15 Startling Historical Facts That Will Shock You

15 Disturbing Historical Facts That Shaped Our World

1. The Morbid History of Dentures: In the 1800s, dentures were often made from human teeth, sometimes obtained from deceased individuals or even the mouths of the poor. Unconventional, to say the least!

2. Stained Church Glass: The vibrant stained glass in old churches was created using a mixture that included copper and lead, with a surprising ingredient – urine – used as a diluter for metallic oxides.

3. The Original Leather-Bound Books: Believe it or not, there was a time when books and shoes were bound with human skin. This practice, known as anthropodermic bibliopegy, used the skin of executed convicts and criminals.

4. The Story of Minnie Dean: Minnie Dean, a notorious caregiver in the 1800s, ran a babysitting operation in New Zealand. It was discovered that she had been responsible for the deaths of multiple children in her care, leading to her execution.

5. The History of the American Flag: The American flag, as we know it today, was designed by Robert G. Heft. Interestingly, he initially received a lower grade for his project to design the flag, but it was later adopted as the official flag of the United States.

6. Mozart's Dirty Songs: Mozart, the famed composer, wrote songs with vulgar themes, including one titled "Lick Me in the @ss." He wasn't all about classical music!

7. Genghis Khan: Climate Hero?: Genghis Khan's conquests resulted in so much depopulated land that it led to reforestation, absorbing significant amounts of carbon from the atmosphere. He's the only historical figure to have introduced global cooling.

8. Thomas Edison's Talking Doll: Thomas Edison attempted to create a talking doll in 1890. While it was innovative, it was a commercial failure due to its creepy appearance and the rapid wear of its wax records.

9. James Jamison's Cannibalism Fetish: James S. Jameson, of the Jameson Irish Whiskey family, is infamous for participating in an expedition where he paid for a 10-year-old girl to be given as food to cannibals. He even made watercolor paintings of the gruesome event.

10. The Pope's War on Cats: Pope Gregory IX believed that cats carried the spirit of Satan and launched a campaign against them. This led to an increase in the rat population, contributing to the spread of the plague.

11. Martin Cooney's Incubators: Martin Cooney set up sideshows displaying premature infants in incubators to raise money to save more premature babies. Despite being controversial, he saved over 6,500 lives.

12. The Shadows of the Dead: After the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, shadows of people and objects were permanently etched onto pavements due to the intense heat and light of the explosions.

13. Hitler and Disney: Adolf Hitler was reportedly a fan of Disney's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and even had a copy delivered to his private movie theater in Nazi Germany. He was known to draw Disney characters.

14. The Leningrad Famine: During World War II, Leningrad endured a brutal 872-day blockade by German and Finnish forces. The city's population plummeted, and desperate civilians resorted to cannibalism to survive.

15. Pharaoh Pepe II and Flies: Pharaoh Pepe II, an Egyptian ruler, had a bizarre aversion to flies. He went to great lengths to avoid them, even covering slaves in honey to attract the flies away from himself.

Note: History is filled with shocking and unsettling events that have left lasting marks on our world, reminding us of the dark and unusual aspects of our past.