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Someone Asked Historians To Share History’s Biggest ‘Middle Finger’ Moments, And 30 People Delivered
We’re pretty big fans of history, back in school, as well as now. But hidden among the tales about treaties, important battles, and biographies of the people who helped shape the world as we live in now, are some truly epic tidbits that you might not know about. These are moments in history that are—there’s really no other word for it—cool. And they’re what some of us may have been regaling our friends with at dinner parties to show off how much we know.
Courage. Charisma. Grit. Valor. Wisdom. These are the things that help people stand out from the crowds and the ocean of events that happen every day. That and the need for revenge. The historians of Reddit shared some of the biggest 'go to hell' moments in history, and they’re far too good not to share with you, dear Pandas. Though be warned, some of them are quite gory. But that's history for you.
If this won’t spark an interest in history inside your soul, then probably nothing will. Scroll down, upvote the historical stories that impressed you the most, and share the ones you know but the historians may have missed in the comments. Be sure to take notes… there’s going to be a test on this at the end of the semester.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
The story of Khutulun, who was Genghis Khan's great-great-granddaughter. She said she would marry whomever could beat her in a wrestling contest. If she won though, they had to give her 100 horses.
She died unmarried, with 10,000 horses.
JessG 3 years ago
I Just read up on her a bit, eventually one guy was so cöcky about his skills and worthiness that he said he'd give 1000 horses if he lost. Khukutun was urged to throw the fight and just get married for the sake of saving face and other political reasons, and they really dug him too. She went home 1000 horses richer. However, she did eventually marry because of the problems it caused for her family. No one ever beat her at wrestling though.
Becky Samuel 3 years ago
Replace horses with cats and I know a lot of women who would be down for the challenge.
Zahid Hussain 3 years ago
I read a story some time ago about a woman in India who said that she would marry someone who would defeat her in wrestling. As the story goes the man who defeated her refused too marry a "defeated woman"
Sir David York 3 years ago
Probably had fun, like Catherine the Great! 😂😂😂 /Joke, historically unconfirmed/
RELATED:
#2
How about the moment slaves in Haiti realized they outnumbered their captors almost 10 to 1, revolted, and ultimately won their independence.
María Hermida 3 years ago
The slaves had nothing to lose, but unfortunately we "cope", so we don't want to lose our little crumbs.
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Rachel Ainsworth 3 years ago
And then Haiti got stuck with a massive debt to France that impoverished the country for hundreds of years. The world is not a fair place.
anarkzie 3 years ago
Yeah, I think something like 80% of their annual GDP went to paying off France. The logic behind this was that they were paying back the slavers for their lost property, i.e people.
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ADJ 3 years ago
In 1802 Napoleon sent Polish soldiers to fight on France's side to suppress Haitian rebels. Once the soldiers realized Haitians are fighting for independence many of the soldiers changed sides, and fought against french troops.
Fluffy mommy panda 3 years ago
Well that makes me feel proud of the polish at least the one that helped
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Yukon Charlie 3 years ago
The only downside was that after they achieved independence, the Haitian Massacre of 1804 occurred, in which every remaining French person on the island was slaughtered, men, women, and children. This act was problematic for slaves in other countries because the massacre was used as a justification for not freeing slaves. "If we free these guys they might slaughter us like those French guys"
Houseof No 3 years ago
A nation of 320 million being governed by 535 squabbling hypocrites. I will take those odds.
CatWoman312 3 years ago
This should happen in modern times, but they keep us stupid and afraid on purpose
#3
In the 1970s the small town of Vulcan, West Virginia asked for state funding to replace a bridge into town. The state legislature refused to grant Vulcan the funding they needed. Instead the town appealed to the Soviet Union for aid. After hearing about the request, the state legislature immediately granted over $1 million for the town to build a new bridge.
If a small town in WV asking for soviet funding in the middle of the Cold War isn’t a big middle finger to the state government, then I don’t know what is.
Alias Delfs 3 years ago
A big ol f**k you from a small town to the state government where have I seen that befor🧐
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Geoffrey Hebel 3 years ago
It gets better....the reason the state gave the money was because the USSR said yes and asked for permission to send a delegate to the town
CaityDunks 3 years ago
How does one "ask" the Soviet Union? Dear Soviet Union (Yes, *all* of you...), We hear you're out of basic necessities like toilet paper and canned goods so we thought we'd just ask for a bridge instead... 🤔
Simon Oliver 3 years ago
That's historically inaccurate, as for much of the history of the USSR their living standard was comparable to that of the USA. Even more impressive, considering that much of the region had been languishing under feudalism until the revolution and that, pre WW2, many people still lived in one room, dirt floor shacks without electricity. Your statement is not logical, and is no way to honor the people of Vulcan.
Load More Replies... Geoffrey Hebel 3 years ago
This gets better as the reason the state gave them the money was because the USSR said yes and sent a delegate
JoJo Anisko 3 years ago
Makes me think of The Mouse That Roared (wonderful book, funny movie).
As with all things in life, it’s best to take everything with a grain of salt. Getting to the truth about what happened is difficult enough in modern times. Though some things become clearer as more time passes and the emotional background attached to certain events ebbs away, some details and nuances also get lost. So getting to grips with what actually happened is a ton of work. This is why we value historians so much.
That’s not to say that there are no epic moments in history, full of defiance, puffed-out chests, and pride practically oozing out of everyone’s pores. There are. But the thing about stories is that they have to capture the listener’s and reader’s imagination. When retelling a certain tale, a person (whether in 2022 or centuries ago) might embellish certain aspects while leaving some details by the wayside. And with each retelling, the story might be closer to a myth than cold hard facts.
Epic moments make for great stories. However, you can’t assume that everyone telling on “the front page of the internet” will be as objective as they would when writing a history book or debating things with their colleagues. Did these epic moments happen? Definitely. But there’s always more context to be had, and that’s part of the appeal: these posts inspire you to dig a bit deeper about Bismarck, Napoleon, and pirate Jean Lafitte.
#4
Galvarino: Chilean warrior who had both his hands cut off by the conquistadors for raising arms against the Spanish. Instead of letting himself serve as a message of helplessness in the face of the invaders the crazy bastard strapped swords to his stumps and went on the warpath.
Christina Webster 3 years ago
I had a great uncle who had both arms blown off just above the elbow in a mining accident when he was a teenager. He was the sole breadwinner for his family since his father had died in a different non-mining explosion, so he was only gone a week or so before he returned to the mine with some sort of mallets or hammers strapped to his arms. He was given a new job and did so well that he was eventually hired by the local fire department to assist in knocking down doors to enter buildings and do other such tasks. It's obviously not as badass as that warrior but it reminded me of it.
Steven Dirkson 3 years ago
You become an armless warrior with swords strapped to your stumps
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#5
Olga of Kiev. When her husband died, the country that killed him assumed they’d just take over and force her into marriage.
She straight up killed the dignitaries that were sent to tell her she had to marry - multiple times, in the most intense way possible.
She then travelled to where her husband had been killed and basically burnt the place to the ground - again, in the most hardcore, amazing way.
They made her a freaking saint. Worth the read on Wikipedia!
Nicole Weymann 3 years ago
Very badass and hardcore, but I don't hold with idolizing people for killing sprees, organized or otherwise
Becky Samuel 3 years ago
Yeah, this is Christianity we're talking about. Take out the killing sprees and there's virtually no Bible left,
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Kat 3 years ago
It's even bigger than that. After she massacred her enemies, they wanted to surrender and she said. Fine, as a tribute you will each give me 3 pigeons from you houses. She collected all the pigeons and attached burning straw to their legs and released them... So the pigeons flew right home, setting their houses on fire.... Moral of this story: don't mess with Ukrainians
Ada Hunter 3 years ago (edited)
i have a necklace of her! i made it with shrink plastic stuff. i love her tbh
🤣🤣🤣 (Me while reading bp) 3 years ago
Must be something about people from Ukraine (Russia take note)
Raymond Pobiak 3 years ago (edited)
Another notable woman to be found on Wikipedia is Boudica. She was the wife of a tribal king in Briton who was allied with Rome. After he died the Romans lashed her and raped her two daughters. (l’m speculating that Boudica had been demanding the benefits which her husband had stated in his will should be given to his family. I’m also assuming that the rapes weren’t just one for each daughter, in a polite, missionary style.) A Roman historian described her as being very tall and of terrifying appearance with hair below her waist, a harsh voice and having a piercing glare. She amassed an army of up to 120,000 that fought the Romans and succeeded in killing up to 80,000 Romans and Britons. She had no interest in taking prisoners, only in slaughter and torture by gibbet, fire and cross. Eventually the Romans defeated her. The British regard her as a defender of the Isle. There is a heroic statue of her on a chariot, with her daughters, off the Westminster bridge across from Parliament and the Elizabeth Tower (i.e., Big Ben). That statue appears in the Wikipedia article about her and was commissioned by Prince Albert. It is suggested to resemble a young Queen Victoria.
Lemon Beans 3 years ago
Yeah but her husband was forcing the Drevlians to pay him protection money. They didn't kill him for funsies,, they were victims. Killing the people who intend to force you into marriage is understandable, but literally none of the other people who died because of her deserved it. It's like if you punched the bully who keeps taking your lunch money, and then his girlfriend beats up your entire family.
Daniel O'Neal 3 years ago
On the one hand, I admire her tenacity. On the other, geez ... talk about overkill.
#6
Ferruccio Lamborghini was a rich man owning his company that built tractors, he talked to Ferrari about the imperfections of his car and how to improve them and they basically laughed at a young tractor mechanic trying to tell them about sport cars, so he decided to start making luxury sport cars to compete with Ferrari and thus, the rivalry was born. So i'd say the middle finger of this guy to Ferrari was pretty noticeable.
Steve 3 years ago
I knew a guy named Al Burtoni (RIP). He told Lamborghini how to make their cars better. I guess they remembered their own lesson, because they flew him to their factory every year. True story, look him up, The Godfather of Lamborghinis
RajunCajun 3 years ago
I think it was over a clutch plate going out on his ferrari and they said learn to drive and it will not go out so soon.
Matthew Fox 3 years ago
The rivalry is so intense that Ferrari won't sell you a car if you already own a Lamborghini.
PickleRick 3 years ago
Both manufacture a product that better than 99% of the population will never be able to afford or should they want
Devon Archer 3 years ago
They are making a movie about Ferrari with Adam Driver. Wonder if Lamborghini will get mad and make their own movie just out of spite.
