Genghis Khan exempted the poor and clergy from taxes, encouraged literacy, and established free religion, leading many peoples to join his empire before they were even conquered.
28
The flushing toilet was invented in 1596, not by Thomas Crapper as most people think, but by Sir John Harington.
98
Pineapples were such a status symbol in 18th century England that you could rent one for the evening to take to a party.
25
Early Romans used to use porcupine quills as toothpicks.
27
In Ancient Greece, small penises were desirable, and big ones were for ‘old men and barbarians’
22
Approximately 25,000 workers died during the building of the Panama Canal, and approximately 20,000 of them contracted malaria and yellow fever.
14
In ancient Greece, tossing an apple to a girl was a traditional proposal of marriage. Catching it meant that she accepted.
29