Everyone's talking about schools and modern education. How about this - Charlemagne’s court devised a poetic codex, *'Carmen de Algorismo'*, which detailed the art of computing with Arabic numerals. 9th-century business men actually used this for financial transactions. Sort of an earliest 'Excel for Dummies.'
Ever rage quit a board game? History's got you beat. Romans had this game called latrunculi or Ludus latrunculorum (basically Roman chess), but it was more than just a game. If you lost, sometimes you'd have to pay with actual blood or become the victor's servant. Hardcore mode: real life …
Y'all into Alice in Wonderland? Lewis Carroll was onto some bizarre stuff, but check this out - 'Mock Turtle' character was based on a real dish called Mock Turtle Soup, which was like a poor man's turtle soup, but made with a calf's head. Makes you think twice about the …
So everyone digs Henry VIII for his MANY wives, but did you know he was a trendsetter? He popularized this thing called a 'codpiece', basically like a pouch for your junk. Got too crazy when dudes started using them to smuggle stuff. Imagine getting caught with THAT search ...
**Wake up sheeple!** The Moon is a HOLOGRAM. Yeah, you heard me. Since ancient times they've been projecting it up there with alien tech. No wonder those moon landing photos looked dodgy. There's nothing to land on!
Just found this sub and holy heck I love it. Did y’all know about the Asparagus Wars?? In the 5th century, there were literally battles fought over the control of asparagus fields in Byzantium. People got seriously heated over those veggies... Imagine going to war over your dinner plate lmao.
In July 1518, in Strasbourg, a woman named Frau Troffea just started dancing and didn't stop. More people joined till hundreds were dancing. We’re talking weeks, without rest, resulting in deaths from heart attacks, strokes, and exhaustion. Historians still debate the cause, with theories ranging from mass hysteria to ergot …
The Dancing Plague of 1518 seems straight out of fiction, but it's a well-documented historical event. In July 1518, citizens of Strasbourg (then part of the Holy Roman Empire) were struck by a sudden and uncontrollable urge to dance. The affliction began with a woman, Frau Troffea, and rapidly spread …
Just read this wild thing where Napoleon Bonaparte had a ring filled with poison just in case he needed a quick exit strategy. Not kidding, this ring had a tiny compartment for poison. But get this, the dude survived his wars, got exiled, and still didn't use it? I guess …
So we all know about the American Prohibition in the 1920s, but did y'all know Canada had its own version? Except Canada’s ban on the booze started earlier, around the time of WWI. The wild part? It didn't really stop anyone. Instead of speakeasies, they had 'Blind pigs' where you'd …
This one's a saint to remember, folks. Saint Denis, the patron saint of Paris, was decapitated on Montmartre but didn't really call it quits. Legend says, after his head tumbled off, he just picked it up and marched off, preaching a sermon the whole way. Now that's dedication to your …
Yeah, so apparently Julius Caesar had his own Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Some Roman historians wrote about these 'fiery shields' flying across the sky. Bro, were the Romans just tripping, or were they getting alien visits? I bet ET was just checking out the Roman babes, lol.
You read that right. In the Victorian Era, death was so rampant due to all sorts of diseases that peeps started getting comfy with it—*too* comfy. They'd pose with their recently departed fam for a final family portrait. Some of these post-mortem photographs have the deceased dressed up, seated, and …
lol, imagine being such a rowdy bird that you get booted from a president's funeral. heard from a friend that andrew jacksons parrot had such a dirty beak the priest was like 'nah this ain't holy' and had him removed. guess old hickory taught him a few choice words #parrotswithattitude
In the 2000s, a man from Ukraine tried making gum. He wanted it so sour, he dipped it, chewed it, rinsed it, and repeated. But one day, the man accidentally placed it on an explosive, and then...BOOM! His gum exploded in his mouth, then his jaws got exposed, and he …
Mind-blowing fact of the day: Cleopatra lived closer to the invention of the iPhone than she did to the building of the Great Pyramid of Giza. The pyramid was finished around 2560 BCE, while Cleo was chilling on the throne from 51-30 BCE. Puts things into perspective, huh?
