14 Facts About Historical People (History Left Out)

What we learn in history class is only a sliver of the truth. Reality is endlessly complicated. Oftentimes, the history of one single event can fill a whole library shelf of books. And then, history teachers have to figure out what's the most important to teach and what can be left to independent study. And then! Oh man, school boards decide what is allowed in textbooks, textbook companies decide what they want to highlight or disregard, and things get…see? Didn't we say up top that history is endlessly complicated? 

Now, if we're being really real: our job at Cracked is not to simplify the complications. We think life is more interesting if you resist simple narratives and expand the ol' mind brains a little bit. So we've collected a bunch of historical tidbits that might be wild, but hopefully enlightening.

Here are some fun facts—well, some upsetting facts, if we're being honest—that history teachers left out.