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
Traces of cocaine were found on 99% of UK bank notes in a survey in London in 2000.
142
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
The range of a medieval long-bow is 220 yards.
78
The Statue of Liberty was a gift of friendship resulting from the diplomatic relationship between the United States and France.
97
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
If a surgeon in Ancient Egypt lost a patient while performing an operation, his hands were cut off.
67
A baboon called Jackie became a private in the South African army in World War I.
65