Cracked Archive - History

When A Congressman Tried To Change The U.S.A.'s Name And Failed
In 1893, an American Congressman tried to add an amendment that would change the name of the country.
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- By Ethan Tyrrell
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8
5 Discoveries That Archaeologists Wish They Never Found
Yes, these stories involve some real evil spirits.
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- By Michael Dawson
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34
5 People With Wild Past Lives They Kept Hidden
A fair number of these tales involve Nazis.
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- By Zachary Frey
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25
The Historically Incompetent Reign Of Sultan Ibrahim The Mad
Sultan Ibrahim spent his childhood locked in a cage, and he came to power because everyone else was dead.
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- By Ethan Tyrrell
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4
Computer History's Unsung Hero: An Ode To Dennis Ritchie
Dennis Ritchie might not be a famous name, but he is responsible for major technological innovations.
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- By Ethan Tyrrell
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6
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The Grifter Who (Twice) Sold The Eiffel Tower, Then Scammed Al Capone
Victor Lustig was a legendary con artist who managed to sell the Eiffel Tower unsuspecting victims twice.
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- By Ethan Tyrrell
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1
Education Became Mandatory In The U.S. Thanks To Satan
During the 1600s, religious folk saw illiteracy as the Devil's plan.
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- By Zanandi Botes
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11
Cleveland Had The World's Largest Book. Then They Lost It.
It had 6,000 pages and weighed 2 tons.
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- By Ryan Menezes
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9
Ketchup Was the Trendiest Medicine Of The 1830s
In an era where tomatoes were bizarrely controversial, some people thought they could be used as a medicine.
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- By Ethan Tyrrell
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4
That Time Italy Tried To Ban Pasta
There was a time when some Italians insisted that spaghetti was making people 'brutish, skeptical, slow, and pessimistic.'
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- By Zanandi Botes
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7
JFK Had A Janitor Run Against Him, To Confuse Voters
A janitor with the exact same name as his opponent.
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- By Ryan Menezes
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17
The War That Lasted 335 Years (But Had No Casualties)
The 335 Years' War between the Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly was a seemingly endless was that no one paid attention to.
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- By Ethan Tyrrell
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6
That Time The Soviets Fired A Cannon In Space
In 1975, a cannon mounted to a Soviet space station was fired. It is the only known weapon fired in space.
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- By Ethan Tyrrell
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1
6 Real Bible Verses We're Hoping God Gives Us A Pass On (Ft. Michael Swaim) (VIDEO)
Michael Swaim returns to Cracked's YouTube channel to look at some Bible verses that really should have been cut.
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- By Michael Swaim, Winston Rowntree
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12
British Tanks Can Make Tea Because Of Course They Can
In World War II, British tank crews would get out of their tanks to make tea. This proved to be dangerous.
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- By Ethan Tyrrell
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8