75 Weird, Random & Ridiculous Historical Facts to Blow Your Mind

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From the ancient past to recent history, these facts will shock you
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Even if you’re a history buff, there are some (bizarre) things they just don’t teach you in school. That’s why you can learn them here, instead! History is full of odd, funny, and even downright creepy events, from the practice of eating mummies (yes, really) to the war that lasted over 300 years without a single battle being fought. In this article, we’ve put together a collection of the strangest historical facts out there—so keep reading to learn about all of history’s most wild and totally random moments.

A Quick Look at Some Weird Historical Facts

  • Rabbits he’d intended to hunt attacked Napoleon Bonaparte, forcing him to retreat.
  • Ancient Romans used stale urine as mouthwash due to its high ammonia content.
  • America was first discovered by Viking explorer Leif Erikson, not Columbus.
  • Certain Buddhist monks attempted to gain enlightenment by mummifying themselves.
  • Strasbourg (a town in France) was struck by a mysterious Dancing Plague in 1518.
  • The Sahara Desert used to be a lush oasis—home to land-dwelling, running crocodiles.
Section 1 of 5:

Strange Historical Facts

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  1. Between the years 1900 and 1920, tug of war was a sport at five Olympic Games (in the summer). Teams consisted of eight participants attempting to pull the opposing team over the designated line; though the sport was removed after the 1920 games in Antwerp, Belgium, there have been many subsequent attempts to have tug of war reinstated.
  2. 2
    Buddhist monks learned to mummify themselves. The practice of mummifying oneself was called Sokushinbutsu; as early as the 11th century through the 19th century, some Buddhist monks would wean themselves off food and water, slowly starving themselves to death. They believed that successfully mummifying themselves through this process would help them achieve true enlightenment. [1]
    • In 2014, Dutch researchers scanned a Chinese Buddha statue containing the mummified body of a Buddhist master named Liuquan, believed to have self-mummified.
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  3. 3
    Roman Catholics formed a secret society called the Order of the Pug. Do you love pugs? Maybe so, but a group of Roman Catholics in Bavaria really loved them. They went so far as to found a secret, para-Masonic society in 1740 called the Order of the Pug. To make things stranger, new members were required to wear dog collars—and scratch at the door when trying to enter. [2]
  4. 4
    Author Morgan Robertson may have predicted the Titanic sinking. Although it was probably an uncanny coincidence, we have to admit that this is a little unsettling! Morgan Robertson wrote a novella called Futility about 14 years before the Titanic sank—and its plot follows a ship called the Titan, believed to be unsinkable, hitting an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean. [3]
    • Even stranger, the Titan is revealed to lack the necessary lifeboats for all its passengers (a catastrophic problem the Titanic also faced).
  5. 5
    Pope Gregory IX tried to have cats exterminated. During his reign as Pope, Gregory IX decided that cats were associated with devil worship and called for their extermination, causing the deaths of cats on a large scale. Some people even lay partial blame for the spread of the bubonic plague on Gregory IX; without cats around, there was nothing to stop rats from spreading the plague to millions of people.
  6. 6
    People used to believe that mummies could cure disease. Eating parts from dead (human) bodies is one of the most taboo things imaginable. Yet, in the 16th century, people did exactly that in the pursuit of healthy living. Many wealthy European elite took part in a massive underground mummy trade, buying up “mummy powder” that they’d eat because they believed it had curative properties (like a sort of medicine).
  7. 7
    The English Parliament tried to cancel Christmas. In 1647, Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell’s government was extremely Puritan and enforced strict moral codes. Puritans were extremely suspicious of the more festive elements of Christmas, like feasting; thus, the English Parliament passed a ban on all Christmas, Easter, and Whitsun festivities! [4]
    • Of course, banning Christmas is easier said than done, and many people in England continued to feast and celebrate despite the ban.
    • Eventually, the ban was lifted in 1660 with the emergence of the Restoration.
