Our first list on Historical Oddities was very popular, so we are now presenting you with a second list! Here are 20 strange facts of history that you are probably not aware of.
1. Charles Darwin married his first cousin.
2. John F. Kennedy, Anthony Burgess, Aldous Huxley, and C.S. Lewis all died on the same day.
3. Officially, the longest war in history was between the Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly, which lasted from 1651 to 1986. There were no casualties.
4. Gay marriage was legally recognized in Rome, and Nero himself married at least two gay couples.
5. Adolf Hitler’s nephew, William Hitler, immigrated to the United States in 1939 and fought against his uncle.
6. Thomas Paine was elected to the first post-revolution French parliament, despite not speaking a word of the language.
7. William Howard Taft is the only US President to come third in his campaign for re-election, losing to eventual winner Woodrow Wilson and fellow Republican Theodore Roosevelt.
8. Technically, Henry VIII had only two wives. Four of his marriages were annulled.
9. King Richard II invented the handkerchief.
10. The Parliament of Iceland is the oldest still acting parliament in the world. It was established in 930.
11. The people who founded the Futurism art movement also founded the first Italian Fascist party in 1918.
12. Albert Einstein was offered the role of Israel’s second President in 1952, but declined.
13. New Zealand was the first country to enfranchise women. It gave them the vote in 1895.
14. The 27th amendment to the US constitution took 202 years to ratify, having been proposed in 1789 and finally ratified in 1992.
15. Until April 2008, the island of Sark remained the last feudal state in Europe.
16. Tomatoes were considered poisonous for many years in Europe and they were grown for ornamental reasons only. In fact, the leaves and stems of tomatoes are poisonous (but they can be used in moderation for food flavoring).
17. Soon after building started in 1173, the foundation of the Pisa tower settled unevenly. Construction was stopped, and was continued only a 100 years later. Therefore, the leaning tower was never straight.
18. Ancient Egyptians used slabs of stones as pillows.
19. People have been wearing glasses for about 700 years.
20. King Charles the Second often rubbed dust from the mummies of pharaohs so he could “absorb their ancient greatness.
Contributor: JT
I dont believe I am the first one here. IN fact, posting my comments for the first time.
Great list JF – I liked the one for Glasses. I am wearing them only since 25 years now.
great list. probably the only website i read every day.
number 12 surprises me. i have read a book about Einstein's life but the fact about Israel was never mentioned.
loved the list.
Henry VIII was just plain odd. he married his dead brothers widow as his first wife…enough said
Oh and i love the sound of the war between the Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly. Did they even know why it started by the time 1986 came around?
That's not odd at all – it was extremely common for a man to marry his Brother's widow in the middle ages.
As long it was proved (or widely believed) that the original marriage was never consummated. According to beliefs of the time if a man marries his brothers wife they shall have no children and Henry VIII used Katherine’s many miscarriages and still borns as proof of that (Apparently their daughter Mary didn’t count). Whether or not Katherine was a virgin when she married Henry is still debated. Phillipa Gregory wrote a novel called The Constant Princess which makes the case that she was not a virgin when she married Henry and that her original marriage was consummated. It’s a good book for anyone interested in that era.
I think these are my favorite lists.
Hehe I knew about all of these except for 3, 6, and 14
Cool list!
Leah: I think (not 100% sure though) that Henry VIII was obliged by political circumstances to marry his brother's widow.
Number two is just crazy. The world lost more than it realised that day.
Neat list. I like these kind of lists.
Actually, I knew the one about New Zealand.
"2. John F. Kennedy, Anthony Burgess, Aldous Huxley, and C.S. Lewis all died on the same day."
Well yeah but not in the same year – hardly an oddity given how many people die on the same day over the history of the world…
A bit like the chance of someone having the same birthday as you at a small party.
#1 we all know from a recent list.
#17 hands up anyone who didn't know the Tower at Pisa always leaned?
All but Anthony Burgess died on November 22, 1963.
When building on the tower of Pisa was restarted, they built the upper stories at a different angle, so the leaning tower is, in fact, bent.
Rusty, Kennedy, Huxley and Lewis actually really died on the same day – November 22, 1963. Although Burgess died in 1993.
#20-i wonder if that ever made him sick.
Miki,
In Israel, the role of the President is mostly a ceremonial one. The important guy is the Prime Minister. Einstein was offered the role mostly as an honor, so the story is more of an anecdote than something of real historic importance.
Awesome list! I'd heard about Charles Darwin marrying his cousin, but that was the only one. Good on William Hitler!
J can you make more of these kinda lists…? i love them!!
Knew no.20, is that a typo in no.3(Scilly=Sicily)?
No. The Isles of Scilly off the coast of the UK. Sicily is a single island, so you wouldn't say "The Isles of Sicily".
