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
    Vegetarian Gladiators
    Vegetarian Gladiators
    Ancient gladiators were mostly vegetarians whose diet consisted mainly of grains, beans, and dried fruit, washed down with a vinegar and plant ash tonic.
    294
    Rocket Mail
    Rocket Mail
    In 1959, the USPS attempted to deliver mail via cruise missile and successfully shipped 3,000 pieces of mail from Virginia to Florida in 22 minutes.
    34
    Scientists are learning from the 1700-year-old Lycurgus Cup, which changes colour thanks to nano particles.
    0
    The exact cause of death and burial site of Genghis Khan is unknown, because all of the 2000 funeral guests and 800 soldiers were killed in order to preserve the secret.
    16
    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
    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
    Modern humans first appeared about 200,000 years ago, but record keeping didn't begin until about 6,000 years ago. That means about 97% of human history is lost.
    21