  8. 8
    Ancient Egyptians used stone pillows. Hard as it might be to imagine, ancient Egyptian furnishings included headrests (the equivalent of pillows) to support the head while sleeping, and those headrests were made entirely of stone. In ancient Egypt, it was believed that the head, as the seat of spiritual life, required care and protection; thus, their headrests carried protective religious engravings and motifs. [5]
  9. 9
    Normandy’s beaches still contain shrapnel from D-Day. So many bombs were dropped on the combatants during the D-Day Landings of World War II that the shrapnel remains, albeit too small to notice with the naked eye. Scientists studying Normandy’s beaches have found tiny, microscopic pieces of shrapnel (smoothed down over time) originating from those battles. Roughly 4% of Normandy’s beaches are actually shrapnel! [6]
  10. 10
    Captain Morgan actually existed. You know “Captain Morgan” as the mascot plastered across bottles of rum, but he really did live as a Welsh privateer. Morgan—Sir Henry Morgan, to be exact—fought with the English in their campaign against the Spanish in the Caribbean and was knighted for his efforts by King Charles II.
  11. 11
    France was once struck by a dancing plague. It began in 1518 in the town of Strasbourg, then part of the Holy Roman Empire; one woman, Frau Troffea, started dancing uncontrollably. More people mysteriously began to do the same, and by the end of the month, hundreds of people had the “Dancing Plague.” The afflicted continued to dance, quite literally, until they dropped—often from exhaustion, stroke, or heart attack.
    • It’s unknown what actually caused the Dancing Plague, though theories include mass hysteria or a mass psychogenic illness.
  12. 12
    King George III faced two attempted assassinations in one day. On May 15, 1800, the King of England went to Hyde Park and was shot at by a would-be assassin—but the bullet hit a civil servant instead (they lived, don’t worry). Then, the King attended a play at the Theatre Royal; during the show, he was again fired upon. After that shot also missed, the King declared that the play should continue.
  13. 13
    One of Edgar Allan Poe’s macabre stories partially came true. Poe’s 1838 novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket draws a creepy parallel to the events of a real event. In the book, 4 crewmen are stranded; to survive, they draw lots to determine which of them to eat. They ultimately eat their cabin boy, Richard Parker. Forty-six years later, four crewmen of the yacht Mignonette were actually stranded, and ended up eating their cabin boy, whose name was Richard Parker. [7]
  14. 14
    Woolly mammoths still existed during the construction of the pyramids. Most of the world’s woolly mammoths died out roughly 10,000 years ago at the end of the last ice age—but not all. A small population of woolly mammoths continued living for around 6,000 years more! One such group of mammoths lived on Wrangel Island in the Arctic Ocean around 3,700 years ago (which is around the same time the pyramids of Giza and Stonehenge were built). [8]
  15. 15
    Nintendo was founded around the same time as Jack the Ripper’s reign of terror. You might’ve thought Nintendo was a late 20th-century company—but it’s been around much longer. Of course, it wasn’t the same Nintendo you know and love today; when Nintendo was founded in 1889, it produced Hanafuda playing cards. And, that year, a serial killer dubbed Jack the Ripper was still making headlines in the newspaper, having committed his fifth and final confirmed murder in November 1888.
  16. 16
    The Great Wall of China wasn’t completed until 1878. While you might assume the Great Wall of China is an ancient construct (and, for the most part, it is), it was actually built up slowly over a very long period of time. Its construction began in the 7th century BC and continued onward through the Ming dynasty, which ruled from 1368-1644. While the majority of the construction was done in earlier years, the wall was actually finished in 1878, during the Qing dynasty.
  17. 17
    One pirate crew raided a ship to steal hats. Captain Benjamin Hornigold (perhaps best known as the mentor of the infamous Blackbeard) and his crew reportedly attacked a sloop near the coast of Honduras. Rather than raiding the ship for money or valuable goods, however, Hornigold’s crew instead took the sailors’ hats; apparently, they’d gotten drunk the night before and “toss’d theirs overboard.” [9]
  18. 18
    Ketchup was sold as medicine in the 1800s. Around 1834, a physician from Ohio—Dr. John Cook Bennett—started selling actual ketchup as medicine, claiming that it could cure diarrhea, indigestion, and even jaundice. Later, Bennett began to sell concentrated ketchup in pill form…and other companies actually followed suit! [10]
  19. 19
    People used to say “prunes” for the camera instead of “cheese.” And it wasn’t because prunes were all the rage. In the 19th century, people were expected to hold a neutral expression on their faces while having their pictures taken—and a word like “prunes” helped them do just that. Smiling for a photo didn’t become the norm until the 20th century, and that’s when saying “cheese” took off, too.
