Strange but True: 12 Weird Historical Facts You Won't Believe Actually Happened

Strange but True: 12 Weird Historical Facts You Won't Believe Actually Happened

Check out these 12 weird historical facts that are proof that sometimes fact is stranger than fiction. Odd inventions, bizarre royals, and strange history stories that will leave you fascinated!

Introduction: When History Gets Weird

When it comes to history, we usually learn about wars, kings, revolutions, and treaties. But buried within the dusty pages of our collective past are true stories so strange they will have you scratching your head wondering why they were not included in any of your school history books, (and you haven't read about since). These bizarre moments in history remind us that the past was filled with strange happenings, odd decisions, and yes, people who were just as strange as we were today.

This article will reveal 12 weird historical facts that are true and almost unbelievable. So, let's delve into the strangest corners of history.

1. Napoleon Was Once Attacked by Bunnies.

Yes, that's right. In 1807, French leader Napoleon Bonaparte decided to organize a rabbit hunt for himself and his men. Once they released the rabbits though, they did not scamper off into the bushes, they charged straights at Napoleon and his Armada of men.

Why? Because the event organizer mistakenly bought tame farm rabbits instead of the wild animals. Napoleon was not seen as a threat - he was seen as someone bringing lunch!

2. Cleopatra Lived Closer to the Moon Landing Than She Lived to the Construction of the Pyramids.

One of the most strange historical facts comes about timelines. Cleopatra, the last Pharaoh of Egypt, lived around 30 BCE, whereas, the Great Pyramid of Giza was built around 2560 BCE. Cleopatra lived closer to when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon in 1969 than she did to when the pyramids were constructed.

This twist makes us rethink how we envision ancient history.

3. A Dancing Plague Swept Through Medieval Europe.

In 1518, the town of Strasbourg (now in France) was afflicted by a strange phenomenon - people couldn't stop dancing. Dozens, and subsequently hundreds danced day-after-day, and some danced until they collapsed from fatigue.

Historians call it the Dancing Plague, and possible explanations range from stress, ergot poisoning, and even mass hysteria, nobody really knows.

4. A Pope Actually Put a Dead Pope on Trial

History can be weirdly dark. In 897, Pope Stephen VI dug up the body of his predecessor, Pope Formosus, dressed it in papal clothing, and put it on trial.

Known today as the “Cadaver Synod,” the dead pope was declared guilty, stripped of his robes, and thrown into the Tiber River. This incident in church history shows how vicious power could be.

5. President Andrew Jackson’s Parrot Can’t Behave at His Funeral

U.S. President Andrew Jackson had a pet parrot, named Poll, who apparently picked up some colorful language. At Jackson’s funeral in 1845, Poll had to be taken away because it would not stop cursing loudly in front of the mourners.

Now that is a way to make history unforgettable!

6. The Shortest War in History Lasted 38 Minutes

The Anglo-Zanzibar War of 1896 is the shortest war in history. When the Sultan of Zanzibar refused to step down after Britain ordered him to, British forces opened fire.

In just 38 minutes, the Sultan’s palace was demolished and his forces surrendered. Not all wars lasted for years like the movies suggest.

7. Einstein was offered the Presidency of Israel

After the death of Israel's first president in 1952, Albert Einstein was offered the position. Rather ironic, considering he was a world-famous physicist, but not a world-famous politician—he turned it down politely.

Einstein explained that he didn't have the necessary aptitude for dealing with people and practical matters. To think of what might have been, had history gone differently—Israel might have had the most genius of presidents!

8. The Great Emu War of Australia

In 1932, Australia dealt with a strange predicament: thousands of emus (large, flightless birds), invaded farmland in Western Australia. Farmers complained of their crops being destroyed, so the government sent in soldiers armed with machine guns to deal with the birds.

The "war" ended in surrender--for the humans. The emus were too fast and too resiliant. This bizarre moment in history is now known as the Great Emu War.

9. George Washington Did Not Wear Wooden Teeth

One of the most widespread myths in history is that George Washington had wooden teeth. In fact, his dentures were made from a hodgepodge of materials, which included animal and human teeth, ivory, and metal springs, but never wood.

This fact is curious in a way because of how widely disseminated this story is, yet it is entirely untrue.

10. The Eiffel Tower Was Almost a Temporary Structure

As far as landmarks worldwide go, the Eiffel Tower is one of the most recognizable. However, when the tower was built to house the 1889 World's Fair in Paris, it was supposed to be taken down after 20 years; it had been built to be put away as a temporary structure.

Fortunately, by being used as a radio transmission antenna, it found a second life and managed to avoid the wrecking ball, or whatever is used to take a structure down in the 1900s. Can you imagine Paris without its biggest landmark?

11. Ketchup Was Sold as Medicine

In the 1830s, ketchup was literature, and not condiment. Dr. John Cook Bennett sold tomato ketchup as a treatment for indigestion, diarrhea, and even jaundice as a medicine.

Ketchup was sold in pill form, so when it appeared in the history books, it was not just history in food, but history in medicine too!

12. The First Alarm Clocks Only Ring at 4 a.m.

In 1787, Levi Hutchins of New Hampshire made the first mechanical alarm clock. The only problem is it only rang at 4 a.m.--when Hutchins woke for work.

For several decades it wasn’t common to have adjustable alarm clocks. Can you imagine waking up at 4 a.m. every day?

Why Weird History Matters

These bizarre but accurate historical facts sound like silly stories, but they remind us that history isn’t all dates and battles--there are human-errors, strange decisions, surprising inventions and even humor. If we learn the unusual parts of history, it makes the past seem more tangible. And much more entertaining.

Conclusion: Truth Is Stranger than Fiction

From rabbits attacking Napoleon to presidents keeping swearing parrots, these 12 odd facts show all that reality can be better than fiction. They are strange, funny, and sometimes shocking. But they all demonstrate one thing--history is never boring.