Cracked Archive - History

The First Sunglasses Were Meant To Make You Look Like An Emotionless Slab
The future's so stoic, you gotta wear shades.
- Authors
- By Crystal Duan
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8
Why Won't Americans Drink Tea?
Americans love waking up to gulp down as much jitter juice as they can get their hands on. But why is the only cold brew we like from a bean and not a leaf?
- Authors
- By Stephen Buckley
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47
The 4 Great Manslayers: Japan's Badass Samurai Assassins
A group of elite assassins who went down in history.
- Authors
- By Cezary Jan Strusiewicz
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3
We've Found Hundreds Of These Weird Artifacts, And No One Knows What They Are
These probably weren't just to look cool.
- Authors
- By Ryan Menezes
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- Comments
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19
The Americans Who Became North Korean Movie Stars
During the 1960s, four American soldiers defected to North Korea. They became stars in propaganda films.
- Authors
- By Ethan Tyrrell
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- Comments
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15
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Staged Train Crashes: Our Dumb, Dangerous Old-Timey Pastime
Starting in 1896, staged train crashes were some of the most popular events in the United States.
- Authors
- By Ethan Tyrrell
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1
The British Family You Could Pay To Learn What Time It Was
You could pay Ruth to look at her watch.
- Authors
- By Ryan Menezes
- Published
- Comments
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4
During WW II, Italian Doctors Made Up A Disease (To Save Jewish Lives)
When Nazis occupied Italy in 1943, doctors in Rome created a fake disease as a way to save Jewish people in Italy.
- Authors
- By Ethan Tyrrell
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- Comments
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6
Dance Marathons Could Last For Months During The Great Depression
Dance marathons were the hottest craze of the 1920s.
- Authors
- By Ethan Tyrrell
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- Comments
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2
Ben Franklin Electrocuted Turkeys (And Himself)
The birds, once zapped, would get right back up again.
- Authors
- By Ryan Menezes
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- Comments
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3
The Woman Behind The Home Security System
Thanks to her, our minds can be at easeā¦
- Authors
- By Oona O'Brien
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- Comments
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3
How Red Flags Made Up the Food Pyramid
A look into what happened...
- Authors
- By Oona O'Brien
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- Comments
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2
Macy's Thanksgiving Parade Began As A Christmas Parade (On Thanksgiving)
The Christmas season begins when stores say it does.
- Authors
- By Ryan Menezes
- Published
- Comments
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4
Sybil Ludington: The Less Famous, But More Rad, Paul Revere
In 1777, 16-year-old Sybil Ludington rode 40 miles by horseback to rally American troops.
- Authors
- By Ethan Tyrrell
- Published
- Comments
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4
France Tried To Make A Fake Paris For World War I
In a plan so out there that it could've worked, France planned to build a decoy Paris right next to real Paris.
- Authors
- By Ethan Tyrrell
- Published
- Comments
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2