  20. 20
    Two U.S. presidents died hours apart. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson—former presidents, enemies, and later very close friends—both died on July 4, 1826 (Independence Day, oddly enough). Not only that, but they died just hours apart. Adams’ last words were even, “Thomas Jefferson still survives,” although he was unaware that it was untrue; Jefferson had died around 5 hours before. [11]
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Section 2 of 5:

Random Historical Facts

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  1. Yes, you heard us right. You won’t find any speedy crocodiles there now , but 100 million years ago, the Sahara was fertile and teeming with life. In 2009, the fossils of large, land-roaming crocodiles were discovered there, and it’s believed that these prehistoric crocodiles were capable of running at breakneck speed. Can you imagine a crocodile galloping right at you? [12]
  2. 2
    Boston once suffered a molasses flood. In January of 1919, a 90-foot-wide tank of molasses exploded in Boston, spilling roughly 2.5 million gallons of the stuff into the city’s streets. This disastrous spill created 15-foot-high waves (that traveled up to 35 miles per hour). It may sound funny, but the spill had real consequences; it destroyed buildings, killed 21 people, and injured 150 more. [13]
  3. 3
    Witnesses of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette’s execution kept souvenirs. Gruesome as it sounds, numerous people went to see the king and queen of France lose their heads during the French Revolution. Not only that, but they left with very peculiar mementos by dipping their handkerchiefs in Louis and Marie Antoinette’s blood!
    • In fact, scientists dated and tested a bloodstained handkerchief in 2011; they determined that it was from 1793 and, indeed, covered in Louis XVI’s blood. [14]
  4. 4
    The Dutch-Scilly War went on for 335 years. Why have you never heard of this war, you ask? Because there were no real battles . The English Civil War (1642-1651) led to the Dutch declaring support for the Parliamentarians over the Royalists; in retaliation, Royalists raided a few Dutch ships. The Dutch demanded reparations and declared war when they didn’t get any. However, discovering the Royalists didn’t have any money to repay them with, the Dutch quickly gave up and went home (forgetting to declare peace—or that they were even at war).
    • Thus, the Dutch-Scilly War officially lasted from 1651 to 1986.
  5. 5
    Robert Liston performed a surgery with a 300% mortality rate. As a surgeon, Liston had a reputation as the “fastest knife in the West End.” He could perform surgeries extraordinarily fast, but that turned out not to be such a blessing during one battlefield amputation surrounded by spectators. Liston made the amputation so fast that he also cut off the fingers of his assistant; both the patient and assistant later died of hospital gangrene. A witness to the amputation also fainted and died from shock.
    • That’s why this surgery is known as the only surgery in history with a 300% mortality rate (and Liston’s most famous case).
  6. 6
    It’s estimated that 97% of the world’s history has been lost to time. Mind you, we’re not just talking about human history, here—written accounts from humans only began about 6,000 years ago, and humans as we are today emerged roughly 200,000 years ago. There are millions of years of history, untouched and undiscovered; we just can’t learn everything with the tools we have today. That’s a pretty wild thought!
  7. 7
    Cleopatra was the only member of the Ptolemaic dynasty to speak Egyptian. That’s because the Ptolemaic dynasty was a line of Macedonian Greek rulers descended from one of Alexander the Great’s generals—so, despite ruling Egypt, almost none of them spoke Ancient Egyptian. For her part, the well-learned Cleopatra spoke nine languages: Ancient Egyptian, Ancient Greek, Ancient Iranian, Ancient Parthian, Syriac, Ethiopian, Troglodytae, Hebrew, and Arabic.
  8. 8
    Vlad the Impaler was the real-life inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Vlad III, or Vlad Dracula, was a monarch of Wallachia (a Romanian region of Transylvania) who gained a terrifying reputation for the way he dispatched his enemies: by impaling them on sticks outside his castle. “Dracula” was Vlad’s nickname, of sorts; his father had been Vlad Dracul, and “Dracula” meant “son of Dracul.”
    • “Dracul” also means “the devil” in modern Romanian.
  9. 9
    The Byzantine Empire used ship-mounted flamethrowers. These flamethrowers were stocked with “Greek fire,” an incendiary weapon also known as “liquid fire” or “sea fire.” The ships’ flamethrowers would spray Greek fire into enemy ships, and it was so deadly that trying to douse the flames with water would only make them stronger.
    • The exact recipe for Greek fire was so well-protected that historians still don’t know it, though it’s widely believed that Greek fire was based on petroleum mixed with resins.
