34 of the Most Disorienting Facts About History

‘In Europe between the 14th and 17th centuries, people were occasionally afflicted with ‘dancing mania’’
34 of the Most Disorienting Facts About History
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Thinking about the future is a quick way to break your brain. Funnily enough, that’s not a skill that’s unique to things that haven’t yet happened. There’s also times and facts from history that might send you into a minor crisis.

If you want your view of the past to be soundly damaged, keep reading. Redditors shared some of the tidbits of history that never fail to twist their brain the wrong way, and now you can join them in their dismay. For example, Egypt probably deserved much more than a single chapter in your history books.

Grampa_Botcha . 15y ago In a similar vein to the OP's example, when I was studying Egyptian history one of my professors talked about research he had done on graffiti at the pyramids. One of the inscriptions was from a New Kingdom Pharaoh (think circa King Tut) which said to the effect, The great Pharaoh XX visited these pyramids and marveled at the mysteries of his ancestors. Egyptian civilization spanned such a great amount of time that they even forgot how they built the pyramids.
simpsun728 . 15y ago Napoleon marched his troops under the Brandenburg Gate in 1804 after he invaded Germany. Hitler marched his troops under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris during WWII as an act of revenge. Europeans have quite long memories.
The0 15y ago My great uncle Edmund and his friend Hap flew B-29s during WWII. They flew bombing raids over Japan, and they were shot down and taken as POWs for 8 months. Forty years after being rescued, Hap goes back to Japan to try and stop the constant nightmares he had been having ever since his time as a POW. Не ends up meeting the pilot that shot him down, and they become friends.
DrakeSD . 15y ago . Edited 15y ago The time difference between when Tyrannosaurus and Stegosaurus lived is greater than the time difference between Tyrannosaurus and now.
mahouyousei 15y ago The Russo-Japanese War technically lasted over 100 years. When Russia and Japan declared war in 1904, Montenegro was allied with Russia at the time, and also declared war. However, being a tiny principality at the time, Montenegro didn't really participate in the war other than sending a few volunteer troops. When the Treaty of Portsmouth was signed in 1905, Montenegro's involvement was overlooked. It wasn't until 2006 that Japan and Montenegro realized they were technically still at war, and another peace treaty was signed.
Pyran 15y ago When Alexander the Great decided to attack the city of Tyre, he ran into a problem: Tyre was an island, and he had no boats. No matter; he had his men construct a bridge amidst the hail of arrows from the walls of Tyre. Then he crossed the bridge and conquered the city. 2500 years later, the centuries of accumulated silt and sand have turned that man-made bridge into a full-scale, permanent geological feature. Tyre is, to this day, no longer an island.
theorys 15y ago There are over 2,400 comments, but I hope some of you can see this: Mississippi didn't ratify the 13th amendment (Prohibition of slavery) until 1995, only 16 years ago.
theKnightofMirrors 15y ago In about 240 B.C.E., the Greek mathematician Eratosthenes calculated, with astounding accuracy for his time, the circumference of the earth. According to Wikipedia, he came up with the measurement of about 252,000 stadia. Though the exact size of said stadion is in dispute, historians believe he would have used the measurement of the then contemporary Egyptian stadion; he did after all, conduct his measurements in Egypt. Such a stadion would have measured about 157.5 meters, which puts his measurement for the earth's circumference at about 39,690 kilometers, astoundingly close to our current measurement of 40,075 km.
derpsauce20 . 15y ago In a single afternoon, 40 thousand Roman soldiers were slaughtered by Hannibal at the battle of Cannae. A slaughter of this proportion in a single afternoon wasn't matched until WW1.
MrMisfortune . 15y ago When Inuits were first discovered they had no idea there were other humans on the planet
powerss 15y ago From prehistory until at least the Romans, there was a plant called Silphium, which is believed to have been used for abortions. Until I learned about this in a class, I had no idea such things existed. I just sort of assumed before condoms and other 'modern' technology, if you had male-female recreational sex, there was a chance for a baby. Also: -The city of Cyrene may have had its economy based on Silphium. -The shape of its seed may have been the origin of our heart shape. -It is now extinct. =(
effraye 15y ago In the 1920's Canada had a plan for a surprise invasion of the United States in the event of war. The plan was to move troops as far south as possible then as soon as serious resistance was met retreat to the border using scorched earth tactics. All this was to buy time for assistance from Britain and Japan.
a 15y ago I've always thought that the inventors of basic things were kind of mindfuck-inducing. Mathematics are impressive enough, but then you think about the guy/lady who invented numbers with nothing to base it on but an abstract notion, or the person who realized, Hey, if I take the seeds from this wheat plant and mash it up, mix it with water, let it sit around for a little while, and then put it on a fire for a while, it tastes fucking delicious. It just puts in to perspective how smart humans are to figure those things
baroncorvo 15y ago In Europe between the 14th and 17th centuries, people were occasionally afflicted with dancing mania, in which large groups would begin to dance in the streets, as if in a trance, often until the point of passing out. The phenomenon is well documented and is largely not understood.
barfolomew . 15y ago We usually think of a cowboy as being a white man, but 30% of cowboys were black; poor, recently emancipated slaves trying to make a bare living.
