People Share The Craziest Historical Facts They've Ever Learned

Ominous Rob

Abraham Lincoln's son (Robert Todd Lincoln) was present at three different presidential assassinations.

After McKinley, he decided not to accept any more invitations.

m_sporkboy

OG Kink

The first known political cartoon is Egyptian, and shows Hatshepsut, the only woman pharaoh, pegging her lover and chief architect Senmut.

Ravenamore

Biological Warfare?

During the Cold War, there was an idea to drop XL condoms labeled Medium onto the Soviets to make them think we were anatomically superior and be more afraid of fighting us.

Easily my favorite part of American history.

brady4243

Tator Thieves

Potatoes were not very popular as a food in France. They were seen as fit only for animals. So a pharmacist named Parmentier knew they were good food and wanted to popularize them among the working class.

So he got a 2 acre farm to grow potatoes and placed armed guards around it at all times. People assumed armed guards meant something very valuable was growing there so they began to steal the potatoes.

burningmanonacid

As Fast as Molasses

101 years ago a massive tank of mollases burst open in Boston, causing a sticky wave that killed 21 people and injured well over 100.

The great mollasses flood spread at about 35 MPH.

Stronkowski

Soda Industrial Complex

Pepsi once had the 6th largest military in the world after the price of Russian Vodka couldn't cover their deal for Pepsi products. So Russia traded 17 submarines, a frigate, a cruiser, and a destroyer for a trade deal.

The president of Pepsi Co at the time told the National Security Advisor "We are disarming the USSR faster than you are."

Frostytito

Wheat Tats

There used to be bread-stamps (burned into a cooked loaf of bread,) to avoid "bread fraud", as the government supplied the wheat/flour, but some bakers tried to use sawdust and other 'ingredients' in the bread to make the wheat last longer.

The bread stamps were baker-specific, so they could track down where any 'tainted' bread came from. If they were caught, they had to move to another town to make bread, or wait 3 years to continue making bread.

_Fengo

Collateral Damage

The first bomb dropped on Berlin by the British during WW2 claimed no human casualties. But it did kill an elephant. Dapianoman

Never forget Reverse_Waterfall

The elephants probably don't, their eyes aren't great. RequiemStorm

Impressive Composure for a Guy on a Skewer

As St Lawrence was roasted to death on a gridiron, he is said to have remarked to his torturers - "I am cooked on this side; turn me over."

St Lawrence is the patron saint of cooks and comedians.

Singingmute

Hiding in Plain Sight

The Spartans never built a city wall, figuring that their reputation alone would mean no one would dare attack them. But, during the Persian War, the Persians (who had already burned Athens twice) hired a Greek guide to take them to Sparta.

But when they got there, they saw a kind a crap looking city without even a wall. They figured there was no way this place could be the mighty Sparta they had heard so much about. So they figured the Greek was lying and thus Sparta was spared.

letterstosnapdragon

Choose a Lane, People

In 1895, the entire state of Ohio had only 2 cars.

Both cars managed to still smash into each other.

cannedrex2406

Wrong Dude to Mug

Former US President Andrew Jackson was approached by a man who pulled a gun on him.

The man pulled the trigger and the cap went off but the gunpowder failed to light. The man pulled a second gun and fired, but the gunpowder again failed to light.

The assassin tried to get away, but not before Andrew Jackson got him and beat the sh*t out of him with a cane.

nkonkleksp

Modern History

Karl Marx's great-great-...-grandson has a YouTube video of him doing parkour, called Exclamation Marx.

BlueSteel525

"Great Job All Around, Thanks Everybody"

The entire country of Malta was awarded the George Cross for its efforts in WWII.

It's still on their flag.

PotentBeverage

Wartime Cruise Control 

Montenegro technically was in war with Japan for 101 years and they signed a peace treaty in 2006. Montenegro was aligned with Russia in Russo-Japanese War and they declared war on Japan but they forgot to peace

Erlichten

Record-Shattering

1904 Olympic Marathon in St. Louis.

The #1 finisher drove most of the race. He started the race, got tired and heat exhausted and wanted to drop out. He got in a car to DQ himself and head back to the stadium but along the way realized he was near the finish line and got out to claim the glory.

Zuke020

Poetic Justice

When Alexander the Great was a child he was reprimanded by a teacher for wastefully throwing two whole fistfuls of rare incense into a sacrificial fire.

When he was an adult and captured Gaza, which happened to be the prime agricultural source of the incense he wasted, he sent home 18 tons of it home to the same teacher as a gift.

oh_its_him_again

"Catch Up, Harry"

Once FDR died, Truman didn't know about the Manhattan Project, but when he found out he subtly tried to tell Stalin they were working on something big. Stalin was like "yeah dude, I knew before you did." Since he had so many spies in America.

Lafuffa

Too Many Popes, Not Enough Pope Hats

At one time there was not only a Pope and an Anti-Pope but also a Counter-Anti-Pope.

somajones

The Law's the Law

Claudius Drusus died in AD 20 from asphyxiation when he tossed a pear in the air and caught it in his mouth. The pear tree was put on trial, found guilty of murder, and destroyed.

nakedonmygoat