History

Bizarre Fact #231:
Did you know...
The Chinese, in olden days, used marijuana only as a remedy for dysentery.

Bizarre Fact #232:
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The Coliseum received its name not for its size, but for a colossal statue of Nero that stood close by, placed there after the destruction of his palace.

Bizarre Fact #233:
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The dirt road that General Washington and his soldiers took to fight off General Clinton during the Battle of Monmouth was called the Burlington Path.

Bizarre Fact #234:
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The first advertisement printed in English in 1477 offered a prayer book. The ad was published by William Caxton on his press in Westminster Abbey. No price was mentioned, only that the book was "good chepe."

Bizarre Fact #235:
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The first aerial photograph was taken from a balloon during the U.S. civil war.

Bizarre Fact #236:
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The first Bowie knife was forged at Washington, Arkansas.

Bizarre Fact #237:
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The first dictionary of American English was published on April 14th, 1828, by - who else? - Noah Webster.

Bizarre Fact #238:
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The first Eskimo Bible was printed in Copenhagen in 1744.

Bizarre Fact #239:
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The first European to visit the Mississippi River was DeSoto.

Bizarre Fact #240:
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The first known item made from aluminum was a rattle—made for Napoleon III in the 1850s. Napoleon also provided his most honored guests with knives and forks made of pure aluminum. At the time the newly discovered metal was so rare, it was considered more valuable than gold.