Most Interesting Historical Facts Ever Known

Edgar Allan Poe Facts

Edgar Allan Poe is a well-known historic figure for his short stories and poems that attract millions of readers throughout the world. But how much did you really know about some other interesting facts about Edgar Allan Poe? To know about this creative writer, check out these Edgar Allan Poe facts that shed some light on the troubled life of Poe.

• Poe’s mother, Elizabeth, died when he was just 3 years old.
• His father was an alcoholic and abandoned Edgar and other children after the death of Elizabeth and died probably after 2 days.
• Poe was orphaned and adopted by John and Frances Allan. Edgar adopted the name “Allan” from them.
• In 1815, he moved to London along with his foster family and then in 1820, they moved to Virginia. He was engaged in gambling and this became a problem for his foster father and as a result, he was kicked out from the university of Virginia due to unpaid fees. His foster father disowned him after the death of Frances Allan.
• In 1827, he then enrolled in the army as Edgar A. Perry.
• “The Raven” was the personal challenge for Edgar that he imposed upon himself. This masterpiece put Poe on the map and made him a popular author overnight.
• Poe would place his beloved cat on his shoulder when he began to write.
• In 1849, he was found wandering in terrible condition on the streets of Baltimore. He admitted to the hospital for four days and died in a mysterious condition because all medical records including his death certificate have been lost. 

Hitler Facts

No doubt, Adolf Hitler is very argumentative and questionable personality in history due to his opinions and beliefs and the war he caused, result in the death of 70 million people. So, here are some interesting facts about Hitler you didn’t know about.

• Hitler adopted the vegetarian diet and stood against the animal cruelty.
• He was addicted to chocolate and would consume 1 kilogram of chocolate per day. He was a sweet lover and used to take a daily dose of pastries and cakes.
• Hitler had a crush on a Jewish girl in his young age named Stefanie Isa.
• Hitler spent a lot of time with his niece and he had a controversial relationship with her.
• One of strange Hitler facts is that he lost his one testicle during the World War I.
• He was fond of art and wanted to become an artist, for this, he applied to the academy of fine arts Vienna twice, but rejected.
• Hitler was a Disney fan. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was his favorite.
• He had insomnia. He used to work at nights and wake up late in the mornings.

Joseph Stalin Facts

Joseph Stalin is one of the most controversial personalities in history world. He was ruthless, a cruel dictator of the Soviet Union who killed millions of people. His followers call him a great ruler who did anything for his country while his haters characterize him as a barbarous dictator. Here are some Joseph Stalin facts about Joseph Stalin you may not know.

• In childhood, Joseph Stalin suffered from smallpox and scars were left on his face. Due to these scars, other children used to call him “Pocky” and this nickname stuck with him throughout his childhood.
• Stalin was a movie lover and loved to watch movies in his private movie theater. His favorite movies were Charlie Chaplin, Tarzan, and Gregory Aleksandrov’s Volga.
• Stalin loved to drink wine. He liked everything about it, the color, smell, bottles and absolutely its taste.
• Joseph Stalin real name was loseb Besarionis Jugashvili that he changed into Stalin in 30s means “Man of Steel”.
• Despite the killings of 20 million people in his reign, Stalin nominated for Nobel Peace Prize not only once, but twice in 1954 and 1948.
• Stalin liked the privacy and for this, he never allowed his servants to enter his private bedchambers in any situation. For testing, a few times, he blared in distress and whoever tried to enter his bedroom, was executed.
• His son named “Yaakov” was taken prisoner by the Nazi’s and denied to give in to Hitler. They believed that they could threaten him by torturing his son. But The Man of Steel refused to sign any ransoming agreement. Therefore, Yakov died in a German prison under mysterious circumstances.

World War Two Facts

The Second World War was the most deadliest and significant war in history, in which 30 countries are included, resulting the death of more than 50 million people. Here are some interesting random Wii facts you probably didn’t know about.

• During World War II, Allies on Berlin expelled bomb, which cause the death of only 1 Elephant in Berlin zoo.
• Red Army raped 2 million German women aged 13-17.
• During World War II, Americans used to say “Liberty Steak” instead of “Hamburger” to avoid the German sounding name.
• Adolf Hitler’s nephew named William Hitler was in the U.S. Navy and fought against Hitler.
• The largest Japanese spy ring was actually located in Mexico during Word War II.
• During WWII, only 10,000 people returned out of 40,000 who served on U- boats.
• U.S. budget increased from $1.9 billion to $59.8 billion during 1940 to 1945.
• One of interesting Word War two facts is that the Oscar’s statuettes were made up of painted plaster instead of metal due to the shortage of metal.

Pompeii Facts

During the times of Ancient Rome, Pompeii was a major resort city. However in 79AD, the destruction of Pompeii took place when the Volcano Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried the glorious city under the thick carpet of ash. Here are some historical facts about Pompeii destruction and you can expand your knowledge by taking a look at these Pompeii facts.

• Mount Vesuvius volcano was just a few miles away from the city of Pompeii, and the residents didn’t even know that it was a volcano.
• Pompeii population was estimated around 15,000 and about 2000 people died in the disaster.
• The eruption took place on 24 August, one day after the festival of Vulcanalia.
• Mount Vesuvius is considered to be the most dangerous Volcano in the world and is the only active Volcano in Europe.
• The disastrous eruption in 79 AD lasted for 24 hours.
• A Roman writer, Pliny the younger, witnessed the whole eruption and his uncle lost his life trying to safe the people of Pompeii.
• The city was rediscovered in 1748. A team of travelers arrived in Campania searching for ancient artifacts and began to dig. Hundreds of well-preserved artifacts were found.
• Pompeii is now a major explorers attraction and visited by the 2 million people every year.

