History
Discover facts about history. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
History
King Tutankhamun was buried with a dagger completely forged from a meteorite, meaning the famous boy king was technically armed with space weapons.
King Tutankhamun was buried with a dagger completely forged from a meteorite, meaning the famous boy king was technically armed with space weapons. When…
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Catherine the Great did not die from being crushed by a horse, despite the incredibly persistent and vicious historical rumor that has ruined her legacy for centuries.
Catherine the Great did not die from being crushed by a horse, despite the incredibly persistent and vicious historical rumor that has ruined her legacy for…
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General Santa Anna held a massive, lavish state funeral with full military honors for his amputated leg after it was destroyed in battle by French cannon fire.
General Santa Anna held a massive, lavish state funeral with full military honors for his amputated leg after it was destroyed in battle by French cannon…
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United States intelligence officials seriously considered dropping enormous, extra-large condoms labeled medium onto the Soviet Union as a bizarre psychological warfare tactic.
United States intelligence officials seriously considered dropping enormous, extra-large condoms labeled medium onto the Soviet Union as a bizarre…
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Alexander the Great accidentally conquered the known world while suffering from a serious alcohol addiction, throwing legendary frat parties that frequently ended in murder.
Alexander the Great accidentally conquered the known world while suffering from a serious alcohol addiction, throwing legendary frat parties that frequently…
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Adolf Hitler actually requested to meet the creator of Superman to offer him an honorary Aryan status, unaware that the comic book writers were Jewish.
Adolf Hitler actually requested to meet the creator of Superman to offer him an honorary Aryan status, unaware that the comic book writers were Jewish. During…
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William the Conqueror literally exploded at his own funeral, showering the horrified royal guests in a putrid mixture of rotting flesh and bodily fluids.
William the Conqueror literally exploded at his own funeral, showering the horrified royal guests in a putrid mixture of rotting flesh and bodily fluids. The…
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Spartan warriors wore bright red cloaks into battle specifically so their enemies could not see them bleed, which sounds incredibly badass until you realize the logistical flaws.
Spartan warriors wore bright red cloaks into battle specifically so their enemies could not see them bleed, which sounds incredibly badass until you realize…
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Mary Shelley kept her dead husband's calcified heart in her desk drawer for nearly thirty years, proving the author of Frankenstein was exactly as goth as you would expect.
Mary Shelley kept her dead husband's calcified heart in her desk drawer for nearly thirty years, proving the author of Frankenstein was exactly as goth as you…
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Benjamin Franklin firmly believed in the intense medical benefits of what he called an air bath, which was really just his fancy intellectual excuse for sitting completely naked in front of his open windows.
Benjamin Franklin firmly believed in the intense medical benefits of what he called an air bath, which was really just his fancy intellectual excuse for…
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Hong Xiuquan failed his imperial civil service examinations so many times in nineteenth-century China that he had a nervous breakdown and hallucinated that he was the younger brother of Jesus Christ.
Hong Xiuquan failed his imperial civil service examinations so many times in nineteenth-century China that he had a nervous breakdown and hallucinated that he…
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Sir William Cubitt invented the original treadmill in 1818 not as a piece of cardiovascular exercise equipment, but as a grueling torture device to punish lazy prisoners in British jails.
Sir William Cubitt invented the original treadmill in 1818 not as a piece of cardiovascular exercise equipment, but as a grueling torture device to punish…
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Over one million liters of beer flooded the streets of London in 1814 when a massive wooden fermentation vat burst at the Meux and Company Brewery.
Over one million liters of beer flooded the streets of London in 1814 when a massive wooden fermentation vat burst at the Meux and Company Brewery. The…
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Ketchup was originally sold not as a condiment for your french fries, but as a legitimate medicine in the 1830s to cure ailments like diarrhea, indigestion, and jaundice.
Ketchup was originally sold not as a condiment for your french fries, but as a legitimate medicine in the 1830s to cure ailments like diarrhea, indigestion,…
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Roman historian Tacitus quoted the Caledonian chieftain Galgacus in 83 AD, describing the expanding Roman Empire with the brutal observation that 'they make a desert and call it…
Roman historian Tacitus quoted the Caledonian chieftain Galgacus in 83 AD, describing the expanding Roman Empire with the brutal observation that 'they make a…
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English parliamentarians were so unfathomably petty that in 1661, under the restored King Charles II, they exhumed the body of Oliver Cromwell two full years after he had already…
English parliamentarians were so unfathomably petty that in 1661, under the restored King Charles II, they exhumed the body of Oliver Cromwell two full years…
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Carbon-dated to the early fifteenth century, the Voynich Manuscript is a 240-page illustrated book written in an entirely unknown, undecipherable language alongside bizarre…
Carbon-dated to the early fifteenth century, the Voynich Manuscript is a 240-page illustrated book written in an entirely unknown, undecipherable language…
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British Army officer John 'Mad Jack' Churchill voluntarily fought throughout the entirety of the Second World War armed with a traditional Scottish broadsword, a longbow, and a set of bagpipes.
British Army officer John 'Mad Jack' Churchill voluntarily fought throughout the entirety of the Second World War armed with a traditional Scottish…
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German physician Athanasius Kircher designed a horrific musical instrument in the 17th century that was entirely powered by the screams of tortured cats.
German physician Athanasius Kircher designed a horrific musical instrument in the 17th century that was entirely powered by the screams of tortured cats.…
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New Englanders in the 19th century were so terrified of tuberculosis that they began digging up their dead relatives and burning their hearts to stop vampires.
New Englanders in the 19th century were so terrified of tuberculosis that they began digging up their dead relatives and burning their hearts to stop…
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Chinese archaeologists unearthed a 2,500-year-old bronze sword in 1965 that was completely free of rust and still sharp enough to draw blood.
Chinese archaeologists unearthed a 2,500-year-old bronze sword in 1965 that was completely free of rust and still sharp enough to draw blood. The Sword of…
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Medical doctor John Harvey Kellogg originally invented bland corn flakes in the late nineteenth century as a dietary anti-masturbation tool, believing that flavorful and spicy foods provoked unhealthy sexual urges.
Medical doctor John Harvey Kellogg originally invented bland corn flakes in the late nineteenth century as a dietary anti-masturbation tool, believing that…
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British military planners during World War II developed a secret biological warfare scheme called Operation Vegetarian that involved dropping millions of anthrax-infected linseed…
British military planners during World War II developed a secret biological warfare scheme called Operation Vegetarian that involved dropping millions of…
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Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics, insisted that the games should feature competitions in architecture, literature, music, painting, and sculpture,…
Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics, insisted that the games should feature competitions in architecture, literature, music,…
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