Contrary to popular belief, the first ironclad warships were built by Korea in the 16th century.
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The oldest stone tools found are dated from 2.7 - 2.9 million years ago. The species that made these tools is unknown.
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Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history: spades - King David, clubs - Alexander the Great, hearts - Charlemagne, and diamonds - Julius Caesar.
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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.
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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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In ancient Egypt, priests plucked EVERY hair from their bodies, including their eyebrows and eyelashes.
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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
The first coast-to-coast telephone line was established in 1914.
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