9. Rusty
“2. John F. Kennedy, Aldous Huxley, and C.S. Lewis all died on the same day.” Well yeah but not in the same year …
****
Yes, November 22, 1963. What do they teach you in middle school histiry these days?
Sheeeeesh?
Everyone over the age of 25 knows this to be valid.
John F. Kennedy, Aldous Huxley, and C.S. Lewis all died on November 22, 1963. Anthony Burgess died on November 22, 1993.
I guess I am a little bit more intelligent than I thought. I already knew number 1. The others are new to me though.
Great list, JT! I like lists with random yet interesting facts.
@ Ghidoran # 16: No it's not a typo. The Isles of Scilly are somewhere near Britain if memory serves me correctly.
————
This list is a great way to start the day. I didn't know many of these.
I'm not surprised Hitler's nephew fought against him. It's common knowledge that he treated his relatives like scum. But I am suprised that he had the name William Hitler, they all had to change their last name, when Adolf came to power, probably because they were not as "Arian" as he wanted them to be.
"New Zealand was the first country to enfranchise women. It gave them the vote in 1895."
And that country and all others emulating that stupidity have regretted that decision and paid a terrible social price ever since.
#19 I find interesting I wonder how they tested your eyesight 700 years ago.
Brilliant site keep up the good work.
JT, Another good list. So glad that the tomato is not poisonous, as I love that fruit, er, vegetable, er, fruit used as a vegetable, er, fruit taxed as a vegetable, vegetable.
Love these kinds of lists. Good and interesting stuff
Might want to say Ancient Rome to differentiate it from modern-day Rome.
Only an idiot would think they meant modern Rome, which is merely a city in Italy, whereas ancient Rome is an entire state.
Terrific list. Yes, please, make more of these kinds of lists. I've spent all morning travelling on Sark! It's been fun.
#9 Rusty – as has been said before Kennedy, Huxley, and C.S. Lewis did all die on the same day. And these are not just any people. They're actually somewhat famous.
Einstein really is a Jew.
As to #3.
I think I'll investigate the details of this "war" because right now I imagine it was approximately 400 years of "Shut up!"/"No, you shut up!"
how could they elongate their noggins with the slabs of stones?
Did they have two to sandwhich (as we know was invented by WHO? John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich((you dont wanna know about the 3 other mistakes we all could be eating instead today)) the noggin,binded with papyrus? Having to walk around like that musta been rough on the children, but over the years they would get used to it and grow much stronger than those elite with their puny ivory neckrests.
So it was these "stone slab, head sandwich walkers" that would later build the pyramids…
I knew it!
I wonder did Darwin have any children and is this the reason he belived in evolution,
I always thought that tomatoes were considered poisonous because they were very absorbent, and people used to eat them off of lead plates. Because the tomatoes were particularly adept at absorbing the lead, people would get sick. (or more obviously sick than eating off of lead plates was already making them.) I wonder if this is just a silly old wives tale that I heard when I was young and never investigated… Because it makes more sense that part of the tomato could make you sick, so all of the tomato was considered poisonous. Or maybe it was a combination of the two. *Nelia toddles off to do some googling*
Number 18 sounds awesome!
And what was the 27th amendment?
5Monkeys, (30),
"I wonder did Darwin have any children and is this the reason he belived in evolution"
A quick check in Wikipedia would reveal that Emma bore Charles ten children, of whom two died in infancy. If the question is intended seriously, his private life would have had no effect on his theory. Why should it have? The pattern of his relationship and family was completely typical for his day, and marriage to a cousin such as Emma was not considered at all unusual or remarkable.
Out of interest (and I've provided this answer elsewhere), a great-grandson of Darwin's, Prof. Richard Keynes, has written a biography of his illustrious forbear. Keynes was a Professor of Physiology at Cambridge University. Anyone who would care to draw any genetical conclusions from that small fact is welcome to do so.
Slow day of comments eh? Everyone must be out enjoying the summer!
marrying the widow of his dead brother was an obligation in the old times. because you dont want to make the widow go out of your family. she is in your family, and she should stay that way, by marrying to her.
i know it sounds weird, but that is the way it worked and still works in some parts of the world even today.
Einstein was born as a Jew, but he is not a jew. He is jew as much as a catholic or muslim.
I didn't know tomato leaves were poisonus…().()
Taranis,
"I didn’t know tomato leaves were poisonus…().()"
As a botanist and gardener I can tell you the potato/tomato family (Solanaceae) contains a good selection of some of the world's more lethal vegetation and fruits, including deadly nightshade and Jimson weed (Datura). Even where they don't kill, a lot can prove very nasty. Many with edible fruits or roots (tubers), such as the tomato and potato, are poisonous in their other parts. Green potatoes also contain a lot of dangerous substance but fortunately it's quite difficult to ear enough to do yourself in. Fruits of the chinese lantern (Physalis) are edible, but the *lanterns* that enclose them are poisonous, at least while still green.
