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We humans have been around for hundreds of thousands of years, so naturally, certain things have slipped through the cracks of our collective memory, exposing us to a distorted understanding of our past. Hopefully, this list will remedy some of that damage. We at Bored Panda searched the internet and collected the interesting, strange, and downright frightening events that people believe are forgotten way too often. Continue scrolling to check them out and upvote the ones you also think need to be remembered. After all, those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.
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#1
Elon Musk didn't found PayPal or Tesla and has made no significant intellectual contribution to any field of programming or engineering.
I know it's recent history but still, not enough people want to talk about it.
Geoffrey Scott 11 months ago
And yet this South African national has wormed his way into the US Treasury, and Social Security? Has he even taken an oath of allegiance? How 'bout his staff?
Tamra 11 months ago
No oaths, no senate confirmation, and his most recent staff hires for the Treasury Department heist range in age from 19-26, one of them still in college.
Load More Replies... Tamra 11 months ago (edited)
And now he's been given a top position in a made-up government agency through no merit, no experience, and no knowledge of his own, but just because he happens to be the richest a$$ kisser in a sea of other a$$ kissers. Edit to add: this man was *not* elected to this position, but has access to the Treasury payment system. The system that his corporations have directly benefitted from. The Trump administration is in favor of conflicts of interest, racketeering, and making the rich, richer.
Sue 11 months ago
I have a feeling Elon & Trump are going to blow up on each other. You can't have 2 such large egos close to each other. I'm wondering if private companies & other politicians are freaking out at him having access to their records.
Load More Replies... Gozer LeGozerian 11 months ago
30+ million Americans didn't bother to vote. You can thank them for this
Guess Undheit 11 months ago
The Felon Skum got rich two ways: rich apartheid daddy in South Africa, and stealing people's money via paypal with that other white South African thief, Thiel.
RELATED:
#2
There was a huge fight about African Americans using the public pool in Mr. Roger's actual neighborhood so he made a episode on his show where he and a African American guest were sharing a kiddy pool and talking about being nice to people even if they look or sound different. He taught a whole generation that racism isn't fair or right.
Leigh 11 months ago
The African American man wrote a book about his life. He explains that he was gay and terrified people would find out because of discrimination. Mr. Roger's figured it out and was very excepting and kind. It really made a different in the man's life to meet someone who loved him for who he was.
Mike F 11 months ago
Mr Rogers was fresh out of fvcks to give about what people thought.
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Peter Bear 11 months ago
Once again, petition to formally canonize Saint Rogers, patron of make-believe. He knew that to make anything real, we have to believe in it first. And he was the living human example of Christ's one command 'Love thy neighbor'.
Nice Beast Ludo 11 months ago
That's pretty well known. I don't think humanity has "ghosted" this especially since it's in the documentaries about him
#3
That doing laundry was hard, dull work. Very little glamour, not hugely interesting, it was smelly and the women that did it were often unfairly depicted as whores because it was some of the best money they could make.
Thank god for washing machines now.
I have a distinct memory of when I was younger, I was really interested in great inventions and inventors and such.
I asked my grandmother what she thought was the most important invention of her life, of the twentieth century, expecting her to answer something like the airplane, or the car, or the moonlanding or the television.
She said it was the washing machine, which I thought was really stupid as a child. The television is so much cooler than a stupid household item like a washing machine!
Now that I'm an adult I realize the washing machine saved hours and hours of labour for 50% of the population. My grandmother was a farmer. She had 11 children.
Probably the washing machine has done more for the emancipation of women than universal suffrage and the last 25 years of feminist writing combined.
Paul Donahue 11 months ago
Help! Help! I'm being repressed! Come and see the violence inherent in the system! Still valid in 'Merica unless you're an old white guy.
Load More Replies... BarfyCat 11 months ago
Having done laundry by hand for two years, I can attest to what absolute drudgery it is!
Mari 11 months ago
I did it also, it takes a lot of time and it is hard work.
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Annik Perrot 11 months ago
My Mom, born in 1934, always said that she could do without many modern apparatus, but the only one she wouldn't give up was her washing machine.
geezeronthehill 11 months ago
The Amish, who fight shy of most technology, use wringer washers powered by tiny gasoline motors.
Elwood Schwartz (it/that) 11 months ago (edited)
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
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Yayheterogeneity 11 months ago
Not only the washing but women slaved away in all kinds of household duties: ironing, cleaning in general without vacuums and what. Preparing food for winter, making cheese, baking bread... Everything, everything had to be done by women and their hands.
CatD 11 months ago
Taking care of the kids, and the garden. Making clothes if needed, or repairing what they had..
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Kendall Walls 11 months ago
Better than rotting in the cell, all day, but, it's what I DO, here in my "cozy" li'l アパート, whiling away the hours, on Bored Panda. 🥱
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Brian Droste 11 months ago
I remeber my mom using a ringer and a tub when I was younger. Also haning the clothes out on a clothes line to dry.
Boop the Snoot. Pound the Paw. 11 months ago
I don't think we spend less time washing clothes because we hugely expanded our wardrobes.
#4
During the Irish Potato Famine in 1847, the Choctaw Nation in the United States, despite their own struggles, raised money to send aid to the starving Irish. Although the amount was small by today's standards, this act of solidarity was profoundly impactful. In response, during the COVID-19 pandemic, many Irish people returned the favor by donating money to help the Navajo Nation in the U.S., who were struggling with the virus. A statue in County Cork, Ireland, commemorates the Choctaw's generosity, symbolizing the lasting bond of empathy between the two communities.
B 11 months ago
Because even the world is going to Sh^& people are inherently good. I have to believe this or whats the point
Regina Holt 11 months ago
Only SOME people are inherently good. Lot's of folks in DC today are not inherently good. They are screwing this country.
Load More Replies... Guess Undheit 11 months ago
When Cheetolini tried to murder First Nations people with C-19 in 2020 by denying them supplies, Irish people collected $1.8 million and donated to the Choctaw, Navaho, and other people.
Fishin’ Mortician 11 months ago
The Choctaw donated $300. Last year, the Irish and Choctaw nation unveiled identical statues commemorating the event.
#5
The ancient Greeks, inventors of democracy, would elect their officials to one year terms. Each officials' finances were audited at the beginning and end of their term. If they were found guilty of corruption, they could face severe punishments, including fines or exile, though e*******n was not a common outcome for most officials.
DC 11 months ago
Erection. They were fed loads upon loads of viagra, so their entire bodies turned into bones.
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Ace 11 months ago (edited)
Way to generalise. "The ancient Greeks" included many different cities, states, tribes, over a long period of time (up to 1500 years depending on your preferred definition). A form of democracy is generally attributed to the city-state of Athens which was a part if the Hellenistic world. They had various forms of government over hundreds of years; the one highlighted here was not the general rule for most of that time.
Ravenkbh 11 months ago
Why wasn't e*******n more common? Maybe they should have been d****-***-*********
G A 11 months ago
God help us, we would be on an endless cycle of relentless campaigning by the oafs in government. It's bad enough we in the UK are being subject to the US's every move by our own media as it is.
Sand Ers 11 months ago
It's payback for the way we're relentlessly bombarded with the juvenile personal squabbles of the British royal family.
Load More Replies... Steve Robert 11 months ago
If we did this in the US, jails would be filled with politicians. How many billions of dollars will this administration and its billionaire cohorts steal this time around?
Lavern Defazio 11 months ago
Well, the elected officials are the mouthpieces of corporations, so why not include CEOs in the mix...Luigi did.
Ian Webling 11 months ago
Roman governors were appointed for one year. The logic was that if they weren't competent to steal enough in a year to retire on, the weren't competent to administer a province.
#6
Richard Nixon conspired with Saigon to win the 1968 presidential election. He interfered with the Johnson administration’s attempt at a peace treaty. This was literal treason and I feel that very few people know about it. The NYT wrote a piece about it in 2017.
Michael Largey 11 months ago
Notice how treason, then and now, is the practice of the party of patriotism.
Janissary35680 11 months ago (edited)
"Treason doth never prosper: what’s the reason? Why, if it prosper, none dare call it treason." (Sir John Harrington, 1561-1612. He also invented the flushable toilet and wrote a book about it titled "A New Discourse of a Stale Subject, called the Metamorphosis of Ajax", which had absolutely nothing to do with foaming cleansers. 😀)
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Andy Frobig 11 months ago
Between this, postponing peace so he could win again in 1972, and expanding the war into Cambodia and Laos, Nixon and Kissinger are personally responsible for at least 5 million deaths
General Anaesthesia 11 months ago
20,000 American soldiers and countless Vietnamese died in that war between Nixon's election and the American forces withdrawal in 1973.
G A 11 months ago
How he seemed to get rehabilitated as some sort of elder statesman in his later life, I do not know. He and Kissinger were vile warmongers. But then, the US elected idiot GW Bush, the senile Reagan, the crooked Clinton and Biden, the spymaster elder Bush and the current $hitstain on humanity
Lavern Defazio 11 months ago
My feelings exactly. Corrupt in all spectrums.
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#7
The Candy Bomber. After World War II, when Berlin was divided, the US and UK airlifted supplies into West Berlin to counter the Soviet blockade. One pilot, Gail Halvorsen, started dropping candy to children, tying small parachutes to the sweets. To let them know it was his plane, he would "wiggle" the wings before the drop. This act of kindness grew into "Operation Little Vittles," inspiring other pilots to join in. The campaign became a symbol of American goodwill and helped shift public perception of aid efforts in post-war Europe.
Johnnynatfan 11 months ago
And now that orange piece of s**t and his little b***h Musk wants to end US Aid. What else can those mother f*****s do to make us look worse than we already do?
B 11 months ago
They claim to be Christian but the real basis of Christianity not the bible / church version to help other people. They are megalomaniacs not Christians
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Kelly Scott 11 months ago
When the Russians blockaded Berlin, the Americans flew supplies to the city for over a year, with 15,000 flights in and out of the city every day and sometimes landing and taking off within minutes of each other.
Forrest Hobbs 11 months ago
The Berlin airlift operation was started by the RAF, in support of cut-off British troops. The airlift in support of civilian Berlin was a combined British and American effort - Australians being included in the "British" tally. The unloading in Berlin was eventually done almost entirely by Berliners. More here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Blockade#Start_of_the_Berlin_Airlift
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Holly Marley 11 months ago (edited)
He gave a speech to a Silver Wings convention I attended, He was a terrific man. Originally he was sneaking the parachutes handkerchiefs of candy out, his crew helping tie up the packages. They were buying so many packs of handkerchiefs he thought they would be caught from that. But when his commander came storming up, asking what in the world were they doing, he was about to deny it, but then his CO flipped open the front page of a newspaper and there was a pic of his plane, tail numbers plain for all to see, little parachutes dropping out of the doorway. :D
Oerff On Tour 11 months ago
Then a pencil pusher at HQ tried to forbid it on grounds of flight safety, but again higher up nixed it. He did have a point. The drops happened during final approach, the most dangerous stage of the flight. When the entire crew would need to be 100% concentrating on landing. And Tempelhof wasn't the easiest airport to land on in those days. No room for error, and on an incredible tight schedule.