While it's common knowledge that Julius Caesar was a powerful Roman dude, most folks don't know about his high-seas adventure. Young Caesar got snatched up by pirates! These weren't your typical movie pirates, though; they were sophisticated and organized. Demanding a ransom of 20 talents, Caesar laughed it off, telling …
Ever hear about *The Great Stink*? In the summer of 1858, London was chokin' in the heat, and the city's main sewage, which flowed straight into the Thames, began to ferment. It was a sticky, hot mess that stank to high heaven. MPs in the Houses of Parliament were gagging; …
Napoleon Bonaparte, military genius, right? Well, not always, especially not when it came to bunnies. After signing the Treaty of Tilsit, Napoleon wanted to celebrate with a rabbit hunt. So, his chief of staff rounded up, like, thousands of bunnies for the big event. Thing is, they used tame rabbits …
guys i just found out beethoven was a huge fan of mac n cheese n like he'd have it with LOADS of cheese. that's pretty much the most relatable thing i've heard about a classical composer. just imagine him droppin' sick symphonies and then munchin' on some cheesy pasta XD
So you've probably heard of the Emu War, but y'all, this thing was wilder than you can imagine. In 1932, Australia faced an unexpected enemy: emus. Post-WWI, ex-soldiers and British veterans took up farming within Western Australia, and these flightless birds started to rampage their crops. Farmers lobbied for military …
Y'all, someone's uncle took a joke far enough to start their own country. Prince Leonard of the Principality of Hutt River didn't want to pay wheat production quotas in Australia back in 1970, so he said "fuck it, I'll start my own place". Fast forward and you've got the Hutt …
yo did u know?? Victorian folks were all prim n proper with a secret - they loved them some ink! Even the royalty weren't immune. Prince Bertie, Queen Vic's eldest, had himself a Jerusalem Cross on his arm he got on a visit to the Holy Land. Dudes and ladies …
Alright folks, hold onto ur hats, coz this one's a doozy. Let's time travel to 1518, Strasbourg, where the Dancing Plague made folks dance till they dropped – literally. It all started with Mrs. Troffea boppin' her way out into the street, and she didn't stop for days. Six days …
lol ok hear me out. so the soviets in 1959 decided to show the moon some love by crash landing their Luna 2 probe on it. like, BAM! first humanmade object on the moon. but wait, they didn't forget to leave a gift. they had these 'pennants' aboard Luna, basically …
Picture it: London, 1814. You don't hear about this from the history teachers - a deadly flood that wasn't water... but beer. The Meux and Company Brewery was home to a colossal vat that held 135,000 imperial gallons of beer, and one day that bad boy gave out. The pressure …
Napoleon, big shot general, Emperor of France, got smacked down...by rabbits. TRUE STORY. After signing the Treaty of Tilsit, Nabob Nappy wanted to celebrate with a bang. His crew rounded up hundreds of bunnies for a grand hunt. Except the bunnies didn't get the 'fear humans' memo. These fluffy menaces …
Buckle up for this wild chapter from church history – The Cadaver Synod! It's as grim as it gets. Pope Formosus died in 896, but that was just the start of his troubles. His successor, Pope Stephen VI, had beef. And what do you do when your rival is dead? …
lmao ok so we all know wars, but get this: The Great Emu War in Australia, 1932. No joke, it’s a real thing. Emus were basically everywhere, eating crops, running amok. The farmers were fed up. The solution? Send in the troops – armed with machine guns. But the emus? …
Ever ponder the origin of the fortune cookie as you crack one open to reveal your fate? Contrary to popular belief, it’s not from China. It was actually a 19th-century Kyoto thing! They were called 'tsujiura senbei' and these cookies contained random fortunes named 'tsujiura'. Fast forward to early 1900s …
During WWI and WWII, people used to disguise bombs as containers of food. When people touched the containers, they would explode. At least it wasn't harmful, since they were designed to be a joke by the soldiers. They even hid the real deal so when exploded the real deal would …
Y'all need to realize, the Dancing Plague was not just some quirky event. Hundreds of people in Strasbourg just started dancing for no reason and some DANCED TO DEATH. Someone's always ruling out poisoning or mass hysteria, but IMHO that's just the establishment hiding the truth. They don't wanna admit …
In the late 18th century, there was this dude in London nicknamed the 'Monster' who'd slash women's dresses, sometimes even wounding them. It caused such an uproar, there were 'monster-catchers' roaming the streets. And women carried special 'monster-traps' which were like spikes they’d hide in their dresses. The man they …
Supposedly, Julius Caesar got kidnapped by pirates before he was famous. He joked they didn't know who they caught and demanded they raise his ransom. He lived with them like pals, promised to crucify them later, and lol he actually did once he was freed. Absolute madlad.
