Cracked Archive - History

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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993
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.
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- By E. Reid Ross
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1245
6 Absurd Pirate Myths Everyone Believes (Thanks to Movies)
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- By Eric Yosomono, Drew Miller
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868
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.
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- By Jacopo della Quercia
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635
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.
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- By Evan V. Symon
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670
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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.
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- By John Champion
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834
The 5 Most Badass Teams of Famous People To Ever Join Forces
The results of these team-ups were usually insane, if not world-changing.
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- By Juan Arteaga, Jacopo della Quercia
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579
6 Famous Firsts You Learned in History Class (Are Total BS)
Your whole life you've been taught the importance of coming in first. Whether you're the first to make a great discovery or the first to hit the finish line, it's all a big deal. That's why it's right to point out the phonies.
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- By Eddie Rodriguez, John Champion
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1255
The 6 Most Badass Families of All-Time
As it turns out, badassery is handed down through the bloodline.
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- By Dan Seitz
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562
The 5 Most Badass War Heroes Who Never Held a Weapon
The pen, they say, is mightier than the sword. What they neglected to tell you is that, more often than you'd think, quite a few things are mightier than the pen. Things like bagpipes, crosses and sometimes just a really magnetic personality.
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- By Tony Pilgram
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454
The 10 Greatest Uses of Trash Talk in the History of War
History records some badass trash talk that would put Schwarzenegger to shame, some spoken in dire circumstances. Of course, it takes a certain type of badass.
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- By Jacopo della Quercia
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747
5 Ways the Invention of Pants Shaped the Modern World
What would you say is the single biggest source or symbol of your strength and power as an individual? The answer is easy: just look down. We're talking, of course, about your pants.
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- By Alexia Franklin
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626
5 Untrained Civilians Who Took On Armies
Regular people get pushed, and sometimes they push back. Hard.
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- By Evan V. Symon
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470
5 Embarrassing Failures History Class Turned Into Victories
Sometimes history is written by wishful thinking. When the real event isn't quite inspirational or romantic enough, we just make up a prettier version and call it history.
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- By John Champion
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1454
The 7 Most Terrifying Pirates from History
Between Johnny Depp and numerous sports logos, pirates have become cartoon characters in modern culture. It's easy to forget that the real thing did exist, and that in many cases they were much more badass than the Hollywood version.
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- By Eric Yosomono, Jean Flynn
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523