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Riley Quinn 11 months ago
And now, we're pulling out of NATO. I thought Brexit was a moronic move on so many levels, but what the US is doing/threatening to do, will leave us isolated, vulnerable, poorer, and vilified. Oh well, we had a good run. Time to put our heads between our knees and kiss our behinds goodbye.
#8
The 'Spanish Flu' actually likely got its start in Kansas, USA.
It's only called the Spanish Flu because most countries involved in WWI had a near-universal propaganda machine that only allowed good news to be published. Spain, which was neutral during the war, had one of the only 'free presses' in the world. They then were the only ones reporting on the massive deaths caused by the flu, leading the rest of the world to believe that they were the source or the most affected. In fact, the death rate was near-universal and destroyed some entire cities/communities in the US and Canada, specifically those of Inuit and First Nations communities.
Johnnynatfan 11 months ago
Right and Russia and North Korea don't exist huh?
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Riley Quinn 11 months ago
The 1918 Spanish flu pandemic was likely caused by an avian-like H1N1 virus that mutated to become transmissible between humans. It’s believed to have originated at Fort Riley, Kansas due to close living in overcrowded quarters and frequent troop movement, which allowed the virus to spread. Presently, the US is dealing with H5N1, a highly pathogenic avian flu (HPAI) that infects birds, and can infect other mammals, including humans. Hence, the culling of tens of thousands birds and the increase in egg prices. With any luck, Tramp will guide us through this, with the same aplomb he guided us through Covid. /s
CatD 11 months ago
He'll just stop testing. No testing, no disease was his way of thinking.🤦
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Winnie the Moo 11 months ago
Maybe King Cheeto (borrowed from a fellow Panda) can change thís name to American flu, instead of renaming the Golf of Mexico.
Karen Krause 11 months ago
Kansas is now experiencing problems with tuberculosis. Should we be scared? It's beginning to show up in Michigan.
CatD 11 months ago
Texas has just had a measles outbreak. 14% of the kids in the district didn't have vaccinations.
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Trisec Tebeakesse 11 months ago
I believe that picture is of Boston - where it also may have gotten its start. At the Navy Yard in Southie - ships around the world came and went with little regard for quarantine or health.
#9
The US secretly injecting people (typically poor / minorities, including children and pregnant women) with plutonium and other radioactive materials, and then studying them for decades. When they finally admitted it, the report was released at the same time of the OJ verdict to bury the story.
Riley Quinn 11 months ago
When I had a cleaning business, I was making enough money to do freebies for elderly and/or disabled people. One elderly woman was in a bad way. She knew she didn't have much time left, so after cleaning her flat and packing up her belongings each week, we'd chat for as long as she was up for it. She told me about these experiments, and how she was riddled with cancer. She lifted her blouse, took my hand and placed it on her stomach. She was hot, as if she had a fever. Then one day when I stopped by, she wasn't there. She had died a few days earlier.
Kendall Walls 11 months ago
What a magnanimous gesture for the American people, by "our" political leaders. It wouldn't surprise me one bit, if the "trumpster" tried to pull a similar stunt.
Lyone Fein 11 months ago
These reports were released at least a decade before the OJ Simpson trial.
Kabuki Kitsune 11 months ago
Given that the timing of the OJ verdict was not known, and it was expected that the jury would take much longer to come to its decision, the statement "released at the same time to bury it" is more conspiracy theory than fact. It just happened that when word came out about this study, that it coincided pretty closely with the OJ trial's verdict.
Trisec Tebeakesse 11 months ago
Fernald School, Waltham. About a mile from where I live. Look that one up.
#10
Humans developed agriculture around 12000 years ago. By storing grain, huge numbers of rodents flourished. Cats showed up to eat the rodents, and humans learned that if they took care of the cats, the cats would control the rodents. Therefore, it was the invention of agriculture that led to the domestication of the house cat.
Clown fish 11 months ago
Yeah I asked the cat and they said yes we tricked humans into believing we were helping to get them to give us a place to live and a good old pet now and then plus food lots of food
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Pernille 11 months ago
Meanwhile my barn cat decided to retire last autumn, he just moved into the house one day, plunked down in front of the fire, and hasn't caught a single mouse since. I've had to adopt a pair of rather feral void brothers that are still adapting to living with people, to replace him.
Auntriarch 11 months ago
I sympathise, I'm retiring soon. Though they won't be replacing me with two younger people
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Edward Treen 11 months ago
Several thousand years ago, the Ancient Egyptians worshipped cats as Gods. My three felines remember this and accept no other status.
Max Fox 11 months ago
Cats weren't domesticated by humans. Cats domesticated themselves. Then again, so did dogs.
TotallyNOTAFox 11 months ago
Interestingly, foxes are currently on the same path
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Helen Rohrlach 11 months ago
One of the few domesticated animals that isn't a herd/pack animal.
CatD 11 months ago
Kittens are born feral, if you find one who hasn't been around humans for their first 2 months it's basically a wild animal.
Load More Replies... DC 11 months ago
... and the moment they know they'll get away with it by being lovely and smooth, and tilting their head while looking at us and all that they're bound to become lazy af Fücks who enjoy being spoiled, but don't really care for having to do any. Cuddling on the sofa, occupying 90 % of a bed regardless of it's size, eating stuff that costs twice as much as mine, that's very more to them's taste, eh?
#11
Norway Knighted a Penguin. His plaque officially states he's the Colonel-in-Chief of their King's Guard.
G A 11 months ago
Not sure how a country near the North Pole sends us a bird from the South Pole, still.
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Riley Quinn 11 months ago
Bet he took his new position as seriously as Pete Hegseth will in his.
#12
The Great Stink of London in 1858.
One summer the heat dried up the River Thames (where all the human waste went) and an unbearable smell pervaded throughout the entire city. All Parliament representatives were eventually coerced out of their homes outside of London to convene and solve the issue. Much to the citizens’ glee, Parliament was held in their building on the bank of the River Thames, resulting in one of the fastest Parliament decisions ever made to reform the London sewer system.
Oerff On Tour 11 months ago
If someone would finance to bring all the debris from all natural disasters in the last year credited to climate change, on the front steps of the Capitol and the White House (Or the equivalent in other countries) and the politicians' front and back yards, they would scramble to implement strict environmental laws.
Load More Replies... Edward Treen 11 months ago
We still have a large pile of human waste but today it's found INSIDE Parliament.
Riley Quinn 11 months ago
When your elected officials have no experience in the world of the constituents, they need to be educated. What many countries should require of their politicians is to spend one week a year in our shoes. How can you best serve your area when you know not a whit about it?
Lavern Defazio 11 months ago
We could have a S**t-a-polooza on the steps of Congress, the White House and supreme court!!
#13
In 2006, while the Ivory Coast was in the midst of a civil war, the opposing sides agreed to a ceasefire so that they could all watch the World Cup. The break in fighting paved the way for a peace agreement a year later.
Riley Quinn 11 months ago
If you can recognize similarities, you can move forward to negotiations that pave the way to peaceful co-existence.
NetworkMan 11 months ago
Tom de Paul, your point was invalid the second you typed it. You said 'Once again pointing out Western exceptionalism. Does anyone imagine this could happen in a war involving Asian, African, or Middle Eastern combatants?'. I just want to ask for the sake of everyone here, did you read the damn post you commented on? Where do you think the Ivory Coast is, Denmark?
CatD 11 months ago
The Ivory Coast, where all the ivory colored people live..🤦
Load More Replies... #14
Woodrow Wilson was mentally and emotionally incapacitated by a massive stroke in October 1919, and his wife and doctors essentially ran the country until Harding took office in 1921. Some historians refer to Edith Wilson as "the first female president."
Kael jones 11 months ago
Because people thought the orange imbecile would reduce the cost of eggs specifically, instead of the person who was actually going to do that and more
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Michael Largey 11 months ago
People noticed the Nancy never drank a glass of water while Ronnie was making a speech.
Load More Replies... G A 11 months ago
Kept secret by those in the know and the wider press at the time. And the US still won't elect a woman. Mind you, the ones we elected in the UK weren't great....and then there's Truss, the one no one wanted...
CatD 11 months ago
The fact that macho countries in South America and Mexico have elected women, but the US is too misogynistic to do so is nuts.
Load More Replies... Riley Quinn 11 months ago (edited)
Edith was the President before women had the right to vote in 1920. And this fact was in every public school History book. /s
EJN 11 months ago
The same thing but to a lesser degree was the Reagan Presidency. He was becoming more and more incapable of running things during his second term due to Alzheimer's Disease, and his wife started to act as his voice/interpreter and direct members of the cabinet to act in his stead.
PenguinEmp 11 months ago
Same for trump except one served his country for decades and the other is a felon, a cheat, a rapist and a liar.
Load More Replies... #15
The 2nd Congo War. This was the deadliest conflict since World War 2 with over 5 million people killed. Most people have never heard of it despite it ending less than 20 years ago.
Simon Chen 11 months ago
No political interrest from neither the US, Russia or China, so nobody gave a fck
Donna Peluda 11 months ago
Thing is if they (US, Russia or China) get involved then they are criticised for medalling imperial etc etc. if the don't then they are not standing up for western values. Just look at what's happening in Afghanistan now.
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Sillywaster Stayalone 11 months ago
The ongoing Sudanese civil war as well, no body talks about it even when daylight massacre in public places happens often. 01-02-2025...97bc1d.png 
Annik Perrot 11 months ago
And the Congo is still at war, invaded by its Rwanda neighbors. We hear about it quite a lot, here in France.
Leigh 11 months ago
Thanks to Warren zevvon I know about the first congo war. He wrote a song about it.
Elwood Schwartz (it/that) 11 months ago
But more importantly... He wrote Werewolves of London
Load More Replies... Riley Quinn 11 months ago
Given that 20-30% of people in Western countries think Africa is a country and who are flabbergasted to learn Africa has cities, it's devastating, but not surprising.
Casey Payne 11 months ago
Did it end? It seems to be going strong today. You just have to search really hard to find anything about it in the daily news.
#16
On February 11, 1985, the Soviet space station Salyut 7 lost contact with mission control, leaving it adrift and unpowered. A daring rescue mission was launched, led by cosmonauts Vladimir Dzhanibekov and Viktor Savinykh. After docking with the station, they discovered all systems were shut down and the interior was freezing cold. Wearing fur-lined winter clothing, they restored power and repaired the station, successfully bringing it back online. This remains one of the most remarkable space rescues in history.