Ever hear about Floriography? It's like emoji of the 1800s. People would send bouquets to communicate secret messages. Each flower had a meaning, so you could like, propose with a bunch of flowers or call someone a liar to their face without saying a word. #Savage.
yo so theres this baker in ancient rome who would write insults on his bread so when ppl broke it they got roasted. like imagine getting ur daily bread & it says 'you're a glutton' 😂 ancient roman trolls, man
Mike the Headless Chicken is a true story, folks. In 1945, a farmer named Lloyd Olsen went to chop off Mike's head, but somehow this chicken survived decapitation. Mike lived for 18 months after and became a sideshow sensation. Vets think a blood clot prevented him from bleeding out, and …
Did y'all know Australia once had a military operation against emus?! Like, in 1932, the farmers were like 'Emus are wrecking our crops!' and the military stepped in with machine guns. Spoiler: the emus won.
Bro, did ya know Nero, yeah the 'Rome-burner,' actually created a fire brigade? After the big fire in 64 AD, he formed the 'Vigiles' to fight fires. But check this, some say he was *those guys* at the campfire who pretend to help but really just wanna watch it burn …
Imagine walking home and you’re suddenly swimming in molasses. That happened in Boston, 1919. A storage tank busted and unleashed a 25-foot-high wave of molasses. It ran through streets, took down buildings, and even killed people. It was called the Boston Molasses Disaster. Cleanup took months, and locals say on …
Ever talk to someone so dumb you wished your pet was in the convo instead? Well, Caligula, the Roman Emperor, took it to the next level. He tried to make his horse, Incitatus, a consul. Like one of the highest-ranking officials in Rome. Now, historians argue if he was serious …
The Defenestrations of Prague are one of those historical events that sound more like a Monty Python sketch. This involved literally throwing people out of windows as a form of political protest. Not once, but on THREE separate occasions (1419, 1483, 1618). The third time sparked the Thirty Years' War, …
u guys ever heard of 'Operation Paul Bunyan'?? So back in '76, North Korea chopped down a tree in the Korean DMZ, and it got two US soldiers killed. The US response? Operation Paul Bunyan—cut down the tree with a SHOW OF FORCE. They sent in taekwondo dudes, South Korean …
Alright folks, let's get into one of the most insane manipulations in history that literally caused a war. The Ems Telegram, 1870. Bismarck gets a telegram about negotiations between France and Prussia, which were kinda tense, to put it mildly. He edits this telegram to make it sound mega disrespectful. …
So I just stumbled upon this while reading about ol' Benji Franklin. Turns out, he regularly took what he called 'air baths,' where he'd just chill in his room *without* any clothes on for an hour or so. Totally naked. His reasoning? He thought it was healthy to let his …
There was a time when there was literally a war between people and birds. Australians called the war the Emu War. And guess what? There was only 1 bird in the war: the big emu. Also, to tell you, the humans didn't win. The birds won. A lot of people …
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Whopper1
Ever spent all your money on flowers? 'Cause that's what folks were doing in the Dutch Golden Age. They called it Tulip Mania, and it was the first major financial bubble. Tulips got super popular and suddenly they're being traded for the price of a house! But then everybody was …
Trepanation is the ancient practice of drilling holes into the skull, and it’s been done for thousands of years across various cultures—seriously, since like the Stone Age. Why, you ask? Well, it was believed to cure seizures, migraines, and mental disorders, among other ailments. But here’s the freaky part: evidence …
So, Genghis Khan, right? Killed so many peeps that he basically cooled the planet. How’s that for a climate change strategy? LOL! The man's battles and massacres were so brutal they wiped out entire civilizations, leaving loads of land to reforest. Scientists say it might've scrubbed nearly 700 million tons …
You guys will love this one—so in 1817, this woman pops up in England claiming she’s Princess Caraboo from a far-off island. She had everyone bamboozled with her exotic dress, language, and customs. Even had a freakin’ portrait painted of her! She gets treated like royalty until a nosy local …
So, these weird little 12-sided objects keep popping up all over former Roman territories, and nobody's really sure what the heck they were used for. About the size of your palm and made from stone or bronze, these doodads have holes of different sizes on each face, some even beautifully …
omg so i just found out about post-mortem photography and its creepy af. Victorians would take pictures with their dead loved ones, like, fully dressed up and posed as if they were alive 😳 gotta say, death rituals were something else back then...
