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15.10.2019

The most amazing short historical facts in the world. The most interesting historical facts about different things

Prospects for profit - it was believed that at a speed of 60 km/h passengers would suffocate.

  • Opponents of the use of gas for lighting in England argued that it undermined whaling.
  • Isaac Singer (sewing machines) was married to five women at the same time. He had 15 children from them and, in order not to be mistaken, he called all his daughters Mary.
  • In the 1st century AD, of the 87 types of goods that were imported to Ancient Rome from Asia and the eastern coast of Africa, 44 were spices.
  • Spices were highly valued - in the 5th century, the Romans bought an entire city from a barbarian siege for one and a half tons of pepper.
  • When Vasco da Gama reached Calcutta and returned with goods that paid for the cost of the voyage sixty times.
  • Sir Francis Drake, setting sail on one ship, brought cargo whose value exceeded Queen Elizabeth's entire annual income.
  • Sugar was such a profitable commodity that the Dutch traded Suriname for sugar, and France gave up Canada in exchange for Guadeloupe with its cane plantations.
  • During the battle between the British and French at Crecy, more than half a million arrows were fired
  • Norbert Wiener formulated a concept he called cybernetics (from the Greek for “control”) and used it in work on anti-aircraft fire guidance systems. In 1944, this system was implemented in the M-9 anti-aircraft fire control device. From the very beginning, it showed its high effectiveness in intercepting German V-1 missiles in the English Channel area. At first, anti-aircraft gunners shot down about 24% of the missiles fired. On the day of the last raid, out of 108 missiles that took off, 64 were destroyed using a fire control system.
  • In the 17th century, whaling brought 500% profit.
  • In the middle of the 17th century, under the influence of Luther's ideas, believers moved in droves from Catholicism to the Protestant faith. In 1656, Rome decided to take retaliatory measures and convened a church council. The council lasted several decades and one of its decisions was to increase propaganda through the means of art - this movement is now known as Baroque.
  • In the Aristotelian model of the structure of the universe, the Earth was at the center of the Universe. And the days of Easter (which are determined taking into account the relative positions of the Sun and Moon) were calculated incorrectly. And since the observance of church holidays was a necessary condition for the salvation of the soul, the error had to be corrected. The Church entrusted this to the Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus.
  • What we call a “cucumber” in Indian ornament is nothing more than a spruce or pine cone, a traditional Muslim symbol of prosperity and fertility.
  • The Nobel plant, which produces sea mines in Russia, was named “Ogarev and Nobel Mechanical and Cast Iron Plant” for the sake of conspiracy. It was these mines that during the Crimean War forced the allies to launch a land assault on Sevastopol, and leave transport ships with provisions and uniforms in the Balaklava roadstead. There they were caught by the famous hurricane on November 14, 1854, during which the fleet was completely destroyed.
  • London medical luminaries recommended smoking more to kill germs, and wearing a mustache as a respirator.
  • Six months after Florence Nightingale arrived in Crimea, the mortality rate among the wounded dropped from forty-four to two percent. In total, of the 18,058 British killed in the Crimean campaign, 1,761 were killed on the battlefield, the rest died as a result of hospitalization.
  • In the 17th century, the average life expectancy
    • A person who is not interested in history cannot foresee his future. This is the true logic of why it is worth reading historical books, documentary reports and learning about everything that came before us. Cervantes said very subtly and accurately about history: “It is the treasury of all the deeds of mankind. History is a witness to the past, a lesson for the present and a warning for future generations.” How many interesting things does she hide in herself? Terabytes of information today are available on the World Wide Web for all those who are interested in it. History of art, history of music, history of wars, history of humanity - which is closer to you?

    Interesting historical facts tell us a lot of educational and interesting phenomena that can be your highlight in any serious conversation. For example, in a conversation about the low level of education of modern young medical workers, you can appeal to the following fact: in the days when Babylon still existed, doctors were afraid of popular punishment, which consisted of cutting off both hands if the doctor was guilty of the death of one or another human illness. If you are talking to ladies, we advise you to arm yourself with some knowledge from the history of beauty. Interesting historical facts indicate that the eyebrow saga began in the 18th century. Our great-great-grandmothers shaved off their eyebrows completely and glued artificial ones in their place, which were made from mouse fur. What won't you do for beauty?

