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42 Historical Facts Which Appear To Be Too Bizarre To Be True Yet They Are, As Told By Folks In This Online Thread Ancient Thebes once assembled an elite military force consisting of 150 pairs of gay male lovers. They were believed to fight better because they wouldn't want to act cowardly or unmanly in front of their boyfriends. They went undefeated in war for years.

storm_walkers Report

Final score:

439points

POST

crowspectre 2.0 (he/they) 1 year ago

Everyone in Greece was gay as f**k. I rest my case

177points

ScrollWithTheTimes , theroyalfamily Report

42 Historical Facts Which Appear To Be Too Bizarre To Be True Yet They Are, As Told By Folks In This Online Thread Elizabeth II was on the throne for over a quarter of the United States' existence.

Final score:

393points

POST

Ian Lee 1 year ago

RIP Queen Elizabeth 😞

126points

42 Historical Facts Which Appear To Be Too Bizarre To Be True Yet They Are, As Told By Folks In This Online Thread There were archaeologists in *Ancient* Egypt studying about *even more* ancient Egypt.

GNTB3996 , VasenkaPhotography Report

Final score:

363points

POST

RoanTheMad 1 year ago

To put this into context: There was more than a thousand years between the Pyramids being built (around 2630 BC) and Tutankhamun being Pharaoh. (1332 BC) and another more than a thousand until Cleopatra ruled Egypt (51 to 30 BC) which means Cleopatra was alive around 2050 years ago. meaning as of 2023 she lived closer to our modern time than she did to the pyramids being built.

178points

42 Historical Facts Which Appear To Be Too Bizarre To Be True Yet They Are, As Told By Folks In This Online Thread Read about this a few years ago:

In 1943 a group of German sailors on a U-Boat emplaced a weather station on the Canadian coast (Labrador) so the Germans could more accurately predict the weather for military operations (since weather in the Northern hemisphere generally moves west-to-east.) The weather station was marked with fake signs indicating that it was a Canadian military facility and for unauthorized personnel to keep out.

The weather station was eventually discovered by the Canadians....

...In 1977.

UJMRider1961 , meaduva Report

Final score:

315points

POST

clist414 1 year ago

Just found out emplaced is a word

133points

42 Historical Facts Which Appear To Be Too Bizarre To Be True Yet They Are, As Told By Folks In This Online Thread The first battle of the American Civil War was fought on land owned by a Mr. Wilmer McLean. After the battle he decided to move further out in the country to avoid the war...where four years later Gen. Lee surrendered to Gen. Grant in Mr. McLeans house. The war started and ended on his property.

rgrtom , Vidal Balielo Jr Report

Final score:

300points

POST

Paulo Freitas 1 year ago (edited)

I raise you One better, ( i dunno the dates by head now, neither the name of the gentleman in question, but any of you interested can Google him ) there was a Japanese gentleman that was in Hiroshima when the Americans droped the 1st Atomic bomb, the man in question survived and decided to go to his family house in..... Nagasaki lol, and Guess what, he survived again, its the only man on the Guiness book of world records to have survived 2 Atomic bombs.

128points

42 Historical Facts Which Appear To Be Too Bizarre To Be True Yet They Are, As Told By Folks In This Online Thread University of Oxford is older than the Aztec Empire.

AverageJoeDynamo , Diliff Report

Final score:

291points

POST

Headless Roach 1 year ago

The yoghurt in Nathaniel's fridge is older than the Aztec Empire, too. 🤎

147points

42 Historical Facts Which Appear To Be Too Bizarre To Be True Yet They Are, As Told By Folks In This Online Thread We live closer in time to TRex than TRex did to Stegosaurus. Dinosaurs were here forever.

TDeath21 , mcdlttx Report

Final score:

273points

POST

Ian Lee 1 year ago

Weren’t the dinosaurs here wayyy longer than we have, we could go extinct like they did 0-0

57points

42 Historical Facts Which Appear To Be Too Bizarre To Be True Yet They Are, As Told By Folks In This Online Thread King George III known as the ‘Mad King’ apparently suffered severe mental illness the majority of his life. He was tied to chairs, gagged, bled, left in freezing rooms to try and ‘treat’ him.

In 2005, DNA testing on his hair found extremely high levels of lead and arsenic. Medications he was being given for other ailments sent him insane for a slow likely painful death

ImaginaryAfternoon0 , Joe Passe Report

Final score:

256points

POST

Esme Weatherwax 1 year ago

NHS spending cuts

70points

#10

42 Historical Facts Which Appear To Be Too Bizarre To Be True Yet They Are, As Told By Folks In This Online Thread The entire country of Malta was awarded the George Cross for its efforts in WWII. It's still on their flag.

