20 of the Sickest Historical Burns

The public documentation of beef seems like a uniquely modern phenomenon. After all, what kind of self-respecting citizen of the past would care to archive their own insults, much less the insults of others? There were plagues happening. A dirty well could wipe out entire genetic lines. They had more important stuff on their minds.

Except they didn’t, really. Pride isn’t a new emotion, so when the leaders of the past’s names were besmirched, they were perfectly willing to Get Into It. We may not have federally preserved tweets or the tracks on Spotify to remember them by, but if you were in the vicinity when someone famous clapped back, you wrote it down. If you were lucky enough to receive it by letter, your legacy, if dubious, was assured. 

As a result, there was no shortage of material when user HManMoney asked r/AskReddit, “What was the biggest roast in history?”