20 History Fun Facts: Engaging Classroom Resources for Teachers and Students
Hey there! Have you ever thought history was just a bunch of dates and old stories?
Think again! History is full of amazing surprises that will make you laugh, scratch your head, and say, "Wow, I never knew that!"
Whether you're a student, a kid, or just someone who loves a good story, get ready for a journey through time filled with fun historical facts that are perfect for sharing with friends and family.
From funny facts about history to interesting facts about history, no one knows; we've got something for everyone. So, grab a seat and let's dive into some cool things about history!
Let the History circus begin!
1. Napoleon was once attacked by a horde of bunnies. The emperor had requested a rabbit hunt be arranged for him and his men. When the rabbits were released from their cages, they charged toward Bonaparte and his men.
2. Cleopatra was not Egyptian. The last queen of Egypt wasn't born in Egypt. She was a descendant of Alexander the Great's Macedonian general, Ptolemy.
3. Alexander the Great named over 70 cities after himself. Alexander the Great conquered over 2 million square miles of the Earth’s surface. He did this all before he was 30 years old.
4. Turkeys were once worshiped as gods. The Mayan people believed turkeys were the vessels of the gods and honored them with worship.
5. The Vikings were the first people to discover America. Viking chief Leif Eriksson of Greenland landed on the island of Newfoundland in the year 1,000 AD.
6. Ketchup was once sold as a medicine. In the 1830s, ketchup was used to be sold as a medicine, claiming to cure ailments like diarrhea, indigestion, and jaundice.
7. There were female gladiators in ancient Rome. While they were extremely rare, female gladiators were called Gladiatrix or Gladiatrices (plural).
8. Pope Gregory IV declared a war on black cats. He said that black cats were instruments of Satan. Because of this belief, he ordered the extermination of these felines throughout Europe.
9. The world’s most successful pirate in history was a lady named Ching Shih.
10. About 97% of history has been lost over time.
11. Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the US, is in the wrestling hall of fame.
12. Alexander the Great was accidentally buried alive. Scientists believe he suffered from a rare disease that left him paralyzed for six days. He was mentally aware when he died!
13. During the Great Depression, people made clothes out of food sacks. Because of this trend, food distributors started to make their sacks more colorful.
14. The shortest war in history, the Anglo-Zanzibar War, lasted for only 38 minutes! This war occurred between Britain and Zanzibar on August 27, 1896, over the ascension of the next Sultan in Zanzibar and resulted in a British victory.
15. The University of Oxford is older than the Aztec Empire. The University of Oxford first opened its doors to students all the way back in 1096. The Aztec Empire is said to have originated in the year 1325.
16. Russia ran out of vodka while celebrating the end of WWII! When the war ended, street parties flooded the Soviet Union. All of the nation’s vodka reserves ran out a mere 22 hours after the partying started.
17. Before alarm clocks, there were people called "knocker-uppers." They would literally knock on people’s windows to wake them up in time for work.
18. The widely used eating utensil, the fork, was once seen as an offence to God. Because they were "artificial hands" and, as such, were considered ungodly.
19. In 1898, Morgan Robertson published the novella "The Wreck of the Titan," in which a British ocean liner, with a lack of lifeboats on board, hits an iceberg and sinks in the North Atlantic Ocean. He probably predicted the Titanic.
20. Pineapples were a status symbol in 18th-century England. People rich enough to own a pineapple would carry it around to signify their wealth and status.
Conclusion:
And that's a wrap on our adventure through history fun facts! Did you learn something new? I bet you did!
History is like a big puzzle, and every historical fun facts we discover helps us piece together the past. Whether it's US history fun trivia or history fun facts for students, there's always something exciting to learn.
So, keep exploring, keep asking questions, and keep sharing these amazing stories with others. Who knows? You might just inspire someone else to fall in love with history too!
And hey, if you want to keep these fun facts close at hand, why not consider getting them in poster form? They make excellent classroom decorations and are a fun way to remind students of the wonders of History. Click here to get them.
Keep exploring, keep learning, and most importantly, keep having fun with History!
