Incredible Historical Facts

Facts by Category

Antibiotics in Ancient Egypt: The ancient Egyptians used moldy bread to treat infections, a practice that actually involved traces of penicillin.
Cleopatra and Time: Cleopatra lived closer in time to the invention of the iPhone than to the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Pyramid Workers Were Paid in Beer: The builders of the Great Pyramid were paid in bread and beer, not slaves as commonly believed.
Egyptians Loved Board Games: The Egyptians enjoyed playing a game called Senet, an early precursor to modern board games.
King Tut’s Tomb Was Discovered by Accident: Howard Carter found King Tut’s tomb in 1922 after stumbling upon it while searching for another tomb.

Roman Public Toilets: The Romans used shared sponges on sticks as cleaning tools in their sophisticated public toilets.
A Horse in the Senate: Emperor Caligula appointed his favorite horse, Incitatus, as a senator to mock the Roman political system.
Rome Had No Police Force: Despite its size, ancient Rome had no formal police force; public order was maintained by citizens and soldiers.
Roman Concrete Was Stronger than Modern Concrete: Roman concrete structures have lasted over 2,000 years, thanks to the volcanic ash in their mixture.
Gladiators Rarely Fought to the Death: Contrary to Hollywood depictions, most gladiators didn’t fight to the death, as they were valuable investments for their owners.

Pigeon Heroism in WWII: A pigeon named Cher Ami saved 194 soldiers' lives by delivering a critical message while severely injured during World War I.
The First Bomb on Berlin: The first bomb dropped on Berlin during WWII killed an elephant in the Berlin Zoo.
Hitler’s Niece Was His Alleged Lover: Geli Raubal, Hitler’s niece, was rumored to have had a close and troubling relationship with him before her mysterious death.
US Soldiers Were Paid in War Rations: During WWII, some American soldiers received war rations as part of their salary, including chocolate bars.
The Swiss Army Prepared to Blow Up the Alps: During WWII, Switzerland had a plan to blow up its Alpine tunnels to defend against a possible Nazi invasion.
A Japanese Pilot Survived Pearl Harbor and the Atomic Bomb: Tsutomu Yamaguchi was present at both Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima, surviving both attacks.

The Black Death Created a Labor Shortage: The Black Death killed so many people in Europe that labor became scarce, leading to better wages for survivors.
Knights Were Wealthy Landowners: Contrary to popular belief, knights were typically wealthy landowners who fought to protect their estates, not wandering adventurers.
The "Dark Ages" Had Bright Innovations: While known as a time of decline, the Middle Ages saw significant innovations, such as the mechanical clock and eyeglasses.
The First Universities Were Founded: The world's first universities, like those in Bologna and Oxford, were founded in the Middle Ages to promote learning.
Viking Women Had More Rights than European Women: Viking women could own property, divorce their husbands, and even rule kingdoms.

Christopher Columbus Was Not the First to Discover America: The Norse explorer Leif Erikson reached North America 500 years before Columbus.
Magellan Didn’t Circumnavigate the Globe: Ferdinand Magellan’s crew completed the first circumnavigation of the Earth, but Magellan himself died before finishing the journey.
Marco Polo May Have Never Reached China: Some historians believe Marco Polo fabricated parts of his famous journey to China, as there’s no solid evidence he actually went there.
James Cook Was Killed by Hawaiians: The famous British explorer James Cook was killed by native Hawaiians during his third voyage in the Pacific.

Napoleon’s Height: Contrary to myth, Napoleon was 1.68 meters tall, which was average for men of his time.
Hitler Was Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize: In 1939, a Swedish politician sarcastically nominated Adolf Hitler for the Nobel Peace Prize, before quickly withdrawing the nomination.
Einstein Was Offered the Presidency of Israel: Albert Einstein, known for his contributions to physics, was offered the presidency of Israel in 1952, which he declined.
Shakespeare Invented More Than 1,700 Words: William Shakespeare is credited with inventing over 1,700 words still used in the English language today.
Leonardo da Vinci Was Ambidextrous: The famous artist and inventor could write and paint with both hands, a rare and highly valuable skill.

The US Planned to Bomb the Moon: During the Cold War, the US considered detonating a nuclear bomb on the Moon to demonstrate military superiority over the Soviet Union.
The Great Wall is Not Visible from Space: Contrary to popular belief, the Great Wall of China cannot be seen from space with the naked eye.
The First Computer Bug Was an Actual Bug: The first recorded computer bug was a moth found in a computer in 1947, giving birth to the term "bug."
The First Vending Machine Dispensed Holy Water: The first known vending machine, created in ancient Egypt, dispensed holy water in temples.
The Internet Was Originally Called "ARPANET": The precursor to the internet, ARPANET, was developed by the US Department of Defense in the 1960s to connect research institutions.

The Shortest War in History: The Anglo-Zanzibar War of 1896 lasted only 38 minutes, making it the shortest war in recorded history.
The Longest Duel: A French duel between two officers, Dupont and Fournier, lasted 19 years and involved multiple confrontations over disagreements.
Queen Elizabeth I Never Took a Bath: It was said that Queen Elizabeth I took a bath only once a month, "whether she needed it or not."
A Stray Dog Became a Sergeant in WWI: A stray dog named Sergeant Stubby became the most decorated war dog of WWI, helping to save lives and raise morale.
A Chicken Lived Without Its Head for 18 Months: In 1945, a chicken named Mike lived for 18 months after its head was chopped off, being fed with a dropper.

Titanic Ignored Iceberg Warning: The Titanic could have avoided disaster, but a crucial iceberg warning was ignored by the radio operator, who was busy sending passenger messages.
Antarctica Has an ATM: There is a single ATM in Antarctica located at McMurdo Station for the researchers stationed there.
Vatican City Has Its Own Radio Station: Vatican City operates its own radio station, broadcasting in over 40 languages worldwide.
Sharks Are Older Than Trees: Sharks have existed for over 400 million years, while trees appeared about 350 million years ago.
Wombat Poop is Cube-Shaped: Wombats, native to Australia, produce cube-shaped poop to mark their territory.