24 Bizarre and Weird History Facts

Published August 4, 2025

During a celebration of the Treatise of Tilsit, Napoleon and his men planned to hold a traditional rabbit hunt. Instead of running away, however, the rabbits swarmed and overwhelmed Napoleon, forcing him and his troops to retreat._[16]
In 18th-century Europe, many people believed tomatoes were poisonous because people would sometimes die after eating the "poison apples." The cause, however, was lead in the pewter plates rather than the tomatoes themselves._[15]

"Mummy Mania" swept Europe and the United States for several reasons: 1) exposure to ancient Egypt and the Middle East through colonialism, 2) the mystery and science, 3) and just for the spectacle

Victorians in the 19th century were so obsessed with ancient Egypt that they had mummy unwrapping parties. Some people even went so far as to nibble on the mummies as a type of medicine._[9]
King Charles VI of France believed that he was made out of glass. He wore special clothing to avoid "shattering."_[19]
In 18th-century Europe, pineapples were such a luxury item that aristocrats would rent them as center pieces for special events. Eating them was secondary._[12]
After Einstein died, the pathologist who performed the autopsy took Einstein's brain without telling anyone. He later asked permission from Einstein's eldest son; and eventually the brain was donated to the Mutter Medical Museum in Philadelphia._[13]
A man who survived a fall over Niagara Falls in a barrel later slipped on an orange peel. The fall injured his leg, which became infected and eventually killed him._[24]
During Prohibition, the U.S. government once poisoned alcohol to stop people from drinking. Known as the Chemists' War, this practice killed thousands of Americans._[5]
John Adams, second president of the United States, named his dog Satan. Speculation about the reason for the dog's name included ideas like a child named it; it was a naughty dog; or it was simply a joke._[2]
Ancient Egyptians believed that mashed mice could help ease the pain of a toothache or ear infection._[17]
The record for the most overdue library book is 288 years. The book was checked out from Sidney Sussex College in 1667/1668 and returned in 1956._[22]
In 1932, Australia declared war on emus that were damaging crops. Despite plenty of soldiers and weapons, the Australian Army was forced to admit defeat when the emus proved to be extremely adaptable and clever._[20]
In 1910, Louisiana Representative Robert F. Broussard argued that hippo ranches could solve America's meat shortage. He referred to hippos as "lake cow bacon."_[14]
In the 1950s, the UK considered making a nuclear bomb filled with live chickens. Codenamed "Blue Peacock," the plan was to bury a bomb in northern Germany and fill it with live chickens to keep the bomb's electric wiring from freezing in the cold German climate._[7]
Russia experimented with a "flying tank" concept during WWII. They conducted a single test in 1942, when they attached large wooden biplane glider wings to a tank. The tank briefly glided, but the concept was just too impractical._[6]
In 1919, a 50-foot-tall tank of molasses exploded in Boston. The explosion sent a 2.3-million-gallon wave of molasses through the city at 35 mph, killing 21 people and injuring 150._[1]
In the 1960s, a researcher named Margaret Howe lived in a flooded house with a dolphin, attempting to teach it to speak English. They became extremely and inappropriately attached, and soon after they were separated, the dolphin died._[4]
From 1953–73, the CIA gave civilians, soldiers, and prisoners LSD without their consent to see if LSD could be used for mind control._[8]

The Catholic Church argued that forks were effeminate, decadent, and blasphemous because God had already provided us with natural forks: our fingers

Two-pronged forks were used in the ancient Middle East and the Byzantine Empire. but when they arrived in Europe, where eating with fingers was the norm, the eating utensils were seen as blasphemous._[10]
In the 1960s, Canada attempted to develop a machine that could identify gay people in government and military positions. Called the "Fruit Machine," it measured pupil dilation while looking at images._[21]
During the Middle Ages, animals were often put on trial, from farm animals to swarms of insects. Some animals, like pigs, were dressed in human clothes, given a lawyer, and often executed by hanging or burning._[23]
During the Business Plot of 1933, a group of wealthy businessmen planned to overthrow FDR's "socialist" presidency and install a fascist regime in its place. They tried to recruit a respected military veteran, General Smedley Butler, but he refused and reported them._[11]
The FBI spied on civil rights leaders and went so far as to wiretap, blackmail, and send anonymous letters to Martin Luther King Jr., telling him to kill himself._[3]
Ancient Greeks believed redheads turned into vampires after they died._[18]