Anton Swanepoel 11 months ago
They manage to control Trump remotely just fine.
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Wyrdwoman 11 months ago
It is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salyut_7_(film)
Load More Replies... Riley Quinn 11 months ago
I have a bias towards the Russian government being a kid during the Duck & Cover days, but some of Roscosmos' achievements were admirable. It's a shame the agency is in decline, but it's typical that science and education are cut for military spending.
#17
Cleopatra wasn’t just a political mastermind—she was also a linguistic prodigy, speaking nine languages, including Egyptian, making her the first ruler of her Greek family to do so. But here’s the truly overlooked bit of history: when Julius Caesar was trapped in Alexandria, Cleopatra didn’t just wait around for help. In a bold move, she had herself smuggled into his presence wrapped in a carpet (or some versions say a sack). Her servant, fluent in Latin, got them past the Roman guards, and when the carpet was unrolled, Cleopatra emerged, cleverly catching Caesar by surprise. This dramatic entrance wasn’t just about a queen’s charm; it was a calculated risk that helped secure her future—and it worked. Despite not having bathed in days, she managed to win over Caesar with her sharp intellect and undeniable presence. It’s a moment that shows just how far Cleopatra was willing to go to maintain power and influence in a male-dominated world.
SCamp 11 months ago (edited)
Also adding weight to her evidently gleaming personality and allure is that contemporary accounts say she wasn’t especially beautiful and was quite plain looking
CP 11 months ago
Then she took her glasses off and let down her hair. She won prom queen after that. FYI I am just making a joke and not really commenting on her looks
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Riley Quinn 11 months ago
Proving once again that a confident man values an intelligent woman as an equal.
Kabuki Kitsune 11 months ago
Don't forget, her parents Ptolemy XII Auletes and Cleopatra V of Egypt, were brother and sister.
Winnie the Moo 11 months ago
Who would know if she didn’t bathe for three days? Lol. That seems like such a random “fact”. Was this specifically written down somewhere? Like someone in 48 B.C. went: ‘Ugh, she hasn’t bathed in three days, better write this down for future references!’
Sailing Leprechaun 11 months ago
It's worth noting that while she definitely had her moments, she was an objectively bad ruler who lost the last shreds of Egyptian sovereignty
#18
Many people know about the Suffragettes who won the vote for some UK women in 1918. However, many people don’t realize that before 1918, not all men had the right to vote either. While voting had been gradually expanded over the previous 80 years, it was still restricted by property ownership and wealth. The 1918 Representation of the People Act granted the vote to all men over 21, as well as women over 30 who met property qualifications. This was a significant step toward universal suffrage in the UK, though full equal voting rights for men and women were only achieved in 1928.
Huddo's sister 11 months ago
In Australia, women were allowed to vote in some states/colonies earlier than the federal ruling, and they could stand for parliament before being allowed to actually vote. Aboriginal people couldn't vote until the late 1960s (federally).
Smeghead Tribble Down Under 11 months ago
''the 1850s under the constitutions of Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia, Aboriginal men had the same right to vote as other male British subjects aged over 21. However it wasn’t until 1896 that Tasmania granted Aboriginal men franchise.''
Load More Replies... Hidalgo 11 months ago
And in the US many POC could not vote until the Voting Rights Act of 1965, in spite of the amendments. Also several southern states neither ratified the suffrage amendment nor allowed women to vote in state elections until the seventies. Several are itching to undo universal suffrage as we speak
CatD 11 months ago
Thomas already said he wants to get rid of birth control and Texas wants to get rid of no fault divorce.
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G A 11 months ago
And a lot of people were heavily 'influenced' to vote for their employer's or their lordships choice of candidate, or be out of a job or tenancy.
CatD 11 months ago
Just like "Christian" churches tell people who to vote for, even though it's illegal.
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Kabuki Kitsune 11 months ago
Interestingly enough, in the US, a large number of women didn't want to be able to vote. One group even released a pamphlet that said, in part "Because it means competition of women with men instead of co-operation. Because 80% of the women eligible to vote are married and can only double or annul their husbands’ votes."
#19
While educated people, including ancient Greeks, knew the Earth was round by at least the 5th century BCE, the idea of a flat Earth was never widely held in medieval Europe. Throughout the Middle Ages, most scholars and educated figures understood that the Earth was spherical. The notion that medieval Europeans believed in a flat Earth is a misconception largely created in the 19th century.
Laugh or not 11 months ago
There are probably more flatearthers today than during the Middle Age. Talk about dark ages.
Sue 11 months ago
I mean they're banning books & speech. The Army Corp of Engineers just cancelled a speech by a black man for Black History month in my town.
Load More Replies... Guess Undheit 11 months ago
European christians were living in squalor for a thousand years, sleeping next to pigs, while muslims in Spain, Morocco, the Ottoman Empire and elsewhere were expanding math and science, and building libraries.
cerinamroth 11 months ago
Indeed - and Muslims and Jews were largely co-existing peacefully in this period of intellectual growth, mainly united against the threat of the Christians!
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Max Fox 11 months ago
In the 19th century "modernity" was a religion. It required the belief that they were the first full enlightened generation in the world, or, more correctly, that the Americans and Western European Christians were the first enlightened generation in the world, and that gave them the right, or, more correctly, the DUTY to spread this enlightenment across the globe, preferably by force.
Michael Largey 11 months ago (edited)
In the 19th Century, Pope Gregory XVI denounced modernity, citing railroads ("roads to hell") as an example of the pernicious evil he was talking about. He also condemned lighting homes with gas and installing street lights.
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Eric Williams 11 months ago
....and today, flat earthers acknowledge that they have members all around the globe.
Joe Reaves 11 months ago
Even the people who said Columbus couldn't get to Asia by sailing West from Spain didn't think he would fall off the edge of a flat earth. They thought he had massively miscalculated the size of the earth and his crew would all run out of provisions and die and they would have if there hadn't been a continent/two continents (depending on how you count the Americas) in the way.
#20
During Argentina’s military dictatorship in the 1970s and 80s, approximately 30,000 people were forcibly disappeared by the government. These individuals, mostly political dissidents, were taken from their homes, tortured, and often thrown out of planes into the Atlantic Ocean after being drugged. This horrific practice was part of what became known as the "Dirty War".
Among the victims were pregnant women, who were allowed to give birth before being killed. Their babies were forcibly taken and given to military families for adoption, with the truth of their origins kept hidden. For decades, these children were unaware of their true identities, and many are still learning the truth today.
The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, a group of mothers whose children were among the disappeared, began holding regular protests in the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires to demand justice and answers. Their efforts played a key role in exposing the atrocities of the dictatorship, and they still continue to meet, advocating for human rights and for the return of lost identities.
G A 11 months ago
Argentina is still a fvcked up place. It has suffered under cult of personality leaders and dictatorships and it's economy has remained in the toilet. Their new populist leader is a Trumpist.
Andy Frobig 11 months ago
I met an Argentinian journalist in Kabul who explained that the planes used to throw people in the Atlantic still had to file flight plans, and the fact that so many flights began and ended in Buenos Aires helped prove what had happened
Lavern Defazio 11 months ago
My ex was in the Argentine Military during the 70s. He fled after seeing horrible things.
Donna Peluda 11 months ago
In Spain single pregnant woman, victims of rape, republican widows, left leaning atheists were taking in by nuns who late would steal the children after birth telling the mums her new born was still born. The children were given to families close to the facist regim to be educated "como Dios manda" this wasn't 500 years ago. It was less then 100 year ago. Even today the moderate and far right hinder any investigation into what happened.
Nancy O'Shaughnessy 11 months ago
Trump is trying to rewrite history by removing the events of Jan.6 from the Archives.
Vaa10 11 months ago
On April 30th Netflix will release the miniseries "El Eternauta", based in a comic written by Héctor Germán Oesterheld, who was one of those people who disappear during Argentina’s military dictatorship. He had four daughters, all of them were killed by dictatorship government. Two of them were pregnant, so probably they had their babies took. The comic was written years before, but during this time he wrote a sequel (while he hiding from the government and after his daughters murdered)
Guess Undheit 11 months ago
The current pedo-protecting pope is from Argentina. He was one of many priests and bishops that gave "absolution" to Argentine helicopter pilots after their "death flights". Death flights were when the air force flew people out over the Atlantic Ocean and, from a thousand metres in the air, threw them out. Alive. And awake. Even if they survived hitting the water, they would drown and be eaten by animals. None were ever recovered. [ https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/traslados-argentinas-death-flights-when-people-were-thrown-out-of-planes-6607191 ]
#21
The escape from Antarctica by the members of the Antarctic expedition led by Ernest Shackleton. The stuff they went through was unbelievable. Their boat, the Endurance was crushed by ice floes. They were stranded on the floes for over a year in temperatures well below freezing. They then took to three boats around 22 feet in length across the antarctic ocean looking for land. There were about 10 men in each boat. They missed reaching land by just a few miles at times. Two thirds of them got stranded on Elephant Island surrounded by ice while one of the boats went out in search of rescue. That boat made it through the Drake Passage, one of the deadliest places in the ocean. All but three of them got stranded with little food and water while the three men who left became the first people the cross South Georgia on foot. They found civilization. Rescued the men who came through the Drake Passage. Waited months until they could rescue those on Elephant Island. Every single person who came on the initial voyage survived with the worst lasting consequence being a single foot amputation.
Auntriarch 11 months ago (edited)
I saw one of the boats, in the museum in Christchurch in New Zealand, it was tiny, I wouldn't have wanted to cross a lake in it, never mind the Antarctic ocean
Giles McArdell 11 months ago
I have always admired Shackleton, the expedition may have been ill conceived and poorly planned (apparently) but he made sure every one of those men under his command got back alive. Way to take responsibility!
Ed Dart 11 months ago
Yes, Shackleton did a lot to survive But he failed 3 times to reach the South pole and never spent much time at home with his wife and family. Why do we celebrate someone who failed at everything?
Load More Replies... Scott Rackley 11 months ago
To this day I still have a problem believing they made it through the Drake.
Connie Martin 11 months ago
Some of the crew later returned to Antarctica with Shackleton. He was an extraordinary leader
#22
That Tibet under the Dalai Lamas was a pretty brutal theocracy with a medieval criminal code. They still punished theft by chopping off hands. Also in the 1930s, they made two attempts to expand south into Chinese territory, though granted Great Britain was financially involved. Note none of this excuses the Chinese invasion, but there is a tendency to see Tibet through rose coloured glasses these days.
Geoffrey Scott 11 months ago
Key word? Theocracy. Just what many "Christians' want today, forgetting it never ends well.
Michael Largey 11 months ago
Benjamin Franklin said that if you need the government to promote your religion then it probably is a lousy religion.
