16 Unusual Historical Facts
by johnataylor · 18 things on Twos
- Cleopatra, the last pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, was actually Greek, not Egyptian.
- The Great Fire of London in 1666 was started by a small flame in a bakery on Pudding Lane.
- The first recorded use of the word "hello" as a greeting was by Thomas Edison in 1877.
- The shortest war in history lasted only 38 to 45 minutes, when the Sultanate of Zanzibar surrendered to the United Kingdom in 1896.
- The Titanic, often considered unsinkable, sank on its maiden voyage in 1912 after hitting an iceberg.
- The shortest-reigning monarch in history was King Louis XIX of France, who ruled for just 20 minutes in 1830.
- The oldest known written recipe is a Sumerian beer recipe from around 1800 BCE.
- The Great Wall of China is not visible from space with the naked eye, contrary to popular belief.
- The first successful powered flight by the Wright brothers in 1903 lasted only 12 seconds and covered 120 feet.
- The Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre Museum in 1911 and was missing for over two years before being recovered.
- The first computer mouse was made of wood and was invented by Douglas Engelbart in 1964.
- The shortest presidency in the United States was that of William Henry Harrison, who died just 32 days into his term in 1841.
- The Eiffel Tower in Paris was originally intended to be a temporary structure for the 1889 World's Fair.
- The oldest known musical instrument is a flute made from a vulture's wing bone, dating back over 40,000 years.
- The shortest war between two sovereign states was the Anglo-Zanzibar War of 1896, which lasted only 38 minutes.
- The first recorded use of the hashtag symbol (#) was on Twitter in 2007, popularizing its use as a social media tool.
- Part of my fun with AI series of Twos lists. Shared for your enjoyment.