History Facts

    Random History Facts

    There are 163 History Facts!

    Approximately 40% of the U.S. paper currency in circulation was counterfeit by the end of the Civil War.
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    In the 1930's, American track star Jesse Owens used to race against horses and dogs to earn a living.
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    Pilgrims did not eat with forks. They only used spoons, knives and their fingers.
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    Candle Clocks
    Candle Clocks
    Before clocks, there were candle clocks that when burned, indicated the passage of periods of time. To set an alarm, you pushed a nail into the desired point and the nail would fall and clank on the metal holder.
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    London's Pall Mall became the first street lit by gaslight in 1807!
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    Until the nineteenth century, solid blocks of tea were used as money in Siberia.
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    When Charles Darwin first discovered the Galapagos Tortoises, he tried to ride them!
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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.
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