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44 Random Bits of Historical Trivia to Stuff Into Your Stovepipe Hat

‘You can’t really know where you’re going until you know where you have been’ — Maya Angelou

44 Random Bits of Historical Trivia to Stuff Into Your Stovepipe Hat

November 19, 2024

A life dedicated to history is a funny thing. We feel like we’re walking backwards into the future. Our withered, wrinkled faces prove that time is dragging our bodies along with it, but it can’t take our minds off of the past, now can it?

Time and the rest of you present-day dwellers might be here in whatever year it happens to be right now, but we’re back in Ancient Greece and the Civil War. Here are a few postcards…

44

Roman Coins

Romans had porn coins. Coins with sexy imagery have been found for centuries, going back to the early times of the Roman Empire. Regular — More: No One Knows Why Romans Had X-Rated Coins

43

Scooby-Doo

Scooby-Doo was the result of Robert Kennedy's assassination. In the '60s, action- packed cartoons were all the rage but after RFK was shot, a moral panic ensued against violence in the media. Pressured to come up with more wholesome content, Hanna-Barbera created Scooby-Doo and his gang. — More: RFK's Assassination Gave Us ... 'Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!'?

42

Robot Jesus

A 19th-century preacher built a mecha-Jesus. John Murray Spear was ahead of his time in his ideas about slavery and gender equality - and also about technology, as he tried to build a mechanical Messiah (as commanded to him by the spirits of the Founding Fathers). But Spear's New Motor failed to even start, let alone save humanity. — More: Preacher Who Tried To End Inequality By Building A Robot Jesus

41

Settlers of Madagascar

The original settlers of Madagascar really went out of their way to get there. You'd think that Madagascar was first settled by people coming from Afr — More: 5 Weird AF Facts History Class Left Out

40

Yakuza Ramen

Ramen was controlled by the Yakuza. Japan was a mess when World War II ended. In the face of food shortages and restrictions, the black market rushed — More: 4 Everyday Foods With WTF Dark Histories

39

Arthur John Priest

Arthur John Priest survived the Titanic - and several more sinkings. The Titanic was only the beginning of Priest's career as the world's most accurse — More: 5 Randos That Proved To Be Unkillable When Faced With Certain Death

38

Ancient Paper Planes

Paper airplanes have existed for thousands of years. The Chinese have been folding paper into flying shapes for the last 2,000 years. Of course, they — More: Paper Airplanes Existed Long Before Real Ones

37

Caligula

CRACKED CALIGULA'S WAR ON THE SEA. Caligula declared war on the sea in 40 CE, and commanded his soldiers to gather seashells, promising a reward of one hundred denarii each. — Walks Inside Rome / CBS

36

Irish Civil War

THE YEAR WAS 1922... THE IRISH CIVIL WAR BROKE OUT Following the end of the Irish War of Independence in 1921, the Anglo-Irish treaty was signed in London in December of that year. Some of the Irish republicans, however, were not on board with the treaty and a civil war broke out. CRACKED.COM — Source

35

The War of the Bucket

Bucket snatching leads to war. The War of the Bucket was a short-lived war between the Italian city-states of Bologna and Modena in 1325, which allegedly started when Modenese soldiers stole a wooden bucket. Modena eventually won the war, and the bucket is still a source of playful dispute between the two cities to this day. CRACKED — Tatiana Ivleva/Shutterstock
All That’s Interesting

34

Coins

COINS WERE FIRST RIDGED TO STOP CRIME. Back when coins were made of precious metals, enterprising felons would file a bit of gold or silver off each coin- practice known as clipping. It was the Romans who first carved ridges into coins, to know if someone had clipped them. — More: 6 Life Hacks From The Past That Now Sound Deranged

33

The Pastry War

French pastry shop dispute leads to Mexican-French War. The Pastry War was a conflict between Mexico and France that lasted from 1838 to 1839. It was triggered by a dispute over a French pastry shop owner's claim for compensation for damages suffered during the Mexican civil war. CRACKED — Sonya illustration/Shutterstock
ThoughtCo.