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G A 11 months ago
Buddhism is not as chill as the Hollywood actors pretending to practice it, make out. Just as many nutjobs as all the others.
CatD 11 months ago
The fact that different Buddhist temples FOUGHT each other is strange.
Load More Replies... Guess Undheit 11 months ago
The genocide of Rohingya muslims in Burma (facilitated and assisted by faceback) was perpetrated by buddhists. They hacked people to death with machetes, and organized systematic rape of women and girls. [ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/11/gambia-rohingya-genocide-myanmar-un-court ]
Son of Philosoraptor 11 months ago
Although sure the law was more primitive then, this is the Chinese revision. The population literally surrounded the Potala with their bodies to save the Dalai Lama.
Bartlet for world domination 11 months ago
South? There used to be Chinese territory south of Tibet?
#23
In 1847, Robert Liston performed an amputation in 25 seconds, operating so quickly that he accidentally amputated his assistant's fingers as well. Both patient and assistant later died of sepsis, and a spectator reportedly died of shock, resulting in the only known surgical procedure with a 300% mortality rate.
RedHairedDragon 11 months ago
Speed in surgery was off the essence, since anaesthesia wasn't developed yet. The only way to make this type of operation was by doing it fast. The mortality rate of operations were often directly linked to the speed of the operation. Iirc, Liston actually had a good track record with great survival rates for the time, with this case being the outlier
roddy 11 months ago
This is why some things should never become spectator sports. I suspect a massive ego in play here.
Blue Bunny of Happiness 11 months ago
Surgery developed as a spectator sport. That’s why they’re called operating theatres.
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Marguerite Barnett 11 months ago
It wasn't Liston, it was a doctor named Barrett! i remember this because the name was so close to mine. i read about it in a book by Noguchi the famous Hollywood pathologist.But now when i google it, it says Liston, Looks like AI is effing with history now lol.
Karen Krause 11 months ago
From the Reddit link: Liston's most famous cases Although Richard Gordon's 1983 book pays tribute to other aspects of Liston's character and legacy as noted elsewhere in this article, it is his description of some of Liston's most famous cases which has primarily made its way into what is known of Liston in popular culture. Gordon describes Liston's four most famous cases in his book, as quoted verbatim below. Fourth most famous case Removal in 4 minutes of a 45-pound scrotal tumour, whose owner had to carry it round in a wheelbarrow. Third most famous case Argument with his house-surgeon. Was the red, pulsating tumour in a small boy's neck a straightforward abscess of the skin, or a dangerous aneurism of the carotid artery? 'Pooh!' Liston exclaimed impatiently. 'Whoever heard of an aneurism in one so young?' Flashing a knife from his waistcoat pocket, he lanced it. Houseman's note – 'Out leaped arterial blood, and the boy fell.' The patient died but the artery lives, in Universit
CatD 11 months ago (edited)
45 pound scrotal tumor. I don't even HAVE a s¢rotum and I winced. For Pete's sake BP, s¢rotum is the proper medical term!🤦
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#24
Rosa Parks wasn't the first: Ida B. Wells, a pioneering African American journalist and civil rights activist. In 1884, Wells was traveling by train when she was ordered to give up her seat in the first-class ladies' car and move to the smoking car, which was already crowded. When she refused, the conductor and two men forcibly removed her from the car. Wells took legal action against the railroad company and initially won her case in the local circuit court, receiving a $500 award. However, the railroad company appealed, and in 1887, the Tennessee Supreme Court reversed the lower court's ruling, concluding that her persistence was not in good faith to obtain a comfortable seat for the short ride. Wells was ordered to pay court costs. This incident was a catalyst for Wells' lifelong commitment to civil rights and social justice. She became a prominent journalist, co-owning and writing for the Memphis Free Speech and Headlight newspaper, where she reported on racial s*********n and inequality. Throughout her career, Wells documented and fought against the lynching of African Americans, becoming one of the most influential leaders in the early civil rights movement. Ida B. Wells' courageous stand against racial discrimination on public transportation predated Rosa Parks' more widely known protest by several decades, highlighting the long history of resistance to s*********n in the United States.
GettingCereal 11 months ago
Yup, this is a really bad step in a really wrong direction.
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WubiDubi 11 months ago
There is no such thing as a trigger word. The only people who get triggered are advertisers.
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Wendy Miller 11 months ago
Segregation is the word censored, but you leave "lynching" out in the open? Who the heck is doing this?
Nicky 11 months ago
Claudette Colvin refused to give up her seat on the Montgomery bus before Rosa Parks did.
Anne Reid 11 months ago
An African American woman did it in New York City in 1854. Elizabeth Jennings Graham got on a “whites only” streetcar in Manhattan and was physically dragged off. She sued, with future President Chester A. Arthur representing her and won. It lead to the desegregation of public transport for the entire city. https://www.nyhistory.org/blogs/claudette-colvin-rosa-parks-elizabeth-jennings
Load More Replies... Geoffrey Scott 11 months ago
Most people, before the movie "Barbershop', were unaware a pregnant teen was the first arrestee before Rosa. But 'pregnant teens' were bad optics. (Thank you Eddie)
CP 11 months ago (edited)
Historically this is accurate. Rosa was picked due to optics and timing.
Load More Replies... Christina A Davis 11 months ago
AHEM!!! Segregation is NOT a nasty word!!! HELLO! NO NEED TO BLOCK IT OUT!!!!
#25
Fidel Castro loved dairy products so much that he built a massive ice cream parlor, Coppelia, which still operates in Havana. He also oversaw an ambitious breeding program to create a heat-resistant, high-yield dairy cow. One such cow, Ubre Blanca ("White Udder"), became famous for breaking global milk production records and was treated as a national symbol of Cuba's agricultural progress.
CatD 11 months ago
Heat-resistant cow makes me picture it covered with mylar.
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Pedantic Panda 11 months ago
Some people don't realise your referencing the OP name.
Load More Replies... Guess Undheit 11 months ago
Castro was part of the pro-democracy movement before becoming a communist, as did many of the pro-democracy groups. The yanks gave Batista weapons and training at "the school of the americas" (fort benning georgia) in how to murder, torture, and prevent pro-democracy movements. [.......] The yanks also committed an act of mid-air terrorism, the sort the whined about Libyans doing over Lockerbie. On October 6, 1976, the CIA planted a bomb on civilian airplane Cubana Flight 455, blowing it up over the Gulf of Mexico, with 73 innocents on board.
Remi (He/Him) 11 months ago
All plants and animals in food production have been bred for better endurance in the conditions of the area and for yield. It's something we've been doing since even before the beginning of agriculture. Go check out the wild versions of some veggies and fruits. Watermelon is a nice example as the wild version has almost nothing to eat in it
Load More Replies... Michael Largey 11 months ago
No, you're confusing it with that energy drink - Red Bull.
Load More Replies... #26
There was a Japanese soldier named Hiro Onoda who never realized ww2 was over until 1974. He was sent to a small island in the Philippines to spy on the American forces. He evaded capture and remained in the jungle to carry out his mission for the next 30 years. His former superior had to come out of retirement to convince him the war was over.
Michael Largey 11 months ago
In my country, we have people who refuse to accept they lost the Civil War.
Mark Karol-Chik 11 months ago
Those "people" believe that the election was stolen, Covid was fake, and that FOX actually reports news.
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O. Puntia 11 months ago
"In my country, we have people who refuse to accept they lost the 2020 election"
Lavern Defazio 11 months ago
I would be pissed. Spending my whole life fighting a war that was over and the two nations were now allies.
François Carré 11 months ago
Great movie by French director Arthur Harari to see here https://le-pacte.com/france/film/onoda
#27
The Bengal Famine of 1943, which resulted in the deaths of around 2-3 million people, is often linked to Churchill’s government due to wartime policies that worsened the crisis. While there’s no definitive proof that Churchill intentionally caused the famine, his administration’s actions—such as diverting food supplies and failing to send adequate aid—are widely criticized for exacerbating the disaster. The tragedy was largely overshadowed by the global events of WWII, and its impact on India and Churchill’s role in it has been the subject of ongoing debate among historians.
Sillywaster Stayalone 11 months ago (edited)
That is what happens when a population is colonized or subjugated - it becomes second priority. Things may look good when there is normalcy, but once pressure is felt by the whole, ignoring welfare of those subjugated within will look something normal and just. That is why sovereignty of identities is important. Identity on any and all basis. Atleast they can negotiate or fight for negotiation.
Giles McArdell 11 months ago
Churchill was not a nice guy, he was a great commander, a fine orator and undoubtedly the right man at the right time, but by todays standards he was a right a55hole.
CP 11 months ago
You succinctly described my position better than I have been able to. I am stealing that and adding another personal opinion. FDR is all the more amazing when you think about how well he did in peace and war time.
Load More Replies... Guess Undheit 11 months ago
Of course it was deliberate (the same way their later atrocities in Kenya were deliberate). This was at a time when India was seeking independence.
G A 11 months ago
It's complicated as so many things are. The troops fighting were prioritised even over the UKs own citizens (rationing in the UK continued on many years after the war, even when the former enemy was under less restrictions). Bear in mind they were fighting the inhumanity of both the Nazis the fascists ìn Italy and the Japanese, and had half-hearted US support, most of Europe was subjugated, and it was decided nothing of gain could be left for advancing armies in the East. It was a horrible decision to make, and it is true that Churchill was a product of his time and considered some people as lesser than himself, but compared to what Hitler did, and Stalin did, it was a 'minor' example of inhumanity. Some had to be sacrificed for the greater good. Not saying it's right. But you can bet if the Nazis and Japanese had won, millions more would have been enslaved and died.
Robin Roper 11 months ago
The citizens of India were considered less than human by many in Great Britian.
#28
The katana, the famous sword of the Japanese Samurai, was never an important military weapon. Samurai went into battle armed with bows or polearms, swords were just backup weapons. The katana didn't become prominent until the Edo period, when the country was unified under one ruler and warfare between Samurai had ceased. The katana was primarily a status symbol, valued because only members of the Samurai class were allowed to carry them.
Johnnynatfan 11 months ago
"What does Katana mean?" " It means Japanese sword" Greatest dialog ever.
nicholas nolan 11 months ago
"I can either kill you now, or I can relieve you of this gift. This black gift." is in strong contention, I think.
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Rinso The Red 11 months ago
Not entirely true. "Regular" people weren't allowed the combination of Katana and Wakizashi.
roepi 11 months ago (edited)
That's the case everywhere. Medieval and earlier armies weren't stupid. The more distance between you and the enemy the better. Pole arms and bows with ample body armour and shields were the norm with swords being back up weapons.
der sebbl 11 months ago
True. There is a reason the spears one of the most prominent weapons in human history
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Sailing Leprechaun 11 months ago
Yes, but sidearm or backup weapon had a rather different meaning than it does today. These days a soldier will almost entirely use his primary weapon, almost never anything else. In the past, which weapon you used depended on how far away the enemy was, how armored they were, the spacing of formations, and the condition of one's weapons.