Doos Rommel 3 years ago (edited)
Yeah and then Lamborghini changed hands 4 times and even went bankrupt in 78 before Volkswagen bought them and turned Lamborghini in what it is today
Adam Eve 3 years ago
Is the argument the success of the brand or the quality of the engineering? Surprising how many fiat parts ferrari consumed back in the day
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Joan CR 3 years ago
Body by Bertone, was very popular at one time. In the late 1950's and 1960's Nuccio Bertone designed the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Speciale, the Aston Martin DB2/4, two Ferrari 250 GTs and continued with other body styles. Here's a link to Bertone: https://www.carrozzieri-italiani.com/the-story-behind-bertone/
A while ago, Bored Panda had a good chat about the reliability of information with the team running the r/AskHistorians subreddit. A representative of the community, of the moderators, explained to us that checking each and every historical claim is very time intensive.
“Even then, a lot of knowledge is locked in academic libraries and behind paywalls, so it can be impossible to access anyway. When looking at ‘mindblowing’ facts on the internet a healthy sense of skepticism is essential—as is looking at the source. Is this being claimed by Twitter user @fakefacts420 or a Professor of History at the University of Oxford? Are you reading this on a university website or an email your nan has forwarded you?" they said that we should always be aware of who is claiming something happened.
"While you might not have time to chase down historical references in the archives, there are many sites who have detailed debunkings of common historical myths and misconceptions. Checking there is always a good start," they suggested starting with Snopes or AskHistorians to double-check some facts.
#7
A pirate known as jean lefitte had a bounty of $500 put on him by a governor. So he put a $5000 bounty on the governor
Creature Cargeaux 3 years ago
Uhhh you're forgetting the most badass part. He literally saved New Orleans. Even though he helped Andrew Jackson... You also spelled his name wrong it's Jean Lafitte.
shaun dean 3 years ago
He and his older brother Pierre spelled their last name Laffite
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Alyssa Brown 3 years ago
There are John Lefitte references at the pirates of the Caribbean ride in Disneyland
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Izzy Curer 3 years ago
He also retired to an island kingdom where Galveston Tx is today. Basically a tropical paradise. Anybody could come live there as long as they paid sovereignty to him.
Jennifer Checki 3 years ago
That’s maybe the least interesting thing about the man, though. He helped the US win the Battle of NO.
#8
The Achaemenid Empire had trouble conquering Egypt in the early part of their War so they decided to use the very embodiment of their holy figure against them. They literally had soldiers carry cats with them and painted cat heads on their shields so the Egyptians couldn't fight back due to their beliefs and surrendered.
They literally pulled a "your god is our frontline".
This is known as the Battle of Pelusium.
shaun dean 3 years ago
All cat people replied with "okay, it's your loss"
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censorshipsucks 3 years ago
That cat is checking out the roast chicken and wearing his scarf all sassy like.
CatWoman312 3 years ago
I too would surrender. Cats aren’t gods to me, but I love them too much to hurt them
Seth 3 years ago
This is historical fiction. You'll find countless stories from historical sources that are intended to depict a rival nation as a bunch of feeble minded idiots who couldn't stand up to the cleverness of the author's nation. This feels about as plausible as the Trojan Horse myth.
Christiana Bradshaw 3 years ago
Less. I believe the Trojan Horse could work. I don’t want to know what that says about me.
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Joeshar 3 years ago
I thought it was the Hittites to use this tactic in Battle of Kadesh. The war has ended up after the first ever peace treaty. (1274 BC)
Allan Felipe 3 years ago
Can't blame the Egyptians, though. I'd drop everything just to pet a kitty
Wintermute 3 years ago
Brings to mind the crazy cat lady from the Simpsons. She could've conquered empires!
#9
British prisoner of war in Nazi germany stitches a quilt. The Nazis put it out for show. Hidden in Morse code stitched in were the words “f**k hitler” and “god save the Queen”
#1jengablock 3 years ago
yeah it would have been unless it was some special circumstances and he was there for 10 years after the war ended
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Karen Grace 3 years ago
I looked it up and it did say God save the King, not Queen. https://www.wired.com/2012/01/british-pow-uses-morse-code-to-stitch-hidden-message-during-wwii/amp
Adam Eve 3 years ago
OK... Clearing up the king /queen /coronation date debate ; Yes it should be god save the king Queen Elizabeth became Queen regent in 1952 upon the death of her father. From this point on she was defacto leader of state. She became the monarch through her coronation 1953, a ceremony which officially transfers the crown. She was queen in 52, wore crown I 53 but neither in 45
Karen Grace 3 years ago
Actually, it did say God save the King. Not sure when the story changed but he did say King, not Queen.
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May Day 3 years ago
The idea is good and not new. In "The Arabian nights" there is a story about a king who is abducted. In his prison he weaves a mat with letters around the edge. The message is a plea for help and directions on how to find him. (The man who has abducted him can't read). The mat is sold and the king is eventually saved.
Shawn Mayer 3 years ago (edited)
um...except there was a KING ( King George VI) on the English throne during WW2, so....
Zahid Hussain 3 years ago
That is the problem with the made up stories, or sometimes with real stories that you don't actually pay attention to the facts that make a blunder which makes your whole story crumble.
"There are probably dozens of potential conspiracies surrounding Sumerian agriculture, but that topic isn’t in the public eye in the same way that something like the Second World War or the Roman Empire is," the r/AskHistorians moderator explained to Bored Panda that conspiracy theories are nothing new and they touch pretty much every era and topic.
They added that some people want to “exploit past events to push a political point in the present day,” so they weaponize historical conspiracies. So one of the questions that you should pretty much always have in the back of your mind is ‘who benefits?’ when you hear someone aggressively pushing one narrative or another. The more important the event, the more likely it is that someone may try to twist the truth for their own ends, whatever they might be.
"Because these events and periods are seen as important for the formation of the modern world, people see it as important that history aligns to their worldview or political leanings—even when it does not—and seek to twist reality in order to achieve this,” the historian warned. They also noted that it’s important for people to learn how to trust the trustworthiness of a source and to figure out how a historical document might be biased.
#10
“I’d rather go to hell, with my noble ancestors, than to go to heaven and join the likes of you…” Norse King tried to be converted to Christianity on threat of burning in hell for paganism
Alias Delfs 3 years ago
Yeah. But then my freaking ancestors joined Catholicism and then proceeded to spread it wherever they pillaged
Kyle Hooker 3 years ago
*big oof. Also imagine being blamed/blaming "Caucasian" people for any sort of form of racism when the type and style we know and Love is entirely inherited from a religion that was forced upon everyone just as equally, if not more brutally in some cases
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June W. Overgaard 3 years ago
At Styklestad I asked my Norwegian husband how it felt to be standing where Holy Olaf died. He replied, "You have to remember it was my people who killed him."
Stannous Flouride 3 years ago
Burning was no threat to a Norseman. The Norse version of hell, Niflheim, was the frigid, dark, misty world of the dead, ruled by the goddess Hel. In some accounts it was the last of nine worlds, a place into which evil men and cowards passed after reaching the region of death.
Amy Stone-Chandler 3 years ago
Christianity literally stole all of the pagans holiday practices, turned them into Christian/Catholic Biblical events claiming all to be their own.. THEN raped and pillaged and murdered all the people that knew the truth..(aka..pagans)their way around the globe.
Bored Phoenix (he/they) 3 years ago
as a pagan i agree. seems like all the interesting people and queer people are in hell, so I'd rather join them and party with satan and his cats.
James Stroup 3 years ago
Better to Reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven - Paradise Lost. Love that and this quote
#11
This is more petty, but when Taft bragged to his friends via telegram about scaling a mountain on horseback, that it was a few thousand feet, clear weather, all in all not too difficult, his friend replied, "HOW IS HORSE?"
Miss Frankfurter 3 years ago
And I think that when he moved into the White House he either got stuck in the tub and so had to get a bigger one, or just plain knew they had to put in a bigger one.
glowworm2 3 years ago
Unfortunately, it's just an urban legend that he got stuck in the bathtub White House. Which greatly disappoints me because that's how I first learned about him.
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foofoofloofy 3 years ago
He probably (hopefully) chose a horse that could carry him comfortably.
Load More Replies... Amy Stone-Chandler 3 years ago
My stupid father called my mom late one night(we were living with my grandparents after they split) and said "I need your help! I was making a sandwhich and tripped over the cat and stabbed myself." Without missing a beat, mom said "So how's the cat?!" BTW, someone stabbed him because he's an idiot. No cats were injured.
Shea Keenan 3 years ago
My US History teacher told us that Taft once got stuck in his bathtub. 🤣🤣🤣
glowworm2 3 years ago
Sadly, this was just an urban legend. A hilarious urban legend though.
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“Stop sending people to kill me! We've already captured five of them, one of them with a bomb and another with a rifle... If you don't stop sending killers, I'll send a very fast working one to Moscow and I certainly won't have to send another.” Tito to Joseph Stalin
Kate 3 years ago
The best part is that this note was found in Stalin's office after his death. Dude was apparently so amused when he received it that he kept it.
Zgembo 3 years ago
... and that in fact saved us from the Iron Curtain. Yes, we had communism, but not exactly Russian.
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Amy Stone-Chandler 3 years ago
See? This is WHY I don't understand. HOW is putin STILL alive?!
Seth 3 years ago
I understand what you mean, but it's not so easy. Putin deliberately cultivates a culture of fear, distrust, and scattered distribution of information. Remember that he was a KGB operative. The way he runs his security ensures that assassinating him would always require multiple people, and any would-be assassin could never be sure that one of their "collaborators" isn't being paid to double cross them, which would result in them and their entire family being disappeared. Putin's strategy for self preservation is to surround himself with others who are easily motivated by their own self-preservation; it's a classic tyrant move.
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Judit Hajdu 3 years ago
The Russians did not change their tactics since, this is still the only way to get rid of their enemies: kill, kill, kill - I would say they are not smart enough to find any other way
Seth 3 years ago (edited)
It's not for a lack of intelligence, it's for a lack of consequences. Putin has ordered several assassinations of political rivals and has faced zero personal consequences, so why would he be motivated to change tactics?
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Vanja Vidovic 3 years ago
I'm from Croatia, lived under his regime, and never heard of this story.
Marija Kovačević Matas 3 years ago
I'm from Croatia too and I did hear about this multiple times 🤷♀️
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James Stroup 3 years ago
Too bad they didn't have Anthrax back then, just send a letter laced in it saying, we are attempting one last time, end letter.
