Hidden History
Surprising historical events, overlooked figures, and those "why didn't I learn this in school?" moments.
Did You Know?
The first recorded occurrence of biological warfare used honey.
In 401 BC, Persian soldiers left poisonous honey for their enemies to find. The honey was made from...
Did You Know?
The longest siege in history lasted 21 years.
The siege of Candia (modern-day Heraklion, Crete) by Ottoman forces lasted from 1648 to 1669. This is the...
Did You Know?
Ancient Romans had professional dream interpreters.
Called 'coniectores,' these professionals would interpret dreams for a fee and were consulted by everyone from emperors to...
Did You Know?
In 1386, a pig was executed in France for the murder of a child.
The pig was dressed in human clothes and hanged in the town square of Falaise, Normandy. The execution...
Did You Know?
The first recorded strike occurred in ancient Egypt.
During the reign of Ramesses III (around 1170 BC), workers building the royal necropolis organized a strike to...
Did You Know?
The Great London Beer Flood of 1814 killed eight people when a huge vat of beer burst.
On October 17, 1814, a 22-foot-tall wooden vat containing over 135,000 gallons of beer at Meux's Brewery exploded,...
Did You Know?
The first documented April Fools’ prank was about washing lions.
In 1698, several Londoners were tricked into going to the Tower of London to see the 'washing of...
Did You Know?
The first recorded case of email spam was in 1978.
The first spam email was sent by Gary Thuerk, a marketing manager at Digital Equipment Corporation, to 400...
Did You Know?
London’s Big Ben was originally supposed to be named ‘Royal Victoria.’
The famous clock tower was designed to honor Queen Victoria, but during construction, workers began calling it 'Big...