History Facts

    Random History Facts

    There are 163 History Facts!

    The Titanic is about as long as the Empire State building is tall.
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    Winston Churchill's Letter of Apology for Escaping from Prison
    Before escaping prison, Winston Churchill left a letter of apology on his bed. The letter began: "I have the honour to inform you that as I do not consider that your Government have any right to detain me as a military prisoner, I have decided to escape from your custody."
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    5000-Year-Old Embrace
    5000-Year-Old Embrace
    In 2007, the 5000-year-old skeletal remains of two lovers embracing each other were found at Mantua.
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    In the 1830s, a Greek prime minister tried to spread the potato in Greece but people weren't interested so he put armed guards in front of shipments of potatoes so people would think they were important. People then started stealing these potatoes so much that the crop spread to all of Greece.
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    Approximately 25,000 workers died during the building of the Panama Canal, and approximately 20,000 of them contracted malaria and yellow fever.
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    The first chocolate eggs were made in Germany in the 19th century and remain one of the most popular Easter candies today.
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    Japanese Holdout
    Japanese Holdout
    After World War 2 ended in 1945, a Japanese officer named Hiroo Onoda didn't surrender and continued the war for 29 years because he didn't know that Japan had surrendered and the war was over.
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    There was a bear called Wojtek who was adopted by Polish soldiers during WW2. It carried ammunition, wrestled with soldiers, and drank beer.
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