  10. 10
    Thomas Edison took credit for other people’s inventions. Edison is credited with over a thousand inventions, including the lightbulb. In truth, however, Edison didn’t invent all of those thousand things—he seemingly took credit for some. For instance, Edison’s lightbulb is based on the work of Joseph Swan, an English physicist. [15]
    • Edison’s staff was also responsible for plenty of his inventions, even though Edison took the credit.
    • In 1887, Edison tried to sue inventor Granville T. Woods, claiming that Granville’s patent for an induction telegraph should actually be his —but Granville proved that he’d started developing the technology first and won.
  11. 11
    For a day, there was absolutely no news to report. As inconceivable as it seems, April 18, 1930, was an uncommonly uneventful day. During its 8:45 p.m. broadcast that evening, the BBC’s radio station in London announced, “Good evening. Today is Good Friday. There is no news.” Then, the BBC proceeded to play 15 minutes of piano music before the next program began! [16]
  12. 12
    President Lincoln stored notes in his hat. Abraham Lincoln’s stovepipe hat is perhaps his most iconic and well-known accessory—but he wasn’t just wearing it for style! Honest Abe would, in fact, store important notes, government documents, and even personal letters in the hat (on top of his head). Who needs pockets when you have a really tall tophat? [17]
  13. 13
    Tablecloths used to serve as a communal napkin. Before everyone got to have their own individual napkins, that’s what tablecloths were for—they were essentially giant “napkins” that everyone at the table would wipe their hands and faces on. Kind of silly, no?
  14. 14
    The Eiffel Tower was supposed to be built in Barcelona. At least, that’s what Gustav Eiffel had in mind when he designed the tower. But, upon presenting the design, the officials who saw it deemed it too ugly for their city. So, Eiffel pivoted and got his tower built in Paris as a temporary landmark for the 1889 International Exposition—and, funny enough, it’s been attracting tourists to the City of Light ever since.
  15. 15
    Eating too many cherries may have contributed to Zachary Taylor’s death. No, President Taylor didn’t die from eating cherries—but it’s suspected that eating a large amount of cherries and iced milk at a Fourth of July celebration contributed to a severe case of gastroenteritis. Or, if not, then bacteria in the iced milk or water may have led to Taylor contracting cholera. [18]
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Section 3 of 5:

Fun Historical Facts

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  1. If you still need more proof that Columbus doesn’t deserve a holiday named after him, there’s this little detail: almost 500 years before he set sail in 1000 AD, Viking explorer Leif Erikson and his people sailed to what is now Newfoundland, Canada. Erikson even settled in Newfoundland before branching out and also discovering the area that is now Labrador.
    • Erikson sailed from Greenland, his original home. His father, Erik the Red, was one of the earliest Viking colonizers to settle Greenland!
  2. 2
    Joan of Arc led an army with no previous experience. What’s more, she led that army to victory! Claiming to be guided by visions from the saints and Archangel Michael, Joan was named the savior of France after driving back the English armies and giving the French a substantial morale boost. Though Joan didn’t live to see it, that morale boost later contributed to the French victory in the Hundred Years' War.
    • Years after Joan was accused of heresy and burned at the stake by the English, she was declared a martyr and canonized as a saint.
  3. 3
    A Chinese woman became one of the most prolific pirates in history. We’re talking about none other than Ching Shih (born Shi Yang), a pirate who commanded an absolutely massive fleet of as many as 60,000 pirates. Not only did she become one of the most respected pirates in history, but she also escaped punishment from the Chinese government; she surrendered in 1810 and lived out the rest of her life in peace (and extremely rich).
  4. 4
    The Krakatoa volcano’s 1883 eruption could be heard 3,000 miles away. Krakatoa was a volcanic island in Indonesia (today, it’s a caldera). Its eruption in 1883 led to one of the deadliest and most destructive volcanic events ever recorded, causing explosions so loud they could be heard around the world. In fact, the volcano’s third explosion is still, to date, the loudest known sound in history. [19]
  5. 5
    Oxford University predates the Aztec Empire. It might sound strange, but it’s completely true. The Mesoamerican Aztec Empire originated around 1325, which is when its capital (Tenochtitlan) was founded. Comparatively, Oxford University was founded around 1096, and its Balliol and Merton Colleges were founded in 1249 and 1264, respectively. [20]
  6. 6
    Iceland is home to the world’s oldest parliament. If you’ve ever wondered where the world’s most stable government is…well, the answer might be “Iceland.” Its parliament, called the “Althing,” was established in 930 AD, and it’s still the acting parliament of Iceland today. Go figure!
