All  

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ Mobile

Weird Facts

The world’s history books teach us about famous figures, ancient civilizations and important events that have shaped our world. But there is so much more to history than just the ‘big moments’. History is full of weird and wonderful tales, bizarre events, quirky people, and strange happenings, and it is these ‘weird facts’ that bring to life our past in a way that is fun, amusing and sometimes shocking!

George Spencer was hanged in 1642 for allegedly fathering an ugly pig. Source: Jo / Adobe Stock
10 June, 2022 - 01:58 Alicia McDermott

17th-Century Scandal! One-Eyed Man Hanged for Fathering an Ugly Pig

George Spencer has gone down in history for being the second person executed in Connecticut, USA. His crime? Allegedly fathering an ugly piglet.Records paint an unflattering image of George Spencer...
A Rhynchites auratus weevil. Source: Florian / Adobe Stock
9 June, 2022 - 01:59 Cecilia Bogaard

The Trial of the Weevils: When French Winemakers Took Insects to Court

One surprising quirk about life in medieval times is that people could, and did, take animals and insects to court and try them as if they were humans. While there is scant verifiable evidence on the...
Russian with a beard. Source: venerala / Adobe Stock
8 June, 2022 - 01:59 Joanna Gillan

Peter the Great Ordered a Beard Tax to Discourage Russian Facial Hair!

Peter the Great (1672 – 1725 AD), ruler of the Tsardom of Russia, was so hellbent on modernizing Russia according to European standards that he ordered all men to ditch their long overcoats and shave...
Oxford University overlaid with Aztec sun stone. Source: luisrsphoto / Adobe Stock / ryanking999 /Adobe Stock
4 June, 2022 - 02:00 Alicia McDermott

The University of Oxford is Older than the Aztec Civilization!

The University of Oxford is so old that its existence predates the Aztec civilization by more than 200 years! Here are the facts: People were learning at the University of Oxford by 1096 and the...
A gentleman and a moustache cup. Source: be free / Adobe Stock
3 June, 2022 - 01:59 Cecilia Bogaard

British Gentlemen Drank From Moustache Cups that Protected Their Facial Hair

The attitude to facial hair throughout history has been exceptionally fickle, and the moustache is no exception. As fashions have come and gone, so too have the tools and accessories for grooming and...
Naked Warriors: Celtic Mercenaries Went to War in the Buff
2 June, 2022 - 01:58 Joanna Gillan

Naked Warriors: Celtic Mercenaries Went to War in the Buff

It would take a lot of confidence and courage to face up to a heavily-armored Roman army with neither armor nor clothing. But this is precisely what a band of Celtic mercenaries known as the Gaesatae...
King Charles VI had a glass delusion. Source: LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS / Adobe Stock
31 May, 2022 - 23:01 Caleb Strom

Troubled King Charles VI of France Believed He Was Made of Glass

For several centuries, beginning around the 14th century AD, a strange affliction known as the ‘glass delusion’ spread around Europe, particularly amongst nobles, royals and elite members of society...
The ocellated turkey, or Meleagris ocellata, was seen as having sacred powers by the ancient Maya. Source: David Creswell / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
31 May, 2022 - 01:58 Cecilia Bogaard

Turkeys Were Worshipped by the Ancient Maya

At Thanksgiving and Christmas each year, millions of people around the world sit around the table to eat turkey. Located at the center of the table, turkey is so important that it has generated a...
The palace at Zanzibar Town after the Anglo-Zanzibar war. Source: Public domain
29 May, 2022 - 22:58 Joanna Gillan

The Anglo-Zanzibar War: The Shortest War in History Lasted Just 38 Minutes!

The shortest war in recorded history began at 9 am on August 27, 1896. It was over in less than three-quarters of an hour, with a shocking toll of 501 killed or wounded soldiers. This is the story of...
Medieval lovers. Source: guruXOX / Adobe Stock
28 May, 2022 - 22:52 Joanna Gillan

Pope Pius II Wrote a Bestselling Erotic Novel Before Turning to the Cloth

Pope Pius II was an unconventional Pope. Before turning to priesthood, he bore children out of wedlock, enjoyed the flames of love, and wrote of adultery, scandal and fiery passion in his erotic...
Modern depiction (1876) by Jean Léon Gérôme of a chariot race in Rome's Circus Maximus (Public Domain)
26 May, 2022 - 01:59 Joanna Gillan

Top Roman Charioteer Was Worth More than Cristiano Ronaldo!

