History Facts

    Random History Facts

    There are 163 History Facts!

    Shortest War
    Shortest War
    The shortest war on record was fought between Zanzibar and England in 1896. Zanzibar surrendered after 38 minutes.
    540
    English sailors were referred to as "limeys" because sailors added lime juice to their diet to combat scurvy.
    69
    Chinese General With Only 100 Men Made An Army of 150,000 Retreat
    According to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Shu general Zhuge Liang had to defend a town with a mere 100 troops against an army of 150,000. He hid his men, flung open the gates, and sat on the walls playing a lute. The opposing general of Wei, Sima Yi, certain it was a trap, ordered a retreat.
    44
    There are pictures of Knights fighting Snails in old Medieval manuscripts - and nobody knows why.
    23
    In ancient Greece, tossing an apple to a girl was a traditional proposal of marriage. Catching it meant that she accepted.
    29
    There was a bear called Wojtek who was adopted by Polish soldiers during WW2. It carried ammunition, wrestled with soldiers, and drank beer.
    40
    Roman Farting Edict
    Roman Farting Edict
    After hearing of a man who almost died from holding in farts whilst dining, Emperor Claudius is said to have proclaimed an edict that allowed Romans to fart at the dinner table.
    37
    France’s King Louis XIV was offered biological weapons by an Italian chemist. He not only refused, but also paid the chemist an annual salary to never reveal the technology to anyone else.
    21