These People On Tumblr Have Some Spot-On Examples Of Why Reality Is Stranger Than Fiction
It’s no lie that many people rely on fiction to escape the unbearable aspects of reality. But there are times when fiction just seems so far-fetched from reality that our mind simply cannot accept the information and immediately rejects it, unable to connect to the familiarity of it. Imagine reading a romance novel about a Victorian youth slowly falling in love with a young lady only for the book to reveal that she has nipple piercings. If you thought that is just unrealistic and historically-inaccurate, well, we’ve got news for you. Sometimes reality is simply much more bizarre than any fiction and Tumblr users bonded together to discuss some historic examples.
Some Tumblr users joined together to discuss how sometimes reality, especially history, seems much stranger than fiction
Turns out, nipple piercings were all the rage in the Victorian era (albeit for a very brief period). Surviving records show women show the trend surfacing in 1890. At the end of the 19th century, one London socialite’s report in Vogue says:
“For a long time I could not understand why I should consent to such a painful operation without sufficient reason. I soon, however came to the conclusion that many ladies are ready to bear the passing pain for the sake of love. I found that the breasts of those who wore rings were incomparably rounder and fuller developed than those who did not. My doubts were now at an end…so I had my nipples pierced, and when the wounds were healed, I had rings inserted…with regard to the experience of wearing these rings, I can only say that they are not in the least uncomfortable or painful. On the contrary, the slight rubbing and slipping of the rings causes in me an extremely titillating feeling, and all my colleagues I have spoken to on this subject have confirmed my opinion.”
And if you thought that the majority of peasants living in the 13th century were illiterate and only monks and nobles being able to read and write, then you might be shocked by the architectural finds in Russia that are being excavated since 1951. Scientists dug up more than 1100 pieces of birch bark with writing on it in Novgorod and some of the most notable belonged to a young boy named Onfim. The writings showcase Onfim learning to write in Old Novgorodian as well as contains drawings of battle scenes and even a self-portrait. Quite incredible, isn’t it?
If you thought that the idea of vikings engaging in rap battles sounds ridiculous and unrealistic, then you might need to rethink your understanding of the world. Back in the day vikings practiced what is called flyting, a contest consisting of the exchange of insults between two parties, often conducted in verse. It was practiced mainly between the 5th and 16th centuries and often included accusations of cowardice or sexual perversion. There’s even a surviving poem of the Poetic Edda in which the ferryman Harbard (often believed to be Odin in disguise) competes in a flyting or verbal contest with the god Thor. So next time you try to imagine a scene with vikings in your head, you might as well put them in a rap battle against one another!
While Persians definitely had an ice cream-like dessert back in 400 BCE, some of the “facts” presented by these internauts should be taken with a grain of salt. But hey, it’s quite an interesting read and a perfect opening for some research of your own, isn’t it? So scroll down, dive deep and see for yourself if the historical circumstances presented here seem inaccurate and far away from what we perceive as reality.
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Well while some of these are true, some are only partially true, or false but with a kernel of truth in them. That is the problem with so much "pop history" that gets pushed around the internet especially by journalists or youtube channels. When I was in grad school the professors would gripe about this and you would be surprised how many undergrads got bad grades because of these. While it is true that we have many misconceptions in history, some of these are just as incorrect.
Agreed. If you take this at face value an abacus could be considered a computer, etc. A slide rule would be a super computer I guess.
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All of this is fascinating!! Also, according to my christian friends the bible passage that made people think that homosexuality was a sin actually said "man shall not sleep with boy" meaning PAEDOPHILIA (MAN shall not sleep with BOY)!
Has your friend actually read the bible? It says in the original Hebrew "V'Ish (a Man) asher-yishkav (who lies with) et zachor (a Male) mishkevei isha (as one would with a woman) toevah (it is an abomination)....." While yes it doesnt say "homosexuality" or a man with a man, it says a man with a male, the word Zachor refers to any male from birth till death. I think your friend may need to learn his bible before he changes its definition. Understanding both the original plus ancient languages helps with understanding the bible. Many misconceptions, but in this case your friend is wrong.
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Here's another: The ancient Greeks and Romans made cement, and made it better than we do today. While part of that stems from modern techniques not assuming buildings should last forever, fact is there are cement structures submerged outside Pompeii that still aren't cracked! In fact, one of Pompeii's major exports was ash from its volcano, which was a major ingredient in said superior cement.
All true and time and place f***s with perception. cleopatra is closer to us then the pyramids construction. A f**k ton of dinosaurs are closer to us now then other dinosaurs. My favorite very recent discrepancy is when Americans were inventing modern warfare, mines, subs and Gatling guns fighting the war of North vs south... samurai battles were happening in japan
Tell me again how many times the Bible has been rewritten from a completely different language? Did they even translate it correctly from the original language?
I hated science and history in school but now I can't get enough of it.
Nothing is new under the sun, especially that all kids draw hands like forks.
Another one: The richest man to ever live was a Black man, Mansa Musa. He was emperor of the West African kingdom of Mali in its golden years between 1312 and 1337 A.D and worth over $400 BILLION dollars. Yes, with a B. For more info, search his name in Youtube and behold.
