History

Bizarre Fact #281:
Did you know...
When airplanes were still a novel invention, seat belts for pilots were installed only after the consequence of their absence was observed to be fatal - several pilots fell to their deaths while flying upside down.

Bizarre Fact #282:
Did you know...
When Elizabeth I of Russia died in 1762, 15,000 dresses were found in her closets. She used to change what she was wearing two and even three times an evening.

Bizarre Fact #283:
Did you know...
When Gaius Caesar was a boy, Roman soldiers affectionately nicknamed him "little boots" for the boy-sized military footwear he sported.

Bizarre Fact #284:
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When he resigned in 1923 because of illegal behavior in the Teapot Dome Affair, Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall was offered an appointment to the Supreme Court by President Harding. In 1931, Fall was tried and found guilty of conspiracy to defraud.

Bizarre Fact #285:
Did you know...
When Napoleon wore black silk handkerchiefs around his neck during a battle, he always won. At Waterloo, he wore a white cravat and lost the battle and his kingdom.

Bizarre Fact #286:
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When Sir Walter Raleigh introduced tobacco into England in the early 1600's, King James I wrote a booklet against it. I guess that makes King James the founding father of the "Just Say No" campaign.

Bizarre Fact #287:
Did you know...
When the first U.S. Congress set the president's pay at $25,000 per year they established the vice president's salary of $5,000.

Bizarre Fact #288:
Did you know...
When the U.S. War Department was established in 1789, there were 840 soldiers in the regular army. Their job was to supervise public lands and guard the indian frontier.

Bizarre Fact #289:
Did you know...
When Thomas Jefferson became U.S. President in 1801, 20 percent of all people in the young nation were slaves.

Bizarre Fact #290:
Did you know...
While performing her duties as queen, Cleopatra sometimes wore a fake beard.