In ancient Rome it was considered a sign of leadership to be born with a crooked nose!
55
In the 1830s, a Greek prime minister tried to spread the potato in Greece but people weren't interested so he put armed guards in front of shipments of potatoes so people would think they were important. People then started stealing these potatoes so much that the crop spread to all of Greece.
29
The oldest stone tools found are dated from 2.7 - 2.9 million years ago. The species that made these tools is unknown.
13
In 1799, a boy found a 17lb. rock in a creek in North Carolina and used it as a doorstop. It was actually gold.
34
In 1963, the US Military created an artificial ring around Earth, similar to that of the planet Saturn. The ring was made of copper needles and was used for worldwide communications in the case that the Soviets disabled all other methods of communication.
26
The University of Oxford (teaching since 1096) predates the Aztec empire (1428 - 1521).
14
In the 1930's, American track star Jesse Owens used to race against horses and dogs to earn a living.
50
Clocks made before 1660 had only one hand - an hour hand.
41