#13
When Otto von Bismarck was about 50, he was walking down a street when a man ran up to him and shot him five times. Otto then turned around and began to beat the absolute s**t out of him until some armed guards come to help him. When they inspected Otto for wounds, they found that all 5 hit, but they all either just grazed him or bounced off his ribs. Literally the iron chancellor.
Rachel Ainsworth 3 years ago
Guns used to be less powerful (note to USA the second amendment was written at this time).
Rachel Ainsworth 3 years ago
Technically the second ammendment is a hundred years older than von Bismark but you get the idea.
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Daedus Wolfe 3 years ago
Rachel Ainsworth wants to note that the US Constitutions 2nd amendment was written at a time when guns were less powerful. Quick lesson:. They didn't care about the power of the weapon. The 2nd amendment is about ensuring the people have the same access to weapons as the government armies in order to respond to a tyrannical governent moving against the people.
Den Ver 3 years ago
The founding fathers gave citizens the right to vote elected officials into, and out of, office. ... Yea democracy !!!. ... No more worrying about, "taxation without representation" or the other grievances colonists were subjected to. --- There was never any discussion about giving rebels/traitors enough firepower to overthrow the government.
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Lonely Tentacle 3 years ago
So, a 50 yo person managed to beat the living excrement out of a person just after being shot (hey, even if it just grazed him, it's still impressive). Meanwhile, my 33yo butt can't even get off the chair without feeling pain on my knees and lower back, lol! :P
Anthony Gerlach 3 years ago
I don't know much about Otto... But he apparently drank his milk...
Den Ver 3 years ago (edited)
The 2nd amendment (1791) unambiguously states, "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State" ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... this means citizens could be part of what today is the National Guard (a well regulated militia) ... which could be "called up" to defend against a foreign threat (because the US could only afford to support a meager standing army). Since the US now has a HUGE standing army, the National Guard plays the role of reserve units who often engage in domestic humanitarian aid.
Brennon Dean 3 years ago
George Washington led one militia to contend with another. "I ask who are the militia? They consist now of the whole people, except a few public officers." - George Mason, Address to the Virginia Ratifying Convention, June 4, 1788 "What, Sir, is the use of a militia? It is to prevent the establishment of a standing army, the bane of liberty .... Whenever Governments mean to invade the rights and liberties of the people, they always attempt to destroy the militia, in order to raise an army upon their ruins." - Rep. Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts, I Annals of Congress 750, August 17, 1789 "Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are ruined.... The great object is that every man be armed. Everyone who is able might have a gun." - Patrick Henry, Speech to the Virginia Ratifying Convention, June 5, 1778
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Jim Craig 3 years ago
If you think guns used to be less powerful you need to see the damage caused by mini balls from muskets. P.S. The canons used by Americans during the revolutionary war were privately owned.
Madeleine 3 years ago
The relatively crude state of medical care at the time will also have had something to do with the damage caused.
Load More Replies... Gobta 3 years ago
@ Ms. Ainsworth: Otto von Bismarck was shot circa 1865. About 90 years after rifling became a major innovation in firearms; also, self contained cartridge rounds (I'm pry sure those had only really been around since the 1840's-1850's) allow for better propulsion due to the contained and directed nature of the explosion. The Second Amendment was different in purpose. It was to prevent a ruling body (monarchy, theocracy, or elected body) from taking authoritarian control. We have the right and even the responsibility to keep our leaders accountable. Though conflict should never be anything but a matter of survival and not a first option.
Tyler Schommer 3 years ago
I think Jefferson or another frail president had a similar situation and beat the s**t out of the attacker with his cane
Nathan Wolfe 3 years ago
A well known one: Teddy roosevelt was shot during a speech and continued his speech after.
Garritt VS 3 years ago
I'm going to guess .22 caliber. Popular for concealed weapons back in the day, absolute s**t to kill something if you're aim wasn't perfect.
Lee Cashion 3 years ago (edited)
.32 Caliber like the .32 ACP which is still in use and is considered underwhelming
Load More Replies... #14
The first cell phone. The first call ever made from a cell phone was to a competitor's landline. Big d**k energy
MJLstrd 3 years ago
You are definitely not alone— some of us are just not that quick
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boone williams 3 years ago
Uhhhh... if it was the first cell phone, wouldn't it HAVE to be to a land line?!
Zahid Hussain 3 years ago
I guess that is what it says, but probably they forgot to mention that rival company had probably not managed to produce a phone yet.
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AngelWingsYT 3 years ago
Frank: Hey hey landline?! Landline: what is it now Frank Frank: Guess where i am!? Landline: siiigh home? Work? Frank: Im outside your building! Guess who has a MOBILE phone bitches! Landline: *looks outside* goddamnit...
Apatheist 62 3 years ago
I found out the other day that the first private mobile phone call in the UK was made by Ernie Wise. Probably a PR stunt, but worth knowing for any quizzers :)
moonlit muffins 3 years ago
in all honesty, bigger d**k means a easier target to hit to immobilise the person
Zahid Hussain 3 years ago
I remember reading about an air conditioner manufacturer who unfortunately got a seat with an air conditioner of a rival company just behind him. When a photographer took his picture he made the winning movie by taking a brochure and started fanning himself with it.
#15
Sparta to Phillip II
Phillip wrote to Sparta that if he marches into Sparta he will raise the land, burn the crops, rape the women, and just destroy the city. Sparta replies back with a single word.
“If”
Niki A 3 years ago
Yeah, that one sort of upset me. Phillip II of Spain may have been more handsome than Phillip of Macedonia.
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Nicole Weymann 3 years ago
Wrong Philipp! There's about 1800 years between the one the Spartans messed with and the one Elizabeth I of England messed with. Pic shows the latter, king of Spain (the one with the famous lost armada), the other one died more than three hundred years before Julius Caesar, Cleopatra AND JESUS were born (capitalized for emphasis on age, not religious motives).
Daniel O'Neal 3 years ago
They were more amazed by his fashion sense being some 1900 years ahead of its time.
Wayne Sharpe 3 years ago
It was more like "When I defeat you I will..." do all that horrible stuff to your people etc., to which the Spartans replied "If"
#16
So when France exiles Napoleon Bonaparte (the first time), they didn’t think to change out military personnel. So he basically rolls up to the first French outpost he gets to, says “‘sup” and begins reassembling an army. By the time he gets to Paris, he’s got enough forces that France is like “well. Welcome back.”
Robert Trebor 3 years ago
It didn't take long for the soldiers to figure that the Bourbons hadn't changed even though they'd been exiled or rendered into being daisy food by the revolution.
María Hermida 3 years ago
The Bourbons hadn't changed then and haven't changed now. The Big One is now living in Abu Dhabi, making friends with the dictators, the torturers and all the best people in the world.
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similarly 3 years ago
I read this story (in a university history class on Revolutionary Europe) more than 30 years ago, so the details are probably wrong, but the story I remember is that when the government found that Napoleon had escaped exile, returned to France, and was rounding up townspeople into a ragtag army, they went to the general who most hated Napoleon: the last soldier to cross the bridge fleeing the Russian army after the failed Russia campaign. The general promised "I will bring Napoleon back in a box!", but instead, when their forces met, he climbed off his horse, knelt, and swore eternal loyalty to Napoleon. That's charisma for you!
Mosheh Wolf 3 years ago
Unfortunately for him, Waterloo happened, and this time they sent him a to a place which was far more secure.
Rodrigo Romo 3 years ago
The real middle finger happened when Napoleon, once he turned over all the troops Luis XVIII threw at him, send a message saying “Dear Cousin. don’t send more troops. I have enough”.
Christopher Seaton 3 years ago (edited)
It's funny looking at Parisian newspapers from the period. Immediately after Napolean leaves exile, the headlines are all about that horrible Napoleon guy, how nasty he is and so on. But as he gets closer and closer to Paris, they shift to talk about how wonderful he is, on his way to save the day!
#17
When Robert E. Lee decided to side with the South in the Civil War, to spite him the North used his property as a graveyard.
It is now Arlington National Cemetary.
Daniel Yamada 3 years ago
Actually, they used his property as a cemetery, not as a graveyard. A graveyard is part of a larger property - usually a church. A cemetery is an independent property that is only used for burials.
Passerby 3 years ago (edited)
Huh, the more you know. Thanks for the knowledge. I didn't know they are different.
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T Grannas 3 years ago
You have the story backwards. Lee was neutral at the beginning of the war. He didn’t join the South until the North confiscated his home and ultimately used it as a cemetery.
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Dave Hinckley 3 years ago
Lee was a traitor. He took an oath to defend the Constitution. Then he violated that oath and took up arms against the US. Screw him.
BluEyedSeoulite 3 years ago
Also a fun fact: Lee said that his side lost and shouldn't be celebrated. He felt like the country should focus on healing, not idolizing traitors. Almost all statutes dedicated to the confederacy date after 1900, and kicked up when certain people decided to make a fuss for equal rights. I don't know why the United Daughters of the Confederacy thought erecting monuments to racist A-holes would stop people fighting for equal rights and not making them more passionate for equal rights. ..
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tuzdayschild 3 years ago
They used it a village for refugee slaves first. Many of their graves are still there.
Susan Widomski 3 years ago
Any cemetery is something that causes awe and sadness. They are a reminder of the sacrifices of life for futility. Should make you feel humble and grateful for those that made it back.
Paul Perry 3 years ago
There's a similar one in Norway. At the start of the Second World War the Norwegian defence minister was a guy called Vidkun Quisling, who was a fervent Nazi and welcomed the German invasion. He was rewarded by being made puppet Prime Minister during the war. After the Nazi's were defeated he was tried for treason and executed by firing squad. More lasting, his name has become a synonym in English for traitor, and his family mansion was turned into the Oslo Holocaust Museum.
Paul Perry 3 years ago
I like the similar one in Norway. The Norwegian Minister of Defence at the beginning of WW2 was a guy called Vidkun Quisling. He was a fervent Nazi and betrayed his country to the invading Germans, and was rewarded with being the puppet Prime Minister during the war. After the defeat of the Nazis Quisling was tried for treason and executed by firing squad. Perhaps more importantly, the word Quisling has entered the Norwegian and English languages as a synonym for traitor, and his family mansion in Oslo was turned into a Holocaust museum.
Catherine Couch 3 years ago
He did not join the Civil War to spite the North. He fought for his homeland, and he is a cousin of mine on my mother's side.
Raymond Pobiak 3 years ago
And then the war was over. But I’ve never heard anyone praise the great man for not digging up the graves on his property and dumping the bodies in the Potomac River. If there was a Fox News back then he would have gotten a lot of support for doing so.
#18
Caesar in his youth, before he became famous, was captured by pirates off the coast of Italy and held hostage.