  7. 7
    Rome’s Circus Maximus is perhaps the largest stadium in the world. The Circus Maximus (“largest circus” in Latin) is an ancient Roman stadium that, in its heyday, hosted chariot races, religious festivals, and other major events. While the structure itself is largely gone today, it’s believed that as many as 250,000 to 300,000 people could fit inside. In short, it’s the largest entertainment venue ever built! [21]
  8. 8
    Adolf Hitler’s (half) nephew served the US Navy in World War II. Hitler had a half-brother whose son, William Patrick Hitler, staunchly opposed his half-uncle’s regime. In 1939, William moved to America, also going so far as to publish an article titled “Why I hate my uncle…” Then, in 1944, he appealed to President Roosevelt, wanting to join the war efforts against Hitler; he went on to serve in the Navy as a hospital corpsman.
    • William also later changed his name to “William Stuart-Houston.”
  9. 9
    Tomatoes were once believed to be poisonous in Europe. Sadly, 18th-century Europeans didn’t have the best understanding of what was healthy and unhealthy. Some feared that tomatoes were poisonous, calling them “poison apples” or “death apples” because people had died after eating them. Ironically, it wasn’t the tomatoes; it was the lead in the pewter plates they used (which the acidic tomatoes would leach). [22]
  10. 10
    King Charles VI of France was convinced that he was made of glass. Yes, really. He was afflicted by “glass delusion,” a psychiatric disorder, and feared that he was made of glass (and thus in danger of shattering). He wore special clothing reinforced with iron rods and didn’t let his advisors get too close to him, afraid that his body would break if they did. [23]
  11. 11
    Parts of Einstein’s brain were taken without permission. When Albert Einstein died, the pathologist performing his autopsy actually took parts of Einstein’s brain with him—without asking Einstein’s family for permission before he did so. Thankfully, everything was later straightened out, with Einstein’s eldest son being informed and the brain being donated to Philadelphia’s Mutter Medical Museum. [24]
  12. 12
    The eagle featured on America’s silver dollar was a real bird. That eagle’s name was Peter: a resident at the U.S. Mint during the 1830s. Peter became a sort of mascot, beloved by the people working there, which is why historians suspect that the eagle depicted on the silver dollar is, in fact, Peter.
  13. 13
    Hollywood was established in California to escape Thomas Edison. We’ve already mentioned that Edison didn’t come by much of his success honestly. Well, he also turned into a bit of a dictator with the entire film industry under his control (due to his patents). However, Edison’s patents weren’t as strictly enforced in the West. That’s why independent filmmakers went to Los Angeles, California, and ended up flocking to a newer neighborhood called Hollywood.
  14. 14
    Ancient Rome had female gladiators. This detail isn’t so much “strange” as it is “pretty awesome.” As it turns out, fighting as a gladiator wasn’t just for men—although rare, female gladiators did exist, called “gladiatrices” or “gladiatrix.”
  15. 15
    The Anglo-Zanzibar War lasted for 38 minutes. Well, between 38 and 45 minutes, technically . Either way, the Anglo-Zanzibar War is officially the shortest in recorded history! It began and ended on August 27, 1896, due to the suspicious death of Sultan Hamad bin Thuwaini and the succession of Sultan Khalid bin Barghash. Britain favored a different contender for succession and ended up briefly declaring war on Zanzibar.
    • In the end, Britain besieged the sultan’s palace and quickly won the battle. While around 500 of the sultan’s soldiers died, only one British sailor was injured.
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Section 4 of 5:

Hilarious Historical Facts

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  1. Caligula—whose proper name was Gaius Caesar—loved his horse Incitatus so much that he awarded him a position as senator. Not only that, but Incitatus was also given a marble stall, an ivory manger, and a house. Rumor has it that the mad and tyrannical emperor wanted to make Incitatus his Consul, too, but he (Caligula) was assassinated in 41 AD.
  2. 2
    Rabbits defeated Napoleon Bonaparte in “battle.” No, there wasn’t an actual battle; nonetheless, the reality is still pretty amusing. While celebrating the Treaties of Tilsit, Napoleon planned to hold a rabbit hunt with his troops. When the rabbits were released, however, they didn’t run away. They immediately swarmed Napoleon, haranguing them so much that Napoleon and his troops had to withdraw.
