History Facts

    Random History Facts

    There are 163 History Facts!

    The University of Oxford (teaching since 1096) predates the Aztec empire (1428 - 1521).
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    Approximately 25,000 workers died during the building of the Panama Canal, and approximately 20,000 of them contracted malaria and yellow fever.
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    Ancient Romans at one time used human urine as an ingredient in their toothpaste.
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    During World War II, Uncle Ben's was the exclusive supplier of rice to the U.S. Armed Forces.
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    A female photographer in the 50s took tens of thousands of pictures and remained remained unknown until her death. She is now considered one of the most important street photographers ever.
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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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    In Ancient Greece, small penises were desirable, and big ones were for ‘old men and barbarians’
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    During the Gold Rush in 1849, some people paid as much as $100 for a glass of water!
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