Beethoven, was told by a music teacher that he had no talent for music. In fact, this teacher once remarked, “As a composer he is hopeless.”
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The University of Oxford (teaching since 1096) predates the Aztec empire (1428 - 1521).
14
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.
34
In Ancient Greece, if a woman watched even one Olympic event, she was executed.
40
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 site where the Parthenon was built had to be cleared of hundreds of dinosaur bones (then called giants' bones) before construction could begin.
13
In 1918, after the treaty of Versailles (end of WWI), the French Commander-in-chief said "This is not a peace. It is an Armistice for 20 years." 20 years and 65 days later, WWII happened.
31