He promptly befriended the pirates, getting drunk and shared stories while they waited for the ransom to be paid.
Later, after he was released, he went back to find and capture the same pirates, and ordered their deaths because they requested an insultingly low ransom for a man of his stature.
Two_rolling_black_eyes 3 years ago
This story is more badass. He refused to go originally because they hadn't asked for a big enough ransom. Also, once befriended, he said if they released him, he'd return and kill them all. They thought he was joking. He returned and killed them all. Never trust a charismatic man with an ego.
Nunya Business 3 years ago
Julius Caesar was one of the most audacious people to ever live. His life story is fascinating.
Wayne Sharpe 3 years ago
Caesar also told the pirates how, once released, he would return with an army and torture and kill them. They laughed and didn't believe him. He was true to his word and did return with an army to torture and kill them.
Luis Hernandez Dauajare 3 years ago
And he actually warned them: "When I get back, I will crucify all of you." The pirates laughed at him. And then he did just that...
Ray Arani 3 years ago
They made a Xena Warrior Princess episode and entire plotline out of this bit of history. With Xena as a pirate queen. Xena gets crucified.... twice by Ceasar. it's part of why she went all the way dark warlord, how she got her limp, met and fell in love with the Chinese queen who fixed it and ultimately saved her soul, though not right away, and she ends up helping Brutus mastermind Caesars death. It's also the catalyst for Xena's and Gabrielle's daughter being raised as a Roman warrior/conquerer. Caesar and Xena spend nearly the whole show living out the aftermath of this particular bit of fictionalized history.
Seth 3 years ago
That "Caesar" was an Italian immigrant who invented the famous salad of his namesake while working at a renowned hotel restaurant in Mexico.
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Ivan Horvat 3 years ago
Phew, a lot of inaccuracies. He did not make friends with them, but gave them meaningless orders, and they made fun of him and treated him like a clown. It's also true that he got mad at them for asking a ridiculously small ransom for a guy like him. He later came back and killed them all because he was a self-centered maniac.
#19
When Henry VIII wanted to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon the Pope said you can't do that. Henry then created the Church of England so he could get divorced.
enohPilivE 3 years ago
Not really liking this one on the list...Male patriarch cant father male heirs. (His fault). Attempts to get out of marriage - cant. In a fit of rage, male patriarch breaks away an entire country from the global order institution at the time to get out of said marriage. Then Male patriarch, who still cant seem to have male heirs murders woman after woman who bear him daughters. Sounds pretty f'd up to me
Robert Trebor 3 years ago
Also wanted the wealth of the church in England. Especially the monasteries.
Upstaged75 3 years ago (edited)
Poor Catherine (and their daughter Mary) really got screwed over in that deal. Henry was an awful tyrant.
CatWoman312 3 years ago
And that began protestantism and how every king/queen after him would literally kill people for heresy if they didn’t convert to whatever belief they had.
Harris Angell 3 years ago
Protestantism was well underway. Luther's 95 theses were posted Halloween, 1517.
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General Anaesthesia 3 years ago
"Well, when the president does it, that means that it is not illegal" -U.S. ex-President Richard M Nixon (R), 1977, interviewed by David Frost
Cara G 3 years ago (edited)
This isn't so much a middle finger as a royal panic attack/temper tantrum. Catherine was older than Henry, having been married to his brother Arthur who died shortly after their wedding. Henry and Catherine had many children, including sons, but the only one to survive past infancy was Mary and at the time, England had never been ruled by a woman. Henry needed a male heir to secure his dynasty, he was only the 2nd Tudor monarch and Arthur's death proved the importance of this task. With Catherine's fertile years over, Henry became desperate. He was also confident that he could father sons because of Henry Fitzroy, his child with Elizabeth Blount, one of Catherine's ladies maids. Fitzroy, literally "son of the king", was legitimized by Henry and given the title Duke of Richmond but died as a teenager of sweating sickness. This demonstrates how desperate Henry was to secure his dynasty. I'm not at all justifying his tyrannical behavior but, contextually, there are reasons why he did all of this.
LeeBreezy 3 years ago
My name's Catherine of Aragon Was married 24 years I'm a paragon of royalty, my loyalty is to the Vatican So if you try to dump me You won't try that again
party marty 3 years ago
Jane Seymour the only one he truly loved Rude When my son was newly born, I died But I'm not what I seem or am I? Stick around and you'll suddenly see more
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TiffInTheUSA 3 years ago
The arrogant misogynist doesn't deserve to be on here, because of the fact that he butchered some of his wives and attempted to do the same with Catherine Parr. Pig.
Cara G 3 years ago
Catherine Parr was WAY smarter than Henry! She saved her own neck.
Load More Replies... #20
Not the biggest, but definitely one to note. In 1966, Charles DeGaulle ordered all U.S. Troops out of France, as he said the country was leaving NATO, LBJ's first words were to his Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, "Ask him about the cemetaries, Dean!"
When Dean Rusk mentioned whether or not the 60,000+ US soldiers buried in France were to be removed, DeGaulle simply stood up and left the room, embarrassed.
General Anaesthesia 3 years ago
A year later De Gaulle visited Quebec in Canada for Canada's centennial. Quebec was experiencing terrorism by the separatists of the Front de Libération du Québec, FLQ. De F'ing Gaulle declared from Montreal's city hall, "Vive le Québec libre", "long live free Quebec". That was just a few years after France lost the Algerian war for independence, with its terrorism on French soil. De Gaulle was a butt wipe.
David H 3 years ago
not to mention he backstabbed several allies, even refused to deliver paid for weapons to one ally that help develop it with france, and refused to refund them. He was a dumpster fire of a politician. Just because you were good on a battlefield doesnt qualify you for politics
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Proverb Woman 3 years ago
I think some are misunderstanding what LBJ meant by this response. He was just reminding DeGaulle of how many US soldiers gave their lives to help the French fight for their land back and here he is acting all vindictive and high and mighty when his country wouldn't even be a free France without the Allied troops he was kicking out!!!
gerard julien 3 years ago
"Now it's true that the French defection vastly irritated a whole generation of American political scientists. If you read Henry Kissinger's book, The Troubled Partnership, from the 1960s, which is pretty tough on de Gaulle, you can understand why. But looking back on it with the perspective of history, the French withdrawal may actually have helped NATO at the time to move forward. We could finally adopt the new strategy of flexible response. The small countries, which had been rather snuffed out of NATO business because of the domination of the Big Three, finally came into their own." Dr. Jamie Shea (UK), Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges.
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Lonely Tentacle 3 years ago
No idea... People, please remember that downvoting is NOT just a dislike. 10 dislikes can get people banned! Keep them for spam and scams, and let others have different opinions.
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Robert Citta 3 years ago
DeGaulle was a twit, the US propped him up as a French leader after liberating France. They allowed him to enter Paris as if actually did something to liberate it. Typical Frenchman.
gerard julien 3 years ago (edited)
"Typical Frenchman" Really ? how many "frenchmen" do you know ? ZERO ! have you ever been to France ? NOPE . do you even know where France is ? probably not ! THAT''s typically racist ! don't tell me where you're from ; I think I know ! lol
Load More Replies... gerard julien 3 years ago (edited)
long story short : Dean Rusk (in his autobiography) is the only source, I am not saying that he lied but NO ONE else confirmed this, but many here jump on the band wagon without any further questioning. I know that many americans hate us french (one here said DE GAULLE= typical frenchman, I say this is typical racism !) it's their right to hate us but they could have the guts to do it without adding LIES ! it seems like they really need these LIES to strengthen their belief ! END OF STORY NOW ! YOU CAN VOTE ME DOWN ! lol
gerard julien 3 years ago
HISTORICAL FACT (not hate propaganda) : "The French were also unhappy because, as I have said earlier, they were(USA) giving assistance to the British with the British nuclear programmes, Blue Streak for example, then Polaris. The Americans, Kennedy, Macmillan with the British Prime Minister signed an agreement at Nassau in 1962 on nuclear cooperation, whereas all that the French received was a little bit of enriched uranium-235. " Dr. Jamie Shea (UK), Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges.
gerard julien 3 years ago
HISTORICAL FACT (not hate propaganda) : "Henry Kissinger later on expressed this much more abruptly when he said that no US president would ever risk the safety of the housewife in Kansas to protect the housewife in Hamburg. This had a big impact on General de Gaulle, who had returned to power in France in 1958. If France could no longer rely upon the American nuclear bomb to protect French territory, then why would not France wish to acquire a bomb of its own for that purpose? And a French bomb which, unlike the UK Polaris system which was bought from the United States, would be entirely independent of US control and totally in the hands of the French." Dr. Jamie Shea (UK), Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges.
#21
In the late 1980s Nintendo and Sony developed a CD add-on for the Super Nintendo. Nintendo then pulled out of the partnership and opted to work with Phillips instead and released the CD-i.
This move was highly frowned upon because Nintendo had decided to ditch a fellow Japanese company over a foreign one. So Sony picked up the pieces of the project and tried to partner with Sega. The board of directors turned the idea down saying "that’s a stupid idea, Sony doesn’t know how to make hardware. They don’t know how to make software either. Why would we want to do this?"
At the end Sony released a game system by the name of Playstation in 1994 to compete with the Nintendo 64 and outsold their former partners nearly 3:1 plus it marked the first time that Nintendo wasn't top dog since they released the NES.
Seth 3 years ago (edited)
The Nintendo/Sony/Phillips part of this story tracks, but it was Sega who then reached out to Sony, not what OP has claimed; that part is totally wrong. Sony was RENOWNED for high quality hardware, which is why Sega wanted to partner with them. Sega engineers had some design specifications that they wanted Sony to manufacture for them, and they got very far along in the process. Sega later decided to back out, but let Sony keep the design as a show of goodwill. That design would ultimately become the PS1, and Sega came up with a new design that they felt confident they could manufacture themselves, which became the Dreamcast.
Joshua Retzloff 3 years ago (edited)
The whole reason Sega wanted Sony's designs was as an add on for the Genesis, similar to what they were developing for Nintendo, When Sony gave them designs for a stand alone system they backed out and launched thier Sega CD add on for the Genesis right before the PlayStation Launch. Then followed up with the Sega Saturn, the Dreamcast was released as Sega's response to the Playstation2
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Andrew Wildman 3 years ago
Not the first time (Genesis outdid SNES for a spell), but the snafu also spelled the beginning of the end for Sega in the console war...
Nannerdog 3 years ago
Take my upvote for your great use of the word "snafu"!
