HISTORY

Kings, empires, inventors, wars and the turning points that shaped the world we live in.

50 facts

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A 2,000-year-old Greek shipwreck held the world's first computer.

A 2,000-year-old Greek shipwreck held the world's first computer.

The Antikythera mechanism is a hand-cranked bronze box that predicts eclipses and the motion of the planets.

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49 facts

An Englishman dangled off a cliff to copy a code that unlocked ancient Mesopotamia.

DID YOU KNOW? An Englishman dangled off a cliff to copy a code that unlocked ancient Mesopotamia. Henry Rawlinson hung from ropes in modern Iran to copy a giant carved inscription - the Rosetta Stone of cuneiform. 2 min read

One broken stone slab let us read ancient Egyptian after 1,400 years of silence.

DID YOU KNOW? One broken stone slab let us read ancient Egyptian after 1,400 years of silence. The Rosetta Stone had the same text in three scripts - and finally cracked the code of Egyptian hieroglyphs. 2 min read

The first long-distance Morse code message ever sent was: "What hath God wrought?"

DID YOU KNOW? The first long-distance Morse code message ever sent was: "What hath God wrought?" In 1844, Samuel Morse tapped that phrase from Washington D.C. to Baltimore - and instant long-distance messaging was born. 2 min read

There is a 600-year-old book that nobody on Earth can read.

DID YOU KNOW? There is a 600-year-old book that nobody on Earth can read. The Voynich Manuscript is written in a script no one recognizes - and despite countless attempts, nobody has ever cracked it. 2 min read

Navajo Code Talkers built the only WWII code that was never broken.

DID YOU KNOW? Navajo Code Talkers built the only WWII code that was never broken. Around 400 Navajo Marines used their own language - plus a layer of secret code - to send vital messages in the Pacific. 2 min read

The German Enigma machine had 159 quintillion possible settings.

DID YOU KNOW? The German Enigma machine had 159 quintillion possible settings. That's a 159 followed by 18 zeros - and codebreakers had to figure out the right one every single day. 2 min read

Julius Caesar protected his messages by shifting every letter three places.

DID YOU KNOW? Julius Caesar protected his messages by shifting every letter three places. It's one of the oldest known codes - simple enough for a kid to use, but it kept secrets safe for hundreds of years. 2 min read

5,000 English archers defeated a French army four times their size in 1415.

DID YOU KNOW? 5,000 English archers defeated a French army four times their size in 1415. At the Battle of Agincourt, English longbowmen fired thousands of arrows a minute and changed the rules of war. 2 min read

Armies used horse cavalry in battle for over 3,000 years before tanks took over.

DID YOU KNOW? Armies used horse cavalry in battle for over 3,000 years before tanks took over. Horse-riding soldiers were a major weapon from ancient times until WWII - when machine guns and engines finally ended their reign. 2 min read

On Christmas Eve 1914, enemy soldiers in WWI stopped fighting and sang carols together.

DID YOU KNOW? On Christmas Eve 1914, enemy soldiers in WWI stopped fighting and sang carols together. Across parts of the Western Front, soldiers crossed no man's land to swap food, take photos and play football. 2 min read

Gunpowder was invented by Chinese alchemists trying to make a potion for eternal life.

DID YOU KNOW? Gunpowder was invented by Chinese alchemists trying to make a potion for eternal life. Around 850 CE, they mixed three chemicals - and got a powder that exploded instead of helping anyone live forever. 2 min read

A single battle in 1066 changed the English language forever.

DID YOU KNOW? A single battle in 1066 changed the English language forever. When the Normans won the Battle of Hastings, French words flooded into English - and they're still everywhere today. 2 min read

A storm helped defeat the most powerful navy in the world in 1588.

DID YOU KNOW? A storm helped defeat the most powerful navy in the world in 1588. Spain sent 130 huge warships to invade England - and ferocious Atlantic storms wrecked them on the way home. 2 min read

The Cold War lasted 45 years without the two superpowers ever fighting each other directly.