TotallyNOTAFox 11 months ago (edited)
In addition a katana isn't really suited for combat in comparison to other swords - Easy to break and subsceptible for notches after hitting hard objects (armor, bone or other blades). Without extensive training it becomes less effective quite quick in a fight
#29
In the early 1900s, the Tennessee Children’s Home Society was an illegal orphanage that kidnapped babies from poor households and sold them.
CatD 11 months ago
It's probably still happening. Adoptions are big business.
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Paul C. 11 months ago
Was just about to say Magdelene Laundries cough nervously in the corner.
Load More Replies... #30
On Christmas Day in 1914, during World War I, soldiers on both sides of the Western Front, particularly in Belgium and France, spontaneously declared a ceasefire. They celebrated Christmas together by singing carols, exchanging small gifts, and even playing football in no-man’s land. Many soldiers, writing in their diaries, were surprised at how friendly the enemy was and even expressed hopes to meet again after the war. However, once the military leaders found out about these informal celebrations, they banned any future interactions between the two sides. Though there were some attempts to reconnect in following years during holidays like Easter and Christmas, soldiers who tried were often punished or even killed.
Lost Panda 11 months ago
Can't let them know that the "enemy" are more like them than their "leaders"
Michael Largey 11 months ago
And can't let them notice that there was nothing in this war that would help people like them.
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Donna Peluda 11 months ago
"Forward!" he cried from the rear And the front rank died The general sat and the lines on the map Moved from side to side. Pink Floyd
Seán Baron 11 months ago
There’s a brilliant film about this called ‘Joyeaux Noël’, which stars, amongst others Daniel Brühl, Diane Kruger, Iain McDairmid. It’s a very good film.
Kabuki Kitsune 11 months ago
Part of the reason why soldiers got killed was what happened after the Christmas Truce. Basically, the French forces mercilessly bombarded and gassed the German trenches for several days afterward. Any time a 'truce' like this was called for that didn't originate from the commanders, it always was answered with an overwhelming bombardment. So, the Germans and French became conditioned to shoot first any time a regular soldier tried to pull the 'christmas truce' again.
#31
In 2006, a gamma ray burst was detected from a distant galaxy, but it did not strip away Earth's atmosphere or pose a threat to life. If a stronger, more direct GRB had hit Earth, it could have caused significant damage, including potentially harming the ozone layer, which shields us from harmful radiation.
Guess Undheit 11 months ago
The Carrington Event in 1859 was a solar flare so powerful that Morse telegraphs could operate for days without their batteries attached. If a storm as powerful hit the Earth now, it would wipe out nearly all our electrical systems and computers. In 2012, the sun fired a similar flare into our plane around the sun, but it missed the Earth.
Bored Sailor 11 months ago
So something could cause harm to Earth or could destroy life on Earth if something was to something.
#32
Picasso would have big dinner parties in restaurants and draw on the check so it wouldn't be cashed. I know someone that has one of these checks. It's just a doodle but it's worth more than cashing it.
The Scout 11 months ago
If there was one thign Picasso had in spades, it was self esteem. He always recounted a tale: "My mother once told me: 'I know if you become a soldier, you will become a general. If you become a priest, you will become the pope.' I became a painter instead, so I became Picasso."
Andy Frobig 11 months ago
I think there's a restaurant in the south of France where the walls are full of Picassos; he went there often and would draw something on a napkin as payment
#33
Churchill's mother, Jennie Jerome, was an American socialite from Brooklyn. In the late 19th century, England's nobility was very cash-poor, and many aristocrats married wealthy American women to save their estates. Jennie married Lord Randolph Churchill, and while rumors persist that she was already pregnant with Winston before their marriage, there is no definitive proof. She had numerous affairs and was married twice more in her life.
Kabuki Kitsune 11 months ago
Winston Churchill almost died on a trip to America. While visiting New York City, he was crossing Fifth Avenue while looking for a friend, and looked the wrong way as he was crossing. He looked right, not left for oncoming traffic, and was struck by a taxi cab. He was gravely injured, bleeding heavily from his head and both thighs, and spent some time being treated at a hospital. Had he taken one, or two more steps forward, the hit would have killed him, and history would have likely turned out very different.
Hassel Davidhoff 11 months ago
Crazy to think of that, isn't it? Like a Harry Turtledove novel.
Load More Replies... #34
In 1899, the U.S. invaded the Philippines, claiming it was America’s "Manifest Destiny" to civilize and Christianize the islands. The ensuing Filipino-American War was brutal, with atrocities like General Jacob Smith’s order to k**l everyone over 10 in a village, leading to his court-martial. The conflict even influenced U.S. military gear, prompting the switch to the .45 caliber pistol for its stopping power. After fighting together against Japan in WWII, the U.S. granted the Philippines independence on July 4, 1946. Later, the Philippines moved its Independence Day to June 12 (from Spain in 1898), rebranding July 4 as Philippine-American Friendship Day. This overlooked history reveals the dark side of U.S. expansion and the resilience of the Filipino people.
Zaach 11 months ago
At first, NCOs and above had .38s which would just pass through the rebels; the rebels bound themselves extremely tightly, so tightly that their genitals were almost overwhelmingly painful so a .38 would not have slowed them down. The .45 slug traveled slow but the weight of the slug would knock someone down no matter where they were hit. Since this combat involved the Marines, the story is part of their lore (been there done that)
#35
Napoleon was not actually short; he was around 5'7", which was average for his time. The misconception came from British propaganda and a misinterpretation of French measurement units, which made him seem smaller than he actually was.
Sillywaster Stayalone 11 months ago (edited)
Non metric units be like - I am 8 bricks and 2 knuckles tall.
Andy Frobig 11 months ago
8 bricks, 2 knuckles and a herring. Give him a little credit
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Joe Reaves 11 months ago
It was compounded by the fact that he was usually surrounded by the elite of the military, who has a minimum height.
#36
A Chinese emperor once ran in circles around a pillar to escape an assassin. He survived.
#37
The year 536 was deemed the worst year to be alive. Volcanic eruptions caused prolonged dark sky for up to 18 months. This then caused a mini ice age, crop failures and plague over the next 10 years killing millions.
Tucker Cahooter 11 months ago
We are barely a month in, but I think this year will give year 536 a run for its money
Huddo's sister 11 months ago
Bushfires in Victoria, heatwave across most parts of Australia, heavy winds and hail across the south of the country and severe floods in Queensland at the moment. And that's only Australia.
Load More Replies... #38
The story of Dom Pedro I of Portugal and Dona Inês de Castro is one of Portugal's most famous tragic love stories. Inês was a noblewoman and mistress to Pedro, but his father, King Afonso IV, disapproved of their relationship and had her executed in 1355. When Pedro later became king, he declared that they had been secretly married and ordered her body exhumed, forcing the court to swear allegiance to her as queen by kissing her hand. While he did not put her corpse on the throne, he did ensure she was buried in an elaborate tomb, and her remains were placed opposite his so they could "face each other" in eternity.
Ana'sPets 11 months ago (edited)
In fact this story has more to it. Prince Pedro was married to a Spanish princess, and Inês de Castro came to the Portuguese court as part of the Spanish princess entourage. Then Inês and the Portuguese prince met and fell in love. Pedro took her away from the court and took her to a place in Coimbra (200 km north from Lisbon) and they lived together for several years and had children. When the king knew, he sent three of his men to kill her, thinking the prince would then return to "honor" his marriage and act as a future king should. The assassins killed Inês within their house, with their children present. Pedro swore he would revenge her. When Pedro became king, he ordered the assassins to be captured and killed in the most excruciating ways, as an example, and ordered Inês corpse to be taken out of her grave and dressed with rich garments that suited a queen, crowned her as queen and forced all the court to honour her as the new queen and kiss her dead hand. (Legend even says her corpse was sat in the throne).
#39
Louis the 19th was King of France for 20 minutes.
Laugh or not 11 months ago
No, he never was king : he would have needed to be recognised by the courts after his father's abdication, and he wasn't.
#40
In 1971, a teenage girl named Juliane Koepcke was on a plane that was struck by lightning and disintegrated in the air. She plummeted 3,000 meters strapped to her seat, and landed in the Amazon rainforest.
Her mom had been on the flight with her, and Juliane searched in vain for her mom, but Juliane was the sole survivor of the crash. She survived 11 days alone, treating her maggot-infested wounds with fuel and using tracking techniqies her father had taught her, before she found a boat that she used to make her way back to civilization.
What an absolute legend.
Libstak 11 months ago
She worked her way downhill looking for and following small streams until they led to larger streams and finally a large river, she was taught that trading always occurred most prolifically close to waterways and cargo was often dependent on waterways to reach remote villages, she followed the river until she reached civilisation.
Laura Gillette 11 months ago
The maggots were actually probably beneficial for her wounds, since maggots only eat dead and rotting flesh, not healthy leaving flesh, so they can help prevent infection/sepsis. Though I'm sure it looks, feels, and smells disgusting.
#41
The last time Liechtenstein went to war was the Austro-Prussian war. The fact that sounds like fiction is that they were forced to send 80 soldiers... and came back with 81. They made a friend in the form of an Austrian liaison officer.
TotallyNOTAFox 11 months ago
Although they got invaded by Switzerland three times on accident. The last time they didn't even noticed until the swiss government apologised for their troops crossing the border due to an navigation error
#42
The Rif region of Morocco has one of the highest cancer rates in the country. Studies suggest this is linked to the Spanish military’s use of mustard gas and other chemical weapons against Berber fighters during the Rif War (1921–1926). Despite Spain having signed the Geneva Protocol in 1925, which banned chemical weapons, no formal apology has ever been issued for their use in Morocco.
Guess Undheit 11 months ago
The Bhopal disaster happened forty years ago (December 1984). None of the Union Carbide CEOs (who murdered 4000 people and permanently damaged the health of at least 550,000) has ever been held accountable. The victims and their families never receive any financial compensation.
Hassel Davidhoff 11 months ago
Extreme behavior like this is why I will always fücking hate corporations.
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Fahd Fattoumy 11 months ago
That's when Spain was going to shamefully lose the war against small army, Spain couldn't resist because the geography was a nightmare so they conspired with friends to use air fighters to bomb civilians and to cover the use of chemical weapons,
TribbleThinking 11 months ago
Without even an apology, I'm surprised the Moroccans didn't think it was only fair to return the favour.