Load More Replies... D.H. 3 years ago
It's true that Sony didn't know how to make console software, but that turned out to be why they blew away the competition: they had to woo every third party developer they could find, treat them incredibly well, and most importantly, they bent over backwards to make it easy to write Playstation software. (Among other things, the PS1 was the first console to ship with a GNU toolchain.)
🧶𝔹𝕚𝕥𝕔𝕙 𝕂𝕟𝕚𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣🪡 3 years ago
And they're still killing it today. PlayStation definitely has the best exclusive gaming catalog of all the major consoles.
#22
The second defenestration of Prague. The Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia sends representatives to the Protestant city of Prague telling them to convert to Catholicism. The representatives get thrown out a window and allegedly landed in a pile of manure
Adam Eve 3 years ago
It's hard to combine highbrow and crass in two words.... Congratulations
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Markus Holstein 3 years ago
If I had a nickel for every time someone got defenestrated in Prague, I'd have two nickels. That isn't very much, but it's still weird that it happened twice.
John Dilligaf 3 years ago
actually you'd have three, because there were three defenestrations of Prague, in 1419, 1483 and 1618.
Load More Replies... Jamyi Lee 3 years ago
I love that word. I use it a lot. And people always love that "the act of tossing someone out of a window" actually has a name.
Iskandor Dracos 3 years ago
Same here, I prefer the term "autodefenestration", gives more of a kick when one hurls themselves out of a window (and the form I learned of first, through a D&D story)
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Beware, angry pigs. 3 years ago
Well, instead of landing on sh*t they landed on the streets and turned into strawberry jam!😃
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Robert Trebor 3 years ago
Has anyone figured out why we have a word for the 2nd day before an event? Antepenultimate.
Cara G 3 years ago
STOP IT!!! I already thought penultimate was one of the best words in existence!
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#23
Symphony No. 7 (Shostakovich) was played in besieged Leningrad. And it was broadcasted on the radio, so nazi soldiers could hear it.
Imagine hearing "F**K YOU" from a city that you thought was already dead.
AsexualShrimp 3 years ago
i had the magnificent chance to play with the indian symphony orchestra, and we played shostakovich. it was awesome but stressful 😌
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Mark Serbian, PK&RG,W 3 years ago
Shostakovich was fiercely nationalistic. He had LOTS of opportunities to defect, but refused. A VERY short time after he passed away, his son & grandson organized a world tour to play his music and defected the moment they got off the plane in New York.
#24
My personal favorite is when Chairman Mao made Nikita Kruschev have a meeting in a pool because he knew he couldn’t swim.
Sammi Ng 3 years ago
Yup, Mao was a good swimmer and he swam around the pool as Kruschev was geared up in floaties
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sofacushionfort 3 years ago
He also re-routed the plumbing in Mao’s guest quarters in the Kremlin so that Soviet scientists could examine Mao’s stool.
Cara G 3 years ago
I don't even care if this is true because I can't imagine HOW one re-routes plumbing...I LAUGHED HARD! 🤣
Load More Replies... Jean Dogmom 3 years ago
Recently read that Mao had problems with incontinence, to the point that he would leave meetings last so others would not see his soaked trousers(no adult diapers then?). Maybe that's why the pool.
Irish woman abroad 3 years ago
This FU sounds pretty awesome, but let's not forget that Mao was responsible for the deaths of more Chinese people than were killed in the entire 2nd WW. Like Stalin, he was as bad as Hitler.
Amy Stone-Chandler 3 years ago
I thought that was because the Roman's,British and frankly just about every country would do this as a naked person is in their most exposed state but also they couldn't hide any weapons, poisons or hidden recording devices(later)
Jessica Carter 3 years ago
Whaaat? A dictator who caused millions to die in famine while his closest supporters never went hungry, who executed scholars who criticised his regime after he promised he wouldn't, being cruel? No way!
Load More Replies... Zahid Hussain 3 years ago
I fail to understand how an act of humiliating someone for no reason can be commended by anyone. And why did Kruschev agree to it? Was it because this happened while he was visiting China.
Cathy Lawrence 3 years ago
Maybe Kruschev loved the sensation of floating in water. He could have walked the circumference of the pool if he had so chosen. Not an act of humiliation when you call someone’s bluff. Those floatation devices could possibly have been his personal ones.
Load More Replies... #25
When France surrendered in ww2, Hitler thought Britain would surrender. So the next day, the British Royal Navy sailed to North Africa and sunk all of the French fleet so Germany couldn’t have them.
ADHORTATOR 3 years ago
Mers El Kebir - almost 1300 french sailors were killed by their british allies....
Šimon Špaček 3 years ago
They is hard to judge now. Sinking ships of allies is of course wrong, but letting enemy get them and use them could severely endanger Britain and that would be pretty bad in the long run, right?
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Deborah Harris 3 years ago
The French refused to aid Britain with its navy. Churchill was convinced that they would be used against Britain as France was surrendering to German forces. At that time Frances' Navy was the 4th largest in the world
Proverb Woman 3 years ago
They weren't Britian's allies. They surrendered without fighting like all their allies were doing so they officially became a Nazi country and it is common wartime practice to destroy anything that could be used by the enemy against you. France did it themselves to their own fleets!
Kyle Hooker 3 years ago
Bruh when someone rapes your wife and I victim blame you for not shooting him, that makes me a bad dude. Similar story. Human lives were involved. Have some damn respect.
Load More Replies... Mario Strada 3 years ago
There is a lot more to that story though and it had severe consequences for the rest of the war.
similarly 3 years ago
That's just how war was done back then. The idea is that there are no holds barred, and no punches pulled. I go to win. It's a bit different now, because the Geneva Convention realized that if we want to stop the next war, we have to be sure that during THIS war, we don't do anything that's going to make things awkward later.
Brenda 3 years ago
I always thought that they sunk their ships themselves and were only "helped " by the British Navy?
John Keylor 3 years ago
The French were asked to join the Allies, they refused and subsequently the Royall Navy was forced to shell the French. It is a shame but it was kill or be killed...
Load More Replies... Luis Hernandez Dauajare 3 years ago
When France surrendered in WW2, Hitler had the French government surrender at Compiègne Wagon, the same that was used to sign Germany's surrender in WW1. Also, the Treaty of Versailles was kind of a "f***k you", as it was signed at the Hall of Mirrors of Versailles, where the first German Kaiser Wilhelm I was crowned and the German Empire was declared after the unification.
Amy Stone-Chandler 3 years ago
It was the right thing to do. In war of course. Your not to allow the other side all that tech and equipment to use against you.
#26
Genghis Khan to Shah Ala ad-Din.
After the Kwarezmids plundered one of Genghis Khans caravans, killed his people, and took his s**t, he thought to take the diplomatic approach and send 2 envoys and an interpreter.
Shah Ala ad-Din decided to be a dumba** about it.
He shaved the heads of the envoys to shame them and sent them back with the head of the interpreter.
Mr. Khan was kinda pissed, so he marched 200000 of his boys and f*****g annihilated their town with only 1/4 of that number even able to fight back. He was so pissed at the Shah that he had the rivers keeping the surrounding villages alive fully diverted, so that he would literally wipe Ala ad-Dins birthplace off the map and make it so that it was like he never existed.
No one would settle there or live there ever again. No one would be there to remember his enemy who had disrespected him.
"Not even the dogs or cats" would be spared said Genghis Khan.
Lea Panthera 3 years ago
I read that as "Shah Aladdin". And now "Prince Ali" is running through my head. Great.
Atreïdes 3 years ago
I think Aladdin actually does come from it; I think I remember reading it from somewhere.
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Analyn Lahr 3 years ago
A little overkill, I think. That means he had the children killed too.
Loretta 3 years ago
"No one would be there to remember his enemy who had disrespected him." Then where does your story come from, I wonder?
RedCorvette 3 years ago
Imagine being so historically badass that you are both revered and despised
Kyle Hooker 3 years ago
I Love Genius Khan's worldview. Great man labeled wrongly due to the brutalism of the time. Look more into him... He was actually a deeply sensitive and empathetic child. Makes sense, when someone with a lot of empathy witnesses countless and needless brutal acts, they "one up" it, to stop it. Counter intuitive, but it worked amazingly. Stopped infighting, that's for sure, but that was also partly due to the man's indomitable charisma
#27
Several of them ... My favorite is when Deng Xiao Ping ordered the Chi-com army to invade Vietnam in order to teach them a lesson about the South China Sea dispute. The Chinese rolled across the border and were like “hey where is everyone? Looks like they didn’t even field an army” when they started getting hit with guerilla-types of attacks. The Chinese Commies were supposed to mop the floor - They ended up incurring way more casualties than they anticipated and basically retreated back to China after one month and declared “victory.” Couldn’t get a solid body blow on the Vietnamese army.
David H 3 years ago
This was also right after the Vietnam War, so they were well trained and experienced. But actually the Vietnamese did field an army in battle, there were some big ones, with air battles. The Vietnamese just followed the tactics they used against the US. Only use the main Army when needed, and use hit and run attacks to wear the enemy down
Pamela Blue 3 years ago
It cracks me up when an army is defeated, yet still declares victory. We get that a lot from some nations now, and it makes you wonder where their heads are.. LOL!
Dave Hinckley 3 years ago
Vietnam has always kicked foreign invaders out. They just wanted to be left alone.
Atreïdes 3 years ago
France got her cheeks clapped by Britain at the end of the Napoleonic war, and China was totally screwed over by our boi Genghis Khan.
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Ralph Watkins 3 years ago
It's said China sent up to 1 million men into Vietnam. But at the time, China could not issue weapons to them all. They had to play like Stalingrad. Those without weapons had to pick up the weapons & ammo from the dead. I think the fact that Vietnam kicked China's butt so badly says a lot about the US war there. We were up against a really tough enemy. Being that the US held out longer than China did, it's a feather in our hat.