    There are topics that not everyone dares to joke about, but it never hurts to lighten the situation. So, interesting historical facts also tell us that in conservative Washington there are notes in one of the prisons that once there was a line... a dog. Yes, indeed, the shepherd was found guilty of trying to bite a passerby. The dog, like a real citizen, served his time and was proudly released.

    Interesting historical facts also reveal many interesting coincidences. For example, in 1492, the entire Russian people were preparing for the end of the world. According to the calculations of the Old Believers, at that time in reality the year was 7000 and, according to their knowledge, nothing else should happen except the coming flood. The end of the world did not come, however, in the form in which it was expected. Is it a coincidence that it was this year that Columbus found America and discovered a new continent to the world? For Tsarist Russia, this was a surprise, more tragic than the expected flood.

    Interesting historical facts are also very often funny. For example, an incident that occurred in a Berlin prison. The King of Prussia, Frederick II, came there. Each prisoner had the opportunity to complain to the king and ask for alms. This is what many did: they bowed at their feet and claimed that they were not imprisoned fairly. Only one of those serving his sentence did not bend the knee before the ruler. When the latter asked why the prisoner did not ask to pardon him, he replied that he was brought here justly, for the robbery he committed. As a result, Frederick ordered his release with the words: “So as not to offend the society of honest people with his presence.”

    Interesting historical facts also indicate poor long-term thinking on the part of many rulers. For example, Napoleon once kicked out of his office the designer who developed the drawing of the world's first steamship. Bonaparte did not understand how a ship could sail on water without a sail or oars. Kicked the engineer out. When Napoleon was sent into exile on the island of St. Helena, he was specially transported there by ship, and only at that moment did Napoleon admit: “This is my true defeat.”

    History is rich in interesting facts, many of which are little known. So, a little excursion into history.

    Tobacco enema. This picture shows the "tobacco enema" procedure, which was very popular in Western Europe in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Like smoking tobacco, the idea of ​​blowing tobacco smoke through the anus for medicinal purposes was adopted by Europeans from North American Indians.

    One of the weight units of antiquity was the scruple, approximately equal to 1.14 grams. It was mainly used to measure the weight of silver coins. Later, scruple was used in the pharmaceutical system of measures. Today it is not used, but is preserved in the word "scrupulousness", which means extreme precision and accuracy in detail.

    Fifty years ago, English referee Ken Aston was driving home, thinking about some of the problems of international communications. He
    stopped at a traffic light and then it dawned on him - this is how yellow and red cards appeared in world football.

    Count Potemkin proposed to Catherine II to order convicts from the English government for the development of the Black Sea steppes. The queen was seriously interested in this idea, but it was not destined to come true, and English convicts began to be sent to Australia.

    Caesar's resourcefulness. When invading Africa, the army of Julius Caesar suffered setbacks from the very beginning. Strong storms scattered ships in the Mediterranean Sea, and Caesar arrived on the African shores with only one legion. While leaving the ship, the commander tripped and fell face down, which was a strong sign for his superstitious soldiers to return back. However, Caesar was not at a loss and, grabbing handfuls of sand, exclaimed: “I hold you in my hands, Africa!” Later he and his army triumphantly conquered Egypt.

    The Russian scientist Vasily Petrov, who was the first in the world to describe the phenomenon of an electric arc in 1802, did not spare himself when conducting experiments. At that time there were no instruments such as an ammeter or a voltmeter, and Petrov checked the quality of the batteries by the sensation of electric current in his fingers. And in order to feel very weak currents, the scientist specially cut off the top layer of skin from the tips of his fingers.

    Children tried to shoot the actor who played Superman to test his invulnerability. American actor George Reeves became famous for playing the lead role in the television series The Adventures of Superman in the 1950s. One day, Reeves was approached by a boy holding his father's loaded Luger in his hands - he intended to test Superman's superhuman capabilities. George barely escaped death, managing to persuade the boy to give him the weapon. The actor was saved by the fact that the boy believed that the bullet could bounce off Superman and hit someone else.

    In the 1950s and 1960s, American aircraft often violated Chinese airspace for reconnaissance purposes. The Chinese authorities recorded every violation and each time sent a “warning” to the United States through diplomatic channels, although no real action followed them, and such warnings were counted in the hundreds. This policy has given rise to the expression “China's final warning,” meaning threats without consequences.

