Shocking Historical Facts You Never Learned in School

 Uncovering the Untold Truths That Textbooks Left Out

Three worlds, one history. 

Did you know that a Roman emperor once waged a war against the sea - and won? History is filled with moments that sound like fancies of fiction, but they are just as valid as truths. For every story of Caesar or the World Wars, hundreds of amazing stories never made it into your textbook.

In this blog, we will reveal 10 unbelievable historical facts that are not commonly taught in schools or colleges. From forgotten revolts to odd royal habits, these obscure facts show just how odd - and interesting history really is!

Historical Background

History education tends to spotlight moments of political success, wars, and national creation, and rightly so. These events impact the world as we know it. However, this perspective fails to capture the innumerable stories involving many different cultures, obscure kings and rulers, and bizarre events that shaped human civilization in their own right.  

Some stories were excluded for being too strange, too local, or too contradictory to mainstream narratives. But, although odd, these events are no less relevant and often much more memorable.

Early civilizations often developed bizarre practices to survive, many of which have shaped the bizarre events we will examine today. Read more in our article on how early societies shaped civilization.

Main Events or Developments

1. Emperor Caligula Waged War

This occurred in 39 CE. Roman Emperor Caligula told his troops to march to the English Channel, stab the ocean, and declare war on Neptune (the Roman god of the ocean). Once they had stabbed the water, Caligula sent his army home with seashells that they had scooped up off the ocean floor as spoils of war.

2. The Dancing Plague of 1518

When dance became a curse. 

In Strasbourg (now France), people danced uncontrollably in the streets for weeks, causing some to die from exhaustion. Historians aren't sure if mass hysteria, ergot poisoning, or a neurological illness caused the incident. 

Ancient Science at Work. .

3. The Ancient Egyptians Had Pregnancy Tests

Egyptian women urinated on barley and wheat seeds to test if they were pregnant or not. If the seeds sprouted after a week, then they were pregnant. Surprisingly, modern science has shown that this method is about 70% accurate.
 

4. Vikings Made Weapons out of Bones

While Vikings are known for their axes and swords, archaeological evidence shows that they sometimes used the bones of their enemies as weapons.  

5. Cleopatra Lived Closer to the Moon Landing than the Pyramids.

Cleopatra died in 30 BCE. The Great Pyramid of Giza was completed sometime around 2560 BCE, or more than 2500 years earlier. Cleopatra was also more than 2000 years earlier than the first moon landing in 1969. 

6. A Swarm of Bunnies Attacked Napoleon

Napoleon Bonaparte somehow thought it would be a good idea to stage a rabbit hunt for his men. But when he released hundreds of tame rabbits, they ran toward the soldiers, instead of away from them. The soldiers were quickly surrounded by hungry rabbits who were confused and thought the soldiers were there to feed them.

7. Australia Had a Great Emu War

In 1932, the Australian government sent soldiers to deal with the massive number of emus that were destroying crops in Western Australia. After weeks of watching the birds outsmart them, the Australian military lost a war that lasted long enough to call it an all-out "war" - to emus.

8. Pope Gregory IX Declared War on Cats

In the 13th century, Pope Gregory IX thought that cats were associated with devil worship, so he ordered the killing of all cats. Ironically, this likely worsened the later Black Death because fewer cats meant that there would be more rats carrying the plague.

9. The CIA Tried Spying with Cats

During the height of the Cold War, the CIA spent millions of dollars on Project Acoustic Kitty. The phase involved implanting microphones in cats so they could spy on the Soviets. Unfortunately for the CIA, the first test was a spectacular failure when the cat ran into traffic and got hit by an advancing taxi.

10. Andrew Jackson Owned a Cursing Parrot

At the funeral of Andrew Jackson in 1845, his pet parrot had to be removed for using foul language during the service. The parrot had apparently learned some of that language from Jackson himself.

Key Figures or Groups

Caligula posed in a Roman.
 Senate setting

Many of these curious facts originate from some of the oversized historical characters. 

For example,

•  Caligula was a demented Roman emperor who ruled with brutal and senseless cruelty and extravagance. 

• Cleopatra was not just a beautiful seductress; she was a multilingual strategist and educated scholar. 

• Andrew Jackson was known for his historic fiery speeches; he supposedly trained a parrot to give him a run for his money. 

Impact and Significance

While these are amusing or bizarre anecdotes, they do reinforce the following aspects of history:

• How the eccentric personalities of leaders can affect entire societies.

• The creativity of the ancient cultures.

• The peril of leaders who believe in and practice superstition.

• That humans have a long memory for things that they have forgotten or deemed unimportant.

These anecdotes serve a higher purpose than being merely entertaining: they remind us that history is not just a list of boring dates and wars, but a colorful fabric filled with human absurdity, creativity, and consequences.

Conclusion

History is weirder than you were led to believe in your high-school textbook. Take away the narratives of the battles and treaties, and what remains are stories of dancing epidemics, presidential parrots, and victorious emus. These are not only funny stories, but they also show the strange side of humanity.

So when you next believe history is boring, remember: Someone once tried to spy on Russia with a cat.

Which of these stories was the biggest surprise?

Have your own strange tidbit from history?

👇 Let me know in the comments!

And be sure to share this post with your most curious friend. 🕵️

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About the Author:
I'm Ali Mujtuba Zaidi, a passionate history enthusiast who enjoys exploring how the past connects to our present. Through this blog, I share my thoughts and research on ancient civilizations, lost empires, and the lessons history teaches us today.