#28
My personal favorite: the beginning of the Battle of Stamford Bridge, in England, 1066. England's been invaded by a Norwegian army led by Harald Hardrada, king of Norway, and Tostig Godwinson, exiled English earl and estranged brother to the English king. They've already fought one battle, they've captured York. Things are looking good for them. They're chilling, enjoying their success, waiting at Stamford Bridge for the hostages they demanded. It's a hot day. They're not expecting any trouble. But wait- an English army shows up. That's practically impossible. The battle of Fulford Gate had taken place only five days ago, and the Norwegians had completely routed the forces of the northern earls. The rest of the English army was known to be in the south, awaiting a Norman invasion. Turns out the English had ridden all the way up North in FOUR DAYS. The Norwegians were, understandably, a bit unhappy. They form into a circle. They don't have their armor with them- it's at the ships. It's too hot to be hanging around in mail. They've got helmets and shields and weaponry, and that's it. The English send a rider to negotiate. He tells Tostig that his brother the King is willing to offer him his earldom back and part of the rule of England if he gives up now. Tostig asks what his buddy Harald Hardrada gets for his trouble. "Six feet of English ground, or as much more as he needs, being taller than other men." Tostig says they're done here. The rider rides away. Harald Hardrada asks who that dude was, because if it had been him talking, he'd have just killed the bastard there. Tostig says oh, that's my brother. That's Harold Godwinson, the king. Harold Godwinson rode up to an enemy army personally and told the king of Norway, known to be a great warrior and general, that all he'd get from this invasion was a grave. Battle commences. Norwegians lose. Tostig and Harald Hardrada both die. Huge bloody mess. English army is crippled. And then three days later the Normans land in the south. Harold is f****d. He still marches his army back, gathers as much force as he can, and engages three weeks later. He's killed at Hastings. Normans conquer England. Basically a very personal f**k you moment that snowballed quite intensely. Edit: because a lot of people are asking- yes, this was the battle with the legendary berserker at the bridge. No, it probably didn't actually happen. The story appears hundreds of years later and is very inconsistent. Also, there might not have been an actual bridge there at the time.
The Starsong Princess 3 years ago
Harold Hardrada was something - a great warrior, lover, poet, captain of the Varangian Guard in Constantinople, berserker, king and tyrant. He apparently died of a arrow to the throat in a state of berserkergang, nearly naked and swinging his sword two handed. Tostig, on the other hand, was a complete prick.
Jessica Bertram 3 years ago
THIS one should be higher. if they had stayed down South and waited for the Normans...
The Starsong Princess 3 years ago
He might haven been in the same boat. If Godwinson waited for the Normans, he probably would have defeated them but still would have needed to confront a prepared Hardrada in the north. But even after Hastings, the English could have defeated the Normans and driven them out but they lacked seasoned, organized leadership. The new candidate for king was Edgar Atheling, a teenager. If Harold or his brother Leofwine had survived the battle, they could have raised another fyrd and won.
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Aunt Riarch 3 years ago
That's what you shout when you charge on horseback
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tresgatos72 3 years ago
What most people don't know is that Tostig was exiled to Norway for raping some nuns. Total creep.
insert name here 3 years ago
If you go to hastings you can see a reinaction of the battle. (I don't know how regular )
#29
I always like to share this story when I can, and it is full of "f**k yous." Alboin, king of the Lombards during the early Middle Ages, killed a rival king on the Italian Peninsula. Alboin was a bit of a d**k and really hated this other king, so he decapitated him and had his skull turned into a drinking cup. Anytime Alboin would party hardy he'd drink out of his brand new mug. Alboin also forced the other king's daughter into marrying him after killing her father. On top of that, Alboin was a mean drunk and would make his new bride drink out of her own father's skull on occasion. So Alboin's wife started screwing some other dude, because she hated her husband for pretty obvious reasons. Her lover and she assassinated Alboin for being such a d**k. Edit: *Cartago delenda est* was another good f**k you
Mario Strada 3 years ago
I remember this from Middle School. I guess having someone drink off their father's skull made an impression on my young mind.
Bored Phoenix (he/they) 3 years ago
okay but wouldnt the alcohol pour out of the eyes, nose and mouth?
#30
The Battle of Agincourt - Or at least the aftermath. Henry V wanted to have a show of force, and marched his 9,000 troops through France, France wasn't having it, so they raised some 12,000.. when France tried to negotiate, Henry launched an assault sparking the battle itself. Using clever use of terrain and the fearsome use of the English long bow, the French took heavy losses. It was believed, however, that any English archer captured by the French had their fore and middle fingers cut off so they could not operate a long bow. Thus inventing the 'two-finger salute', that citizens of the UK are known for, that for us Americans would be the middle finger now. If accounts are true, this is a very *literal "*F**k you!"
FactcheckerGeneral 3 years ago
Yeah, the V-sign probably just means "c**t".
Load More Replies... Katie Lutesinger 3 years ago
I had someone tell me this is actually untrue, which was disappointing to say the least.
Sturgeon 3 years ago
Whether this is the origin of the two fingers or not, I cannot say. But using two fingers to say f**k off in the UK was common when I was younger. Sadly, the influence of American TV and cinema means the use of the middle finger is more dominant now.
Irish woman abroad 3 years ago
Yes, you kind of show your age when you do it now!
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I can't think of a good name 3 years ago
Never heard of two finger salute (mabey the v day thing)
Troy Parr 3 years ago
According to sources from Burgundy, in the real life speech, Henry V told his men that the French had boasted that they would cut off two fingers from the right hand of every archer, so that he could never draw a longbow again. After the battle, English archers were showing French captives those fingers as if saying “See – my fingers are still here”. This gesture is now known as the “V” – victory gesture.
FactcheckerGeneral 3 years ago
No. The victory gesture is the other way round. Churchill had to be told about that by his advisors.
Load More Replies... gerard julien 3 years ago
" In another legend, the French, wary of the English longbow after the Battle of Crecy, planned to sneak into the English camp and cut off the index and middle fingers of the archers so they could not shoot their bows. The plan was never enacted though, and at Agincourt the archers raised two fingers to the French in defiance."
Alex Boyd 3 years ago
yeah, that story makes absolutely no sense; if they had some way to sneak in and cut off fingers without being caught, they could (even more easily) sneak in and just kill everyone.
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#31
Legendary Samurai Musashi Miyamoto, undefeated in about 60 duels and fought in 3 battles was challenged to a duel. This duel was to take place on an island and he also knew his opponent would be using a longer than average blade (I think it was called an 'Odachi') Being the zesty undefeated self-assured wise guy that he was, he accepted the duel, rowed to the island, and then proceeded to beat his opponent to death *with the f*****g boat ore he used to row there because he knew it was longer than his opponents blade by just a few inches* His opponent wanted to prove himself and use a longer blade so It could technically be said that Musashi literally killed a man in a d**k measuring contest of sorts. Edit : Forgive grammar and format, T9's a hard time.
Grant Hazzard 3 years ago
I heard he was drunk af and forgot his main sword so had to carve the oar with his wakazashi (side arm)
#32
During the conquest of Constantinapol (now Istanbul), when Sultan Mehmet had his ships carried on oily stakes by thousands of men to get past the big chain that prevents ships to enter Bosphorus.
Lene 3 years ago
Vikings carried their ships across land on a regular basis. That way they could get from one river to another. And the cool thing is that you only need lik 5-10 ppl to do it and it's not physically very hard. I did it a few years ago and it took just about 10min to get the ship across two fields and into the river. I was totally mindblown at how easy and fast it was!
keighterz 3 years ago
This is called a portage or portaging which would explain why so many towns are named Portage, at least in the Midwest.
Load More Replies... Luis Hernandez Dauajare 3 years ago (edited)
Well, Istanbul was Constantinople, now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople. Been a long time gone...
La Petite Morte 3 years ago
... Constantinople! Not a Turkish Delight, on a moonlit night. Every gal in Constantinople lives in Istanbul, not Constantinople...
Load More Replies... Joeshar 3 years ago
You had to think out of the box to capture a city never been captured in centuries.
Nandros M 3 years ago
The guns that demolished the wall conquered the Polis, not the ships.
Load More Replies... #33
On 30th September 1938, a treaty called the Munich agreement was signed, causing Germany's annexation of Sudetenland (a region of western Czechoslovakia, where many German people lived). It was signed by leaders of the UK, France, Italy, and Germany. UK and France signed it, because Hitler promised, that he won't go to war if he got the Sudetenland (we all know how that turned out). But that's not all. The biggest "f**k you" to Czechoslovakia was, that they weren't invited to the meeting. Yes, they weren't invited to the meeting about their own region. Also, France was an ally of Czechoslovakia at the time. So yeah, thanks for supporting France.
Origami Chik3n 3 years ago
And some 84 years later, France tried to do the same, insisting that Ukraine has to give up it's territory to appease another murderous dictator.
Tams21 3 years ago
I've been following the war and that France is insisting Ukraine give up its any of its territory is new to me. It certainly doesn't appear to be it current position according to the Ministry for Europe and Foreign affairs: https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/country-files/ukraine/situation-in-ukraine-what-is/ Then again, I don't know everything so as Adhortator said, a link or a source would be helpful.
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RedPepper 3 years ago
Little known fact: in 1920 the French government saw the Allied Powers had been too harsh towards Hungary in the peace treaties, and tried to create a french-polish-hungarian alliance. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Czechoslovakia, Beneš, heard about the negotiations and hastily built a counter-alliance with Yugoslavia and Romania. The French government was obliged to recognize an alliance that was, in reality, formed against it (Source: Magda Ádám, The Little Entente and Europe). The Munich Agreement was the “middle finger” of the French diplomacy to President Beneš.
#34
When Germanic tribes invaded Britain after the Romans left, they named the native Celts *Welisc*, meaning "foreigner" (even though they themselves were the foreigners). That later became the word *Welsh*, which the English promptly adopted for phrases like *welch on a bet*. TL;DR: all of history has been one giant etymological middle finger to the Welsh.
Deborah Harris 3 years ago
Oh it gets worse, only within the last 50 years have we been allowed to scrape back our nationality and our own language. Welsh was banned from being spoken in our schools, the majority of Welsh people can't speak our own language
Russell Tilling 3 years ago
I went to schoold with a welsh lad in the 80s, Deborah. I admired his accent but he was very self-deprecating. I later travelled in South Wales and they were very parochial and hated the English. I'm guessing a century behind the curve.
Load More Replies... Wintermute 3 years ago
The Welsh should be held in higher esteem historically. Too many reasons to go over, but read the history. It's a helluva survivor culture.
Timmy Pillinger 3 years ago
English is not kind to it's neighbours. Their names are generally used as shorthand for bad things.
Russell Tilling 3 years ago
"English is not kind to it's neighbours." That's not even English! 'Timmy Pillinger' is a stupid name. Are you russian?
Load More Replies... censorshipsucks 3 years ago
Welisc is a germanic word generally for foreigner. Compare the Vlachs in Serbia/Makedonia.
#35
I would say the moment that Rollo swore allegiance to the French king:
"the bishops present suggested that Rollo kiss the king’s foot, as a sign of submission. It was probably an idea intended to humiliate Rollo, and was not taken very well.