Load More Replies... #43
While Vlad the Impaler is often remembered for his brutality, he used psychological warfare to intimidate his enemies, particularly the Ottoman Empire. One of his most famous military actions was the Night Attack at Târgoviște in 1462, where he and a small group of men disguised themselves as Ottoman soldiers to infiltrate the enemy camp. The goal was to assassinate Sultan Mehmed II, but when that failed, Vlad spread chaos by pretending to be an Ottoman officer and issuing false orders in fluent Turkish. This tactic contributed to the demoralization of the Ottoman forces, forcing them to retreat.
#44
Coca Cola still uses coca leaves in their formula but just for the flavor. They are the only US company that is legally allowed to import coca leaves. The processed leaves are then sold to a pharmaceutical company.
Kabuki Kitsune 11 months ago
OP has it backward. Coca Cola doesn't impot the leaves themselves. Rather they purchase the leaves from pharma companies who extract the cocaine alkaloid from them to make a number of various pain management medications. The leaves are sold to Coca Cola who then extract a flavoring from the leaves, and incinerate the waste.
#45
European settlers introduced rabbits to Australia in 1859, when Thomas Austin released 24 rabbits on his estate in Victoria for hunting. With no natural predators and a favorable environment, their population exploded, leading to one of the worst ecological disasters in Australian history. Today, millions of rabbits continue to cause extensive damage to the ecosystem
Huddo's sister 11 months ago
Same thing happened when cane toads were introduced to eat cane beetles. No natural predators and poisonous to humans and other animals because of skin secretions.
Multa Nocte 11 months ago
Did Thomas Austin live long enough to be aware of the havoc he wreaked?
Verena 11 months ago
They kill off the horses in the most horrid way, destroying entire ecosystems in the prlcess. Horses which are descendants of the animals that helped in exploring and settling and were abandoned as "thank you". The hate of Australians towards horses should forbid them owning any for sports or recreation.
#46
Jack a Baboon who was employed to change rail signals.
“After initial skepticism, the railway decided to officially employ Jack once his job competency was verified. The baboon was paid twenty cents a day, and a half-bottle of beer each week. It is widely reported that in his nine years of employment with the railroad, Jack never made a mistake.”
Giles McArdell 11 months ago
I think that other guy must be nicking Jacks beer, 'cos he's legless!
#47
Humanity was likely nearly wiped out about 900,000 years ago when our ancestors were reduced to about 1280 breeding individuals and stayed around that many for 117,000 years.
Edward Treen 11 months ago
So all that inbreeding is responsible for all the idiocy I see around me.
Sillywaster Stayalone 11 months ago
Similar genetic bottleneck occurred 74000 years ago when Toba eruption took place.
Uncommon Sense 11 months ago
Just need history to repeat itself, albeit not quite to the same extent...
#48
An actually true fact about Liechtenstein is that Switzerland accidentally "invaded" Liechtenstein during a Swiss army exercise when some soldiers got lost and accidentally walked into Liechtenstein. On two separate occasions. So Switzerland has accidentally invaded Liechtenstein, twice.
Joe Reaves 11 months ago
The Royal Marines invaded Spain accidentally once while on military manoeuvres around Gibraltar. The Heads of the Army and Air Force sent the Head of the Navy a postcard of Gibraltar with an arrow labelled 'ours' pointing to Gibraltar and 'theirs' pointing to Spain.
TotallyNOTAFox 11 months ago
The villagers living nearby also reported to "successfully fought off the invaders" IIRC
Load More Replies... #49
Canada and Denmark were involved in a friendly territorial dispute over Hans Island since the 1930s. The uninhabited island lies between Greenland (a Danish territory) and Canada. For decades, officials from both countries playfully replaced each other’s flags and left bottles of schnapps or Canadian whisky with welcoming notes. In 2022, the two nations peacefully resolved the dispute by splitting the island.
Andy Frobig 11 months ago
Funny, the post says it's Hans Island. Whom should I believe?
Load More Replies... #50
In the 1890s, thanks to the popularity of Latin music, especially the Tango, parlor guitars became fashionable in Victorian England and the US. Then over time as those guitars were sold off, they found their way into poorer communities. Because of a glut of these abandoned guitars, they were often used instead of more expensive banjos in rhythm sections and solo performances of early jazz and blues. So the influence of the guitar in popular music today is due at least in part to the Tango.
Jonathan Stuart 11 months ago
There is another tale which is about the piano and guitars. The guitar was very popular and people were not buying pianos so the piano manufacturers bought lots of cheap guitars which they gave to prostitutes and low-lives to down-grade the guitar. It worked and the piano became the must have accessory in every Victorian house.
#51
The Netherlands sends Canada 20,000 tulips every year for liberating them during WW2. The Netherlands also has a cemetery dedicated to Canadian fallen troops.
#52
Thomas Jefferson created his own version of the Bible by hand that removed the whole first testament and any and all mentions and references to miracles and the supernatural. It’s called a Jefferson Bible and you can still get them.
#53
Back in the 19th century, small opposition newspapers in the Netherlands were called "Lilliputters" (= "midgets") because of their small size, which was a way to avoid having to pay for the newspaper stamp. The best example of this are the papers published by the fanatical republican Eillert Meeter, who received imprisonment for lèse-majeste, before being invited to meet king William II in person, who offered him an allowance if he ceased publicising. Meeter later went back to publishing anyway, but admitted in his writings that he found the king a kind and friendly person - he was just opposed to having a king.
#54
Astronomer here! Galileo did not actually invent the telescope- that honor goes to a Dutchman, Hans Lippershey, who applied for a patent in 1608 (and two other Dutchmen also may have been involved, depending on who you ask). Galileo instead heard of the Dutch invention and built his own in 1609, improving on its design. He was also the first person to think about looking up with the telescope, or at least being the first scientist who did so and could thus comprehend what he was seeing.
Ravenkbh 11 months ago
First person to think about looking up? where did the dutchmen look? in the window in the building across the alley?
Verena 11 months ago
To be used on ships. The Dutch have always been a seafaring country.
Load More Replies... #55
Unsinkable Sam is the nickname of a cat who survived the sinking of three different ships during World War II. Originally known as Oscar, the cat was aboard the German battleship Bismarck, which was sunk in 1941. He was rescued, only to survive the sinking of the HMS Cossack and the HMS Ark Royal. After these miraculous survivals, Sam became a symbol of luck and was retired from naval service, earning the nickname "Unsinkable Sam."
#56
In 1956 a man named Tommy Fitzpatrick stole a small plane from New Jersey for a bet and then landed it perfectly on the narrow street in front of the bar he had been drinking at in Manhattan. Two years later, he did it again after someone didn't believe he had done it the first time.
Hassel Davidhoff 11 months ago
See? This bloke is a fücken legend. In case anyone was wondering what the criteria was.
#57
Pennsylvania was founded by Quakers who believed that the "light of God" shined in everyone regardless of ethnicity or religion. They were known for treating the indigenous people relatively well and welcomed the first synagogue in North America in Philadelphia.
#58
Humans weren’t familiar with the concept of extinction until the fur trade wiped out most of the sea otters in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. They just thought the animals went to an undiscovered corner of the world.
Geoffrey Scott 11 months ago
They were aware after the fact as the mass slaughter of Buffalo will attest.
#59
Julius Caesar was once kidnapped by pirates, and when he found out how much they were ransoming him for, he was offended at how low the amount was and told them to raise it.
Meanwhile he spent his captivity annoying the s**t out of his captors, holding poetry readings and generally being a pompous d**k.
Oh, and he also joked that he'd eventually hunt them all down and crucify them.
The ransom was paid, Caesar was released, then he hunted them down and crucified them.
#60
Violet Jessop survived the sinking of both the Titanic (1912) and the Britannic (1916). She was also aboard the Olympic in 1911 when it collided with the HMS Hawke, but the Olympic did not sink. Jessop, a stewardess and nurse, became known as "Miss Unsinkable" for her incredible survival record.
Libstak 11 months ago (edited)
Well, when she survived the Titanic sinking I'm pretty sure she gained valuable experience and would have had a plan to survive when she got on the next boat...also, I doubt anybody wanted to get on any boat she might be on after all that, she is like a disaster magnet.
#61
Diogenes was a masterful Troll.
When Alexander the Great comes into town, the only person he wants to meet is the legendary Diogenes. They find him, sitting outside (as he's homeless) and he introduces himself and says "I'm Alexander the Great. Do you want ANYTHING?"
Diogenes turns to him and says "Get out of my sunlight".
Alexander leaves and says "If I were not Alexander, I would be Diogenes.".
Susan Stead 11 months ago
Diogenes replied, "If I were not Diogenes, I would rather be Diogenes."
#62
The Mongol invasions of Japan in 1274 and 1281 were famously thwarted by typhoons, which the Japanese called "kamikaze" (divine winds). These storms played a crucial role in stopping the Mongol forces, but they were not the only typhoons recorded in the area, as typhoons are common during the season in that region.
#63
In 1212, thousands of children, possibly up to 30,000, set out in the Children's Crusade, hoping to peacefully reclaim the Holy Land. Led by a few young individuals, they believed God would help them miraculously. However, the campaign ended tragically, with many dying, some being sold into slavery, and others lost to the harsh conditions of the journey. This crusade followed the Fourth Crusade (1204), where Crusaders, originally sent to fight Muslims, instead sacked Constantinople—an event that led to their excommunication by the Pope.
Auntriarch 11 months ago
When I was in primary school the teacher read to us in the last lesson of the week. One of the books was about the children's crusade, from the point of view of three children
#64
Apparently, death from laughter is an incredibly rare but a completely legit cause of death.
In the third century BCE, Chrysippus, a Greek Stoic philosopher, died of laughter after he saw a donkey eating his figs.
And Chrysippus' is not the only isolated case. Among the few other cases, a fifth-century BCE Greek painter, Zeuxis, is said to have died laughing at his painting of the goddess Aphrodite for which an old woman (who had commissioned the painting) had insisted on modelling. Also, Cleopatra, the ruler of Egypt in the first century BCE, claimed that her retainer died laughing at her husband's death.
According to the linked Wikipedia article, the most recent case is that of Ole Bentzen, a Danish audiologist, who saw a funny scene in a comedy film and laughed so hard that his heart rate rose to a point where he had a fatal heart attack, in 1989.
From what I understood from reading up on this topic, it's not the act of laughing itself but rather a fatal repercussion from a fit of laughter, such as cardiac arrest, asphyxiation or aneurysm, which causes death. For instance, Ole Bentzen suffered a heart attack as a consequence of the terrible fit of laughter he had. It's possible that such was the case of Chrysippus (and others) as well.
(I always thought of 'I'm gonna die laughing!' as a hyperbole, and I myself use it quite liberally. But I guess every hyperbole has a grain of truth to it.)
