24 of the Biggest Historical ‘Screw You’s

When we imagine the iconic figures of history, we usually do so on a pedestal. We like to imagine them as magnanimous (or cruel and calculating, depending on the person) but a step above most silly mortals. The more history you read, though, the more you realize that even the most impactful of humans are still, on a base level, humans.

Which is to say, a lot of them were petty as hell. Whether in war or in simple day-to-day interactions, even people they built statues of couldn’t resist absolutely dicing someone up if the situation called for it. Thankfully, at least some of these owns from the old times were duly recorded, so we can react with a quiet “oh shit” even in the present day.

Here are some of the best examples, thanks to Redditors who shared their favorite “fuck yous” from history.