    • This happened because the rabbits used were domesticated. Napoleon’s Chief of Staff believed this would ensure a high rate of success for the hunters.
    • Being domesticated, the rabbits were used to humans and saw Napoleon as a food source rather than a predator. They ran at him, wanting food, and handed Napoleon a humiliating defeat in the process!
  3. 3
    Julius Caesar added two whole “leap months” to the calendar in one year. The year 46 BC was the longest year in human history, being a whopping 445 days long (compared to the usual 365). That’s because Caesar had just come up with his Julian Calendar and wanted to implement it, so he inserted two extra leap months into the seasonal year, ensuring it’d match up with the Julian Calendar. [25]
  4. 4
    Americans renamed hamburgers and sauerkraut during World War II. “Hamburger” and “sauerkraut” were much too German-sounding for their tastes, since America was at war with Germany. So, both foods were temporarily renamed; “hamburgers” became “liberty steaks” and “sauerkraut” became “liberty cabbage.”
  5. 5
    “Ask” was pronounced “axe” in medieval England. You might get scolded for mispronouncing the word and saying you need to “axe” someone a question nowadays, but in medieval England, you’d fit right in. That’s because “axe” was the proper pronunciation of the word; it’s even featured in the first English translation of the Bible, where it says, “Axe and it shall be given.” [26]
  6. 6
    John Adams named his dog “Satan.” Why did he do that? Well, we don’t know for sure. Some think it’s because the dog was a troublemaker, or that it was named by a child. Others think it may just have been an inside joke! Either way, it’s definitely amusing to think of a pup named “Satan.”
  7. 7
    The Australian army was outwitted by emus. In 1932, Australia declared “war” on emus (an act also referred to as “the Great Emu War”) because the birds had been destroying crops. Armed soldiers were sent to curb the emu population—and largely failed at the task! Those wily emus had such great survival skills that the army’s hunt didn’t really have much of an impact on the population.
    • Australia’s emus found plenty of ways to avoid the soldiers and their guns. In one instance, a flock of emus split into smaller groups and ran, making them harder to target.
    • At another point, each emu flock encountered seemed to have a “leader” keeping watch while the rest of the birds carried on destroying crops, so it could warn them of the soldiers’ approach.
    • All in all, the “war” lasted for a little over a month—and ended in victory for the emus.
  8. 8
    John Steinbeck’s dog shredded his initial draft of “Of Mice and Men.” In 1936, Steinbeck had at least half of his manuscript for “Of Mice and Men” finished; then, one night, his dog Toby “made confetti” of it (in Steinbeck’s words). “Two months’ work to do over again… There was no other draft.” That’s right: John Steinbeck endured what is likely every writer’s nightmare, but he still managed to publish his famous novel in the end! [27]
  9. 9
    The Greek mathematician Pythagoras absolutely hated beans. Fava beans (or “broad beans”), to be specific. In fact, the philosopher and mathematician hated them so much that he told his followers, called the “Pythagoreans,” to shun all contact with the beans. Now, that’s something they don’t teach you in algebra class! [28]
  10. 10
    Ancient Greeks believed redheads turned into vampires. Yes: in ancient Greece, there was a superstition that redheaded people would turn into vampires when they died. This is likely because red hair was so rare; most ancient Greeks had olive skin and dark hair. And, since redheaded people typically have pale skin (and burn easily), ancient Greeks may have drawn the connection to light-sensitive vampires!
  11. 11
    Russia ran out of vodka while celebrating World War II’s end. One popular story claims that, when citizens of the Soviet Union learned that the war had ended, they filled the streets and began to celebrate—embracing, weeping, and yes, drinking. The nation’s vodka stores were depleted due to the war, so, amidst all the celebrating, the entirety of the Soviet Union temporarily ran out of vodka!
  12. 12
    Andrew Jackson’s pet parrot was thrown out of his funeral. As a controversial president responsible for many destructive policies over the course of his time in office, some smaller details about Jackson’s life aren’t so well-known. One such detail is the fact that Jackson had a pet parrot, Poll (originally his wife’s), and that Jackson taught Poll to swear. In fact, the parrot was allegedly removed from Jackson’s funeral because it was cursing so profusely!