In 2020, Cristiano Ronaldo, a five-time FIFA player of the year became the first team-sport athlete to surpass $1 billion in career earnings. It is hard to imagine anyone topping that, but in the...
The body of the Thai Buddhist monk Luang Pho Daeng at Wat Khunaram, Ko Samui, Thailand (Source: escape.com.au)
24 May, 2022 - 01:59 Joanna Gillan

Buddhist Monks Self-Mummified Their Bodies While Still Alive

Over 1,000 years ago, an esoteric sect known as Shingon – which combined elements from Buddhism, Old Shinto, Taoism, and other religions – developed a horrifying practice of self-mummification of the...
Egyptian limestone figures depicting stone pillows in the collection of Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Source: The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC. / Glencairn Museum
21 May, 2022 - 02:00 Joanna Gillan

Ancient Egyptians Slept on Pillows Made of Stone

Human beings have been enjoying the soft comfort of pillows for the last 2,000 years. But before this feather-filled luxury, people were accustomed to resting their heads on pillow-like headrests...
Portrait of Aristocrat Pug Dog. By viconda@gmail.com / Adobe Stock
18 May, 2022 - 01:59 Joanna Gillan

Order of the Pug: Catholic Secret Society Initiates Wore Dog Collars

Secret societies are characterized by rituals, customs, and teachings that are concealed from the general public. It is no wonder the 18th century secret society known as The Order of the Pug kept...
Genghis Khan Equestrian Statue, Tsonjin Boldog, Mongolia. Source: Guy Bryant / Adobe Stock
17 May, 2022 - 01:58 lizleafloor

‘Super-Father’: One in 200 Men are Descendants of Genghis Khan

Mongol Emperor Genghis Khan (1162 – 1227 AD) was not just an infamously ruthless warrior, and founder of the largest contiguous empire in history, but was also a prolific father as well, siring so...
Cleopatra. Source: Lumixera / Adobe Stock
15 May, 2022 - 22:58 Joanna Gillan

Not Just a Pretty Face: Cleopatra Was a Genius Who Spoke 9 Languages

Cleopatra VII (69 – 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt and its last active ruler. Most famous for her love affairs with Mark Antony and Julius Caesar, Roman propaganda was quick to...
Killer rabbit in the Smithfield Decretals, c. 1300, British Library, London, UK. Detail. (British Library/CC BY 4.0)
15 May, 2022 - 14:59 ashley cowie

Killer Rabbits Terrorized the Pages of Medieval Manuscripts

In early medieval art and literature fluffy white rabbits, bunnies, and hares were typically motifs of innocence, venerability, and purity. However, more in sync with these animals’ rate of...
Artist’s photograph of Isaiah, 2014, as part of the photography series ‘Preservation’. © Blake Little 2018. Photo prints can be purchased on the Blake Little website.
12 May, 2022 - 01:59 Joanna Gillan

Egyptian Pharoah Pepi II Coated His Slaves in Honey to Use as Fly Traps

Pepi II was an Egyptian pharaoh of the Old Kingdom who succeeded to the throne at the tender age of six. Perhaps it was this privileged upbringing which ultimately resulted in him being one of Egypt’...
An artist's illustration depicting Xerxes' alleged "punishment" of the Hellespont: Xerxes lash sea (Public Domain)
11 May, 2022 - 01:58 Joanna Gillan

Persian King Xerxes Ordered the Sea to be Whipped as Punishment

Xerxes I, also known as Xerxes the Great, was a 5th century Achaemenid king of the Persian empire. He is best known for leading the massive invasion of Greece, marked by the battles of Thermopylae,...
Pen with blood ink. Source: VJP / Adobe Stock
10 May, 2022 - 02:00 Joanna Gillan

Blood Quran: Ancient Holy Text Written in the Blood of Saddam Hussein

The Qur’an is the Islamic Holy text written approximately 1400 years ago, originally memorized and recited orally, and believed to contain the words of archangel Gabriel revealed to the Prophet...
While today we flush our urine away without giving it a second thought, in ancient times it was considered a valuable commodity. Urine contains a wide array of important minerals and chemicals such as phosphorus and potassium. The Romans believed that urine – both human and animal - would make their teeth whiter and keep them from decaying, so they used it as a mouthwash and mixed it with pummis to make toothpaste. In fact, urine was so effective that it was used in toothpastes and mouthwashes up until the
8 May, 2022 - 23:00 Bryan Hill

Ancient Romans Brushed Their Teeth with Urine

While today we flush our urine away without giving it a second thought, in ancient times it was considered a valuable commodity. Urine contains a wide array of important minerals and chemicals such...
Royalty examining a pineapple. Source: peopleimages.com/ Adobe Stock
6 May, 2022 - 01:59 Joanna Gillan

British Aristocrats Rented Pineapples by the Hour to Display Their Status

Who would have thought that a few centuries ago, an everyday fruit like the pineapple, would be a symbol of wealth, status and good breeding? Worth thousands to buy, the precious pineapple was far...
A bear guards the moat wall at Cesky Krumlov Castle, Czech Republic. Source: Ondrej Novotny / Adobe Stock
5 May, 2022 - 01:59 Joanna Gillan

A Czech Castle Had a Moat of Bears… And Still Does!

Popular depictions of castle moats in film and television usually involve hungry crocodiles , flesh-eating piranhas or dangerous sharks. While most of these depictions are fanciful, one medieval...
Main – Representational image of Napoleon Bonaparte. Source: de Art / Adobe Stock. Inset: Angry rabbit. Source: Eric Isselée / Adobe Stock
4 May, 2022 - 01:59 Joanna Gillan

Napoleon Bonaparte Was Attacked by an Army of 1000 Marauding Rabbits!

In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte, one of history’s greatest generals and military geniuses, suffered his greatest defeat at the Battle of Waterloo. But eight years earlier, he had faced another enemy that...

Pages