Alright, buckle up, folks, 'cause you're not gonna believe this one. So back in 1932, Australia faced an unexpected adversary: Emus—yep, the big birds. After WWI, veterans and farmers were given land in Western Australia to grow crops, but then about 20,000 emus came migrating after their breeding season, trampling …
Bro, back in the day, if you were beardless and that wasn't the look you wanted, what do you do? In the Victorian era, you could LEASE a beard! 😂 I mean, real talk, imagine walking into 'Rent-A-Beard' and strapping on someone else's facial hair for a date. It's like …
Everyone blames diseases or wars for mass deaths, but I'll give you something new: hats. Hear me out. So in the 18th/19th centuries, beaver fur was big for hat-making, right? Well, hatters used mercury to process the fur, which led to mercury poisoning, hence the saying 'mad as a hatter'. …
Apparently newspapers been trolling since forever. 1835, the New York Sun prints a series of articles about life on the moon - unicorns, bipedal beavers, and even human-bat creatures (I mean, c'mon). People bought it, literally. Sales went through the roof. Guess fake news sells even without social media, huh? …
You need a break from high-brow history? Let's talk Pompeii graffiti. These people were savage! Lots of 'I was here' but then it gets spicy with stuff like *'Secundus defecated here'* - talk about oversharing. And the romance drama - like who cheated on who. It's like they invented soap …
So lemme get this straight, back in the days, like early 1900s, pink was considered a color for boys and blue was more for girls? How did it all change? Someone said it's cause blue was seen as delicate and pink was 'stronger'. Weird how stuff flips huh?
Ever had that tune stuck in ur head u just _had_ to dance? In 1518, Frau Troffea of Strasbourg couldn't stop dancing. No music, just non-stop feet going for about a week - then it spread. Up to 400 folks joined in, and it wasn't a flash mob - ppl …
Just gonna drop this here... Australia legit fought a war against EMUS in 1932 lol. Big birds were destroying crops, so the military got involved, but surprise surprise, the emus were tactical geniuses 😂 Emu commanders (lol) outmaneuvered the Aussies so bad they had to withdraw. 1-0 to the emus.
It sounds like a joke, but in 1919 the Boston Molasses Disaster was no laughing matter. A huge storage tank burst, and 2.3 million gallons of molasses flooded the streets at around 35 mph! It demolished buildings, took down horses, and trapped people. They had to swim in it to …
You think your boss's pet projects are pointless? Let's talk Caligula. The guy was nuttier than a Snickers bar. Made his horse, Incitatus, a senator and even wanted to make him a consul. Some say it was all to mock the senate, others that he was just bonkers. The horse …
Folks, this one's straight outta a noir film, but 100% real. Strap in for the tale of John George Haigh. This fella was a smooth-talking, well-dressed con artist in 1940s England. What was his hobby, you ask? Oh, just dissolving his victims in sulfuric acid and forging papers to sell …
Just learnt bout this and it's wild. In 1815, Mount Tambora in Indonesia went BOOM - like, biggest eruption in 10,000 years. It chucked so much ash into the air that 1816 got tagged as the ‘Year Without a Summer’ ‘cause it messed with the global climate bad. Snow in …
Haha you beard bros are gonna love this. Back in the Victorian era, docs actually told dudes to grow beards as a sort of pre-mask filter against diseases. Said it would trap all the germs before they could get in your mouth and nose. Imagine walking around with a face …
lol so apparently humans can lose to birds? back in 1932, Australia had what they call the Emu War. These big ol' birds were wreaking havoc on the crops in Western Australia right? So the military steps in with machine guns (yes, MACHINE GUNS) to take out the emus. But …
Y'all ever heard of King Tut's tomb? Alright, so check this out, the Vikings were like 'hold my mead'. The Oseberg ship, right? It's a well-preserved Viking ship discovered in a burial mound in Norway and it's from the early 9th century. But here's the crazy part - they found …
Let's add a bit of mystery to this weird history. Ever heard of **Theodosia Burr Alston**? She was the daughter of Aaron Burr, yep, the Vice President who shot Alexander Hamilton. Anyway, she boarded a ship in 1812 to visit her dad and vanished without a trace. Some say the …
Guys, guys, guys, did you know there was literally a war fought over a bucket? Yep, the War of the Oaken Bucket in 1325 between Modena and Bologna in Italy started because some Modenese soldiers swiped a wooden bucket from a Bologna well. It led to a full-out battle with …
Hairdos, am I right? They can be a pain. But in the 16th century, they were deadly! Women used to coat their hair with lye to achieve that coveted red look. Lye is super caustic and could lead to hair loss and chronic headaches. Rumor has it, even Queen Elizabeth …
New here, but gotta share this story I stumbled upon. Ever heard of Tarrare from the 1700s? Dude could eat anything. Literally, ANYTHING. His appetite was never satisfied – he'd gobble up corks, stones, live animals, and get this, even a whole eel without chewing. Military docs even used him …
All y'all talking about weird history, but we're living in the heavyweight champ of weird times. I mean, we just made celebrities out of people famous for eating Tide pods. That's historical levels of stupid, amirite?