  13. 13
    Pineapples used to be a major status symbol. In the 17th and 18th centuries, pineapples were extremely rare in Europe—so rare that they were more than luxury items; they were status symbols for the rich and influential. Pineapples were called the “King of Fruits,” and seen as a sign of high class. Rich Europeans who managed to obtain a pineapple would even carry it around, just to show off the fact that they owned it. [29]
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Section 5 of 5:

Crazy Historical Facts

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  1. Now, we come to the history facts that are so insane, they’re almost unbelievable—starting with this doozy. That’s right: because the main ingredient in urine is ammonia (a cleansing agent), ancient Romans actually used stale urine as a disinfecting and tooth-whitening mouthwash. One ancient Roman version of toothpaste was even mainly comprised of human urine and goat’s milk. [30]
  2. 2
    Some Ivy League universities took nude photos of incoming freshmen. Through the 1940s to the 1960s, several Ivy League schools—including Yale, Harvard, Vassar, Brown, Princeton, and Wellesley—routinely took these nude photographs for the purpose of assessing the students’ posture and health. This was part of a study by psychologist and eugenicist W.H. Sheldon, whose archives were acquired by the Smithsonian after his death; later, the photos were all sealed or destroyed.
    • Prominent and famous individuals, including Sylvia Plath, Nora Ephron, and Dick Cavett, have mentioned getting their photos taken this way.
  3. 3
    Dentures used to be made from dead soldiers’ teeth. As gruesome and macabre as it sounds, dentists really took the idiom “waste not, want not” to a whole new level. Before the 19th century, many dentures were made from the teeth of dead humans—in some cases, fallen soldiers. For example, after the Battle of Waterloo, dentists took teeth from thousands of deceased soldiers and used them to make dentures for the wealthy.
  4. 4
    The crew of the USS Indianapolis suffered history’s deadliest shark attack. Shark attacks are, thankfully, extremely rare overall. That’s what makes this case such a statistical anomaly! The USS Indianapolis was sunk on July 30, 1945, by a Japanese submarine, leaving survivors waiting in the water for days. Around 600 sailors died of exposure, dehydration, and near-constant shark attacks, making it perhaps the single greatest concentration of shark attacks in history.
    • The sharks were most likely drawn to the area by the blood in the water and explosions from the sinking ship.
    • After 4 days and nights in the water, only 316 sailors were rescued.
  5. 5
    Roughly one in every 200 men is a descendant of Genghis Khan. It’s unknown exactly how many children Khan—founder of the Mongol Empire—sired in his lifetime, though that number is estimated to be in the hundreds (or even thousands). Whatever the exact number is, it’s certainly high; DNA evidence suggests that Genghis Khan has over 16 million descendants today.
    • A 2003 study also determined that a specific Y chromosome could be connected to Khan, and that roughly 1 in 200 men worldwide carried that chromosome. That’s an astronomical number of descendants! [31]
  6. 6
    Mark Twain may have predicted his own death. Twain was born on November 30, 1835, two weeks after Halley’s comet came to perihelion (closest to Earth). In Twain’s 1909 autobiography, he wrote, “I came in with Halley’s comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don’t go out with Halley’s comet.” [32] Strangely, Twain did indeed pass away the day after the comet’s perihelion on April 21, 1910.
    • Twain seemingly had a sense of humor about the “prediction,” also writing, “The Almighty has said, no doubt, ‘Now there are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together.’” [33]
  7. 7
    Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini were all nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. It sounds so ridiculous it’s almost comical, but it’s true. Hitler was nominated in 1939 by a Swedish MP, and Mussolini was nominated the same year by an Italian professor. Stalin was nominated twice in 1945 and 1948. Thankfully, however, they didn’t win (to the entire world’s relief).
  8. 8
    One Englishman survived four notorious ship sinkings. As a stoker, Arthur Priest was a crewman responsible for putting coal in a ship’s boilers. However, stokers were among the most likely crewmen to die when a ship sank or took damage, since the seawater would flood their areas first. Nonetheless, Priest managed to survive the sinkings of the HMS Alcantara , the HMHS Britannic, the SS Donegal , and, of course, the RMS Titanic . [34]
    • If that wasn’t enough, Priest also survived collisions on the RMS Asturias’ maiden voyage in 1908 and aboard the RMS Olympic (a sister ship to the Titanic ).
    • For his uncanny survival skills, Priest was nicknamed the “unsinkable stoker.”
  9. 9
    A 19th-century children’s medicine was laced with an opiate. It’s no secret that people used to eat and drink some unbelievably unhealthy things in the times before modern medicine, and here’s yet another example. “Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup” was a popular medicine for children in the 19th century, and one of its main ingredients was actually morphine.
