Hidden History
Surprising historical events, overlooked figures, and those "why didn't I learn this in school?" moments.
Did You Know?
The first recorded game of cricket was played in 1550 as a court case.
The earliest documented evidence of cricket comes from a court case in Surrey, England, where a man testified...
Did You Know?
Napoleon was once attacked by thousands of rabbits.
In 1807, Napoleon arranged a rabbit hunt to entertain his guests. His chief of staff collected thousands of...
Did You Know?
The Great Pyramid of Giza had a modern-day equivalent price tag of $1.2 billion.
Ancient records show that building the Great Pyramid required approximately 4 million stone blocks and took 20 years....
Did You Know?
Medieval Europe had professional hermits.
Wealthy estate owners would hire ornamental hermits to live in their gardens and dispense wisdom to visitors. These...
Did You Know?
Ancient Greeks had an Olympic event for trumpeting.
The ancient Olympics included a competition for trumpet players, testing both volume and clarity. The winner in 396...
Did You Know?
Medieval European cities had professional sleep monitors.
Called 'Night Watchmen,' these officials were responsible for ensuring citizens went to bed at reasonable hours. They would...
Did You Know?
The first recorded case of death by laughing was in Ancient Greece.
Chrysippus, a Greek philosopher, reportedly died of laughter in 207 BC after watching a donkey eat his figs....
Did You Know?
The word ‘salary’ comes from the Latin word for salt.
Roman soldiers were sometimes paid in salt or given a salt allowance called a 'salarium,' from which we...
Did You Know?
Ancient Spartans used cheese as a form of biological warfare.
During siege warfare, Spartans would allow cheese to rot until it became highly toxic, then catapult it over...