After some discussion, it was agreed that one of Rollo’s men would do it. However, the person chosen lifted the king’s foot, and, without bending down, brought it up to his mouth. Not surprisingly the king fell over, amid general laughter in the court. Following this amusing scene, the king and his men swore to honour the concession to Rollo."
censorshipsucks 3 years ago
Rollo I think was William the Conqueror's dad, if I remember correctly.
François Carré 3 years ago (edited)
No, as he lived 150 years before, but he was William's ancestor (great-great-great-great grandfather or something like that).
Load More Replies... #36
This is like the opposite of what you’re asking for because it could have been a big f**k you but it went another way.
Abraham Lincoln, while still a largely unknown frontier lawyer, was asked to assist in a law case by some big wigs out in the east because the trial was going to be held in Springfield and they wanted a local lawyer on the team.
Well the location of the trial got moved but the big wig lawyers never told Lincoln they didn’t need him anymore. He worked really hard on some arguments and showed up to the trial which was now in Ohio or something.
The big wig lawyers were pretty rude to him when he showed up and didn’t use any of his arguments and didn’t allow him to participate.
They did eventually send him a check for payment but Abe sent it back. They did send it back writing enough to get Abe to deposit the check.
When Abe became president he eventually asked the head lawyer of the big wigs in this case (Edwin Stanton) to be his secretary of War. Edwin Stanton grew to truly love Abraham Lincoln and was a very effective Secretary of War. Abe could have remembered the snub from earlier in his career and refused to have anything to do with Stanton but Abe was never truly offended and saw Stanton as a good person to have in his cabinet.
#37
Battle of Stalingrad. The German commander, Friedrich Paulus, wants to surrender to the Soviets. He has no food and is trapped. He calls up Hitler to ask for permission to surrender and Hitler says no. In fact Hitler promotes him to Field Marshal. This is a “f**k you” because in the history of Prussia and Germany no Field Marshal has ever surrendered. Hitler only did this to ensure Paulus wouldn’t surrender. He basically told him to either die as a Field Marshal or live as a disgrace to Germany. In another “f**k you” Paulus does surrender and in fact becomes a fervent communist and worked with the Soviets in captivity.
#38
French surrender in WW2: "Hitler dictates that the French capitulation take place at Compiegne, a forest north of Paris. This is the same spot where twenty-two years earlier the Germans had signed the Armistice ending World War I. Hitler intends to disgrace the French and avenge the German defeat. To further deepen the humiliation, he orders that the signing ceremony take place in the same railroad car that hosted the earlier surrender.
The Armistice is signed on June 22. Under its terms, two thirds of France is to be occupied by the Germans. The French army is to be disbanded. In addition, France must bear the cost of the German invasion."
ADHORTATOR 3 years ago
Ther Germans destroyed this railroad waggon at the end of the war to prevent its use for the german surrender....
Michelle C 3 years ago
Pétain went from hero to coward fairly quickly and even the French don’t have much good to say of him now; rightly so!
#39
Not a historian, but this is one of my favorites:
"On Dec. 22, four German couriers approached American lines under a flag of truce, carrying a message "from the German commander to the American commander."
Asserting that Bastogne was "encircled," the note gave McAuliffe, who was acting commander of the 101st in the absence of Maj. Gen. Maxwell Taylor, two hours to surrender or face "total annihilation." It offered "the privileges of the Geneva Convention" to the would-be POWs.
What came next would be one of World War II's seminal moments.
To the German commander.
**"Nuts!"** From the American commander.
Nunya Business 3 years ago
I was wondering if anyone was going to mention this one. Glad you did!
Ray Heap 3 years ago
Somehow I rather doubt he said "nuts!" I suspect it was something that got hit with the censor hammer.
steve g 3 years ago
Yeah, it was actually 'Nuts' :) https://www.army.mil/article/92856/the_story_of_the_nuts_reply
Load More Replies... #40
My favorite is the simplified humorous description of the French attempt to defeat Russia. French demand: We have captured your capital, surrender immediately. Russian response: No... French response: But... But we have already captured your capital. Russian response: Too bad.
Okiedokie 3 years ago
you could fit 31 of France in Russia. France’s eyes were 31 times bigger than its stomach.
Luis Hernandez Dauajare 3 years ago
French response: Then we still stay here until you surrender... Russian response: Not in winter you won't...
Guile main 3 years ago
Isn't this what inspired the 1812 overture It's one of my favorite pieces to play and listen to
#41
The "Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks" is the best response to a demand for surrender, ever. In response to requests by the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire to desist attacks and submit: "Zaporozhian Cossacks to the Turkish Sultan! O sultan, Turkish devil and damned devil's kith and kin, secretary to Lucifer himself. What the devil kind of knight are thou, that canst not slay a hedgehog with your naked a**e? The devil sh*ts, and your army eats. Thou shalt not, thou son of a wh*re, make subjects of Christian sons; we have no fear of your army, by land and by sea we will battle with thee, f**k thy mother. Thou Babylonian scullion, Macedonian wheelwright, brewer of Jerusalem, goat-f****r of Alexandria, swineherd of Greater and Lesser Egypt, pig of Armenia, Podolian thief, catamite of Tartary, hangman of Kamyanets, and fool of all the world and underworld, an idiot before God, grandson of the Serpent, and the crick in our d**k. Pig's snout, mare's a**e, slaughterhouse cur, unchristened brow, screw thine own mother! So the Zaporozhians declare, you lowlife. You won't even be herding pigs for the Christians. Now we'll conclude, for we don't know the date and don't own a calendar; the moon's in the sky, the year with the Lord, the day's the same over here as it is over there; for this kiss our a**e! - Koshovyi otaman Ivan Sirko, with the whole Zaporozhian Host."
Jonna Makkonen 3 years ago
There is a wonderful painting by Ilja Repin where Cossacks are writing this letter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reply_of_the_Zaporozhian_Cossacks
Brenda 3 years ago
This has to be the most descriptive "fuckyou" ever put to paper! Very imaginative and very Insulting and, I'd think, very accurate. 😡😤👺😠👹👿
KittyMommy 3 years ago
If you want to read a truly great go screw yourself read Oscar Wilde's De Profundis. He wrote it in prison to his ex-lover who's parents had him (Wilde) arrested for homosexuality
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Red Ruffensor 3 years ago
Shostakovich set a version of this to music, in the Fourteenth Symphony.
#42
Not a historian, so don't know much about this, but remember that meme about the hot Lucifer statue this guy built for a church? Well, it was considered too alluring and distracting for the young girls at the church, so they removed it and commissioned the guys brother to do another one. The next statue is considered to be even hotter. They just kept it.
FreeDragon 3 years ago
Here you go: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_g%C3%A9nie_du_mal
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#43
IN AD 37 the new Roman Emperor Gaius, better known by the nickname Caligula, built a bridge across the sea. It stretched three miles across the deep blue waters of the Bay of Naples at ancient Rome’s most fashionable seaside resort of Baiae. But Caligula’s was no ordinary bridge. It was a temporary, floating structure built on wooden pontoons, a costly and impressive feat of engineering. It served a single purpose before being dismantled. On a day of boiling heat watched by crowds of spectators, Caligula rode across the bridge. His armour glinted in the sunlight, for the 24-year-old emperor had dressed himself in the golden breastplate of the legendary Greek hero Alexander The Great. On the following day Caligula made the journey in reverse, this time riding in a chariot, followed by soldiers of his personal guard. It was a pointless piece of showmanship, lost on the majority of the crowd, several of whom fell drunkenly to their deaths in the sea after two days’ partying. One historian claimed Caligula pulled the stunt to disprove a prophecy that he had no more chance of becoming emperor than of riding a horse across the Bay of Baiae.
Michelle C 3 years ago
That came from a man who also made his favorite horse a senator because he could. He seriously believed that he could do no wrong, so what else can we expect?
Did you hear that? 3 years ago
I'm pretty sure the horse thing was an insult to the senate. But to be fair, horses can be scary smart. I have three.
Load More Replies... #44
In 1941 the US requested Panama grant a 999-year-long lease to build over 100 military bases within their country, the Panama government asked for compensation in return which the US felt was too high.
The US responded by overthrowing their government by orchestrating a coup. They then signed an agreement with the new one.
Nicole Weymann 3 years ago
A bit misplaced here, I feel. An "FU" to me implies two more or less equal parties or even one underdog, who manages to get the better of their opponent. This here is the equivalent of Mike Tyson bullying his neighbour in his own home when asked to not park in their spot without compensation, then beating up the family, killing the husband and burning down the house to park his car on the pile of ashes.
kim morris 3 years ago
"In Panama, all U.S. military forces departed, and bases were closed by treaty at the end of 1999. But the Pentagon retains access for military flights into and out of Panama, including a contract to transport cargo and passengers between Honduras, Panama, and dirt strips in Colombia on a daily basis. U.S. Military Bases in Latin America and the Caribbean"
Load More Replies... liam mckirdy 3 years ago
what you wont let us build on your land and demand we pay you well then im just gonna invade you
#45
Operation Paul Bunyan. It’s 1976. Some Americans at the Korean DMZ are cutting down a tree that obscures their vision to the North Korean side. A couple of North Koreans come out and kill a few Americans with their own axe. The Americans and South Koreans come back with such a massive show of force it’s not even funny. Bombers, jet planes, 27 helicopters, a full aircraft carrier moved off the coast. Thousands of troops, troop carriers, commandos, all just to send in a squad of army engineers with chainsaws to cut down that god damn tree.
#46
I’m not an historian, but i know this ww1 fact: in 1918 during the battle of Villers-Bretonneux, major James Robertson made a plan to steal a german tank stuck in no man’s land. There was no point in getting it, because it was dangerous going out there and the tank wasn’t a threat to anyone. Not giving f**k about that he grouped with 12 other men to retrieve that tank, under machine gun fire and inside mustard gas, just to say to the german army “f**k you, look what we got here”. Thanks to him and the other men, today that tank is the only original WW1 tank we have and it’s called “Mephisto”.
Katherine Mulholland 3 years ago
I used to climb all over that tank with my brothers. It was kept at the Queensland museum in Brisbane Australia. https://www.awm.gov.au/about/our-work/projects/mephisto
Nicole Weymann 3 years ago
The line between bravery and idiocy... Risking 13 lives for one pointless trophy is a fine example of the latter and a great symbol for war in general and that war in particular.
Timmy Pillinger 3 years ago
Can't be right. Perhaps the only German tank from ww1? I know of at least one museum with British Ww1 tanks in them.
