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News: Long live the Glorious Revolution!

Author Topic: Fun Historical Facts  (Read 5830 times)

Offline Myroria

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Fun Historical Facts
« on: September 10, 2014, 01:40:21 AM »
Empress Elisabeth of Austria

"Elisabeth slept without a pillow on a metal bedstead, all the better to retain her upright posture, with either raw veal or crushed strawberries lining her nightly leather facial mask.[20] She was heavily massaged and often slept with cloths soaked in either violet- or cider-vinegar above her hips to preserve her slim waist, and her neck was wrapped with cloths soaked in Kummerfeld-toned washing water.[21] To further preserve her skin tone, she took both a cold shower every morning (which in later years aggravated her arthritis) and an olive oil bath in the evening.[4]"
"I assure you -- I will be quite content to be a mere mortal again, dedicated to my own amusements."

Offline Allama

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Re: Fun Historical Facts
« Reply #1 on: September 10, 2014, 07:24:58 PM »
"Looking to celebrate [the signing of the Treaties of Tilsit], the emperor [Napoleon] proposed a rabbit hunt, asking Chief of Staff Alexandre Berthier to make it happen.

Berthier arranged an outdoor luncheon, invited some of the military’s biggest brass, and collected a colony of rabbits. Some say Berthier took in hundreds of bunnies, while others claim he collected as many as 3000. Regardless, there were a lot of rabbits, and Berthier’s men caged them all along the fringes of a grassy field. When Napoleon started to prowl—accompanied by beaters and gun-bearers—the rabbits were released from their cages. The hunt was on.

But something strange happened. The rabbits didn’t scurry in fright. Instead, they bounded toward Napoleon and his men. Hundreds of fuzzy bunnies gunned it for the world’s most powerful man.

Napoleon’s party had a good laugh at first. But as the onslaught continued, their concern grew. The sea of long-ears was storming Napoleon quicker than revolutionaries had stormed the Bastille. The rabbits allegedly swarmed the emperor’s legs and started climbing up his jacket. Napoleon tried shooing them with his riding crop, as his men grabbed sticks and tried chasing them. The coachmen cracked their bullwhips to scare the siege. But it kept coming.

Napoleon retreated, fleeing to his carriage. But it didn’t stop. According to historian David Chandler, “with a finer understanding of Napoleonic strategy than most of his generals, the rabbit horde divided into two wings and poured around the flanks of the party and headed for the imperial coach.” The flood of bunnies continued—some reportedly leapt into the carriage.

The attack ceased only as the coach rolled away. The man who was dominating Europe was no match for a battle with bunnies.

It was Berthier’s fault. Rather than trapping wild hares, his men had bought tame rabbits from local farmers. As a result, the rabbits didn’t see Napoleon as a fearsome hunter. They saw him as a waiter bringing out the day’s food. To them, the emperor was effectively a giant head of lettuce."

http://mentalfloss.com/article/51364/time-napoleon-was-attacked-rabbits

Edit: This is WAY better than the first fact I posted!
« Last Edit: September 10, 2014, 07:28:45 PM by Allama »

Offline Khem

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Re: Fun Historical Facts
« Reply #2 on: October 07, 2014, 01:56:37 PM »
The Dinosaur/Bone Wars were a large part of the arguments given by ignorant congressmen (such as Hilary A Hebert) to strike down federal funding of science and the USGS. This event was one of the most outrageous public feuds in American history.

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Offline Allama

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Re: Fun Historical Facts
« Reply #3 on: October 08, 2014, 04:06:10 PM »
And now for some historical incidents that occurred amongst the common folk of the United States about a century ago.

1913:



1909:

Offline Khem

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Re: Fun Historical Facts
« Reply #4 on: October 08, 2014, 05:54:11 PM »
1909:


Wow that made me cringe. You sure you didn't mean to post that in things you can't unsee?

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Offline Delfos

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Re: Fun Historical Facts
« Reply #5 on: October 08, 2014, 08:58:03 PM »
1909:


Wow that made me cringe. You sure you didn't mean to post that in things you can't unsee?
agreed

Offline Allama

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Re: Fun Historical Facts
« Reply #6 on: October 10, 2014, 02:04:46 PM »
1909:

Wow that made me cringe. You sure you didn't mean to post that in things you can't unsee?
agreed

Alright, next time I find creepy and awful news items from bygone eras I shall post them there.

Offline Bustos

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Re: Fun Historical Facts
« Reply #7 on: December 25, 2014, 03:25:07 AM »
http://www.katetattersall.com/?p=1851

Ever wonder how dentures were made in the 19th century?
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