Weird History Facts
Did you know that in ancient Greece, doctors used to diagnose diseases by tasting their patients’ urine?
In the 16th century, people believed that bathing could cause illness, so they rarely bathed.
During the Victorian era, women used to wear dresses made of highly flammable materials, which often led to deadly accidents.
The Great Emu War actually happened in Australia, when emus overran farmland and were declared enemies of the state.
In the 19th century, doctors believed that inhaling tobacco smoke could cure asthma.
The shortest war in history was between Britain and Zanzibar in 1896, lasting only 38 minutes.
Ancient Romans used to clean their teeth with urine, as they believed it had whitening properties.
King Henry VIII of England had a hat with a feather that was so heavy, it required a dwarf to hold it upright.
In the early 20th century, radioactive substances were used in everyday products such as toothpaste and cosmetics.
During the Middle Ages, people believed that wearing a necklace made from weasel testicles could prevent pregnancy.
Cleopatra, the last pharaoh of Egypt, was actually of Macedonian Greek heritage.
The medieval belief in bloodletting involved draining a patient’s blood to cure various illnesses.
In the 17th century, tulip bulbs were so valuable in the Netherlands that they were used as currency.
The ancient Mayans used to play a ball game where the losers were often sacrificed.
Weird History Facts part 2
In the 18th century, people believed that powdered mummies had medicinal properties and used them as a cure-all.
During the Salem Witch Trials, accusing someone of being a witch became a way to settle personal grudges.
Ancient Egyptians used to shave their eyebrows to mourn the death of their cats.
The Great Fire of London in 1666 was started by a small spark in a bakery’s oven.
In the 19th century, fashionable women wore dresses with huge crinolines that could reach up to six feet in diameter.
The word dinosaur was coined in 1842 by Sir Richard Owen.
The ancient city of Pompeii was preserved by volcanic ash and rediscovered in 1748.
Before the invention of the clock, people used knocker-upper services, where someone would tap on their window to wake them up.
The US President Thomas Jefferson was known for wearing slippers made from the fur of a silver fox.
Cleopatra owned a perfume factory where she produced different scents using various ingredients, including elephant dung.
During the Middle Ages, people believed that mythological creatures like unicorns and griffins actually existed.
In the 16th century, Queen Elizabeth I of England used to wear lead-based makeup, which eventually poisoned her.
The Aztecs used to play a game where the losing captain would be sacrificed to the gods.
Ancient Egyptians considered the donkey to be a sacred animal, often burying them with honors.
The first computer programmer was a woman named Ada Lovelace, who wrote algorithms for Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine in the 1840s.
The Great Wall of China was built using a sticky rice mixture as mortar.
During the Middle Ages, left-handed people were often accused of witchcraft and subjected to persecution.
The famous Mona Lisa painting was stolen from the Louvre Museum in 1911 and was missing for two years.
In the 17th century, people used to wear patches made from mouse skin on their face to cover up smallpox scars.
Vikings used to believe that yawning was caused by an invisible spirit trying to pull their soul out of their body.
The largest empire in history, the Mongol Empire, was founded by Genghis Khan in the 13th century.
In Roman times, the punishment for killing one’s father was to be sewn into a sack with a dog, a rooster, a viper, and a monkey, then thrown into a river.
The Great Pyramid of Giza was the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3,800 years.
In the 19th century, it was believed that taking a picture of someone would steal their soul.
During the Middle Ages, the term hocus pocus originated from a fake Latin phrase used by amateur magicians.
The shortest reigning pope in history was Pope Benedict IX, who served for less than two months.
The first recorded selfie was taken by Robert Cornelius in 18
In the 19th century, it was common for people to wear arsenic-laced fabric dye, which often caused poisoning.
Ancient Egyptians used to wear makeup made from crushed beetles, which gave them a vibrant red color.
During the Renaissance, people used to believe that wearing a mummy’s hand as an amulet would bring good luck.
The longest war in history lasted 781 years and was fought between the Isles of Scilly and the Netherlands, even though they had actually forgotten about it.