- What do the pig, the sea, and beer have in common?
Do you think you know all the hilarious true stories from history that are on this list? Like the beer tsunami?
The Emperor Who Declared War on the Sea
According to the Roman historian Suetonius, Emperor Caligula ordered his soldiers to collect seashells from the English Channel after his planned conquest of Britain went nowhere. He supposedly declared the shells “spoils of the ocean.” Whether every detail is accurate is debated, but ancient historians clearly wanted us to know that Caligula had some extremely questionable ideas.
The Pope Who Put a Dead Man on Trial
In 897, Pope Stephen VI had the corpse of his predecessor, Pope Formosus, dug out of its grave. They dressed the decomposing body in papal robes, sat it on a throne, and conducted a trial. Formosus was declared guilty. His corpse was then stripped, and eventually thrown into the Tiber River. This became known as the Cadaver Synod. Did you know about this as one of the hilarious true stories?
The Army That Lost a Battle to Birds
In 1932, Australian soldiers were sent to deal with emus destroying crops. They had machine guns. The emus had speed, numbers, and apparently excellent tactical instincts. The soldiers struggled to kill them efficiently, and the operation became a public-relations disaster. The phrase “Emu War” became famous.
The Pig That Started an International Crisis
In 1859, an American farmer on San Juan Island shot a pig belonging to the British Hudson’s Bay Company after finding it eating his potatoes. Instead of simply saying “sorry about your pig,” both sides got involved in a territorial dispute. British and American forces eventually occupied the island. The crisis lasted months. The pig was the only casualty.
The Beer Tsunami
In London in 1814, a giant vat at the Meux Brewery ruptured. More than half a million liters of beer flooded the surrounding neighborhood. Buildings were damaged and eight people died. Imagine living in London and hearing that the neighborhood disaster was caused by an actual wave of beer. Did you know about this as one of the hilarious true stories?
The King Who Fought His Own Clothes
Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI reportedly became trapped while hunting after his clothing caught on something. The story is probably embellished, but historical anecdotes about rulers getting into ridiculous situations were extremely popular. Being a king apparently did not protect you from embarrassing wardrobe malfunctions.
The Great Stink
London’s River Thames became so contaminated with sewage during the summer of 1858 that the smell became unbearable. The odor reportedly invaded the Houses of Parliament. Politicians who had spent years ignoring London’s sewage problem suddenly became much more interested in fixing it.
What do you think of these hilarious true stories from history? Tell us what you think in the comments and watch for part two!