DID YOU KNOW? The Cold War lasted 45 years without the two superpowers ever fighting each other directly. The U.S. and Soviet Union competed in spying, space, sports and weapons - but never in a face-to-face battle. 2 min read

D-Day was the largest seaborne invasion in history.

DID YOU KNOW? D-Day was the largest seaborne invasion in history. On June 6, 1944, around 156,000 Allied troops crossed the English Channel to land on the beaches of Normandy, France. 2 min read

A surprise attack at dawn pulled the U.S. into World War II.

DID YOU KNOW? A surprise attack at dawn pulled the U.S. into World War II. The Pearl Harbor attack lasted just two hours on December 7, 1941 - and changed the course of the entire war. 2 min read

WWI soldiers dug trench networks that stretched 475 miles across Europe.

DID YOU KNOW? WWI soldiers dug trench networks that stretched 475 miles across Europe. Front-line trenches ran from the North Sea all the way to the Swiss Alps - soldiers lived in them for years. 2 min read

The Eiffel Tower was only supposed to stand for 20 years.

DID YOU KNOW? The Eiffel Tower was only supposed to stand for 20 years. Built for a world's fair in 1889, it was scheduled to be torn down in 1909 - but became too useful as a radio antenna. 2 min read

One inventor in the 1450s made books 1,000 times cheaper.

DID YOU KNOW? One inventor in the 1450s made books 1,000 times cheaper. Johannes Gutenberg's printing press meant books no longer had to be copied by hand - letter by letter, for months at a time. 2 min read

Women had to fight for over 70 years to get the right to vote.

DID YOU KNOW? Women had to fight for over 70 years to get the right to vote. The suffrage movement marched, protested and went on hunger strikes - and eventually changed laws around the world. 2 min read

The earliest known photograph took eight hours to expose.

DID YOU KNOW? The earliest known photograph took eight hours to expose. A French inventor pointed a camera out his window in 1826 and waited all day for the image to appear. 2 min read

French revolutionaries tried to rewrite the calendar with 10-day weeks.

DID YOU KNOW? French revolutionaries tried to rewrite the calendar with 10-day weeks. After overthrowing their king, France invented new month names, decimal time and 10-day weeks. It lasted just 12 years. 2 min read

The Berlin Wall came down after one accidental announcement on TV.

DID YOU KNOW? The Berlin Wall came down after one accidental announcement on TV. A flustered East German official misread a memo on live television in 1989 - and a whole city poured into the streets to tear down the wall. 2 min read

Penicillin - the first true antibiotic - was discovered by total accident.

DID YOU KNOW? Penicillin - the first true antibiotic - was discovered by total accident. A scientist went on holiday, left a messy lab, and came back to find a mold that has since saved hundreds of millions of lives. 2 min read

The Titanic took less than three hours to sink after hitting an iceberg.

DID YOU KNOW? The Titanic took less than three hours to sink after hitting an iceberg. The "unsinkable" ship struck the iceberg at 11:40 PM and was completely under the waves by 2:20 AM. 2 min read

The Industrial Revolution changed daily life more in 150 years than the previous 5,000.

DID YOU KNOW? The Industrial Revolution changed daily life more in 150 years than the previous 5,000. Steam engines, factories and trains turned a slow farming world into a fast machine-powered one. 2 min read

The University of Bologna has been teaching students since 1088.

DID YOU KNOW? The University of Bologna has been teaching students since 1088. It's almost 1,000 years old - older than Genghis Khan, older than the Magna Carta, older than the bow and arrow longbow. 2 min read

Medieval knights' armor wasn't as heavy as you might think.

DID YOU KNOW? Medieval knights' armor wasn't as heavy as you might think. A full suit weighed about 45 to 55 pounds - less than a modern soldier's gear today. 2 min read

Marco Polo spent 24 years traveling from Italy to China and back.

