Wojtek the Bear: The Syrian Brown Bear Who Inspired an Army
Read the amazing story of Wojtek, the bear. There are memorials to this bear in two major cities in Europe. He left an impression on all who met him.
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Read the amazing story of Wojtek, the bear. There are memorials to this bear in two major cities in Europe. He left an impression on all who met him.
What does SOS mean? Many believe that it means Save our Souls or Save this Ship, but it is an offshoot of the system of Morse code. Read this history
The custom of the bundling bag has existed within Western Europe and later North America for over half a millennia. It is allegedly still practiced by some religious New England communities.
George Everest was a British surveyor and geographer, he is most famous for having the highest mountain in the world, Mount Everest, named after him, despite the fact he never really had anything to do with the discovery.
Like a dripping tap that becomes the mind’s only focus while attempting to sleep, water torture has gone down in history as something terrifying, made exhilarating by Harry Houdini’s later interpretation.
It was an incident involving Charles Dickens that led to a step forward in female emancipation and the formation of Sorosis, the first women’s club, at the famous Delmonico’s restaurant in New York.
James Jameson, grandson and heir of Jameson Irish whiskey magnate John Jameson, was an esteemed nineteenth-century naturalist. He would become infamous for his alleged role in the murder and cannibalization of a young African girl.
The gap in our knowledge of medieval underwear is due partly to the poor preservation of organic materials and the lack of visual evidence. Clearly, there’s still a lot to uncover.
A tale of six Sultans and suspicious successions led to what’s become known as the shortest war in history, the Anglo-Zanzibar War, which lasted approximately 38 minutes.
Controversy still surrounds the explosion and sinking of the USS Maine in 1898, which signalled US intervention in the Cuban War of Independence with the rallying cry “Remember The Maine!”
Evidence suggest the CIA’s “heart attack gun” was inspired by the KGB’s spray gun: both weapons caused heart attacks in their victims.
The bloodcurdling scream the Aztec death whistle makes explains why the Aztecs may have used it as an intimidation tactic in battle — or in human sacrifice.
The origins of the idiom “happy as Larry” date back to the 19th century—but whether it’s attributed to a New Zealand writer, Australian boxer, or Cornish slang word is anyone’s guess.
In 19th-century London, a fire-breathing demon known as “spring heeled Jack” reportedly leapt from walls and terrorized citizens—often women walking alone at night.
Though the ten-gallon hat doesn’t actually hold 10 gallons, this Stetson classic has become an indisputable part of cowboy culture.
The phrase “shiver my timbers” first appeared in a book by Captain Frederick Marryat published in 1834. Since then, it’s appeared in numerous books and films.
Juneteenth celebrates the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it is the oldest such commemoration.
In 1932, the Australian army started an offensive against a horde of itinerant emus. The Australian Emu War would be chalked down as a victory for the emus.