AnaisGiovanna , hippopx Report

Final score:

237points

POST

Jill Bussey 1 year ago

Deservedly so.

62points

Illustrious-Sir6135 , Justin Ehrlich Report

#11

42 Historical Facts Which Appear To Be Too Bizarre To Be True Yet They Are, As Told By Folks In This Online Thread The rings of Saturn are younger than Stegosauruses.

Stegosauruses roamed the earth ~150-180 million years ago. Saturn's rings have only existed for ~100 million years.

Final score:

224points

POST

New Everywhere 1 year ago

The idea of "millions of years" blows my mind sometimes

11points

#12

Bobby Leach was the second person to ever go over Niagara Falls in a barrel. He survived, but his injuries kept him hospitalized for six months.

He died 15 years later from injuries sustained after he slipped on an orange peel.

TClark626 Report

Final score:

219points

POST

Saggi! 1 year ago

Imagine surviving all that just to go out by a orange peel. Hospitalised for 6 months, came out alive from a f*****g waterfall fall, all to get injuries, from an ORANGE peel.

98points

Derpygoras , Scott WilcoxsonScott Wilcoxson Report

#13

42 Historical Facts Which Appear To Be Too Bizarre To Be True Yet They Are, As Told By Folks In This Online Thread The first 200 000 years or so of being highly sentient human beings are lost in history. We only know the last circa 2000-4000 years from texts.

The first recorded joke - a fart joke that is 4000 years old - uses the term "since time immemorial" (or the sumerian version). Even though one should not take that literally, it suggests that you could travel back in time to find people consider their civilization ancient already.

And it was. When that joke was written down in cuneiform, the pyramid of Djoser had already been standing for 700 years. And when **that** pyramid was built, the city of Catal Höyuk was 3000-5000 years old!

And still, that was built during *the latest 2.5% of human history*.

We have lost so goddam much that it hurts to think of it.

Final score:

214points

POST

Illicit 1 year ago

What was the damn 4000yr old fart joke?

237points

#14

42 Historical Facts Which Appear To Be Too Bizarre To Be True Yet They Are, As Told By Folks In This Online Thread Sharks have been on earth far longer than trees. The first sharks arose over 100 million years before the first tree.

FalstaffsMind , Elias Levy Report

Final score:

202points

POST

TotallyNOTaFox 1 year ago

So they appeared around the time Saturn got it's rings... Coincidence, I THINK NOT!

10points

#15

There are funguses that cover entire forest floors that work like a neural network, for both themselves and the trees. If the fungus is say, ingured by a dog on one end, trees on the other end will increase their bark for additional protection.

MoJoHusband Report

Final score:

197points

POST

OnAFreakingRollercoaster 1 year ago

Pun intended? Injured by a dog, increase their bark ?!

24points

#16

42 Historical Facts Which Appear To Be Too Bizarre To Be True Yet They Are, As Told By Folks In This Online Thread The head of German military intelligence during WW2 was providing the Allies with intel.

The_Thunder_Child , priceman 141 Report

Final score:

188points

POST

Onion Cutting Ninja 1 year ago

Thank goodness for people like this who had incredible courage during this terrible war.

92points

#17

42 Historical Facts Which Appear To Be Too Bizarre To Be True Yet They Are, As Told By Folks In This Online Thread Between the 16th and 18th century, slave ships from Africa raided the Mediterranean and enslaved up to a million people. Sometimes entire islands were captured and taken away. Raids were made on seaside towns of Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, England, the Netherlands and as far away as Iceland, capturing men, women and children. It was so bad that people stopped living on long stretches of coast in Spain and Italy.

mr_augur , parameter_bond Report

Final score:

183points

POST

Myst Edenflower 1 year ago

Humans, enslaving each other since forever.

116points

#18

Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt went for a swim in the ocean and just disappeared. To honour him we now have the Harold Holt Memorial Swimming Centre.

The_Thunder_Child Report

Final score:

174points

POST

Libstak 1 year ago

Us Aussies have a wacky sense of humour

102points

#19

42 Historical Facts Which Appear To Be Too Bizarre To Be True Yet They Are, As Told By Folks In This Online Thread In 90 years from 1841 to 1930 Ireland's population halved, from 8.4 million to about 4 million. The Famine started the decline, but emigration sustained it - Ireland's population didn't start growing again until the 1960s, and there are still about 2 million fewer people living there (Eire and NI) than in 1841.

mordenty , Justin Brockie Report

Final score:

170points

POST

werewolf394 1 year ago

This is why there are so many Americans who claim to be of Irish descent - because Ireland was so badly affected by the famine that millions left the country. My grandmother on my mother's side and my great-grandmother on my father's side both left Ireland years ago.

