As a history lover, I know that no matter who you are or what period of history might be your favorite, there will always be more historical facts out there to learn. So, here are 10 fun history facts I’ve learned recently that I thought were cool enough to share. Enjoy!
1.
In 1493, Christopher Columbus returned to Spain, bringing news to Europeans of the existence of the Americas. Tensions between rivals Portugal and Spain rose as each country vied for new territory via colonial expansion; later that year, Pope Alexander VI (né Rodrigo Borgia, pictured below) issued a papal bull in an attempt to quell the countries’ territorial disputes. The bull drew a line from pole to pole down the Atlantic Ocean; the intention was that Spain would have rights to everything west of the line, and Portugal, everything east — basically, Spain got to colonize the Americas, and Portugal, Africa and Asia. The line of demarcation ended up being set at 1,185 miles west of the Cape Verde Islands.
What wasn’t known at the time of the issue of the bull was just how far east South America extends into the Atlantic. The east coast of Brazil lies over 2,000 miles east of the Bahamas, where Columbus had first landed. In 1500, Brazil was “discovered” by Portuguese explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral, well on the eastern side of the line of demarcation. According to the Pope’s decree, Brazil was fair game for Portugal. As a result, the official language of Brazil is Portuguese, while the majority of South America primarily speaks Spanish.
2.
While the majority of woolly mammoths died out around 10,000 years ago, for thousands more years, there remained a small population living in Siberia. Mammoths on Wrangel Island, which lies in the Arctic Ocean, didn’t die out until 4,000 years ago, somewhere around 1650-2000 BCE.
The Pyramids of Giza, the tombs of the Pharaohs Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure, were built during Egypt’s 4th Dynasty, completed in succession around 2500 BCE. That’s 500 years before the earliest estimate of the extinction of the Wrangel Island woolly mammoth!
4.
Mozart, known for his dirty humor, once wrote a canon titled “Leck mich im Arsch,” which translates to — warning! — “lick me in the ass!” When a number of his previously unpublished works were published after his death, his publishers changed the title of the song to “Laßt froh uns sein,” meaning “let us be glad.”
5.
In 1386, in Falaise, France, a murderer who “had indulged in the evil propensity of eating infants on the street” was sentenced to be hanged by the neck until dead. The killer was no man, woman, or child, however: it was a pig. The pig stood trial like any person accused of a crime; according to writer Sonya Vatomsky, it was even “given a new suit for the occasion.”
6.
The first named author in recorded history is Enheduanna, a Mesopotamian princess, priestess, and poet. Enheduanna’s existence was rediscovered in 1927, when objects associated with her and bearing her name were discovered by British archaeologist Sir Leonard Woolley. According to the BBC, she “composed 42 temple hymns and three stand-alone poems that, like the Epic of Gilgamesh (which is not credited to a named author), scholars consider an important part of Mesopotamia’s literary legacy.”
7.
The Gracchi brothers were two late-Republic Roman tribunes of the plebs. In 133 BCE, Tiberius, the elder brother, introduced a land reform bill. To get it passed, he knew he would have to circumvent the Senate; unfortunately for him, this drew their ire, and he was beaten to death by a gang of senators, his body thrown into the Tiber.
Ten years later, in 123 BCE, Tiberius’s brother Gaius was elected tribune. Gaius’s tenure was a bit more productive; he improved and beautified Roman roads, stockpiled grain in granaries, and attempted various social reforms focused on combating corruption. The latter made him unpopular with certain politicians, especially a consul named Lucius Optimus. According to World History Encyclopedia, and eerily reminiscent of what had happened to his brother a decade before, the “Roman Senate had grown to fear Gracchus’s power and influence,” and ordered that Optimus should be given power to “suppress” Gaius.
The murders of both brothers led to increased political violence in Rome and an even hotter, more reactive political climate. According to historian Christopher Mackay, “Tiberius Gracchus’ tribunate marks the beginning of the spiral of violence in the Late Republic that would eventually kill thousands and bring down the Republic.”
8.
The Inca Empire was the largest empire to have existed in the Americas, and, at its height, was the largest empire in the world. It stretched from modern-day Santiago in the south all the way to the Ancasmayo River, in modern Colombia, in the north. The empire was comprised of over 10 million subjects, and reached its height around 1530. At the time of the arrival of the Spaniards, the unpopular ruling Incas were engaged in a rebellious war. With the conquistadors came smallpox, which devastated the Incas, killing 65-90% of the population.
9.
The Tale of Genji, written during the very early 11th century, is considered the world’s oldest novel. It was written during the Heian period by a Japanese woman, Murasaki Shikibu, a minor noble and lady-in-waiting, and centers on Genji, a handsome and generous prince.
10.
And finally: In 2006, religious civil war gripped Côte d’Ivoire. At the same time, the country’s beloved soccer team, Les Éléphants, was working to qualify for their first FIFA World Cup. The team’s leader, Didier Drogba, was Christian; his wife, Lalla Diakité, was a practicing Muslim. After Les Éléphants qualified for the World Cup, Drogba invited television cameras into the team’s changing room, where he told his country that the team had promised that the celebration would unite the people. “Today, we beg you on our knees,” he said; the team fell to their knees. “Forgive! Forgive! Forgive!”
According to Vision of Humanity, after Drogba’s plea, where he entreated both parties to “Please lay down your weapons,” “The simmering tensions were reduced, and a concentrated effort was made by the leaders of both factions to engage in dialogue that ultimately led to a peace deal.” Instead of the conflict continuing to escalate, Côte d’Ivoire’s ensuing elections took place without bloodshed.
If there are any dramatic, interesting, or just plain cool facts from history that you love, please, please, please drop them in the comments! I always like learning more historical info, and I’m sure other people do, too. Or, if you’d rather share anonymously, fill out the form below!
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