Ray Heap 3 years ago
All the German ww1 tanks, except Mephisto, are replicas, there is a rumor that the chassis of a second tank still exists though, but the Germans never built a lot of them and preferred to use captured British tanks.
Load More Replies... #47
One of my favorites was during the Opium War when the British tried to attack China via sea. The Chinese knew that the British navy was going to f**k their s**t up, and they couldn't respond fast enough, so they decided that being absolutely batsh*t crazy would work best. They got their catapults ready, and when the British were close enough, the Chinese took monkeys, lit them on fire, and f*****g **launched** them at the British ships. The British were horrified when flaming monkey corpses landed on their boat and were like, f**k the opium, they were out. TLDR: The British tried to invade China. China threw flame-doused monkeys at them.
Timmy Pillinger 3 years ago
UK: we're fighting a war against drugs. China: that's nice. When did you change side?
La Petite Morte 3 years ago
You made me snicker, then outright laugh, which woke up 6 dogs who all barked madly for a few minutes before I could quiet them. Bravo, you win the internet today!
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#48
The construction and use of the Warwolf, supposedly the largest trebuchet ever built. When it was disassembled it would fill up 30 wagons. So anyways, king Edward the first built this to siege a Scottish castle. But before it was even built the Scottish people tried to surrender. To which Edward responded with a prompt no(in actuality he responded with “You do not deserve any grace, but must surrender to my will” in other words, I built this trebuchet over 40 days and I am most definitely going to use it) and proceeded to use the trebuchet anyways.
Deborah Harris 3 years ago
This is the guy who thought up Prima Nocta, where English nobles had the right to sleep with Scottish brides on the night of their wedding. He was not a nice person
FactcheckerGeneral 3 years ago
Ius Prima Nocte was probably not a real thing. Most historians agree that Braveheart is nonsense.
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Exhausted Panda 3 years ago
The Outlaw King has this as like their first scene . I love that movie! The lead actor was so freaking awesome in it.
#49
Construction of the Lion’s Mound Monument in Waterloo after Napoleon’s defeat at the hands of the allies. The giant statue is showing its a*s to England while roaring at France.
Chewie Baron 3 years ago
How’s this for a f**k you, when travellers from France first arrived in London on the Eurostar, the station was Waterloo until they built the permanent station at St Pancras. The French were not happy!
FactcheckerGeneral 3 years ago
They actually threatened to retaliate by renaming their nearside station after some naval battle they had won. This threat fell through when the English didn't care.
Load More Replies... Luis Hernandez Dauajare 3 years ago (edited)
To this day, French diplomats and dignataries who enter Westminster in order to address Parliament must walk between two massive paintings, one depicting the Battle of Waterloo and the other the Battle of Trafalgar. That has to sting...
Kat 3 years ago
And all the corpses from the battlefield were later dug up and used in the sugar industry or turned into fertilizer...
#50
On the crowning of King Henry VII, he backdated his own reign to before the date of the Battle of Bosworth, meaning anyone who was loyal to him now but had shown any sign of opposition at Bosworth was now a traitor and an enemy to the realm. Justice served.
censorshipsucks 3 years ago
oppa medieval style. op op op oppa medieval style.
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Gabby Ghoul 3 years ago
Not "justice" per se, more "eliminating any loose ends that might challenge me later."
#51
Morocco was the first country to recognize the independence of the United States, which was very nice of them, but the reason they did it was that they had a treaty with England which prevented them from tolerating or engaging in piracy against English ships. No such prohibition on American shipping.
Not A Panda 3 years ago
No it wasn't. This is easily checkable, come on. It was one of the first to open its ports to American ships, but didn't recognise the USA formally until quite some time later. Opening ports is not formal recognition.
Michelle C 3 years ago
Louis Quatorze et le Marquis de Lafayette were literally among The reasons we won the Revolution, too!!
Load More Replies... François Carré 3 years ago
I think this is more about the fact that one of the first wars newly independent US had to fight abroad was against pirates established on the Libyan coast, who felt free to ruthlessly attack American merchant ships, since these were no longer officially protected by the powerful British navy.
#52
Trump's election.
Patti Vance 3 years ago
his win was another argument against the electoral college. the college has one purpose: to ensure that the person who won a popular vote was fit for office. it was supposed to be a fail safe to ensure that no person without the capacity to lead the nation be put into the highest office. since its inception, it has declined into what we see now - a group that follows the lead of a specific party rather than a fail safe. had they done their actual job trump would never have been put in office as he not only lack the knowledge of how this nation is governed via constitutional law but also the basic understanding of what the office of potus could and could not do. he believed that he was capable of doing anything he wanted.
Brenda 3 years ago (edited)
I WAS a registered Republican, but I refused to vote for the a$$hole that became our president. I have Ioyaly supported our presidents even if I didn't vote for them or disagreed with their policies. But even my tolerance has its limits. I'm back to being an Independent voter as I refuse to be associated with him or the idiots that put him in a position to ever be elected in the first place. 🙄
Luis Hernandez Dauajare 3 years ago
Agreed. Trump's election was the biggest f**** you to the establishment voters could ever give. Those voters, United States and the whole freaking world are still paying the consequences. Even radical leftist like Michael Moore said it: "It will feel good... for a while".
#53
When Genghis khan wiped out Khwarezmid empire (modern day Iran) because they messed up with his soles.
What do you think ?
Izzy Curer 3 years ago (edited)
I don't see anyone talking about Samuel Whittemore. He was a 78 year old farmer from Massachusetts in 1775 during the Revolutionary War. He was in his fields when he saw a troop of British soldiers marching down the road. Whittemore basically slaughtered them in the most epic way possible, dodging behind rocks and firing pistols at them, and fighting them with a sword in hand to hand combat. He was badly injured himself, but people soon discovered him and tended his wounds. He lived for another 18 years and died of natural causes at 96. The thing is, the guy didn't even know the country was at war, he just saw a bunch of soldiers on his property and went bezerk. Basically a big fat, 'You kids get off my lawn!'
Katie Lutesinger 3 years ago
This one's fairly minor by comparison, but my grandfather was deployed during the Korean War and he had this story: One night he and his men were camped out somewhere near a body of water - I think it was by a river or maybe they were on an island or something; it's not important. During the night the enemy decided to try psychological warfare on for size: they set up some speakers and broadcast threatening messages over the water. "We are going to come over there tonight, and we are going to have a party! We are going to kill you all, and it will be a great party!" After this had been going on for a while, one of Grandpa's guys yelled back, "Yeah, well bring yer own bloody beer!" Grandpa said it was a perfect demonstration of the classic Australian soldier's spirit. (Postscript: the threats were just a bluff and no attack took place, which was just as well for me because at that point Grandpa hadn't gotten around to siring my father yet!).
RedBadgerCan'tSwim 3 years ago
One of my favorites has always been what the Swiss, who had a quarter million soldiers, said when Kaiser Wilhelm asked what they would do if he invaded with half a million men? Their answer "Shoot twice and go home."
Jknbt 3 years ago (edited)
my favorite F.U. was the one God himself gave British Royal Navy Admiral Schovall and his officers for unjustly hanging a sailor for mutiny. The sailor warned the officers that the fleet was sailing through dangerously shallow waters he was familiar with when the tides were going out. So they hanged him for his impertinence and insubordination. His last words were to quote Psalm 109, an imprecatory Psalm, that prophesies the role of Judas Iscariot and his fate. This became a curse on the wicked arrogant officers that unjustly killed him for doing his job by warning them. The British navy lost four ships and 2000 drowned including the admiral. This is the British maritime disaster known as the Scilly naval disaster of 1707. This story was reported by survivors who made it to St. Agnes island nearby and was later documented by their descendants. It served as a warning to all the arrogant naval officers who treated the seamen as dogs back in those days.
Anyone-for-tea? 3 years ago
This would be more interesting reading if they had put dates on them.
Enlee Jones 3 years ago
Lord Byron. While in college he was told it was against the rules to have a pet dog on campus. So he went out and got a pet bear instead.
Izzy Curer 3 years ago (edited)
I don't see anyone talking about Samuel Whittemore. He was a 78 year old farmer from Massachusetts in 1775 during the Revolutionary War. He was in his fields when he saw a troop of British soldiers marching down the road. Whittemore basically slaughtered them in the most epic way possible, dodging behind rocks and firing pistols at them, and fighting them with a sword in hand to hand combat. He was badly injured himself, but people soon discovered him and tended his wounds. He lived for another 18 years and died of natural causes at 96. The thing is, the guy didn't even know the country was at war, he just saw a bunch of soldiers on his property and went bezerk. Basically a big fat, 'You kids get off my lawn!'
Katie Lutesinger 3 years ago
This one's fairly minor by comparison, but my grandfather was deployed during the Korean War and he had this story: One night he and his men were camped out somewhere near a body of water - I think it was by a river or maybe they were on an island or something; it's not important. During the night the enemy decided to try psychological warfare on for size: they set up some speakers and broadcast threatening messages over the water. "We are going to come over there tonight, and we are going to have a party! We are going to kill you all, and it will be a great party!" After this had been going on for a while, one of Grandpa's guys yelled back, "Yeah, well bring yer own bloody beer!" Grandpa said it was a perfect demonstration of the classic Australian soldier's spirit. (Postscript: the threats were just a bluff and no attack took place, which was just as well for me because at that point Grandpa hadn't gotten around to siring my father yet!).
RedBadgerCan'tSwim 3 years ago
One of my favorites has always been what the Swiss, who had a quarter million soldiers, said when Kaiser Wilhelm asked what they would do if he invaded with half a million men? Their answer "Shoot twice and go home."
Jknbt 3 years ago (edited)
my favorite F.U. was the one God himself gave British Royal Navy Admiral Schovall and his officers for unjustly hanging a sailor for mutiny. The sailor warned the officers that the fleet was sailing through dangerously shallow waters he was familiar with when the tides were going out. So they hanged him for his impertinence and insubordination. His last words were to quote Psalm 109, an imprecatory Psalm, that prophesies the role of Judas Iscariot and his fate. This became a curse on the wicked arrogant officers that unjustly killed him for doing his job by warning them. The British navy lost four ships and 2000 drowned including the admiral. This is the British maritime disaster known as the Scilly naval disaster of 1707. This story was reported by survivors who made it to St. Agnes island nearby and was later documented by their descendants. It served as a warning to all the arrogant naval officers who treated the seamen as dogs back in those days.
Anyone-for-tea? 3 years ago
This would be more interesting reading if they had put dates on them.
Enlee Jones 3 years ago
Lord Byron. While in college he was told it was against the rules to have a pet dog on campus. So he went out and got a pet bear instead.
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