32

Jimmy Stewart

It was Jimmy Stewart's first movie after coming back from World War ll. During the war, Stewart spent five years in the army, including 20 months on t — The Wall Street Journal

31

The Shortest War

The Shortest War NOT THE 100-YEAR WAR CRACKED COM In 1896, a British warship fired on Suitan Khalid's palace in Zanzibar. By 9:40am, he lowered his flag. And SO ended the Anglo- - Zanzibar War, which lasted 38 minutes. — Source: Daily Telegraph

30

Gum

War gum, anyone? Wrigley's chewing gum was taken off the civilian market due to wartime rationing during World War II. SHOES RATIONING BOARD WAR BOOK I WAR BOOK 2 RATIONING BOARD TIRES NE WHISLITY BOARD DOUBLEMINT CHEMICS ... - DOUBLEMINT Its entire output of products was instead directed towards the US CRACKED.COM military. — Source: 30 Facts About Candy

29

Ancient Misconceptions

CRACKED ANCIENT PEOPLE THOUGHT BIRDS COULD TRANSFORM. People in ancient times thought that certain birds, like Redstarts and Garden Warblers, could change into different kinds of birds during the wintertime. This was an attempt to explain what we now understand is bird migration. — UH

28

Ancient Greek Battles

Ceramic Fragments ANCIENT GREECE Ancient Greeks used to sometimes write the names of their enemies on the shards. BRB writing some choice Congress mem — Source: Scientific American

27

Ancient Roman Public Bathrooms

Communal Sponge ANCIENT ROME Ancient Romans shared a sponge on a stick for wiping in public latrines. Keep your friends close, and their poop closer. — Source: Smithsonian Magazine

26

Ancient Advertising

Ancient advertising Ancient poster ads IKAPIOC AIONYCOOAKAH Rome used mosaics to advertise businesses, and archaeologists have found signs like a property rental and a tavern ad on a wall in Greece and Italy. CRACKED — Sytilin Pavel/Shutterstock
The Daily Star

25

Ancient Egyptian Egg Farming

Ancient accomplishments Hatching eggs without chickens The ancient Egyptians invented a way to hatch eggs without needing a hen. They made mud ovens that mimicked the conditions a hen would provide, and could hatch up to 4,500 eggs in just a few weeks. CRACKED — Irina Kozorog/Shutterstock,
Francisco Javier Diaz/Shutterstock
Atlas Obscura

24

Ancient Egyptian Toothpaste

ANCIENT EGYPTIANS INVENTED TOOTHPASTE OVER 6000 YEARS BEFORE IT WAS COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE The original toothpaste was made of powdered ashes from ох hooves, myrrh, egg shells, pumice, and water. Mmm, tasty. It was thought to be created between 5000 and 3000 вс. CRACKED.COM — Source: HuffPost

23

Ancient Rome

CRACKED Ancient accomplishments Understanding that lead was toxic People in ancient Rome knew that lead was dangerous, so they made clay pipes to move water around. — micmacpics/Shutterstock,
Gilmanshin/Shutterstock
The University of Chicago

22

Ancient Egyptian Currency

Radish CRACKED COM Radishes were used to pay workers in ancient Egypt.

21

Earliest Pillows

The earliest pillows were made of stone. Ancient Egyptian Pillow Neck-rests Ancient Chinese Pillow from Tutankhamen's tomb Originally more about keepi

20

Ancient Greece

Ancient Greek prostitutes advertised their services with their shoes. In ancient Greece, prostitutes wore sandals with the words follow me imprinted in the dirt to advertise their services. CRACKED — Source

19

Gary Hart

A politician running for president in 1988 invited the media to follow him around after he was alleged to be a womanizer. CRACKED.COM Gary Hart was quoted as saying, Follow me around. I don't care. I'm serious. Members of the media complied and he was caught having an af- fair 2 weeks later. — NY Times

18

Richard Nixon

Richard Nixon intentionally prolonged the Vietnam War. According to unclassified audio tapes of president Johnson, Richard Nixon prolonged the war for political gain and Johnson knew about it. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Smithsonian Magazine

17

Early Hollywood Stuntmen

Historical Firsts in The World of Stunts The first safety precautions 1923 I IV ESTIC E S I II 1 Hollywood realized their stars' worth and took precautions. Ironically titled Safety Last! the 1923 film's iconic clock scene used stunt doubles, safety nets, harnesses, and camera tricks to pull off Harold Lloyd's dangle from a skyscraper. CRACKED — Source

16

The Secrets of Isis

Forgotten Sci-Fi and Horror Shows 1975-1976 The Secrets of Isis Back when the name Isis only meant the Egyptian goddess, the show was about a schoolteacher who could become, well, Isis. It anticipated other female- ed superhero shows of the time, like Wonder Woman. CRACKED.COM — Source: Wikipedia