I know him and think his worth is overly disproportional and over rated just because he had the most gold ever owned
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So much "truth" revealed... because no one has ever taken anything out of context or jumped to conclusions based on singular pieces of evidence that just happened to survive centuries/millennia. And, of course, no one ever has an agenda.
Not exactly history, but art history nonetheless: every book mentioning the Arnolfi wedding portrait by the Brothers van Eyck categorically states that it was a ''contract'' because people at that time were illiterate and needed picture material to document the event. The only book that mentions the painting without such obvious nonsense was one on the fabrication of talismans. Yup, the Arnolfi Wedding Portrait is a talisman of the goddess Venus, with all the requisite symbols and colors, and presumably painted on the hours and days most propitious for attaining the divinity's favor, though that has yet to er proven.
Also, archaeologists discovered glass tubes, containers with acid and copper coils in Egyptian tombs. Some of the basic elements in making...batteries.
I took this with a pinch of salt. There are a lot of dubious claims as to the reasons why they think people did things and they don't really hold any weight. This lacks a lot of credibility.
Oh yeah also ancient Rome had vending machines, public fountains, you name it, they had a version. except for the obvious stuff, like cell phones, cars, etc.
Two thousand years ago people living in my home town had their stuff stolen and were sufficiently angry about it that they wrote little revenge notes (in really bad "British" variation of Latin) and threw them in a local sacred spring. My favourite is "Docimedis has lost his gloves and hopes that the thief responsible will lose their eyes". They must have been really nice gloves.
Well while some of these are true, some are only partially true, or false but with a kernel of truth in them. That is the problem with so much "pop history" that gets pushed around the internet especially by journalists or youtube channels. When I was in grad school the professors would gripe about this and you would be surprised how many undergrads got bad grades because of these. While it is true that we have many misconceptions in history, some of these are just as incorrect.
Agreed. If you take this at face value an abacus could be considered a computer, etc. A slide rule would be a super computer I guess.
Load More Replies... All of this is fascinating!! Also, according to my christian friends the bible passage that made people think that homosexuality was a sin actually said "man shall not sleep with boy" meaning PAEDOPHILIA (MAN shall not sleep with BOY)!
Has your friend actually read the bible? It says in the original Hebrew "V'Ish (a Man) asher-yishkav (who lies with) et zachor (a Male) mishkevei isha (as one would with a woman) toevah (it is an abomination)....." While yes it doesnt say "homosexuality" or a man with a man, it says a man with a male, the word Zachor refers to any male from birth till death. I think your friend may need to learn his bible before he changes its definition. Understanding both the original plus ancient languages helps with understanding the bible. Many misconceptions, but in this case your friend is wrong.
Load More Replies... Here's another: The ancient Greeks and Romans made cement, and made it better than we do today. While part of that stems from modern techniques not assuming buildings should last forever, fact is there are cement structures submerged outside Pompeii that still aren't cracked! In fact, one of Pompeii's major exports was ash from its volcano, which was a major ingredient in said superior cement.
All true and time and place f***s with perception. cleopatra is closer to us then the pyramids construction. A f**k ton of dinosaurs are closer to us now then other dinosaurs. My favorite very recent discrepancy is when Americans were inventing modern warfare, mines, subs and Gatling guns fighting the war of North vs south... samurai battles were happening in japan
Tell me again how many times the Bible has been rewritten from a completely different language? Did they even translate it correctly from the original language?
I hated science and history in school but now I can't get enough of it.
Nothing is new under the sun, especially that all kids draw hands like forks.
Another one: The richest man to ever live was a Black man, Mansa Musa. He was emperor of the West African kingdom of Mali in its golden years between 1312 and 1337 A.D and worth over $400 BILLION dollars. Yes, with a B. For more info, search his name in Youtube and behold.
I know him and think his worth is overly disproportional and over rated just because he had the most gold ever owned
Load More Replies... So much "truth" revealed... because no one has ever taken anything out of context or jumped to conclusions based on singular pieces of evidence that just happened to survive centuries/millennia. And, of course, no one ever has an agenda.
Not exactly history, but art history nonetheless: every book mentioning the Arnolfi wedding portrait by the Brothers van Eyck categorically states that it was a ''contract'' because people at that time were illiterate and needed picture material to document the event. The only book that mentions the painting without such obvious nonsense was one on the fabrication of talismans. Yup, the Arnolfi Wedding Portrait is a talisman of the goddess Venus, with all the requisite symbols and colors, and presumably painted on the hours and days most propitious for attaining the divinity's favor, though that has yet to er proven.
Also, archaeologists discovered glass tubes, containers with acid and copper coils in Egyptian tombs. Some of the basic elements in making...batteries.
I took this with a pinch of salt. There are a lot of dubious claims as to the reasons why they think people did things and they don't really hold any weight. This lacks a lot of credibility.
Oh yeah also ancient Rome had vending machines, public fountains, you name it, they had a version. except for the obvious stuff, like cell phones, cars, etc.
Two thousand years ago people living in my home town had their stuff stolen and were sufficiently angry about it that they wrote little revenge notes (in really bad "British" variation of Latin) and threw them in a local sacred spring. My favourite is "Docimedis has lost his gloves and hopes that the thief responsible will lose their eyes". They must have been really nice gloves.
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