Cracked Archive - History

8 Insane Similarities Between the Internet and Ancient Egypt

Nothing ever changes.

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By Nick Dreyer
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November 26, 2011

5 Soldiers Who Kicked Ass In the Face of Death (and Logic)

It's generally accepted that while reckless charges into danger make for great action movie scenes, they aren't good battle strategy. These men disagreed.

552

By Eric Yosomono
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November 26, 2011

5 Insane Celebrity Product Endorsements by Historic Figures

Selling out is an age-old tradition, and some icons from your history books were doing it long before musicians and athletes perfected the art.

410

By Jacopo della Quercia
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November 25, 2011

5 Facts About Thanksgiving Your History Teacher Left Out

Everyone loves Thanksgiving, except some Native Americans, wellness consultants, and meth addicts disowned by their families. So basically: New Mexico. But which Thanksgiving do you celebrate? The one you learned in school? Or the one where all your illusions are stripped from your screaming husk in the burning light of truth you thought you wanted

By Brendan McGinley
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November 24, 2011

The 5 Most Mind-Blowing Acts of Battlefield Mercy in History

Mercy isn't a part of any army's strategy. And yet, inspiring stories of mercy on the battlefield do turn up all through history. In the most inhumane settings, sometimes a little humanity shines through.

851

By Xavier Jackson, Douglas A. McDonnell
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November 24, 2011

6 Terrifying Real Speeches That Were Thankfully Never Given

Just because we didn't hear speeches for when the whole country was going to shit doesn't mean they were never written ...

814

By Jacopo della Quercia
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November 23, 2011

5 Scientific Advances That Should Have Changed Everything

Sometimes it's bad luck, or shady business dealings, or the fact that the world just plain isn't ready. But one way or another, we've lost world-changing innovations for, in hindsight, ridiculous reasons.

1044

By Dustin Koski, Adam Koski
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November 17, 2011

5 Backup Plans That Would Have Changed Modern History

These five plans remained in the back pockets of various world leaders that, had they been used, would have changed the world, and possibly the language this article was written in.

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By Evan V. Symon
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November 03, 2011

5 Real Murderers More Terrifying Than Any Horror Movie

There is no goofier Hollywood invention than the Flamboyant Killer. Real killers are, of course, much stranger.

1247

By E. Reid Ross
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October 27, 2011

6 Absurd Pirate Myths Everyone Believes (Thanks to Movies)

869

By Eric Yosomono, Drew Miller
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October 21, 2011

5 Real Princesses Too Badass for Disney Movies

History is full of royal women who kicked all kinds of ass. None of them fit for a Disney movie.

635

By Jacopo della Quercia
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October 20, 2011

5 Rulers Whose Idiot Siblings Nearly Screwed the World

No comedy would be complete without the Wacky Screwup Brother, the Zach Galifianakis in The Hangover-type who is there to throw a wrench in everything with some sort of stupid scheme (also see: Gob Bluth from Arrested Development). It's not so funny in real life.

670

By Evan V. Symon
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October 19, 2011

6 Inspiring Tales of Friendship in the Middle of Brutal Wars

You should probably bookmark this article for the next time you're in a bad mood.

839

By John Champion
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October 17, 2011

Photoplasty

18 Famous Pictures (Before They Were Cropped)

When you're cropping the naked human pyramid out of a picture you're about to post to Facebook, do you ever wonder if maybe this sort of addition by subtraction has been going on for years? We asked you to show us the context we've been missing outside the borders of famous pictures from history.

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