UKGrandad 11 months ago (edited)
In 1975 Alex Mitchell, a 50-yr-old bricklayer from King's Lynn, in Norfolk, England, died from heart failure after laughing for 30 minutes. It was a sketch called Ecky Thump, on The Goodies' TV show, that set him off laughing. His widow later wrote to the three stars of the show to thank them for making her late husband's final moments so happy.
meeeeeeeeeeee 11 months ago
I have, a few times, been unable to stop laughing to the point where I thought I would suffocate. Like, bent over laughing, in pain for more than 20 minutes. I'd get breaks when it stopped but then thought of the thing that made me laugh and I'd be off again. It's hardcore lol
Giles McArdell 11 months ago
There's a documentary about the use of weaponised laughter during the second world war, made by Python (Monty) inc.
#65
During the battle of Waterloo, one of the most treasured pieces of "loot" was the teeth of the deceased soldiers. ~200 years ago, it was rather common to use the teeth of dead people in the creation of dentures.
#66
Between 1864 and 1870 Paraguay fought a war with Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina that by some estimates killed as much as 70% of its population, with up to 90% of its adult male population dying or fleeing the country.
#67
Enrico Dandolo, the Doge of Venice, played a key role in the Fourth Crusade's conquest of Constantinople in 1204. He was blind and around 90 years old at the time. Under his leadership, the Crusaders first attacked Zara (modern-day Zadar, Croatia), a Christian city, leading to Venice’s excommunication by the Pope.
Later, they diverted the Crusade to Constantinople, where they sacked the city, marking the only time it was conquered by a Western force before the Ottoman Empire took it in 1453.
#68
Equifax lost the personal data of almost every single adult (in the US). This is data we didn't give them permission to access, they simply automatically collect it.
They are still in business.
In September of 2017, Equifax announced a data breach that exposed the personal information of 147 million people.
That's out of roughly 210 million adults at that time.
That's 70% of the adult population whose data was lost.
That's more than likely every single household in the US.
#69
The 2008 Financial Crisis: The Day the Markets Nearly Collapsed
On September 15, 2008, the collapse of Lehman Brothers sent shockwaves through global markets, triggering a panic. In just hours, a $550 billion withdrawal from money market accounts threatened to bring down the entire U.S. economy. If the withdrawals had continued, the Treasury feared $5.5 trillion would have vanished by the afternoon, causing a worldwide financial collapse within 24 hours.
This wasn’t just about a single panic moment—it was the result of years of risky banking practices, an overheated housing market, and financial instability. The Federal Reserve quickly intervened, injecting billions to stop the meltdown. What followed was a turbulent wave of market instability, government bailouts, and the unraveling of financial giants. That day, the world came dangerously close to an economic disaster, and it took a massive global effort to avert catastrophe.
Guess Undheit 11 months ago
Cheetolini and Felon Skum aren't raising tariffs to start a trade war. They are doing it to make the stock market tank. That's why they're stealing the trillions in social security, to buy all the lower priced shares with taxpayer money. They have no intention of paying it back.
Load More Replies... Guess Undheit 11 months ago
Canada had zero bank failures, the only G20 country not to do so because Canada required banks stick to the old rules: keep at least 9% of deposits in the bank, AND banks and "investment companies" were not allowed to get in bed with each other.
Huddo's sister 11 months ago
I partly remember this period because the Australian government gave stimulus payments, which I put in my savings account (I was 16) and was a good part of my car payment when I bought it ten years later.
Andy Frobig 11 months ago
I was making deliveries in Brooklyn Heights, listening to this happen in real time on WNYC
#70
In 2017, Facebook's AI team created chatbots that developed a shorthand language to communicate more efficiently. While this seemed unusual, it was a result of their programming to optimize communication. The experiment was adjusted because the bots' language wasn't useful for the research goals, not because of any fear or mystery surrounding their behavior.
#71
The Taiping Rebellion (1850–1864) was the third deadliest war in history, causing an estimated 20–30 million deaths. It was led by Hong Xiuquan, a man who claimed to be the younger brother of Jesus and sought to overthrow the Qing Dynasty to establish a quasi-Christian theocracy in China. The war devastated the country, killing 10% of China's population at the time.
Note: There is no historical connection between General Tso (Zuo Zongtang) and the chicken dish named after him, which was created in 20th-century Taiwan or the U.S..
Seán Baron 11 months ago
Mr Henry Davies, of 29 Bewick Gardens, Chichester, West Sussex.
Load More Replies... #72
Pirates often operated under a form of democracy, where crews had a say in decisions and shared loot according to agreed-upon rules. They sometimes showed mercy to captives, though they were also known for being ruthless. While piracy offered some women like Anne Bonny and Mary Read the rare opportunity to escape societal constraints by disguising themselves as men to join pirate crews, it was a dangerous and often desperate profession. Pirates also had relatively good medical care for their time, though it was rudimentary and mostly focused on treating injuries sustained during battles or harsh living conditions.
#73
The Great Wall of China wasn’t built all at once it’s a patchwork of different walls from different dynasties
SCamp 11 months ago
God, I’m Mr Poo Poo today, but given its size and length, this feels like common sense
Erik Biesemeier 11 months ago
I think you'd be surprised how many people think it was just one big project.
Load More Replies... #74
The Mid-Atlantic accent was a deliberately cultivated accent, mainly taught in elite boarding schools and acting schools in the early 20th century. It was a blend of British and American pronunciation, intended to sound refined and upper-class. While it was popular in Hollywood films, radio broadcasts, and public speaking, most people in the 1930s–1960s still spoke in their natural regional accents. The accent faded in popularity by the late 20th century but can still be heard in old films, recordings of Franklin D. Roosevelt, and later as a parody in shows like Frasier.
roddy 11 months ago
Watch the old Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn movies among others The accent has a certain charm.
Andy Frobig 11 months ago
They were both British, though, so came by it more naturally; and Cary Grant had a distinctive accent that made him a popular target for impressionists
Load More Replies... TotallyNOTAFox 11 months ago (edited)
I think the first time I really heard it was by watching "Hazbin Hotel", Alastor speaks in mid-atlantic I think (given his theme is 1920 radio host)
Deborah 11 months ago
I live in the Mid-Atlantic, Maryland, and have never heard of something like this. I mean a deliberately cultivated accent. Although, a co-worker who prided herself on being able to tell where a person was originally from did say I had a Mid-Atlantic accent.
UKGrandad 11 months ago
Mid-Atlantic means an accent halfway between English and American and refers to the part of the ocean equidistant between the UK and USA. As far as I'm aware, Maryland does not lie 1500 miles off the Eastern Seaboard.
Load More Replies...
#75
The Phoenix Lights were a mass sighting of unexplained aerial lights over Arizona in 1997. Thousands of witnesses reported seeing a massive, silent, V-shaped craft moving slowly overhead, while others saw a series of bright lights in formation. The official explanation was military flares, but the event remains one of the most widely debated UFO sightings to this day.
#76
Not necessarily strange but terrifying - since the 80s there has been a group of Christian anti nuclear pacifists called The Plowshare movement.
They have broken into numerous nuclear arms facilities over the years to peacefully protest and have got into major trouble with many of them receiving multiple prison sentences for their efforts with no intent to stop but the major takeaway from their activities is how shockingly easy it was for them to plan and gain access to these facilities. Sometimes it would be hours before they were discovered by military personnel after gaining access to sites. And it begs the question that if they’re a peaceful protest group what would happen if a terrorist organisation were to attempt it? There’s a book about it called Gods of Metal.
#77
128 billion dollars went missing in my country Turkey. It is talked about for about 3 months here
Slapdash1 11 months ago
The ones supposed to look for it probably work for those who took it
Load More Replies... Tucker Cahooter 11 months ago
Did they check down the side of the sofa? That's the first place I would look if I lost some money
#78
Joshua Norton, a former businessman in San Francisco, declared himself Emperor of the United States in 1859 after growing frustrated with the political situation. While he had no real political power, he became a beloved eccentric figure in the city. Many local businesses even accepted his "Norton money" as currency. His mental health eventually led to his arrest in 1867, but after being released, he issued an Imperial Pardon to the officer who had arrested him. In return, the city’s police force began saluting him. Though he did not directly intervene in riots, Norton’s unique presence was cherished by San Franciscans, and his reign—though unofficial—remains a colorful chapter in the city’s history.
#79
The London Beer Flood of 1814 - when one vat of beer at Meux & Co. brewery exploded, it proceeded to cause a domino effect of other vats to also burst, causing a tidal wave that flooded a neighborhood, leaving crumbled homes in its path as well as 8 people dead (and dozens injured).
#80
Abraham Lincoln grew his famous beard because a little girl said he would look better with one.
#81
Ringo Starr once decided the Beatles didn’t need him and decided to take a holiday with the intention of never coming back. When John, Paul and George found out they went all the way to where he was staying just to convince him to come back
Multa Nocte 11 months ago
They told him to get back, get back, get back to where he once belonged.
#82
Wojtek was a bear that served in the Polish 22nd Artillery Supply Company. During his service, Wojtek was a huge morale boost to the men, wrestling multiple soldiers for fun, eating lit cigarettes, and even carrying artillery shells during battle.
While he was not officially promoted, his unit jokingly referred to him as a corporal.
After the war, Wojtek was sent to Edinburgh Zoo, where he was frequently visited by former soldiers who had served alongside him. There is a common myth that the Polish artillery unit changed its logo to a bear carrying an artillery shell, but this was never an official change.
TotallyNOTAFox 11 months ago (edited)
He also officially received the rank of private in 1944 to be allowed on a ship to serve his unit in Italy - Pets and mascots weren't allowed to board ships in Alexandria so they listed him as soldier with everything that came with it
#83
In 1997, Apple was struggling financially, and Microsoft invested $150 million to help stabilize the company. This investment was part of a deal where Apple agreed to drop a lawsuit against Microsoft over intellectual property. However, the claim that Microsoft did this to avoid an anti-trust breakup is misleading—Microsoft was already facing a separate antitrust case from the U.S. government at the time. Microsoft later sold its Apple shares in 2003 for a profit of nearly $600 million.
#84
Women in the US could not open a bank account or credit card without their husband until the mid 1970s! Insanity, and this was only like 10 years before I was born in the mid eighties which seems so recent I know my mom was effected by this
Uncommon Boston 11 months ago (edited)
??? As a teenager in 1975, I opened up a bank account without a husband or parent. This was in New Jersey. I opened up another account alone in 1979 when ATM cards were introduced.
Simon Chen 11 months ago
What about unmarried women? May sound a stupid question, but what if a woman had no intention to get married, she could not have a bank account?
Uncommon Boston 11 months ago
When i lived in Colorado in the 1980's, getting a joint checking account meant you were married, by common law. Weird, but true.
