Fun Facts about History
Acupuncture was first used as a medical treatment in 2700 BC by Chinese emperor Shen-Nung.
Armored knights raised their visors to identify themselves when they rode past their king. This custom has become the modern military salute.
At Andrew Jackson's funeral in 1845, his pet parrot had to be removed because it was swearing.
At the height of its power, in 400 BC, the Greek city of Sparta had 25,000 citizens and 500,000 slaves.
Bock's Car was the name of the B-29 Bomber that dropped the Atom Bomb on Nagasaki.
Britain's present royal family was originally named Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The name was changed in 1917, during WW1 because of German connotations. The name Windsor was suggested by one of the staff. At the same time the Battenberg family name of the cousins to the Windsors was changed into Mountbatten.
Canada declared national beauty contests canceled as of 1992, claiming they were degrading to women.
Captain Cook lost 41 of his 98 crew to scurvy (a lack of vitamin C) on his first voyage to the South Pacific in 1768. By 1795 the importance of eating citrus was realized, and lemon juice was issued on all British Navy ships.
Chicago's Lincoln Park was created in 1864. The original 120 acre cemetery had most of its graves removed and was expanded to more than 1000 acres for recreational use.
Christmas became a national holiday in the US in 1890.
During the US Civil war, 200,000 blacks served in the Union Army; 38,000 gave their lives; 22 won the Medal of Honor.
Everyone in the Middle Ages believed -- as Aristotle had -- that the heart was the seat of intelligence.
First four countries to have television: England, the U.S., the U.S.S.R., and Brazil.
Former President Cleveland defeated incumbent Benjamin Harrison in 1892, becoming the first (and, to date, only) chief executive to win non-consecutive terms to the White House.
Fourteenth century physicians didn't know what caused the plague, but they knew it was contagious. As a result they wore an early kind of bioprotective suit which included a large beaked head piece. The beak of the head piece, which made them look like large birds, was filled with vinegar, sweet oils and other strong smelling compounds to counteract the stench of the dead and dying plague victims.
From the Middle Ages up until the end of the 19th century, barbers performed a number of medical duties including bloodletting, wound treatment, dentistry, minor operations and bone-setting. The barber's striped red pole originated in the Middle Ages, when it was a staff the patient would grip while the barber bled the patient.
Grand Rapids, Michigan was the 1st US city to fluoridate its water in 1945.
In 1810 US population was 7,239,881. Black population at 1,377,808 was 19%. In 1969 US population reached 200 million.
In 1865, several veterans of the Confederate Army formed a private social club in Pulaski, Tennessee, called the Ku Klux Klan.
In 1892, Italy raised the minimum age for marriage for girls - to 12.
In 1947, Toys for Tots started making the holidays a little happier for children by organizing its first Christmas toy drive for needy youngsters.
In England and the American colonies the year 1752 only had 354 days. In that year, the type of calendar was changed, and 11 days were lost.
In the Holocaust between 5.1 and 6 million of Europe's 10 million Jews were killed. An additional 6 million 'unwanted' people were also executed, including more than half of Poland's educated populace.
Influenza caused over twenty-one million deaths in 1918.
Martha Washington, Pocahontas, and Susan B. Anthony are the only 3 women to have been represented on US currency.
Members of the Nazi SS had their blood type tattooed on their armpits.
More than 20,000 men were killed, wounded, or missing in action in the battle of Antietam, September 17, 1862. This was the bloodiest one-day fight during the Civil War.