  10. 10
    The U.S. government deliberately poisoned alcohol during Prohibition. You read that correctly: in 1926, the federal government green-lit the “Noble Experiment” in an effort to discourage drinking alcohol. This involved lacing industrial alcohol with poison (such as methanol). Tragically, thousands of people died as a result of drinking the poisoned alcohol, and beyond that, some who drank the alcohol ended up blinded. [35]
  11. 11
    Before toilet paper, Americans used corn cobs. As unpleasant as it sounds, it’s true: in the time before toilet paper was widely available to all Americans, corn cobs were the simple and practical alternative. Some people even kept on using corn cobs for a time after toilet paper became available, just because they preferred it. Strange, right?
  12. Ever wondered how people used to get places on time before they had alarm clocks to wake them up? Well, in Britain, before the 1970s, you could hire people called “knocker-uppers.” They’d tap on your window to wake you up—and use things like long sticks, hammers, pea shooters, or rattles, just to make sure they were heard! [36]
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20150501-a-500-year-old-mummy-with-teeth
      2. ↑ https://books.google.com/books/about/L_Ordre_des_francs_maçons_trahi_et_Le_s.html?hl=en&id=_hRBAAAAcAAJ
      3. ↑ https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/maritime-history/library-archive/futility-how-novel-foreshadowed-sinking-titanic
      4. ↑ https://www.cromwellmuseum.org/cromwell/did-oliver-cromwell-ban-christmas
      5. ↑ https://www.glencairnmuseum.org/newsletter/2018/7/25/headrests-in-glencairns-egyptian-collection-practicality-and-protection
      6. ↑ https://news.byu.edu/intellect/geology-meets-history-byu-professor-studies-wwii-shrapnel-on-normandy-beaches
      7. ↑ https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1886/april/case-mignonette
      8. ↑ https://www.science.org/content/article/last-lonely-woolly-mammoths-faced-genomic-meltdown
      9. ↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=XsmpQgAACAAJ
      1. ↑ https://www.tastingtable.com/1497845/ketchup-origin-medicine/
      2. ↑ https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/july-4/thomas-jefferson-and-john-adams-die
      3. ↑ https://eartharchives.org/articles/fossil-hunters-unearth-galloping-dinosaur-eating-crocodiles-in-sahara/index.html
      4. ↑ https://www.history.com/articles/the-great-molasses-flood-of-1919
      5. ↑ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20940110/
      6. ↑ https://blog.sciencemuseum.org.uk/thomas-edisons-electric-pen/
      7. ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/newswatch/history/noflash/html/1930s.stm
      8. ↑ https://historyfacts.com/us-history/fact/abraham-lincoln-stored-important-documents-in-his-top-hat/
      9. ↑ https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/july-9/president-zachary-taylor-dies-unexpectedly
      10. ↑ https://www.audiology.org/the-loudest-known-sound-ever/
      11. ↑ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/university-oxford-older-than-aztec-empire-other-facts-will-change-your-perspective-history-1529607/
      12. ↑ https://www.turismoroma.it/en/places/circus-maximus
      13. ↑ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-the-misrepresentation-of-tomatoes-as-stinking-poison-apples-that-provoked-vomiting-made-people-afraid-of-them-for-more-than-200-years-863735/
      14. ↑ https://daily.jstor.org/french-king-who-believed-made-glass/
      15. ↑ https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/the-strange-story-of-einsteins-brain
      16. ↑ https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240227-how-julius-caesar-made-the-longest-year-in-history-and-brought-us-leap-years
      17. ↑ https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/12/03/248515217/why-chaucer-said-ax-instead-of-ask-and-why-some-still-do
      18. ↑ https://historyfacts.com/arts-culture/fact/john-steinbecks-dog-ate-the-first-draft-of-of-mice-and-men/
      19. ↑ https://thehistorianshut.com/2024/06/26/pythagoras-curious-relationship-with-beans/
      20. ↑ https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-53432877
      21. ↑ https://archive.org/details/highheelsboundfe0000lenk
      22. ↑ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1180246/
      23. ↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=XnRaAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA1511#v=onepage&q&f=false
      24. ↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=XnRaAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA1511#v=onepage&q&f=false
      25. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-17543632
      26. ↑ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2972336/
      27. ↑ https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-35840393

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