    Berdashi. In almost all Indian North America there were so-called berdaches, or people with two souls, who were classified as the third gender. Berdash men often performed only female functions - cooking, farming, and Berdash women took part in hunting. Due to the special status of the berdashes, men who had sexual intercourse with them were not considered homosexuals, but the berdashes themselves were not allowed to build relationships with each other. In some tribes they were given cult status, since it was believed that they were closer than ordinary people to the world of spirits and gods, so berdashes often became shamans or healers.

    In Sparta, after the death of the king, two institutions were closed for 10 days - the court and the market. When the Persian king Xerxes learned about this custom, he declared that such a custom would be impossible in Persia, since it would deprive his subjects of his two favorite activities.

    In 1913, 19-year-old student Terry Williams invented eye mascara by mixing soot with Vaseline. His discovery was first used by a sister named Maybelle, after whom the first and most popular mascara in the history of cosmetics was named.

    Previously, the monument to Minin and Pozharsky stood in the center of Red Square. When the Mausoleum was built, the monument pointed specifically to it. One night, someone wrote on the monument: “Look, Prince, what scum has appeared within the Kremlin walls!” After this incident, the monument was moved.

    History is full of the most incredible facts and oddities. Throughout the history of their existence, people have not only created, but many have done things to their own detriment, believing that they have found a panacea for all diseases or an ideal political solution.
    This review contains historical facts that, from the height of centuries, seem somewhat strange.

    1. Asbestos clothing

    The Romans used asbestos in clothing and everyday items such as dish towels, napkins and tablecloths. Pliny the Elder (a Roman polymath writer) said that unlike ordinary cloth, asbestos objects could be cleaned by simply throwing them into the fire. He also noted that slaves who wore asbestos clothing often suffered from lung disease.

    2. Heart versus brain



    In Ancient Egypt, it was believed that people think not with their brains, but with their hearts. The Egyptians believed that the brain was essentially just the stuffing for the head. For this reason, they carefully scraped it out of the head during embalming and threw it away, and preserved the heart with special care.

    3. "Plague suit"



    During the plague in the Middle Ages, some doctors wore a primitive form of biohazard suit called a "plague suit." This costume's mask featured red glass eyepieces (to "make the wearer immune to evil"), as well as a beak that was often filled with aromatic herbs and spices to quell the miasma that was also believed to carry plague.

    4. 3370 years of war



    “The Apotheosis of War” is a painting by Russian artist Vasily Vasilyevich Vereshchagin.
    During the last 3,500 years, the entire world has had a total of only 230 years without war. It is worth wondering whether there is any benefit to the “peace movement.”

    5. Bearded men



    Among the urban populations of Western Europe and America, beards fell out of fashion at the beginning of the 17th century. In 1698, Peter the Great ordered all boyars to shave their beards, and in 1705 he introduced a tax on beards.

    6. “A Tale of Two Lovers”


    The best-selling book of the 15th century was an erotic book called A Tale of Two Lovers. Its author was none other than Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini, otherwise known as Pope Pius II.

    7. Sacred cats



    In Ancient Egypt, cats were considered sacred. When a family's beloved cat died, the entire family shaved off its eyebrows and remained in mourning until the eyebrows grew back.

    8. 20 slaves per Spartan



    In 200 BC. The Greek city of Sparta was at the peak of its power. At this time, each citizen of Sparta had 20 slaves.

    9. Protracted war



    Andorra declared war on the Kaiser's Germany during World War I, but did not actually take part in the fighting. Interestingly, the country was officially at war until 1957, as it was not included in the Treaty of Versailles.

    10. "Western schism"



    During the so-called "Western Schism" or "Great Western Schism" (1378 - 1417), three men simultaneously claimed to be the true Popes. When the cardinals refused to obey their chosen Pope Urban VI and declared him mentally ill, they elected an “alternative” Pope, Clement VII. This caused great strife in the Church, which led to the election of a third Pope by the Council of Pisa.

    11. From pirates to bankers

    The founder of the Bank of England was Sir William Paterson. At the same time, few people know that before the founding of the bank he was suspected of piracy.

