50 Funniest Facts About History

Sunday, July 27, 2025

Here are 50 of the funniest, weirdest, and most surprising facts from history — proving that the past had no shortage of quirky moments:

The shortest war in history was between Britain and Zanzibar on 27 August 1896. It lasted 38 minutes.
Napoleon was once attacked by bunnies. He planned a rabbit hunt for his men, but the bunnies charged instead of running away.
Finland used music as a weapon in the Continuation War, blasting Finnish accordion music over Soviet trenches.
A Canadian soldier captured a German city during WWII using only a knife, a revolver, and a bottle of whiskey.
During WWII, the British trained pigeons to drop tiny bombs. Spoiler: It didn’t work.

King Charles VI of France believed he was made of glass and feared he’d shatter.
Peter the Great of Russia taxed beards in the 1600s to make Russians look more European.
Queen Elizabeth I had more than 3,000 dresses but rarely bathed.
King George III talked to trees — and believed they talked back.
Catherine the Great once tried to vaccinate her entire court against smallpox by testing it on herself first — bold and oddly hilarious at the time.

Thomas Edison once electrocuted an elephant to prove AC power was dangerous.
People thought tomatoes were poisonous in Europe for over 200 years.
Victorians used leeches for everything, including headaches, sore throats, and even acne.
Ancient Romans used fermented fish guts as ketchup.
Vikings used powdered moss and urine to start fires.

Louis XIV took three baths in his entire life.
Medieval Europeans thought bathing opened the pores to evil spirits, so they avoided it.
Ancient Egyptians used crocodile dung as contraception.
Elizabethan England used stale bread as plates (called trenchers), then gave them to the poor after meals.
In the Middle Ages, people believed bad smells prevented disease. So they wore flowers and oranges stuffed with cloves under their noses.

A baboon served in the South African army in WWI — and was promoted to corporal.
The Pope once put a dead man on trial. (It’s called the Cadaver Synod.)
In 1952, a bear named Wojtek was enlisted in the Polish army, carried ammo, and got paid in beer.
Ancient Greeks thought redheads turned into vampires after death.
In the 1800s, doctors prescribed “riding a goat” for mental illness.

People once believed Earth was shaped like a donut.
In the 19th century, some doctors believed sneezing could be fatal and warned against it.
Romans used urine to whiten their teeth.
Victorians photographed their dead relatives in lifelike poses.
In the 1600s, people believed that drinking mummy dust (from real mummies) could cure ailments.

High heels were originally worn by men, especially Persian warriors and European aristocrats.
Wigs in the 1700s were so big, they attracted mice.
In the 1800s, women used arsenic to make their skin paler.
Ancient Romans dyed their hair with bird droppings.
Some Victorian corsets were so tight, women fainted constantly.

In medieval England, ale was safer to drink than water.
Emperor Nero once threw a party so extravagant, it bankrupted Rome.
In ancient China, servants carried their boss’s stool (literally — a portable toilet).
In 18th-century France, pineapples were rented as a status symbol.
In 19th-century London, gin was nicknamed “Mother’s Ruin.”

In the 1700s, “coffin alarms” were installed in case someone was buried alive.
President Andrew Jackson had a parrot that cursed at his funeral.
Benjamin Franklin suggested the turkey be the U.S. national bird.
Albert Einstein didn’t wear socks. Ever.
Ancient Greek athletes competed naked — even in wrestling.
Medieval trials included animals. Pigs, goats, and even insects were “put on trial.”
The Great Emu War of 1932 — Australia lost... to emus.
In the 19th century, people feared being buried alive so much that they built “safety coffins” with bells.
A pope once excommunicated a comet.
One Roman emperor made his horse a senator. (Looking at you, Caligula.)