Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Share Seemingly Fake Historical Facts That Are Actually 100% True

People Share Seemingly Fake Historical Facts That Are Actually 100% True
Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

The old saying goes, "Truth is stranger than fiction."


This is never more true than when you gaze back on history. Sometimes, you might find yourself watching a biopic or a recreation of some famous person's life from decades or centuries ago. What do you usually do? Take out your phone and look the person up, right? And sometimes, you'll find amazing facts and events the film decided to leave out because perhaps it was too unbelievable.

That's what the internet is there for.

Reddit user, u/TheFuzzyTrash, wanted to hear what people would never think could actually happen when they asked:

What is an incredibly fake sounding history fact, that is 100% true?

Most of the time historical oddities arise from unique situations.

Summon The Tortoises To Fight Back!

"Napoleon was once attacked by a horde of bunnies."

GeologistNo493

"Wait what?"

McLarenMP4-26

"Yep. He once wanted to hunt so he ordered his people to gather hares for a hunting party. The servants gathered hundreds and when the event started, they released the hares. Instead of running away from them, the hares decided to attack the hunters, Napoleon included."

GeologistNo493

Teenagers Gonna Teenage

"An eccentric roman emperor named Elagabalus used to "prank" his dinner guests by hiding lions in rooms around the house."

spidercrab13

"He was actually a teenager during his rule, so it makes a little more sense"

ghostinthewoods

"I like this guy."

bremidon

"Everyone hated him and he was assassinated at 18."

FreeReflection25

My Words Are Bulletproof

"Teddy Roosevelt was giving a speech when an assassin took a shot at him. Teddy's speech was so thick, it stopped the bullet from killing him. Teddy not only CONTINUED the speech, but mocked the assassination attempt during it. Another fun teddy fact is that he was awarded the medal of Honor and the Nobel Peace prize, so he simultaneously holds the highest honor in both peace and violence."

firewaterking3

"His speech was thick? What do you mean?"

Various_Wishbone168

"Written speech, folded up in his pocket."

Worfstache

Turns out a lot of silly stuff happened during World War II. While there's no shortage of films, video games, and documentaries dedicated to this intense period of world events, you might still be surprised about how much you don't know about it. ​

Wait, Who Are You--Wait, Who Am I--?

"Rommel once got lost during a reconnaissance flight and landed at a forward hospital Base to get his bearings. Only to discover it was a British Base. The Base in turn thought he was a foreign allied General coming for inspection and turned out for parade. He did a quick parade inspection and got out of there before anyone realised what had happened."

Isand0

"The real funny thing about this story is he didn't realize he was in a British hospital until he was already touring the place. It finally dawned on him that everyone looked at him strangely whenever he spoke to them, and he suddenly noticed that everyone was speaking English. The funniest part is he finished the tour before he quickly got the hell out of there."

just_some_a--hole

Rise Of The Undead Soldier

"100 russian "zombies" managed to make a couple thousand german soldiers retreat in ww1."

"Edit: Im talking here about the battle of Osowiec fortress, also known as the attack of the dead men. This particular fortress gave the germans some issues as artillery didnt do much. So Germany being Germany they decided to use chlorine gas. This gas is very nasty to get in contact with if you don't have gas masks, which the russians did not have. After the gas was mostly gone the germans went on an all out offensive thinking that all the defenders were dead. However roughly 100 soldiers managed to survive by wrapping wet clothes around their face. This however did not fully stop the gas. So when the germans encountered the russians they came to see soldiers with bloody cloths wrapped around their face coughing up bits of their own lungs. And these soldiers were shooting at the germans. The germans who assumed that all the russians had died got frightened at seeing this enemy and retreated."

ThePotatoSauce

I Scream, You Scream...

"During World War II, the US Navy had a ship dedicated entirely to serve ice cream to other ships in the fleet. It's purpose was to boost moral, but I think it served more to demoralize the Japanese. Imagine you are Japanese admiral. You are scrapping the bottom of the oil barrel just to keep your main battleship swimming while the Americans are dedicating resources to a barge of ice cream fun."

cloudburst93

And then there's these stories which, upon reading, are far too insane to make up. You could ask a dozen first graders to write whatever they want and they'd never get close to these tales.

Has He Heard Of Goats?

"Fidel Castro wanted to breed tiny cows that his people could keep as indoor, milk producing, pets."

N013

Oh Look. ACTUAL Voter Fraud.

"The most fraudulent election reported in history. In 1927 Charles D. B. King won the presidential election in Liberia with 234,400 received votes. But at that time Liberia just had 15,000 registered voters."

"That guy made it into the Guinness Book of Records."

bet_ter_streetwalls

...Ugh.

"Himler (the right hand of Hitler and commander of the SS) came up with the idea for the gas chambers as a more humane way to be executed so that his soldiers didn't have to shoot all the prisoners, something traumatizing for them"

vissthebeast

"Good guy Himler at the forefront of mental health"

rico_muerte

History is like storytime, except it's all real. Your world history teacher was right all along, it turns out.

Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Yassamin Ansari; Screenshot of Kellyanne Conway
Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Fox News

Dem Rep. Epically Shuts Down Kellyanne Conway's Claim Sydney Sweeney Ad Is Causing Liberal 'Panic'

Actor Sydney Sweeney recently faced backlash over her American Eagle ad campaign titled “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.” The campaign plays on the words “jeans” and “genes,” which some critics claim alludes to eugenics—a theory widely discredited as scientifically inaccurate and ethically dangerous.

According to former presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway—who gave us the term "alternative facts"—the campaign has sparked "panic on the left."

Keep ReadingShow less
Lisa Kudrow in 'Death to 2020'
Netflix

Lisa Kudrow's Portrayal Of A MAGA Spokesperson Resurfaces—And It's Eerily Accurate

Actor Lisa Kudrow has gone viral after her performance in the Netflix mockumentary Death to 2020 as a truth-denying spokesperson for President Donald Trump went viral—prompting many to point out that her portrayal is still spot on.

The film, from the minds of Black Mirror creators Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones, centers on a group of fictional characters reflecting on major U.S. and U.K. events of 2020, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the U.S. presidential election.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Molly Martinez
RSBN

White House Reporter Reacts After Video Glitch Sparks Conspiracy Theory That She's A 'Lizard Person'

White House reporter Molly Martinez responded after a White House livestream glitched and caused her eyes to look completely white for a split-second—prompting conspiracy theorists to go wild and claim she is a "lizard person" who is secretly controlling the government.

Martinez, a Washington-based journalist for local TV chain Gray Television, appeared on camera June 19 in the White House press room, smiling at a friend. A glitch in the original footage made her eyes look entirely white—something conspiracy theorists seized on as “evidence” she’s a lizard person.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Ben Ferguson and Abby Philip
CNN

Right-Wing Podcaster Blasted After Making Absurd Claim About Trump And Crime Rates In 2024

Conservative podcaster Ben Ferguson left hs fellow CNN panelists stunned after he made the bizarre claim that falling crime rates in 2024 were due to President Donald Trump's policies—even though Trump didn't begin his second term until January 2025.

Ferguson spoke after Trump—who presented fake crime statistics—announced his decision to federalize police in Washington, D.C., and deploy the National Guard in an effort to fight crime.

Keep ReadingShow less
A bride and a groom holding hands
man and woman holding hands focus photo

People Who Attended Multiple Weddings For The Same Person Describe The Differences

Weddings are a wonderful celebration of love and commitment.

That being said, all of us have likely been to a wedding where we have wondered "how long do you think it's going to last".

Keep ReadingShow less