1.
The world’s oldest known joke dates back to 1900 BCE in Sumer and it was…a fart joke.
3.
The Aztec capital Tenochtitlan (where Mexico City now stands) was larger and more sophisticated than many European cities when the Spanish arrived in 1519.
4.
In 1518, a “dancing plague” in Strasbourg caused people to dance uncontrollably for days.
5.
The guillotine was used as a method of execution in France until 1977.
7.
Marie Curie is the only person to win Nobel Prizes in two different sciences (physics and chemistry).
8.
In the 19th century, dentures were often made using the teeth of deceased soldiers.
9.
Before the Revolutionary War, the American colonies would vote by voice, often at places like carnivals where they may or may not have been drunk by the time voting happened.
10.
Ancient Romans used urine as a cleaning agent for laundry.
12.
The original London Bridge is now located in Lake Havasu City, Arizona.
13.
The first computer programmer was Ada Lovelace in the 19th century.
14.
The Great Wall of China is not a single continuous wall but a series of interconnected fortifications.
15.
The first known vending machine was invented by Hero of Alexandria in ancient Egypt to dispense holy water.
16.
Beethoven continued to compose music even after becoming completely deaf at age 40 (16 years before his death).
18.
Napoleon Bonaparte was once attacked by a herd of rabbits during a hunting trip.
19.
Pablo Picasso’s full name has 20 words.
20.
The first human flight was achieved by the Montgolfier brothers in a hot air balloon in 1783.
22.
The Eiffel Tower was initially intended to be dismantled after 20 years.
23.
The world’s first recorded police force was established in ancient Egypt around 3000 BCE.
24.
The shortest war in history, between Britain and Zanzibar in 1896, lasted only 38 minutes.
25.
Ancient Greek athletes competed in the nude to honor Zeus and display the human form.
26.
The oldest known written laws, the Code of Ur-Nammu, date back to around 2100 BCE.
28.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa has been slowly straightening over the past few decades due to engineering efforts.
29.
Albert Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel in 1952 but declined.
