Random History Facts

    107 facts tagged with History Facts

    Knocker-Up
    Knocker-Up
    Until the 1920s, there was a profession called 'knocker-up', which involved going from client to client and tapping on their windows (or banging on their doors) with long sticks until they woke up.
    46
    Ancient Greeks believed that redheads turned into vampires after they died.
    40
    585 BC Solar Eclipse
    585 BC Solar Eclipse
    In 585 BC, a solar eclipse occurred in the middle of a battle between the Lydians and the Medes. They promptly ceased fighting and signed a peace treaty.
    76
    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
    In 1770, the British Parliament passed a law condemning lipstick, stating that “women found guilty of seducing men into matrimony by a cosmetic means could be tried for witchcraft.”
    4
    Candle Clocks
    Candle Clocks
    Before clocks, there were candle clocks that when burned, indicated the passage of periods of time. To set an alarm, you pushed a nail into the desired point and the nail would fall and clank on the metal holder.
    68
    Yucatán Name
    Yucatán Name
    The Mexican state of Yucatán was named so after a misunderstanding when the Spaniards arrived and asked the locals what they called the place. The locals replied "Yucatan" which means "I don’t understand you" in their native tongue.
    35
    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