Amusing Historical Facts That Will Have You Saying Wtf

Many of us know the facts of history. Whether it is a fascination with Egypt or World Wars we all have an area of expertise. For me, I was always fascinated with Native American history as a child. There are, however, hidden amongst stories of bravery and corruption some very strange facts that will amaze many.

These little known facts will have you laughing and saying wtf on more than one occasion. So without delay let us look at ten of the stranger historical facts.

A favourite food of many during Thanksgiving and Christmas, the turkey is a popular dinner guest. However, in 300 B.C the Mayan people worshipped the birds. They believed they were a vessel of the god and honoured as such. These birds would take part in religious rites. They were domesticated as a consequence of this. If you look at Maya iconography and archaeology you can see their symbol of power and

In the Summer Olympics of 1904, the men's marathon had more than its fair share of controversy. The race finished, first by Fred Lorz. After being hailed the winner he had his photo take with Alice Roosevelt, the daughter of the US president. He was about to receive the gold medal when his dishonesty was discovered. It appears that he had dropped out of the race only nine miles into it. He hitched a ride back to the stadium with a passing car. He even went as far as waving to spectators and runners as he drove past. The car broke down on the 19th mile and he re-entered the race to jog to the finish line.

On discovery, he admitted his cheating but passed it off as a joke. His joking was taken seriously and this led to him receiving a ban from competing for a year. He would come back to running in 1905 when he won the Boston Marathon.

The brave emperor Napoleon Bonaparte was once attacked by a horde of bunnies. Bonaparte was interested in having a bunny hunt for his entertainment. Some of his staff set this up and reportedly rounded up some 3000 rabbits for the occasion. When the fluffy creatures were released from their cages they decided to take revenge on their would-be killer and charged him and his men. Described as a vicious, unstoppable onslaught.

I was always taught that Waterloo was his biggest defeat.

Pope Innocent VIII came to power in the 1400s. The world was in the throes of the witch crusades in Europe. The powers saw that the cat composed of the main companion of witches and connected the two. The church officially excommunicated the whole species. Cats were declared to be devil worshippers, black cats in particular. The pope called for all to be killed. The opinion on black cats is something that stays today, as black cats are far less likely to be rehomed than other colour varieties.

President Zachary Taylor was in office for sixteen months, when he passed away from eating too many cherries. On the 4th of July party in 1850, feeling unwell he returned home. To improve his health he drank milk and ate cherries. He developed gastroenteritis from the acidic cherries, mixed with the milk. These went on to kill him.

The cherries didn't kill the president immediately though. Instead, he died five days later, after being in agony from his overindulgence.

Alexander the Great was 32 when he died. At the time he had conquered and amassed the largest empire in the world. It stretched from Balkans to Pakistan. In 323 B.C he fell very ill and appeared to die after being in agony for 12 days.

After six days it was observed that his corpse was showing no signs of rot or decomposition. It is now believed, by modern-day scientists, that Alexander may have suffered from a condition called Guillain-Barre Syndrome. The syndrome paralyses the person, but they remain mentally aware. He was likely, horrifically buried alive.

David Beckham has been seen sporting more than one skirt in the media. He is not the first man to turn to this comfortable garment. Ancient Greeks thought trousers to be effeminate and would mock men who wore them. Instead, they thought skirts were a sign of manly characteristics.

During the Second World War on the road to Caen, a German Tiger ambushed a parked column of thirty armoured British vehicles. The soldiers were distracted as they were having an impromptu tea break. At the time the crews needed to exit their tanks to make a quick cuppa.

The British high command realised that to stop this happening again, the soldiers needed to make a brew on the road. When they designed the Centurion tanks they all came with a boiler fitted to the interior. The boiler was run by the electric circuits in the tank. No more would the German's catch us British making a hot drink.

During the end of the first world war, the French built a fake Paris to fool German bombers and pilots as they flew over. The replica came complete with Champs-Elysees and Gard Du Nord. They even included a fake railway. This lit up on certain points to provide the illusion that trains were moving along the tracks.

It is well known that Einstein was Jewish, although not a citizen of Israel. In 1952 he was offered the post of President of Israel.

The physicist turned the post down by saying

I am deeply moved by the offer from our State of Israel, and at once saddened and ashamed that I cannot accept it. All my life I have dealt with objective matters, hence I lack both the natural aptitude and the experience to deal properly with people and to exercise official functions

These are a few examples, within our history of strange facts and events that have happened. I have found over a hundred that will have you scratching your head. Have a look and see which ones you find.

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