75points

#20

42 Historical Facts Which Appear To Be Too Bizarre To Be True Yet They Are, As Told By Folks In This Online Thread Albert Einstein turned down the presidency of Israel.

ABITIN , Madelgarius Report

Final score:

167points

POST

Ian Lee 1 year ago

Wait WHAT can someone give context

46points

#21

42 Historical Facts Which Appear To Be Too Bizarre To Be True Yet They Are, As Told By Folks In This Online Thread The great wall of China has existed longer than Christianity

NDStarr , Keith Roper Report

Final score:

156points

POST

Hugh Cookson 1 year ago

So has lots and lots of other important stuff.

161points

Thorsten Massow 1 year ago

For example several other religions still worshipped today...

30points

David H 1 year ago

Not true. What we know as the Great Wall is 7 different walls that were connected less than a 1000 years ago. Most parts date to post 500CE, the oldest sections do predate Christianity, but the wall as we know it does not.

16points

Holly🇫🇮🇬🇧 1 year ago

And hopefully will exist after Christianity is demolished

9points

Auntriarch 1 year ago

Ramen!

3points

alwaysMispelled 1 year ago

Christianity is only 2000 years old, that's not that old

8points

ThatBookGirl 1 year ago

2023 years old!!

3points

Phil Green 1 year ago

Oh, come on! Christianity is less than 2 000 years old!

6points

Thatkamloopsguy 1 year ago

And I believe in The Great Wall.

4points

Porribix 1 year ago

Parts of it have, as a whole it hasn't

4points

Scott Crosby 1 year ago

Every original Chinese invention has existed longer than Christianity.

3points

I Am John 1 year ago

Judaism has existed longer than Christianity...

2points

sylvantic 1 year ago

We have been around for 3000 years and we aren’t going anywhere.

1point

sayanything 1 year ago

And probably will outlast it.

2points

Loudawg76 1 year ago

I think The Great Wall is the only one out of these two things that is actually real though!

1point

Pink Aesthetic 1 year ago

facts!

1point

Mayson 1 year ago

...and will outlive it too.

1point

Cydney Golden 1 year ago

And so much of Christianity is what was "borrowed" from paganism to steal the people's allegiance.

0points

Jim Ellington 1 year ago

So has anything much older than 2000 years.

0points

Evelyn Haskins 1 year ago

The Great Wall of China is several different walls built at various times. A bit Like Hadrian's Wall to keep out the riff-raff!

0points

#22

Carrots don't improve eyesight, that's World War Two propaganda made up by the British to cover up the existence of radar

AdamBombKelley Report

Final score:

151points

POST

Jill Bussey 1 year ago

If your diet is deficient in Vitamin A, then yes, eating carrots will help. But it's a fine line. The misunderstanding may also arise because there is a source of Vitamin A called carotene.

47points

Dutch Swimmer Goes Viral For Super Revealing Trunks During 2024 Olympics: “Is This Legal?”

See Also on Bored Panda

Thrill-Seeking Diver Jumps Down Extreme Waterslide, Ignoring The Strict Ban For Women

#23

42 Historical Facts Which Appear To Be Too Bizarre To Be True Yet They Are, As Told By Folks In This Online Thread Joe Biden was born closer to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination than he was his own inauguration.

TDeath21 , joebiden Report

Final score:

146points

POST

LizzieBoredom 1 year ago

Joe Biden was born 5 years after Amelia Earhart went missing so he's in the clear.

97points

#24

42 Historical Facts Which Appear To Be Too Bizarre To Be True Yet They Are, As Told By Folks In This Online Thread It took 60 million years for nature to develop bacteria that could digest trees. In fact that is where coal comes from

HunterRoze , oatsy40 Report

Final score:

144points

POST

Pedantic Panda 1 year ago

This seems badly worded to me. The fact is that 300 million years ago, the bacteria and fungi that today help break down dead trees, didn't exist. As a result, dead trees didn't decompose but became coal due to being buried and exposed to millions of years of heat and pressure.

34points

#25

42 Historical Facts Which Appear To Be Too Bizarre To Be True Yet They Are, As Told By Folks In This Online Thread That there was a molasses flood in Boston in 1919 that was 25 feet high and killed 21 people.

