Do you know about the book 1984? At this point in time, it’s literal history but back then, people had thoughts. Some readers thought Orwell was predicting 1984 literally. The title was so specific that people sometimes treated the novel almost like a forecast rather than a warning about political tendencies. The year 1984 sounded …
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It’s not nice to call someone ugly. Fortunately, animals won’t understand or care if we do so. There are plenty of critters out in the wild whose looks don’t exactly align with human aesthetic preferences. Of course, each of them looks the way it does for a reason and might be very attractive to members …
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Have you read 7 Hilarious True Stories From History: Part One? Because this is part two. The War That Lasted Less Than an Hour The Anglo-Zanzibar War of 1896 lasted approximately 38–45 minutes. British forces bombarded the Sultan’s palace, and the conflict was essentially finished almost immediately. It remains one of history’s best examples of …
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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. …
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Do you know the history of children working in dangerous Victorian industries? These kids were worked to the literal bone. Children worked in coal mines. Some children worked underground or around mine entrances, performing repetitive jobs such as opening and closing ventilation doors. The work could involve darkness, dust, exhausting hours, and serious accident risks. …
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You’ve surely heard the urban legend about how we swallow 10 or so spiders while sleeping over our lives. Fortunately, that’s not true. Most animals want nothing to do with your gaping, snoozing maw. This bat obviously didn’t get that memo, though. Dr. Krista Edelman had a nightmarish wake-up recently. Her harmless, if a bit …
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Do you know about these shipwrecks with disturbing stories? Are there any missing from the list that are shocking enough to add? The SS Arctic (1854) — The Arctic collided with the French ship Vesta in the Atlantic. The ship’s lifeboats were insufficient for everyone aboard, and the evacuation became chaotic. Of roughly 400 people …
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What do you know about death in the Victorian era? Do you think these facts will surprise you? Mourning could become an entire lifestyle. When someone died, surviving relatives were expected to follow elaborate social rules governing clothing, behavior, socializing, and even how long they should remain in mourning. Black clothing wasn’t just a fashion …
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What do you think you know about the history of human experimentation? Do you believe that it was horrible? Anatomists sometimes obtained bodies illegally. Before modern laws regulated human remains, medical schools desperately needed cadavers for dissection. In 18th- and 19th-century Britain and America, “resurrection men” made money by secretly digging up recently buried bodies …
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In the rolling hills of northern Italy is an immaculately preserved, thousands of years old amphitheater of ancient Greek construction. It’s a prime tourist spot, with glowing reviews praising the structure and its genius discoverer. And none of it is real. Not even the reviews. Italian courts recently wrapped up a bizarre fraud case over …
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