A monk had once written over a book that contained information about calculus that was written by Archimedes in ancient Greece that could have made us 100 or even 1000 years more mathematically and technologically advanced.
13
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
Genghis Khan exempted the poor and clergy from taxes, encouraged literacy, and established free religion, leading many peoples to join his empire before they were even conquered.
28
Until the nineteenth century, solid blocks of tea were used as money in Siberia.
80
Napoleon Bonaparte thought torture should be abolished because the information obtained from it is worthless.
25
The great wall of China is 1,400 miles long!
44
There's no evidence that pirates made people walk the plank.
151
The oldest glowing lightbulb was first switched on in 1901 and lives in fire stations in Livermore, CA. It is known as the Centennial Light.
118