History Facts

    Random History Facts

    There are 163 History Facts!

    Japanese Holdout
    Japanese Holdout
    After World War 2 ended in 1945, a Japanese officer named Hiroo Onoda didn't surrender and continued the war for 29 years because he didn't know that Japan had surrendered and the war was over.
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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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    Capt. Robert Campbell
    Capt. Robert Campbell
    Capt. Robert Campbell, a British officer captured during World War I, was granted leave to visit his dying mother on one condition - that he return to captivity. He kept his word and returned, only to try escaping as soon as he returned.
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    The first ever patent in the UK was Aaron Rathbone & Roger Burges, Map makers in 1618!
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    Recently, archaeologists excavating in the old medieval town of Odense in Denmark uncovered 700-year-old barrels of poop - and, to their surprise, they still smelt.
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    Leonardo da Vinci was dyslexic, and he often wrote backwards.
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    In ancient Rome it was considered a sign of leadership to be born with a crooked nose!
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    A WW2 observation pilot, bored of not being in combat, decided to strap 6 bazookas to his plane. He destroyed several enemy tanks and vehicles. His name was Lt. Col. Charles Carpenter, aka Bazooka Charlie / The Mad Major.
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