History has always fascinated many people. Things were done differently back then, and seeing the differences in how people lived was both horrifying and oddly intriguing at the same time. You’d never guess what they put in food, household goods, or the ‘innovation’ on the battlefield. With that in mind, dive into history with us and see what changes your perspective.
Fluffy Attack
In the early 1800s, Napoleon was attacked by hungry rabbits. The plan was to have a rabbit hunt, and as such, they had gathered hundreds of rabbits and placed them in cages. What they didn’t count on was the hungry rabbits charging toward Napoleon because they wanted to eat him. He ran into his carriage as thousands of rabbits tried to bite him.
Emu War
In the 1930s, Australia had deployed soldiers with machine guns to kill emus. The emus were destroying the crops in the western areas, and this was thought to be the solution to address the population. However, they realized that the emus weren’t going anywhere because after 10,000 rounds of bullets, they only killed a couple of hundred instead of the thousands that were roaming. They withdrew, and after being asked to come back later, they declined.
Pants
While this may be shocking, a law from 1800 technically prohibited women from wearing pants unless they obtained police permission in Paris. The law stated that women had to ask the police for permission to dress like men. However, exceptions were made for those riding bikes or horses. This obviously was not followed for long, and after a legislator noticed it was still in existence, the law was removed.
Bad Medicine
In the late 1800s, pharmacies used to give heroin to children. They believed it was a non-addictive alternative to morphine. They would use it for pain, coughs, colds, and more for children, and it came in a syrup form. They quickly began to realize how dangerous this was, but it took more than three decades for it to be banned in the United States.
Construction
In Japan, Kongo Gumi was a construction company that began work in 578 and operated continuously and without fail until 2006. Their specialization was temple construction, and it was passed on through 40 generations of family members. Now, it’s a subsidiary of another company, but it was in business as an independent company for almost 1,430 years, making it the longest-running business.
Chocolate Fever
When the Aztec civilization was discovered by Spanish conquistadors, they discovered that chocolate was the currency. With 100 cacao beans, you could buy a turkey. If you wanted a rabbit, that was 30 beans. The Spanish, however, didn’t like the bitter taste so they added sugar later on. Now, chocolate is sweet.
Poisoned Alcohol
During Prohibition, the U.S. government decided to discourage people from drinking alcohol by putting toxic chemicals in industrial alcohol. Unfortunately, people drank it anyway, and it caused approximately 10,000 people to die. The officials knew this was happening, but continued to do it, claiming the consequences were the people’s fault for continuing to drink.
The Secret Service
Initially, the Secret Service wasn’t for protecting the president. It was for combating counterfeit currency because this was a huge issue during the war. While Lincoln signed the legislation creating these protectors, it wasn’t until President McKinley was assassinated later in 1901 that the Secret Service began protecting the president.
Alarm Clocks
In 250 BCE, the inventor Ctesibius created an alarm clock that ran on water in ancient Greece. The water would drip into a container, and when the container filled, it triggered dropped pebbles, whistles, or other noisemakers to wake the person up. There became more advanced options for specific times, and it helped priests and common people wake up before dawn.
Cleopatra
Cleopatra was closer to our time than we think. She died in 30 BCE, which is around two centuries ago. However, the Great Pyramid of Giza was completed five hundred years before her birth. That means that the moon landing is closer to her time than the pyramids. If you look at it that way, Egypt’s history would have been ancient to the young queen.
Tug Of War
When you think of the Olympics, tug of war probably isn’t on your list of sports, but for twenty years in the early 1900s, it was. Teams of eight would pull the rope and Great Britain was the champion of the most medals. The sport was gone after 1920. However, many countries have federations and international championships for tug of war.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are delicious and go with just about anything (there’s even tomato ice cream now), but back in the day, the wealthy Europeans wouldn’t eat tomatoes for years after meeting Americans. The reason? The fruit would leach lead from pewter plates, and therefore, it caused lead poisoning. People didn’t realize it was the plate causing the poison and not the tomato. People using wooden plates had no issue. It was the love of pizza that brought tomatoes back into the fold.
President Einstein
Albert Einstein was a brilliant man. What most people don’t know is that he had an offer to become Israel’s second president in the 1950s and humbly turned it down, though he was both touched and incredibly honored. He stated that he thought he lacked the experience and aptitude necessary to take on an official capacity where you have to deal appropriately with society.
Eiffel Tower
Originally, the Eiffel Tower was going to be dismantled after twenty years. The Parisians hated the structure in the beginning and claimed it was an ugly eyesore. However, during WWI, it served as a radio transmission tower, saving it from being destroyed. Now, it attracts millions of visitors from around the world and stands proudly.
Oxford
The university began teaching students in 1096 CE, while the Aztecs are said to have begun around 1500 CE. That means Oxford is older than ancient civilizations when they reached their peak. Not only that, but they saw the rise of some of the best time periods and the fall of powers.
Bizarre History
History has bizarre stories that are both horrific and intriguing. You’d never think that a war with animals could break out, that some of the most iconic symbols in the world weren’t even wanted at the time, or that two presidents died before being offered extra protection. This shows that history isn’t just made of significant events; the smallest decisions truly did change history.
