Do you enjoy history? From watching historical content to reading books and articles? How informed are you when it comes to history?
Did you know that Cleopatra was the first member of her dynasty to speak Ancient Egyptian? Yes, it’s actually vital to know your history, not just the dates, but also the finer details that help us understand a historical person/event and the era they lived in/occurred.
History Fun Facts For Thanksgiving Day Celebrations and Other Fun Activities in 2023
One constant factor about all history fun facts is their educative nature. You are always going to learn something about animal history, countries, wars, political leadership, and political parties among many other topics.
History fun facts make you question how many things you actually know about the world we live in and the events that happened in the past. In most cases, it is always the things that we’ve never heard of or have never been taught in school that make history so interesting.
From the World Wars to the geography facts on the Great Fire of London, there is so much more to learn about our history.
Let’s get historical and gain more knowledge, shall we?
History fun facts
James Cameron Drew That Charcoal of Naked Kate Winslet
Paul Schrader wrote Taxi Driver in five days. It is rumoured he had a loaded gun by his desk for “inspiration and motivation”.
It’s believed that roughly 97% of history has been lost over time.
Alexander the Great named over 70 cities after himself.
Cleopatra was the first member of her dynasty to speak Ancient Egyptian.
Cleopatra wasn’t Egyptian.
Before Julius Caesar invaded Britain, many Romans didn’t believe it existed.
A Chernobyl firefighter was exposed to so much radiation, it changed his eye color.
Tablecloths were originally designed to be used as one big, communal napkin.
Ferrets, dogs, and monkeys were the most popular pets in the Roman Empire.
The Soviet Union tried to snuff out the memory of Genghis Khan.
The guillotine was invented to create “equality in execution”.
Abraham Lincoln was a wrestling champion.
America’s National School Lunch Program of 1946 was due to WWII.
In Ancient Greece, they believed redheads became vampires after death.
Winston Churchill had a Doctor’s note to drink an “indefinite” amount of alcohol in Prohibition America.
Adolf Hitler helped design the Volkswagen Beetle.
Paul Tibbets, pilot of the Enola Gay, didn’t have a funeral or headstone.
The Ancient Egyptians used slabs of stone as pillows.
The first known artworks date back to roughly 100,000 years ago.
In 18th Century England, pineapples were a status symbol.
In medieval England, the word “ask” was pronounced “axe”.
In 1710, Native American leaders traveled to Britain to visit the Queen.
The 7.62mm rifle bullet was created 130 years ago.
During World War II, Americans called hamburgers “liberty steaks”.
The Dutch-Scilly War lasted 335 years and had no battles or deaths.
Shakespeare originated the “yo momma” joke.
Hollywood moved from New York to Los Angeles to escape Edison’s patents.
The first official Medals of Honor were awarded during the American Civil War.
Charles Darwin invented his own wheeled office chair.
Adolf Hitler’s nephew fought against the Nazis in World War II.
The fastest surgeon ever ended up causing a 300% mortality rate.
The Circus Maximum in Rome is still the largest capacity sports arena ever built.
There were “dance marathons” during the Great Depression.
Russia ran out of vodka celebrating the end of World War II.
One in 200 men are direct descendants of Genghis Khan.
During WWII, the British & Soviets launched a joint invasion of neutral Iran.
Genghis Khan created one of the first international postal systems.
For 12 years during the French Revolutionary Period, France had a whole new calendar.
The most prolific female serial killer was a Hungarian Countess.
Count Dracula was inspired by a real person.
Only 6 people died in the Great Fire of London.
The World War II army of the US is the biggest army in history.
The University of Oxford is older than the Aztec Empire.
Spartan women-owned most of the land and wealth in Sparta.
Spartans were so rich that nobody had to work.
The Roman lottery’s prizes were known and were damn savage at times.
The earliest ever lottery was during the Chinese Han Dynasty between 205 – 187 BC.
In Ancient Rome, urine was used as a mouthwash.
In Ancient Rome, urine was used as a mouthwash.
Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs used their slaves as flycatchers.
During a Roman Triumph, soldiers sang lewd songs about their commander to amuse the crowds.
George Washington didn’t have wooden teeth.
The term “saved by the bell” does not originate from people being buried alive.
People were buried alive so often, that bells were attached to their coffins.
Tug of War used to be an Olympic sport.
Before the 19th Century, dentures were made from dead soldiers’ teeth.
The shortest war in history lasted 38 minutes.
One man survived both the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and then later Nagasaki.
During the Victorian period, it was normal to photograph relatives after they died.
100 million years ago, the Sahara Desert was inhabited by galloping crocodiles.
46 BC was 445 days long and is the longest year in human history.
Since the end of WWI, over 1,000 people have died from leftover unexploded bombs.
Iceland has the world’s oldest parliament in history.
Lord Byron kept a bear in his college dorm.
During the Great Depression, people made clothes out of food sacks.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa was never straight.
Pope Gregory IX declared war on cats.
Roman Emperor Caligula made one of his favorite horses a senator.
Albert Einstein turned down the presidency of Israel.
Thomas Edison didn’t invent most of the stuff he patented.
Genghis Khan was tolerant of all religions.
Captain Morgan was a real guy.
Turkeys were once worshiped as Gods.
“Fox Tossing” was once a popular sport.
The saying “fly off the handle” originates from the 1800s.
The saying “fly off the handle” originates from the 1800s.
4% of the Normandy beaches are made up of shrapnel from the D-Day Landings.
A Japanese fighter pilot once dropped wreaths over the ocean to commemorate the dead from both sides.
An ancient text called the Voynich Manuscript still baffles scientists.
The Eastern Roman Empire’s weapon called Greek Fire was used in ship-mounted flamethrowers.
During World War I, the French built a “fake Paris”.
Since 1945, all British tanks are equipped with tea-making facilities.
Shrapnel is named after its inventor.
Cleopatra’s reign was closer to the moon landings than the Great Pyramid being built.
In 1386, a pig was executed in France.
A singing birthday card has more computer power in it than the entire Allied Army of WWII.
A singing birthday card has more computer power in it than the entire Allied Army of WWII.
In Ancient Greece, wearing skirts was manly.
Germany uncovers 2,000 tons of unexploded bombs every year.
When Marcus Crassus died, molten gold was poured down his throat.
The UK government collected postcards as intelligence for the D-Day landings.
In Ancient Asia, death by elephant was a popular form of execution.
The Luftwaffe had a master interrogator whose tactic was being as nice as possible.
The Vikings were the first people to discover America.
There were female Gladiators though rarer than their male counterparts.
Rasputin survived being poisoned and being shot.
It was named the Colosseum because it was next to a statue called the Colossus.
The Colosseum was originally clad entirely in marble.
Julius Caesar was stabbed 23 times.
In the Ancient Olympics, athletes performed naked.
The world’s most successful pirate in history was a lady named Ching Shih
Alexander the Great was buried alive… accidentally.
Augustus Caesar was the wealthiest man to ever live in history.