Almadel1970 , Chris Waits Report

Final score:

138points

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Jeff Gabrisl 1 year ago

I remember reading about beer flood in England when a fermentation tank burst. People died from alcohol poisoning. I'm not sure if it's true, but it always makes me think of this joke: Kelly Fitzgerald was late getting home from his job at the brewery one night and his wife was worried. He was supposed to be home at 5pm, and it was 9pm when she heard a knock at the door . When she opened the door it was the brewery owner. The owner said " Kelly had an accident at work, he fell into one of the fermentation vats, and now he is at St Peter's gate, I'm so sorry" His wife cried and said: "I hope he didn't die in pain" The owner replied: "I doubt it, he got out 4 times to take a p**s"

15points

#26

There was a convent of French nuns that just began meowing one day for no particular reason.

PerfectBussy98 Report

Final score:

137points

POST

sofacushionfort 1 year ago

One needs a reason?

20points

#27

42 Historical Facts Which Appear To Be Too Bizarre To Be True Yet They Are, As Told By Folks In This Online Thread The last execution by guillotine was in the 70s

Skwerilleee , Johann Jaritz Report

Final score:

134points

POST

David 1 year ago

I feel like method of execution is determined more for the sensitivity of the people not being executed. Guillotine supposed to be 'barbaric' but in reality is probably painless or close to. Quick - catastrophic - fatal. Body goes into shock (I assume) and dead before it figures out what happened. I kind of don't get the current problems with injections. Just put them under like for an operation - then take them deeper. I've had my intestines removed from my body (temporarily of course) and never felt a thing. Not speaking in favor of execution. Just saying the modern methods seem weird to me.

10points

Woman Put A Water Fountain With A Camera In Her Yard, Here Are 24 Photos Of Regular Visitors (New Pics)

See Also on Bored Panda

“Ma’am I Live Here”: Woman Refuses To Back Out Of Driveway, Learns A Lesson The Hard Way

#28

42 Historical Facts Which Appear To Be Too Bizarre To Be True Yet They Are, As Told By Folks In This Online Thread The last "official" civil war widow died in 2020.

Jmen4Ever , WGN News Report

Final score:

127points

POST

I Am John 1 year ago

Which civil war? Haha.

6points

#29

42 Historical Facts Which Appear To Be Too Bizarre To Be True Yet They Are, As Told By Folks In This Online Thread It’s estimated between 70-85 million people died in WW2. It’s been estimated 300-500 million people died of smallpox in the 20th century alone.

UnconstrictedEmu , Pixabay Report

Final score:

122points

POST

Apatheist Account2 1 year ago

You know what stopped smallpox? A vaccine. Some people are fortunate to be alive and have the choice not to take them.

241points

#30

42 Historical Facts Which Appear To Be Too Bizarre To Be True Yet They Are, As Told By Folks In This Online Thread The Universe is unfathomably young at 13.8 billion years old. Humanity is actually very early to the party and there is a good chance we may be one of the first intelligent life forms in the universe if not the first. This chance increases if we find Red Dwarves with habitable planets because unlike Sol, Red Dwarves will last up to 10 trillion years.

On a Universal scale we are right at the birth of our Universe and it could be why we have yet to find evidence of other intelligent life, outside of just sheer size.

rapter200 , Alex Andrews Report

Final score:

115points

POST

Libstak 1 year ago

You have to wonder if they see us like that spider in the corner of the porch everybody skirts around making sure it doesn't notice them.

69points

50 Of The Most Incredible Shots That Were Submitted To The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

See Also on Bored Panda

French Diver’s “Jewels” In Tight Swimming Trunks Become Talk Of The Town At Olympics

#31

42 Historical Facts Which Appear To Be Too Bizarre To Be True Yet They Are, As Told By Folks In This Online Thread Human spaceflight, laptop computers and mobile phones all pre-date the creation of the vertically aligned roll-aboard suitcase.

dr3rdeye , Hsien-Hsien Lei Report

Final score:

113points

POST

M O'Connell 1 year ago

And the paint roller didn't exist until 1940.

28points

HoeingForYieldNSFW , Secret Pilgrim Report

#32

42 Historical Facts Which Appear To Be Too Bizarre To Be True Yet They Are, As Told By Folks In This Online Thread Fax machines were invented in 1843, well before the telephone.

Final score:

112points

POST

Saggi! 1 year ago

Yeah, I saw this thing on Bored Panda a while back too, and it said, for the shortest period of time, that there could have been a time where Abraham Lincoln could send a Fax to a samurai Soldier. The concept of time freaks me out.

57points

#33

Cleopatra lived closer in time to the iPhone than the construction of the pyramids.

Skwerilleee Report

Final score:

112points

POST

Thegoodboi 1 year ago

Imagine her on instagram...

