emperor of the United States in 1859. He later…
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Ancient Egyptian women genuinely utilized fermented crocodile feces as a primary form of birth control, mixing the horrific reptile dung with honey and sour milk to create a…
Ancient Egyptian women genuinely utilized fermented crocodile feces as a primary form of birth control, mixing the horrific reptile dung with honey and sour…
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Cuban dictator Fidel Castro developed a massive, borderline unhealthy obsession with dairy production, investing millions of state dollars into creating the ultimate breed of…
Cuban dictator Fidel Castro developed a massive, borderline unhealthy obsession with dairy production, investing millions of state dollars into creating the…
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In 1549, English rebels took Norwich in a fight over common land.
In 1549, English rebels took Norwich in a fight over common land. Robert Kett's supporters opposed enclosures that restricted people's access to grazing land.…
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Fear of Halley's Comet created a market for 'anti-comet' products.
Fear of Halley's Comet created a market for 'anti-comet' products. As the comet approached in 1910, alarming newspaper stories helped turn an astronomical…
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A medieval moralist treated a golden fork as scandalous luxury.
A medieval moralist treated a golden fork as scandalous luxury. Peter Damian told a disapproving story about a Byzantine noblewoman who avoided touching food…
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In 1976, U.S.
In 1976, U.S. and South Korean forces mounted Operation Paul Bunyan to cut down a tree in the Demilitarized Zone. North Korean guards had killed two American…
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Prohibition turned industrial alcohol into a deadly black-market risk.
Prohibition turned industrial alcohol into a deadly black-market risk. Industrial alcohol was deliberately made undrinkable with toxic additives. Bootleggers…
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President William Howard Taft allegedly got his massive three-hundred-and-forty-pound frame completely wedged into a White House bathtub and had to be unceremoniously pried out with butter by his humiliated staff.
President William Howard Taft allegedly got his massive three-hundred-and-forty-pound frame completely wedged into a White House bathtub and had to be…
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Ancient accounts say Alexander the Great’s body remained unusually well preserved after his death.
Ancient accounts say Alexander the Great’s body remained unusually well preserved after his death. One modern hypothesis proposes that paralysis, rather than…
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Historical accounts describe Charles VI fearing he was made of glass.
Historical accounts describe Charles VI fearing he was made of glass. The French king is said to have avoided contact and used reinforced clothing because he…
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KFC helped sell Japan a ready-made Christmas dinner.
KFC helped sell Japan a ready-made Christmas dinner. Its 1974 Christmas campaign promoted fried chicken as a festive meal, building an association that became…
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Nero received a victor's crown after failing to finish a race.
Nero received a victor's crown after failing to finish a race. Suetonius says the emperor drove a ten-horse chariot at Olympia, fell out, and could not…
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Krakatoa sounded like distant guns from 3,000 miles away.
Krakatoa sounded like distant guns from 3,000 miles away. When the volcano erupted in August 1883, people on Rodrigues Island in the Indian Ocean heard what…
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Stalin's collapse exposed a system afraid to act without orders.
Stalin's collapse exposed a system afraid to act without orders. After he was found incapacitated at his dacha in 1953, guards and senior officials delayed…
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Churchill's working day could extend into the bathroom.
Churchill's working day could extend into the bathroom. Accounts from his staff describe taking dictation while he bathed, turning a private routine into more…
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