Chernobyl Facts

It’s been 25 years since the Chernobyl disaster, but the effects are still being felt today. Here are interesting Chernobyl facts you should know about.

• At first, the government kept Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986 as secret. Even the Soviet Union, of which Ukraine was a part at that time, had no idea that what was happening in the corner of their empire.
• It was the Swedish who alerted the Europe about the accident. It was a result of the horrifying accident in power plant instead of the painting above Ukraine in the form of a cloud.
• The Chernobyl area was abandoned just 2 days before the heavy radiation. Inhabitants were allowed to take their money and documents. They have no idea that nothing will remain behind them.
• The true victims were the firemen who were inside the exclusion zone to set the initial fire down.
• The radiation was so intensive that the eyes of a firefighter turned from brown to blue.
• People were told to drink Vodka so that it could reduce the chances of thyroid cancer.
• After the first explosion, the Geiger counters in the control room read 3.6, which is a safe unit. But the counters were designed to go up to 3.6. The real reading was 15000.
• The Chernobyl exclusive zone is now a wildlife park and sanctuary. You can have a trip into the exclusive zone for $250.

Catacombs Paris Facts

Many people do not know the Paris Catacombs history “Empire of the Dead” is the underground city of about 6 million Paris’s dead. It is the world of dark filled with skulls and bones with congested tunnels. It is the largest historic mass graveyard in the world but still fascinating for the visitors. Here are some Catacombs Paris facts that are creepy and interesting with the fascinating history.

• The catacombs of Paris were built because the graveyards were overflowed near the areas of Paris and the bones were moved to the tunnels and packed into the tunnel walls.
• There are many secret entrances to the Persian catacombs. But a small portion is open for the visitors.
• There are miles and miles of tunnels, about 200, and without the experienced tourist guide, it is possible to get lost.
• During World War 2, the Resistance used the tunnels to hide them from Nazis.
• The depth of catacombs Paris is 20 meters.
• The catacombs are also called “ Cemetery of innocent people”.
• In 1793, a guy named Philibert Aspairt, got lost and died in the catacombs and his dead body found after 11 years. He was buried at the place he was found.
• You can take a 45 minutes tour and it covers a tiny 1.2-mile long portion.

Aztecs Facts

Aztec was the native civilization of America known as very barbaric due to the count of killings they made. Contrary to this, Aztecs were society oriented people and believed in education, art, and family. Listed below are the cool history facts about the Aztecs you will enjoy.

• This is one of the aztec facts, Aztec people were artistic and creative who loved to sculpt and create pottery.
• They put a strong emphasis on the education of children and they were taught other vocational skills to survive later their lives.
• They had an advance system for keeping records. For maintaining records about tax, religious sacrifices and others, they used deer skins and tree barks.
• Aztecs were the first to introduce chocolate.
• They would often sell their children to the wealthy class to pay off their debts. They were treated well and could buy their freedom.
• The punishment for disobeying the law was often death.
• Their deceased were often buried along with a dog so that he could help them to the afterlife. This is one of the interesting Aztecs facts.
• It is estimated that Aztecs sacrificed about 20,000 people every year. And they often ate their bodies but it is not certain. But it is hard to ignore.

Mayans Facts

Maya is the ancient civilization of Mesoamerica and was one of the most dominant societies, well known for its art, pottery, calendar making and astronomical systems. Listed below are the some weird history facts about the Mayans that might surprise you.

• Mayans worshiped the gods of sun, crop, and rain.
• Mayans used Cacao as currency.
• Mayans buried the dead noble with pottery ornaments, and sometimes with human sacrifices to serve him in the afterlife.
• To make the desired changes on the physical appearance of their children, for this, boards were pressed on their foreheads to make a flattened surface.
• Most of the children were named according to the day they were born.
• Mayans used to take the sweat bath to purify their body.
• Mayans would offer children, slaves or prisoners of wars as human scarifies to make their gods happy.
• This is the one of the weird and bizarre Mayans facts. They paint the body of the victim to be offered into blue color and pulled out the still beating heart.

The collapse of Mayan culture is still a mystery because it was very advanced civilization. However in some rural areas of Guatemala and Mexico, Mayan culture preserves.

Greece Facts

Greece is one of the oldest civilizations that can be traced back to the Stone Age hunters. It is famous for its culture, tremendous history and the historical figures it produced. Following are the fun history facts about Greece you should know.

• Though in Ancient Greece, there were no mobile phones, computers, electricity, and televisions, but they lived in highly organized cities.
• One of the interesting fun facts about Greece is that unlike Modern Greece; Ancient Greece was made up of 1500 different states each with different laws and regulations.
• For Ancient Greek women the life expectancy was 36 and for men, it was 45.
• Some Greeks would not eat beans because they believed that they contained the souls of dead.
• The Ancient Greeks invented the theater.
• They believed in enjoying life and enjoyable things for them to do dance and listening music.
• Ancient Greeks were fond of arts and they used to decorate their homes, buildings and city streets.
• They loved their democracy and proud for being a civilized nation.
• I hope that you enjoyed reading the Greece facts that may be new to you.

I guarantee that most of the zealous history buffs will be surprised to know about some of these weird facts about people, ancient civilizations, and major disasters. I hope that you had a great time reading these funny history facts and interesting funny facts about people in history. Now, you are ready to amaze and shock your friends by telling these interesting history facts.