History Facts

    Random History Facts

    There are 163 History Facts!

    During World War 1, Harry Houdini took 1 year off performing to help sell war bonds and teach american soldiers how to escape from German handcuffs.
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    Alexander Selkirk
    Alexander Selkirk
    Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish sailor, was left stranded on a deserted island in 1704, but survived for over 4 years, partly by using feral cats to protect him from ravenous rats that attacked during the night.
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    Voltaire's Last Words
    Voltaire's Last Words
    When Voltaire was asked to renounce Satan on his deathbed, his last words were: "This is no time for making new enemies."
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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
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    Knocker-Up
    Knocker-Up
    Until the 1920s, there was a profession called 'knocker-up', which involved going from client to client and tapping on their windows (or banging on their doors) with long sticks until they woke up.
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    Napoleon constructed his battle plans in a sandbox.
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    Ancient Romans at one time used human urine as an ingredient in their toothpaste.
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    Clocks made before 1660 had only one hand - an hour hand.
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