Tickling was a form of torture used in ancient China on nobility because it left no mark and recovery was quick.
33
During the Black Plague, it was thought that bad smells were the cause of the plague. "Plague Doctors" therefore wore masks with long beak-like noses stuffed with flowers or smoke to hide the smells.
19
In 1518, a "dancing plague" struck Strasbourg, Alsace, whereby hundreds of people danced fervently in the streets over the period of a month. Some suffered heart attacks or strokes, and many others died from sheer exhaustion. It remains unexplained.
19
France’s King Louis XIV was offered biological weapons by an Italian chemist. He not only refused, but also paid the chemist an annual salary to never reveal the technology to anyone else.
21
The flushing toilet was invented in 1596, not by Thomas Crapper as most people think, but by Sir John Harington.
98
Grenades were invented in China over 1,000 years ago.
50
