10 Weird History Facts That You Probably Didn’t Know

History Is Not All Serious, People

History isn’t always concertos and corsets and deep thoughts; sometimes it’s just goofy. From exploding whales to recent emu invasions, the following 10 moments from the past suggest that humans (and, occasionally, animals) always have had minds of their own.

Exploding Whale (Oregon, 1970)

Let’s start with a literal bang. In 1970 year (within Florence, Oregon), the corpse of sperm whale was found washed up. Local officials, naturally, reasoned that, Why not dynamite? (Spoiler: It did not go well). They believed the blast would disperse the whale parts harmlessly around the ocean. Instead, drops of fat fell on fans, crunched the roofs of cars and otherwise left people puzzled at what they were doing there. Lesson learned? Don’t use dynamite on whales.

Cleopatra: More in Common With Wi-Fi Than the Pyramids

When you think of Cleopatra, you might imagine her lounging next to the Great Pyramid of Giza. Surprise! Cleopatra lived closer in time to the invention of Wi-Fi than to the pyramids. The pyramids were built around 2560 B.C.E., Cleopatra ruled in the first century B.C.E. So although you missed the moon landing, you are indeed fashionably late to pyramid construction.

One of the Most-Well Remembered Failures: The Great Emu War (Australia, 1932)

What is scarier than invading armies? Apparently, emus. In 1932, Australia’s farmers found themselves in something of a pickle: yes, they were being assaulted by emus, the large flightless bird, which were munching up crops. The solution? Bring in the army — armed with machine guns. It turns out that emus can outrun bullets (or are simply more clever). The military eventually surrendered after one foiled ambush after another. Yes, Australia lost a war against birds.

Napoleon vs. The Rabbits

Napoleon Bonaparte was a storied general, but even he had his bounds. Thousands of rabbits freed at a rabbit release his staff arranged. Instead of scattering, however, the bunnies turned into a furry horde of horror, diving toward Napoleon and his men. Why? The rabbits were domesticated and figured the humans had food. Napoleon had to flee in his carriage, defeated by rabbits.

The Short-Term Rental of the Eiffel Tower

Believe it or not, Paris almost said “au revoir” to its famous landmark. Constructed for the world’s fair in 1889, the Eiffel Tower was scheduled to be demolished after 20 years. But it was useful as a radio tower, so it was salvaged. Where would you find Paris imagine without Eiffel Tower? That’s as if there was no pizza in New York!

The Great Stink of 1858

Victorian London teemed, overflowed, and swelled with human excrement. “Although the Thames was so polluted a summer heatwave in 1858 turned the river into a stinking broth that became known as The Great Stink. The smell was so rancid that Parliament finally invested in a modern sewer system. So, yes: London’s clean water is because everybody couldn’t stop gagging.

When the U.S. Poisoned Booze

They weren’t just banning alcohol; they were poisoning it. It was contaminated with toxic chemicals to discourage bootleggers. That led to thousands of deaths, illustrating once again that the government’s answers can sometimes be deadlier than the problem.

The Shortest War in History (38 Minutes)

The Anglo-Zanzibar War started on August 27, 1896. The British brought the fire, when the sultan of Zanzibar, Khalid bin Barghash, refused to budge. It was 38 minutes long -- three minutes at a time. The Sultan fled, leaving Zanzibar with the dubious distinction of being the site of the world’s shortest war. If you blinked, you probably missed it.

Mike the Headless Chicken

In 1945, a farmer in Colorado beheaded a chicken called Mike. But Mike, defying all logic and biology, did not die. The farmer had unwittingly spared part of Mike’s brainstem, so the chicken lived for a year and a half. Mike became a sideshow act, feeding him with an eyedropper. Moral of the story? So poultry, you just never know.

A Paper With a Nearly Human Weight

Trash-talking isn’t new. The world’s oldest joke — a “your mama” insult inscribed on a Babylonian tablet circa 1500 B.C.E. While we miss part of the specific words to the translation, it’s obvious that even ancient civilizations liked to roast one another. “Your mom” jokes: older than time itself.

History Is Not All Serious, People

These narratives serve to remind us that history is not only a series of wars, treaties, political machinations and power struggles — it’s the journey of people, with all their whims and chaos and frequently humorous pratfalls. From emu wars to rabbit revolts to exploding whales, the past is nothing if not unpredictable. So the next time you feel bored: Remember, somewhere in this world — and in history — there was a time when someone ran scared from a fluffy bunny onslaught.

What was your most mind-blowing fact?