Kabuki Kitsune 11 months ago
If you're curious why they did this, it's because it wasn't until the mid to late 1970's, that women became more prevalent in the work force. When rules like this were in place, it came from a time when the woman was typically unemployed. So, if she opened a bank account, or a credit card, then banks couldn't be certain if she defaulted on her payment obligations, that she'd be able to cover the various charges. By having their husband, or another male figure present (at a time when about 90% of the workforce was male), they could have a guarantee that any fees or charges would be paid if the woman overdrew, or defaulted on loans or credit cards.
Guess Undheit 11 months ago
That's what's going to happen in yankland soon. Women can be fired without cause (already happening with government contracts, the end of DEI jobs) and be paid lower wages than they are already getting. The republiclowns also intend to legalize violence and rape inside marriage, just like that Russian law allowing rape of wives.
#85
The anthrax attacks straight after 9/11. Seemingly unconnected and no one was ever charged, from memory. Largely forgotten.
Guess Undheit 11 months ago
Bruce Ivens was accused. The big part of the story most are ignorant of: the anthrax came from yank labs, proven by DNA testing. It was NOT from "muslim extremists". [ https://www.npr.org/2008/08/08/93426239/ivins-lawyer-rebuts-doj-anthrax-allegations ]
#86
In February and March 2022, devastating floods hit New South Wales, especially Lismore, with over 1000mm of rain in a few days. Thousands were displaced, and many homes were damaged. Civilians and local volunteers played a key role in rescue efforts, though some criticized the government's response, claiming it was slow. The military and emergency services were involved, but concerns grew over the speed of aid and media coverage. This disaster highlighted the vulnerability of Australia to extreme weather events, intensified by climate change.
Huddo's sister 11 months ago
Many of the local government officials advised home and business owners to rebuild higher up, away from the flood plane, and offered incentives, but many declined the offer.
Hassel Davidhoff 11 months ago
This is going to get heaps worse, all over the world. And to think everyone wanted property on the coasts. Seems foolish now, with rising oceans and all that. Dozens of big buildings in Miami and New York are gradually sinking.
#87
Psychological experiments were often highly unethical historically, experiments with children were particularly cruel a lot of the time.
Multa Nocte 11 months ago
Unethical from today's point of view, although I'm not excusing all of them. There are a lot of things we do today that will be looked back on with horror in the future.
UKGrandad 11 months ago (edited)
Particularly the ongoing experiments on children. EDIT: OK, which Panda thinks that uncontrolled medical experiments on children are suddenly acceptable?
Load More Replies... #88
The Battle of Karansebes
During a war with the Ottomans, the Austrian army of 100,000 men were camped around the town of Karansebes. A contingent of Hussars crossed the nearby river to scout for Ottomans, but didn't find any. They did fine a bunch of Romanian villagers who sold them barrels of Shnapps.
A bit later some of the infantry arrived and demanded some of the Shnapps. The Hussars refused and made a makeshift fort around the barrels. A fight started and one of the infantry shot their rifle. This caused panic and the Romanian infantry shouted "Turcii" (Turks). This caused both groups to flee into a panic into the camp screaming the Turks have arrived!
The army, composed of Austrians, Romanians, Serbs, Croats, and Italians didn't speak the same language. So when they saw a bunch of infantry and hussars running through the camp some thought it was a cavalry charge! An artillery officer gave the order to start shooting the cannons. It didn't help that a German officer was shouting "Halt!" In German and everyone thought it was "Allah!".
The camp awoke thinking they were in the middle of battle. Legend has it that it resulted in 10,000 deaths, but modern scholars think closer to 1000.
This so thoroughly demoralized the Austrian that they withdrew.
Two days later the Ottomans arrived, finding a field of dead and wounded soldiers and easily took the city.
#89
Horse racing began using public address systems with loudspeakers in the early 20th century, which greatly enhanced spectators' experience, helping them follow races more easily. It evolved with the technology of radio and public announcements systems and became a standard practice by the 1930s at major tracks around the world.
#90
In 1893, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the case of Nix v. Hedden that tomatoes should be classified as vegetables for tariff purposes, even though they are botanically a fruit. The court’s decision was based on the common usage of tomatoes in meals, where they were treated as vegetables rather than fruits.
General Anaesthesia 11 months ago (edited)
And later, Saint Ronnie Reagan, governor (R) of California, wanted to classify tomato ketchup as a vegetable for school lunches.
Regina Holt 11 months ago (edited)
I thought it was when he was prezident. I remember that, and just shaking my head at the insanity (politics) of it all.
Load More Replies... #91
When Roosevelt was running for president with the newly created "Bull Moose" party, he was once shot while giving a speech. The bullet, however, was greatly slowed by Roosevelt's speech transcript, which he kept in his breast pocket. After being shot, Roosevelt famously declared: "It takes more than one bullet to k**l a Bull Moose", and proceeded to speak for another hour before being taken to a hospital.
It is believed that the Roosevelt would have been killed if not for the placement (and thickness) of the speech transcript.
#92
The first true roller coasters were inspired by Russian ice slides, but the first modern roller coaster, with continuous tracks, was built in 1884 at Coney Island, New York, by LaMarcus Adna Thompson. Known as the "Switchback Railway", it marked the start of the thrilling rides we enjoy today!
Kabuki Kitsune 11 months ago
Sorry... but no. The first roller coasters were inspired by the Switchback Gravity Railroad on Mt. Pisgah. That railroad was built in 1827, and is what inspired the Coney Island roller coaster.
#93
I don’t know if this counts as a “historical event”, because it happened in 2010, but the owner of the Segway company, Jimi Heselden, died by driving a Segway off a cliff near his estate in Yorkshire.
#94
The siege and fall of Tenochtitlán (1521) was largely carried out by indigenous allies of the Spanish, including Tlaxcalans and other rival tribes, who resented Aztec rule due to heavy tribute demands, forced labor, and human sacrifices. While Hernán Cortés and his conquistadors led the campaign, their native allies vastly outnumbered the Spanish. Spanish accounts of the battle are extremely graphic, describing the brutal fighting, starvation, and disease that ravaged the city.
#95
The Illuminati was a real historical group originating in Bavaria in the late 1700's. They were a sect of freemasons who were rather peculiar. They were unusually critical of religion and monarchy. They were in competition with groups like Rosicrucians and Jesuits.
They were ultimately short lived and vanished when secret societies were banned in Bavaria.
There are all kinds of conspiracy theories that they engineered the French Revolution and have been in continued secret existence influencing events to this day. I doubt that is true, but it makes for interesting thought.
#96
Did you know that the myth about carrots improving night vision was actually a clever piece of wartime propaganda? During World War II, the British Royal Air Force spread the story that their pilots ate large quantities of carrots to enhance their ability to spot enemy aircraft at night. In reality, this was a cover-up to hide the fact that they had developed advanced radar technology. The British didn't want the Germans to know about their radar system, so they created the carrot story as a bit of misinformation. While carrots are good for your health, they didn’t give British pilots superhuman night vision – it was their top-secret radar that made the real difference!
Simon Chen 11 months ago
Yes, i did know. Because i have read it here about 2 million times, like everyone else 😁
Lowrider 56 11 months ago
And BP wants us to pay 'premium' for content that they get from other websites. And, their fact checkers don't do a very good job on checking the facts. I know I'll get hit with a bunch of down votes, but it's the truth.
Load More Replies... #97
The CIA was researching psychic abilities for 30 years as a way to spy on the USSR. After 30 years, the program was terminated, and their conclusion was that psychic powers probably don't exist. Edit: the actual conclusion was that the evidence for remote viewing was un-falsifiable (and therefore un-provable). Many of the more promising results were believed to be caused by information leakage, meaning that test subjects had prior knowledge about the subject they were asked about. They were unable to verify any of their results because of this, and even if the psychic abilities were real, they were unreliable at best. Edit 2: The codename for the project was "stargate" you can find the documents on the CIA website.
#98
The 2015 Phoenix freeway shootings involved several incidents of vehicles being shot at on Interstate 10. Authorities arrested a suspect, Leslie Allen Merritt Jr., but later dropped charges due to lack of evidence. The case remains unsolved, with some believing a copycat or multiple perpetrators may have been involved. While some reports of additional shootings surfaced, many were later dismissed as accidents or unrelated incidents.
#99
When we learned about prohibition, it was presented as kind of this silly historical mistake. It was years later when I learned that in the 19th Century people were drunk basically all the time in part because very few people had access to clean drinking water and would drink booze instead which was often cleaner/safer to drink. So a big part of the anti-booze movement was providing safe drinking water and we owe a lot of our drinking water infrastructure (like available public drinking fountains) to teetotalers.
Huddo's sister 11 months ago
Wasn't it more about women wanting their husbands to stop drinking and hopefully stop the abuse that was happening.
#100
Not something that nobody believes just something that makes people do a double take when I say it.
Within 17 days of each other, with no evidence of collaboration between them, two women (Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme and Sarah Jane Moore) unsuccessfully attempted to assassinate the same President of the United States (Gerald Ford) in the same state (California). Even more unbelievable is that both of these women are alive and not in jail.
El Cucuy 11 months ago
This is very misleading. Squeaky Fromme (a Charles Manson devotee) was sentenced to life in prison. She was paroled from prison on August 14, 2009, after serving approximately 34 years aand is now 76 years old. SJM was also given a life sentence for the attempted assassination and she was released from prison on December 31, 2007, after serving 32 years. She's now 94.
Auntriarch 11 months ago
Thank you! Misleading is probably the kindest word you could have used. The post makes it sound like they never went to jail; and why wouldn't they be alive, Gerald Ford wasn't ancient history.
Load More Replies... Joe Reaves 11 months ago
They are also the only women to ever attempt to assassinate a President that we know of (although Mary Suratt was executed for her role in the conspiracy to kill Lincoln her role was that of providing a safe location for the conspirators to meet)
#101
Daniel Boone was captured by Indians. They were making him accompany them to Boonesborough which they planned to attack. Boone escaped to warn Boonseborough and ran barefoot 160 miles across the wilderness in 4 days. He outran the Indians on horseback through the f**king wilderness with no food, no shoes & a pack of Indians on his a**.
Christopher Dean 11 months ago
Daniel Boone was a man, was a big man. With an eye like an eagle And as tall as a mountain was he! When legend becomes fact, print the legend.
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Ace 11 months ago
I do wish BP would apply at least a little fact-checking before simply repeating the whole of a Reddit thread. Half of these don't match with the thread title at all, many are simply not true and most of the rest are gross over-simplifications or exaggerations.
Andrei Iepure 11 months ago
Love that you guys are pushing BP premium. Guess it's time to start looking elsewhere for fun content
Ace 11 months ago
I do wish BP would apply at least a little fact-checking before simply repeating the whole of a Reddit thread. Half of these don't match with the thread title at all, many are simply not true and most of the rest are gross over-simplifications or exaggerations.
Andrei Iepure 11 months ago
Love that you guys are pushing BP premium. Guess it's time to start looking elsewhere for fun content
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