Jfrater, (34)
Many will be pleased to hear I'll be lot thinner on the ground when our southern (hemisphere) summer comes around soon.
jfrater,
Good list, as usual. I will just point out that New Zealand wasn't technically an independent country in 1895, but still a colony. But I know you're a Kiwi, so I'm sure you know the actual status better than I do.
Therefore, it's also interesting to note that Wyoming was the very first place to grant women the vote in 1869, albeit only as a US state. Of course the rest of the US wouldn't catch up until 1920.
But perhaps more significant is the fact that Jeannette Rankin of Wyoming became the first woman elected to a national legislature in 1916! She would later become famous for voting against US entry into both World War I and World War II. In the case of WWII, she was the only member of Congress to vote against entering the war.
Nice list, I only knew about #1. Although #11 rings a bell somewhere in the back of my mind.
Segue–
as mentioned above your post, Anthony Burgess died in 1993, not 1963. Sheesh, everyone over the age of 25 knows that.
#17. segue
9. Rusty
“2. John F. Kennedy, Aldous Huxley, and C.S. Lewis all died on the same day.” Well yeah but not in the same year …
****
Yes, November 22, 1963. What do they teach you in middle school histiry these days?
Sheeeeesh?
Everyone over the age of 25 knows this to be valid.
**
#42. Chip
Segue–
as mentioned above your post, Anthony Burgess died in 1993, not 1963. Sheesh, everyone over the age of 25 knows that.
****
I guess you didn't notice I *EXCLUDED* Anthony Burgess from those who died in 1963.
I don't mind being reminded when I'm wrong, but when I'm right, it's just an annoyance.
@ Number 3
In those days marrying your dead siblings wife was not an uncommon thing. It was seen as the decent thing to do, especially in the cases of royal marriages where the marriage was purely for political reasons.
They taught me how to SPELL history in middle school. Don't be rude.
anon,
not to sound like a total dork.
but wasn't deadly nightshade used a lot by sally in the nightmare before christmas?
i thought it would be something more menacing then a tomato stem,
but that's pretty cool.
:].
Interesting and fun list.
Anon (38) Ear? Not like you to make this mistake.
Would tomato stems and leaves just make you sick, or could it be fatal? That's weird.
HM
Vera Lynn(49) only one way to find out *eats a tomato stem*
Hi btw
MPW (50) That's not funny! You put that down right now!!
Henry VIII first married his dead brother's widow. Then he spent alot of time studying to find some religious point so he could get the marrage annuled. He then married Anne Bolelyn. He accused her of incest and had her beheaded to everyone's surprise. The married Jane Parker before Anne's blood was dry. Jane died shortly after. He then married some chick that I can't remember her name. Got a divorce from her because he was forced into that marriage and didn't like her in the first place. Then he married Katheryn Howard (Anne Boleyn's cousin) Had her beheaded. Then he married another chick and this time he died. So divorced 2, killed 2, one died naturally and one out lived him.
devorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived
the rhyme we are taught in england at school to remember the order.
technically its not an annulment if you cut off your wife's head
her name was jane seymour not jane parker lol (not a very medieval name).
And I've just let a fair bit of a possible list out of the bag!!!!
(50), (51 for information),
Hang on, I've got the antidote … somewhere. Now where the hell did I put it …? Hey just hang on in there a bit longer, I'll find it soon, promise. Oh, damn, forgotten what it was too. Keep breathing, 'fraid I'll have to look it up …
(52),
Good job nobody told fat Henry (nothing to do with the plant fat hen) about deadly nightshade then.
Anon (53) I should have said "earor" (error) instead of mistake. I knew you knew. Just bustin' your chops.
Oh, God. I fell for it … yet again
Hubris
Good pun to punish me with though.
Anon (58) You are too much. So glad you are back. I don't often get a chance to "get" you. Today was my day. Now for the next 50 years….
And I read this twice to make sure I didn't have "earors."
Anon,
I had forgotten Datura (I've always called it Devil's Trumpet) was part of the Solanaceae family. Tobacco, mandrake, deadly nightshade, capsicum, tomato, eggplant, and potato (but not sweet potato) I remembered. There were rows of them growing down a street I once lived in; it surprised me that the council didn't have them removed.
Poisoning by eating green potatoes is meant to be pretty rare but my mother accidentally managed to do it. She didn't kill anyone, just induced a lot of vomiting
Does anyone else remember the part of Louisa Alcott's Little Women where the girls put belladonna in their eyes? Freaky.
My brother and I, when we were very little, once collected a container full of deadly nightshade berries (there were lots near where we lived along with the blackberry bushes) and proudly showed them to our mother. We soon found out the reason why she questioned us so insistently about whether we'd eaten any
(we hadn't)
I meant to say 'rows of Datura…", silly me.