5 Ridiculously Weird Historical Facts From Around The World
Duane Beckett
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When it comes to history, not every event can make the headlines. Most get swept away or hidden for a variety of reasons:
However, as historians unearth more about the past, more facts, both weird and wonderful, do make the news. These are the top 5 most ridiculously weird historical facts:
5. The Horse Senator (Consul)
Rome’s biggest historical tyrant, Caligula, loved his horse so much that he tried to make it a consul in the Roman Senate (the horse’s name was Incitatus).
Suetonius writes in his ‘Lives of the Twelve Caesars’ that Incitatus had a stable made of ivory, and attended events which dignitaries were invited. The horse had its own servants and was fed with oats mixed with gold flakes.
There is no explanation about whether Caligula did this to ridicule other senators or out of love for the horse. Either way, Caligula was assassinated before Incitatus ever made the senate.
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4. The 38-Minute War
You’re no doubt familiar with many wars that have occurred during human history, from Troy to the Civil War, and both World Wars:
But did you ever hear about the shortest war in human history?
The Anglo-Zanzibar War was fought between the United Kingdom and Zanzibar Sultanate and lasted for 38 minutes.
Fought on August 27, 1896, the war was triggered by the death of a pro-British Sultan and the accession of the anti-British one. In 38 minutes, the British army captured the fort and installed a favorable sultan.
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3. King Tut’s Parents Were Brother & Sister
King Tut or Tutankhamun was the last Egyptian Pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty to rule the New Kingdom of Egypt:
And after analysis, Tut’s DNA proved his parents were related, early reports said brother and sister, while later reports said, close cousins…
Either way, experts believe it was a common practice in ancient Egypt to marry royal brothers and sisters. Experts also believe that King Tut suffered from several physical illnesses and that he died at the age of 19.
2. Albert Einstein Was Offered The Presidency Of Israel
Albert Einstein wrote letters to several heads of state to support the Jewish people in their struggle for an all-Israel homeland:
Due to his extensive writings against Germany and its persecution of Jews, Einstein was loved among the Jewish community and thus was offered to become the president of Israel after the death of Chaim Weizman in 1952.
The offer was declined by the physicist, saying that he does not hold the natural aptitude and experience needed to lead a state.
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1. Pope Gregory IX Ordered The Extermination Of Cats
While in Power, Pope Gregory IX ordered the execution of all cats. He issued a document that condemned black cats as an incarnation of Satan and other cats as being associated with Satan worship.
Some historians have suggested that the disappearance of those cats in the 13th century helped spread the Black Death as the rat population grew. The Black Death killed 25 million people.