15

Women’s Suffrage

Women's Suffrage VOTEGA The women's suffrage movement wasn't just housewives in frocks picketing. Many within the movement were militant and committed acts of actual terrorism. In 1912 Dublin, four suffragettes tried to burn down the Theater Royal during a performance where Prime Minister Herbert Asquith was in attendance. The prime minister had just barely dodged a hatchet thrown at him by a suffragette earlier that same day. — Source

14

Betty White

AT A GLANCE BETTY WHITE She was one of the first woman TV producers Life With Elizabeth fantusian In 1953, she starred in the sitcom Life with Elizabeth, which she also produced. CRACKED.COM — Source: Betty White: First Lady of Hollywood

13

Hoover Blankets

In the Great Depression, newspapers used by the homeless for warmth were called Hoover Blankets. It wasn't the only jab at the President, including calling empty, turned-out pockets Hoover flags. CRACKED.COM — Source

12

Therizinosaurus

THERIZINOSAURUS Dead for 65 million years. 33', 6,600 LBS CRACKED.COM The Cretaceous period was a dangerous time to be alive, so even herbivores had to arm themselves against the T-Rex. Therizinosaurus had an interesting idea and developed the largest claws of any living being. A gentle giant, perhaps? We're not taking that chance. — Source: National Geographic

11

Hitler's Plan

Hitler planned to rebuild Berlin after the war into a neo-roman cosmopolitan city. CRACKED.COM One state building, the Volkshalle was to be so massive, that it could rain inside during events due to the perspiration and breath from 150,000 ос- cupants. — Source

10

General Motors and Nazi Germany

CRACKED GENERAL MOTORS General Motors was way more important to the Nazis than Switzerland. Switzerland just held stolen money, but GM was a key part of the German war machine. The Nazis could've invaded Poland and Russia without Switzerland, but not without GM. 1234 - STOCKHOLN IN - — Washington Post / Welt

9

Teddy Roosevelt

President Teddy Roosevelt's eyesight was damaged by his military aide. CRACKED.COM Roosevelt regularly staged boxing matches in the White House, taking on anyone he could - including profession- al boxers. Не only stopped boxing after sustaining per- manent damage from Colo- nel Daniel т. Moore. — Vox

8

Hemophilia

The first physician to recognize hemophilia was Abulcasis, sometimes called the father of surgery. In the 12th century he wrote about a family in which the males would bleed uncontrollably from any injury. CRACKED.COM — Source: National Hemophilia Foundation

7

The President’s Curse

Between 1840 and 1960, every American president elected in years ending in o died while in office. Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush avoided the curse

6

Elisha Gray

21 People Who Get Unfairly Left Out Of The History Books - Elisha Gray developed one of the very first voice-transmission systems using a revolutionar — For details, read 5 Groundbreaking Firsts That Your History Books Lied About

5

The Manchester Mummy

I'LL PAY YOU NOT TO BURY ME Now known as the Manchester Mummy, Hannah Beswick left her entire estate to her doctor, so long as he never buried her and checked on her every day. Не eventually embalmed her, and she was put on display at The Museum of the Manchester Natural History Society. CRACKED COM — Source

4

Lincoln Park

If you've been to Chicago's Lincoln Park, you've walked over thousands of forgotten graves. South Lincoln Park was the City Cemetary until officials decided to move all the bodies in 1869. But the Great Chicago Fire destroyed the grave markers and as many as 10,000 corpses may have been left behind. If you explore the park, you can find the last remaining tomb. GRACKED.COM — 29 Seemingly Normal Cities With Disturbing Facts

3

Bored with Peace

Some of the European public was in favor of the war in 1914, being bored with peace. The impact of modern weapons was not well un- derstood and many peo- ple in the government, military and civilian pop- ulation imagined that the conflict would be short. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — 1918 Online

2

The Beer Fast

One monastic order went on a beer fast during Lent back in the 17th century. They weren't allowed to eat anything solid during Lent, so they figured they'd drink beer since it was basically liquid bread -- that'd be A-OK. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

1

Norse Skiing God

Norse god Ullr is considered to be the patron saint of skiers (though some argue it should be his wife, Skadi.) CONNE ORIGIN birt a Eyes de UN hair 24K bein has - S NVI Skim boker Otan The famous Colorado skiing and snowboarding town of Breckenridge celebrates Ullrfest every December. CRACKED.COM — Source: Rational Heathen

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