Did You Know?
Japanese Samurai would practice ‘tsujigiri’ – testing new swords on random passersby.
This practice, literally meaning 'crossroads killing,' was eventually banned in the 17th century. Samurai would test their newly-made swords on unsuspecting civilians to ensure the blade's quality. This brutal custom reflected the extreme power imbalance in feudal Japanese society.
Did You Know?
The Tudors believed that rubbing a dead person’s teeth on their gums would prevent toothache.
This macabre dental practice involved rubbing teeth taken from corpses on painful gums. The practice was widespread enough...
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Persian kings would debate important matters twice – once sober and once drunk.
Important decisions were discussed first while sober, then again while intoxicated. If an idea seemed good in both...
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Victorian ladies would paint their faces with arsenic to appear pale.
Arsenic wafers were eaten or made into face cream to achieve a fashionable pale complexion. This deadly practice...