Chawp 15y ago After human ancestors spread out of Africa and fanned across Asia, one species, H. floresiensis, settled down on an Indonesian island. These people were diminutive, about 3 feet tall. The island was also, at the time, home to a miniature species of mammoth / elephant, Stegodon. Additionally it is one of the only places to find Komodo Dragons! The Stegodons and H. florensiensis were wiped out at the same time, maybe due to a massive volcano. Some people speculate that the hobbit people hunted the mini mammoths, but I like to think they rode around on them, hunting Komodo
nykz3peAt 15y ago During 14th century Korea, Admiral Yi Sun Shin singlehandedly stopped the Japanese invasion during Japans conquest of Asia. In 26 naval battles, he didnt lose once and achieved flawless victory. Every battle, he was outnumbered, some times 100:1. There were many battles where he takes a handful of ships (13), and defeats hundreds upon hundreds. Не was able to do this because he was a master tactician and used every advantage he could find whether it was wind direction, tide changes, boat formation, and natural geography. His achievements in history is unparalleled, yet not many people have
k4osth3ory ... 15y ago Not really a mindfuck but has anyone wondered what the world would be like if the library at Alexandria had not burned down?
slut_patrol a 15y ago Edited 15y ago Shortly before the assassination of Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth, Lincoln's son Robert was in New Jersey at a train station when he fell off of the platform and on to the tracks. Immediately a hand reached down and grabbed his collar, pulled him back onto the platform, and saved his life. Who was the man who saved him? None other than Edwin Booth, the older brother of John Wilkes Booth.
kvellturo 15y ago That John Tyler (10th president born 1790) has two living GRANDSONS
lookingforuser . 15y ago The day after Thursday, 4 October 1582 was Friday, 15 October 1582. This marked the transition between the Julian calender and the Gregorian calender.
dizzyrags 15y ago Sir Arthur Currie, a Canadian General, did not lose a single battle in WWI. Не revolutionized troop cohesion and mobility by, and this is what fucks with my mind, giving each of his soldiers a MAP OF BATTLE LOCATION. At that time, the prevailing idea among militaries was that lowly soldiers couldn't possibly make use of a map. Meanwhile, this Canadian comes along and thinks to himself, No, I really think the whole knowing-where-you-are thing is a good idea.
15y ago The events that took place between Cortes and Montezuma. The Spaniards landed in a world where people breathed fire (smoking tobacco) had hot and cold running indoor plumbing and built structures that dwarfed anything in Europe. The population of Tenochtitlan was around 150k where as London at the time was around 50k. When asked why they needed so much gold Cortes replied, Because we Spaniards have a disease called greed which only gold can cure. The clash of these two cultures has always fascinated me.
15y ago Edited 15y ago Several hundred years ago, a group of Maori set sail from New Zealand into the unknown South Pacific. Whether by luck or skill, they landed on a remote archipelago known now as the Chatham Islands, some 500 miles away. They lost all contact with their fellow tribesmen on New Zealand and formed a tight-knit, egalitarian community known as the Moriori and lived in peace for over 100 years. Then, one day in the 1830s, a group of Maori, who had by this point established contact with English settlers, hitched a ride on a seal-
Springislikeaperhaps . 15y ago More people died from the the 1918 influenza pandemic than World War I. Also, more people died in one year of the influenza pandemic than died in four years of the black plague.
msuvagabond 15y ago Wilmer McLean!! The American Civil war started in his front yard and ended in his NEW HOUSE 120 miles away. How is that not the biggest mind fuck ever??
brown_felt_hat . 15y ago Those really famous Greek statues that are perfect, smooth white marble were originally painted wild bright colours (think pinata colours).
. 15y ago There was a 66 year gap between the Wright brothers first flight and the moon landing.
north0 . 15y ago Cleopatra lived closer in time to us than she did to the creation of the Pyramids.
SandHammer 15y ago Edited 15y ago Puma Punku was an ancient site in South America similar to Pyramids in Egypt. However, Puma Punku was built by an ancient civilization that has no trace of written language, let alone geometry, to construct these structures. Although the structures do not stand today, the remains of them are startling. Watch the video (ignore conspiracy talk): http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=FOYGcJIdXEY I am extremely curious on how they might have accomplished the task. Not sure why this site does not receive attention from researchers.
Debonaire . 15y ago About 70000 years ago the human population was reduced to near extinction, about 2000 individuals. They also theorize that if that Spanish flu had broken out in the middle ages instead of the Bubonic Plague we might not have made it either.
Coffee_Cat . 15y ago In 1842, a merchant ship called the 'Mary Celeste' was discovered completely abandoned in the Atlantic ocean. The cargo was almost completely untouched and there was more than enough food and water. No sign of struggle, mutiny etc. The crew never turned up. The hell? : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Celeste
intelekshual . 15y ago a Edited 15y ago Some people consider the introduction of coffee in Europe as the lubricant of the Enlightenment. According to Stephen Hicks, those who drank coffee instead of alcohol began the day alert and stimulated, rather than relaxed and mildly inebriated, and the quality and quantity of their work improved. ... Western Europe began to emerge from an alcoholic haze that had lasted for centuries.
15y ago There is a spot in the Mayan city of Chitzen Itza, where if you clap, the sound reverberates off of the pyramids and comes back sounding like an eagle's call and a snake's rattle. It was probably designed with this in mind, as the temple was built in honor of a bird/snake god (or something like that I'm not really sure lol). Now how the hell did they figure that out?

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