History

Bizarre Fact #221:
Did you know...
Spiral staircases in medieval castles are running clockwise. This is because all knights used to be right-handed. When the intruding army would climb the stairs they would not be able to use their right hand which was holding the sword because of the difficulties of climbing the stairs. Left-handed knights would have had no troubles, except left-handed people could never become knights because it was assumed that they were descendants of the devil.

Bizarre Fact #222:
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Suspension of the construction of the Washington Monument, at the 153 foot level, was forced by the anti-Catholic Know-Nothing movement, which was offended by Pope Pius IX's gift of a block of marble from Rome's Temple of Concord. The suspension lasted 26 years. Work resumed in 1880 and the monument was completed in 1888.

Bizarre Fact #223:
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The 1,340-foot-long wall that gave New York's Wall Street its name was only 12 feet tall and erected in 1653 by Dutch colonists to protect against their enemies.

Bizarre Fact #224:
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The 16th century astronomer Tycho Brahe lost his nose in a duel with one of his students over a mathematical computation. He wore a silver replacement nose for the rest of his life.

Bizarre Fact #225:
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The ancient Egyptians recommended mixing half an onion with beer foam as a way of warding off death.

Bizarre Fact #226:
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The ancient Etruscans painted women white and men red in the wall paintings they used to decorate tombs.

Bizarre Fact #227:
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The Aztec Indians in Central America used animal blood mixed with cement as a mortar for their buildings, many of which still remain standing today.

Bizarre Fact #228:
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The Aztec Indians of Mexico believed turquoise would protect them from physical harm, and so warriors used these green and blue stones to decorate their battle shields.

Bizarre Fact #229:
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The best working light-bulb a LONG time ago was a thread of sheep's wool coated with carbon.

Bizarre Fact #230:
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The British once went to war over a sailor’s ear. It happened in 1739, when Britain launched hostilities against Spain because a Spanish officer had supposedly sliced off the ear of a ship’s captain named Robert Jenkins.