    12. Tea bags



    In 1904, tea bags were invented completely by accident. Their inventor, Thomas Sullivan (a tea merchant), decided that it would be cheaper for him to send small samples of tea to potential customers in silk bags rather than in boxes. The recipients mistakenly believed that these particular bags needed to be brewed. Soon Sullivan was literally inundated with orders for his “tea bags.”

    13. First parachute


    The oldest design for a parachute can be found in an anonymous Italian Renaissance manuscript that dates back to 1470. The structure looked like a frame attached to a conical dome. The man was suspended from this frame by four straps attached to his belt at the waist.

    14. Tobacco enemas



    In the late 1700s there were tobacco enemas. They were used to blow tobacco smoke into a patient's rectum for various medical purposes, most notably to resuscitate drowning victims.

    15. Ancient hair removal



    In ancient Rome, there were people who specialized in plucking armpit hair. Somewhere around 1 AD. It became fashionable among Roman aristocrats to remove all body hair. The following requirements were imposed on people in this profession: the presence of tweezers, a strong hand and the ability to hold a resisting client in place.

    Incredible facts

    History is a fairly vast subject and it is impossible to study it completely, especially in great detail.

    Sometimes these seemingly insignificant details can become the very part of it.

    Here are some interesting facts from history that won't be taught in class.



    1. Albert Einstein could have become president. In 1952, he was offered the post of second president of Israel, but he refused.


    2. Kim Jong Il was a good composer and a lifelong Korean leader composed 6 operas.


    3. The Leaning Tower of Pisa has always been leaning. In 1173, the team building the Leaning Tower of Pisa noticed that the base was curved. Construction stopped for almost 100 years, but the structure was never straight.


    4. Arabic numerals were not invented by Arabs, and Indian mathematicians.


    5. Before the invention of alarm clocks, there was a profession that consisted of wake other people in the morning. For example, a person would shoot dried peas at other people's windows to wake them up for work.


    6. Grigory Rasputin survived many assassination attempts in one day. They tried to poison him, shoot him and stab him, but he managed to survive. In the end, Rasputin died in the cold river.


    7. The shortest war in history lasted less than an hour. The Anglo-Zanzibar War lasted 38 minutes.


    8. Longest war in history occurred between the Netherlands and the Scilly Archipelago. The war lasted 335 years from 1651 to 1989, and both sides suffered no casualties.

    People, stories and facts


    9. This amazing species known as " Majestic Argentine bird", whose wingspan reached 7 meters, is the largest flying bird in history. It lived about 6 million years ago in the open plains of Argentina and the Andes. The bird is related to modern vultures and storks, and its feathers reached the size of a samurai sword.


    10. Using sonar, researchers discovered at a depth of 1.8 km two strange pyramids. Scientists have determined that they are made of a kind of thick glass and reach enormous sizes (larger than the Cheops pyramids in Egypt).


    11. These two men with the same name were sentenced to the same prison and look very similar. However, they have never met, are not related and are the reason why fingerprints began to be used in the judicial system.


    12. Foot binding- An ancient Chinese tradition in which girls' toes were tied to their feet. The idea was that the smaller the foot, the more beautiful and feminine the girl was considered.


    13. The strangest and most frightening mummies are considered Guanajuato mummies. Their distorted faces make you believe that they were buried alive.


    14. Heroin once used as a replacement for morphine and used to relieve coughs in children.


    15. Joseph Stalin may have been the inventor of Photoshop. After the death or disappearance of some people, photographs of him were edited.


    16. Recent DNA tests have confirmed that The parents of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun were brother and sister. This explains many of his illnesses and defects.


    17. The Parliament of Iceland is considered oldest functioning parliament in the world. It was founded in 930.

    Inexplicable and mysterious facts of history


    18. For many years, miners in South Africa were excavating mystery balls about 2.5 cm in diameter with three parallel grooves. The stone from which they are made belongs to the Precambrian period, that is, they are about 2.8 billion years old.


    19. It is believed that Catholic saints do not decay. The oldest of the "non-decomposing" is Cecilia of Rome, who was martyred in 177 AD. Her body remains virtually the same as it was 1,700 years ago when it was discovered.


    20. Encryption from Shaboro in Great Britain is one of the still unsolved mysteries. If you look closely, you can see an inscription in the form of letters on the monument: DOUOSVAVVM. No one knows who carved this inscription, but many believe it is the key to finding Holy Grail.
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