lol imagine giving your horse political power 😂. Caligula, that crazy Roman Emperor, did just that, or so they say. He supposedly made his horse, Incitatus, a senator and even wanted to make him a consul. I mean, politics can be a circus, but that's next level!
So everyone's heard of self-made millionaires, right? But have you heard about Timothy Dexter, the luckiest businessman of the 18th century? Dude was an uneducated farm boy who married a wealthy widow and 'invested' in pure nonsense. By pure chance, he made a fortune by shipping **coal to Newcastle**, which …
You ever read about trial by ordeal? Back in medieval times they'd throw you into a river to see if you were innocent. If you float, you're guilty 'cause the water, being so pure, rejects you. If you sink, congrats, you're innocent (but also drowning). Justice system 10/10, would trial …
Ok, so kinda new to all this history stuff, but I stumbled upon something called the Great Emu War in Australia. Soldiers literally went to war with emus and... the emus won?! I need someone to explain this to me. We're talking about the same big feathered goofballs that run …
So canned food became a thing in the early 1800s, right? But no one thought of inventing a can opener until like 50 YEARS later. People seriously used chisels and hammers to open cans before then. Imagine planning a romantic dinner and having to bust out the toolkit to open …
We think memes are this modern phenomenon but y’all, ancient Romans were scribbling graffiti all over Pompeii that was basically the same thing. Like, there's one that reads 'I screwed the barmaid' - tell me that's not the 1st-century version of a meme. They had political stuff, insults, declarations of …
WWI was wild y'all. Russian army noticed a walrus messing with their submarine nets. Instead of, idk, getting rid of it? They decided to make it part of the army! Named it 'Warlus.' Bet it did a better job than some humans. Walrus > Humans. Change my mind.
lol did u guys kno IKEA’s horse-shaped meatballs were named after the founder’s horse who was dyslexic? i mean come on, imagine your horse writing your name backwards and you're like 'that's it, new meatball name right there!' i can't even w/ history sometimes 😂
Joshua Abraham Norton is a name not everyone knows, but this guy literally declared himself 'Norton I, Emperor of the United States' in 1859. San Francisco citizens actually played along with his claim! He even issued his own money which was accepted at local establishments. The dude was broke but …
Think Dr. Seuss was just about green eggs and ham? Nope. Before the kids' books, he drew some pretty racist political cartoons during WWII. Sure, he did a full 180 later, but that stuff's pretty jarring when you see it. It’s like finding out Santa was a tax evader—it messes …
imagine it's so smelly in London that Parliament has to dip. That's what went down in the Great Stink of 1858. The Thames was literally an open sewer, and that summer was hot af which made the smell unbearable. It got so bad that they had to close down the …
So, back in Victorian times when photography was a new, pricey marvel, people had this creepy yet kinda understandable habit of taking photos with their deceased loved ones. It's super eerie to look at them because they often propped up the dead to look alive, surrounded by family. They called …
Everyone keeps sayin Napoleon was a short king, a 'Napoleon complex' and all. Saw a post here talkin about it again, and I'm like... do your homework. The guy was actual average height for his time. French inches were longer than English ones, so the translation got bungled and now …
**Ancient Rome had its fair share of crazy rulers, but yall ever heard about Caligula's horse?** So Emperor Gaius, known to many as Caligula, was one quirky dude with some outlandish antics. The most outrageous tale about him is his love for his horse, Incitatus. The story goes,the horse had …
Australia once waged war against emus... and lost. srsly. After WWI, ex-soldiers and British veterans were given land in Western Australia to grow wheat. But come the Great Depression, wheat prices fell and farmers were struggling. Enter our feathered fiends: thousands of emus migrating and feasting on crops. The desperate …
So, this is one for the books. Medieval times were nuts, get this: In July 1518, residents of Strasbourg (then part of the Holy Roman Empire) were struck by a sudden and uncontrollable urge to dance. The Dancing Plague, as it became known, affected many and it lasted for about …