Cracked Archive - History

The 5 Most Epic Backfires in the History of Bad Jokes
The problem with sarcasm, is that sometimes you can do it so well (or so poorly) that people don't realize you're joking.
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- By Russell Puntenney
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981
5 Insane Prison Escapes You Won't Believe Actually Worked
In real life, most prison escapes aren't the result of mind-blowingly complex schemes, but a combination of dumb luck, indifferent guards, and unintentional hilarity.
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- By Rich Solomon
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461
6 Ridiculous Myths About the Middle Ages Everyone Believes
Ridiculous Myths About the Middle Ages Everyone Believes
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- By Steve Kolenberg
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2866
5 Insane 'What If' Scenarios That Almost Changed Everything
For every terrible tragedy history has handed us, there is an infinitely long list of disasters that we narrowly missed.
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- By Jacopo della Quercia
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1583
5 Reasons George Washington Was Either Lucky or a Wizard
The first real president of the United States was a Highlander. He thwarted death, fell into the presidency, and succeeded only by the most fortuitous of flukes.
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- By W. Stinnett
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860
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11 Old War Photographs You Won't Believe Aren't Photoshopped
When you start sifting through rare photos of secret projects and behind-the-scenes shenanigans that didn't make into the history books, you get lots of pictures that just look downright fake.
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- By Eric Yosomono
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840
The 5 Most Hilariously Insane Rulers of All Time
Don't get us wrong -- we're sure it was a nightmare for everyone involved. But it does make for hilarious stories down the line.
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- By Kyle Stevens
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1080
The 6 Most Aggressively Badass Things Done by Pacifists
There's a special kind of badass out there: The kind that overcomes horrific violence with nothing but willpower, skill, bravery, and (to be totally fair) a somewhat stupid disregard for personal safety.
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- By J.F. Sargent, Dustin Koski
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860
The 6 Most Embarrassing War Stories of All Time
Here are a few instances of people stepping onstage in the military theater and splitting their pants in front of everyone.
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- By Richy Craven, Xavier Jackson, Dustin Koski
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765
15 Unexpected Origins of Famous Ideas
We asked our readers to show us the gritty origins of some of our most famous inventions.
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- By Cracked Plasticians
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423
6 Mind-Blowing Archeological Discoveries Destroyed by Idiocy
Here are some of the worst reasons that priceless artifacts have ever been destroyed.
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- By C. Coville
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1130
The 5 Most Mind-Blowing Military Operations Ever Kept Secret
You say the five craziest stories we've ever heard -- stories about shadow governments, sci-fi ice fortresses and nuclear obliteration -- are all from the Cold War? OK, we're listening ... for now.
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- By Curren Mcdowell
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686
18 Unexpected (and Real) Quotes by Famous Figures
We asked our readers to go back through the annals of time (i.e. a Google search minus 'boobs') to prove that, indeed, truth is stranger than fiction.
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- By Cracked Plasticians
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1603
6 People Whose Names Took on Regrettable Meanings
Imagine having your name turned into a common word that will still be in use hundreds of years after your death. Cool, huh? Yeah, no -- not really.
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- By Eric Yosomono, Josh Hrala
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882
5 Modern Horror Scenes Ripped Out of History Books
It turns out that many iconic horror movie moments that you thought came out of the imaginations of Hollywood writers can also be found in the pages of history, hundreds or even thousands of years before it made sense for anyone to come up with them.
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- By Maxwell Yezpitelok, M. Asher Cantrell
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696