Random People Are Sharing The Most Ridiculous History Facts They Know (20 items)

• (#19) A Canadian Senator Got His Book Translated For Free By Reading It During A Filibuster

  From Redditor /u/funnienewyork:

  Canadian Sen. Philippe Gigantès, while filibustering, read his own book into the record.

  The Canadian Parliament keeps a bilingual record; by reading his book he obtained a free translation [into French].
• (#2) Egyptian Pharaohs, To Deter Flies From Themselves, Covered Servants With Honey 

  From a Redditor:

  In ancient Egypt, servants were smeared with honey to attract flies away from the pharaoh.
• (#6) President Andrew Jackson's Profane Parrot Swore At His Funeral

  From Redditor /u/Back2Bach:

  At US President Andrew Jackson's funeral in 1845, his pet parrot had to be removed because it was swearing.
• (#11) An Enemy Of Ancient Romans Used Bears In Tunnels As A Defense Tactic

  From Redditor /u/OnionsHaveLairAction:

  When the Romans [lay] siege to [Themiscyra], a real place weirdly enough, they attempted to tunnel into the city.

  The [Themiscyrans] released bears into the tunnels.
• (#9) The US Government Once Trained A Cat As A Spy

  From Redditor /u/Estre11a:

  Operation Acoustic Kitty: a US government-funded operation to train domestic cats to be equipped with audio devices to spy on opposing threats.

  [After] the first mission, $[20] million later, the cat crossed the street and was hit by a car. They canceled it thereafter.
• (#5) From 1840-1960, All US Presidents Elected In A Year Ending With '0' Perished While In Office

  From Redditor /u/pennant_fever:

  From 1840 through 1960, every US President elected in a year that ended in “0” died in office.

  1840: William Henry Harrison (died in office)

  1860: Abraham Lincoln (assassinated)

  1880: James Garfield (assassinated)

  1900: William McKinley (assassinated)

  1920: Warren Harding (died in office)

  1940: Franklin D. Roosevelt (died in office)

  1960: John F. Kennedy (assassinated)

  Ronald Reagan (1980) had an assassination attempt made on him, and George Bush got a shoe thrown at his head. Godspeed to whoever wins in 2020.

New Random Displays    Display All By Ranking