In 2011, a couple bought a box of textbooks for $10. Inside, they found a 25-cent bill signed by the president of the Republic of Texas, Sam Houston, and subsequently sold it for $63,250.
13
In 1537, England's King Henry VII officially declared February 14th the holiday of St. Valentine's Day.
52
Beethoven, was told by a music teacher that he had no talent for music. In fact, this teacher once remarked, “As a composer he is hopeless.”
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The Canadian province of New Brunswick (which was part of the UK at the time) had a bloodless war with the US state of Maine in 1839
36
Modern humans first appeared about 200,000 years ago, but record keeping didn't begin until about 6,000 years ago. That means about 97% of human history is lost.
21
Romans used a plant called Silphium as contraception. They had so much sex that they drove it into extinction.
24
There are pictures of Knights fighting Snails in old Medieval manuscripts - and nobody knows why.
23
The Titanic was the first ship to use the SOS signal.
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