In Ancient Greece, if a woman watched even one Olympic event, she was executed.
40
In 1518, a "dancing plague" struck Strasbourg, Alsace, whereby hundreds of people danced fervently in the streets over the period of a month. Some suffered heart attacks or strokes, and many others died from sheer exhaustion. It remains unexplained.
19
During the Black Plague, it was thought that bad smells were the cause of the plague. "Plague Doctors" therefore wore masks with long beak-like noses stuffed with flowers or smoke to hide the smells.
19
Approximately 25,000 workers died during the building of the Panama Canal, and approximately 20,000 of them contracted malaria and yellow fever.
14
The University of Oxford (teaching since 1096) predates the Aztec empire (1428 - 1521).
14
The Titanic was the first ship to use the SOS signal.
149
No one knows who designed the first American Flag.
45
Napoleon had conquered Italy by the time he was twenty-six.
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