60points

Mclaren_45 , Samuele Wikipediano 1348 Report

#34

42 Historical Facts Which Appear To Be Too Bizarre To Be True Yet They Are, As Told By Folks In This Online Thread President Teddy Roosevelt was shot at point blank and gave his hour plus long speech.

Final score:

110points

POST

Falcon on Dizzy 1 year ago

tis but a scratch

17points

#35

42 Historical Facts Which Appear To Be Too Bizarre To Be True Yet They Are, As Told By Folks In This Online Thread The last known pneumonic plague outbreak in the United States happened in 1924 in Los Angeles. It was limited to a small area, hence why it was classed as an outbreak. It was thought to be either an STI, due to the patient zero complaining about a fever and a sore groin.

What happened was patient zero was cleaning out his house and found a dead rat. He dispose of it, not knowing it was infected with pneumonic plague.

However, officials soon discovered a strange increase rate of an unusual form of pneumonia. Given the field of Pathology was around, they requested blood samples and discovered the cause was Yersinia pestis.

With the information provided, measures were finally taken to deal with the outbreak, such as Rat extermination including allowing stray cats and dogs to hunt down any rat. In today's money, the cost would be around 5 to 9 million. There was also mass burning, common to control a disease outbreak.

MissSara101 , HS You Report

Final score:

107points

POST

censorshipsucks 1 year ago

PNEUMONIC or BUBONIC??

48points

Woman Moves Out Of Parents' Home After They Asked Her To Give Her Space To Brother, They Freak Out

See Also on Bored Panda

Mom Leaves $250k Inheritance To Son, Throws A Fit When Daughter Stops Looking After Her

#36

42 Historical Facts Which Appear To Be Too Bizarre To Be True Yet They Are, As Told By Folks In This Online Thread In 1972, as much as 26 feet of snow fell on small towns in Iran killing 4000 people.

Ennion , Steven Tom Report

Final score:

101points

POST

Jake stenhouse 1 year ago

I don’t think that’s a photo of Iran

126points

#37

42 Historical Facts Which Appear To Be Too Bizarre To Be True Yet They Are, As Told By Folks In This Online Thread John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on the same day. July 4th. On the 50th Anniversary.

COACHREEVES , GPA Photo Archive Report

Final score:

97points

POST

Michelle C 1 year ago

John Adams’ last words were, reportedly, “Thomas Jefferson still lives!” unaware that he had died hours before Adams passed.

4points

#38

Wooly Mammoth were alive when the first Egyptian pyramids were built.

The cotton gin was a commercial failure for Eli Whitney.

During the Siege of Castle Ritter, American and German troops fought together against German SS troops.

In WW2, the Italian navy independently broke most of the major powers encryption codes, including their allies codes. They even broke the German enigma code before the British did.

Stalin knew about the American nuclear weapons before Truman.

Sinky2086 Report

Final score:

96points

POST

Lord Rimuru 1 year ago

It's Castle Itter

26points

#39

42 Historical Facts Which Appear To Be Too Bizarre To Be True Yet They Are, As Told By Folks In This Online Thread Rudy Guiliani passed the bar exam.

OkPenis-ist28 , Gage Skidmore Report

Final score:

85points

POST

Kathryn Baylis 1 year ago (edited)

Back in the day when he still had ll his marbles. He’d probably use his melting hair dye to doodle d***s or something on it now. The only “bar exam” he can pass now would be him drinking everyone else under the table in an actual bar

9points

Woman Refuses To Chip In For Babysitting Because She Doesn’t Even Have Kids, Asks If She’s A Jerk

See Also on Bored Panda

“This Breaks My Heart”: People Stunned—And Angry—After Woman Buys Lost Luggage From Airport

#40

Pope Gregory IX declared war on cats.

He believed that cats were agents of devil worshippers.

ABITIN Report

Final score:

84points

POST

Stardust she/her 1 year ago

As a result of that, felines nearly went extinct in Europe and the population of rats increased which probably led to the plague

143points

Jazzlike_Mouse7478 Report

#41

Andrew Jackson, while being president, said "John Calhoun, if you secede from my nation, I will secede your head from the rest of your body."

Final score:

84points

POST

Alicia M 1 year ago

After Andrew Jackson's presidency, he said his biggest regret was not killing John Calhoun. His own vice president. Jackson is truly one of the worst presidents this country has had.

53points

#42

Hitler and Stalin both lived in Vienna in 1913.

The_Thunder_Child Report

Final score:

78points

POST

Thorsten Massow 1 year ago

And if they both had visited Freud, talking about their problems (Hitlers troubled family-history, his failed art studies, Stalins drinking father etc.) this might have changed the 20th century timeline quite a bit. Maybe an idea for an alternate history novel...

6points