DID YOU KNOW? Marco Polo spent 24 years traveling from Italy to China and back. He left Venice as a teenager and returned middle-aged, with tales so wild many people refused to believe him. 2 min read

Genghis Khan built the largest connected empire in human history.

DID YOU KNOW? Genghis Khan built the largest connected empire in human history. At its peak the Mongol Empire stretched across most of Asia and into Europe - over 9 million square miles. 2 min read

A document signed in 1215 still shapes laws around the world today.

DID YOU KNOW? A document signed in 1215 still shapes laws around the world today. The Magna Carta forced an English king to follow the law - the same idea behind modern democracies. 2 min read

Medieval trebuchets could fling 300-pound stones the length of a football field.

DID YOU KNOW? Medieval trebuchets could fling 300-pound stones the length of a football field. These giant lever-and-counterweight machines were the biggest, scariest weapons of castle warfare. 2 min read

The Hundred Years' War actually lasted 116 years.

DID YOU KNOW? The Hundred Years' War actually lasted 116 years. A long, on-and-off fight between England and France that involved five English kings and five French kings. 2 min read

A French teenager led an army to victory when she was just 17.

DID YOU KNOW? A French teenager led an army to victory when she was just 17. Joan of Arc convinced a king to give her armor and a horse, then helped turn the tide of the Hundred Years' War. 2 min read

Vikings reached North America 500 years before Columbus.

DID YOU KNOW? Vikings reached North America 500 years before Columbus. Around 1000 CE, Norse explorers built a small village in Newfoundland - and we have the archaeological proof. 2 min read

The Black Death killed roughly one third of everyone in Europe.

DID YOU KNOW? The Black Death killed roughly one third of everyone in Europe. In just four years in the 1340s, a single disease wiped out around 25 million people across the continent. 2 min read

Athletes in the ancient Olympics competed completely naked.

DID YOU KNOW? Athletes in the ancient Olympics competed completely naked. The first Olympic Games started in 776 BCE in Greece - and the word "gymnasium" comes from a Greek word meaning "to train naked." 2 min read

A Roman city was buried in volcanic ash and stayed perfectly preserved for 1,700 years.

DID YOU KNOW? A Roman city was buried in volcanic ash and stayed perfectly preserved for 1,700 years. Pompeii was covered so quickly in 79 CE that loaves of bread were still in the ovens when archaeologists dug it up. 2 min read

The oldest known writing was pressed into clay with a reed over 5,000 years ago.

DID YOU KNOW? The oldest known writing was pressed into clay with a reed over 5,000 years ago. People in ancient Mesopotamia invented cuneiform mostly to keep track of grain, sheep and beer rations. 2 min read

The Trojan Horse may have actually been an early type of siege weapon.

DID YOU KNOW? The Trojan Horse may have actually been an early type of siege weapon. Greeks called wooden siege engines "horses" - so the legend might be a wild retelling of a real military machine. 2 min read

Romans built a 73-mile wall across Britain to keep out tribes from the north.

DID YOU KNOW? Romans built a 73-mile wall across Britain to keep out tribes from the north. Hadrian's Wall took about six years to build and was guarded by thousands of Roman soldiers stationed in forts along it. 2 min read

Spartan boys started warrior training at age seven.

DID YOU KNOW? Spartan boys started warrior training at age seven. They lived in barracks, learned to fight, and were even encouraged to steal food - but never to get caught. 2 min read

The Library of Alexandria once held nearly every book in the world.

DID YOU KNOW? The Library of Alexandria once held nearly every book in the world. Ships docking in Alexandria had to hand over any books on board so scribes could copy them - sometimes keeping the originals. 2 min read

Roman concrete actually gets stronger every time it gets wet.

DID YOU KNOW? Roman concrete actually gets stronger every time it gets wet. Modern concrete crumbles after about 100 years. Roman buildings made with seawater concrete have stood for 2,000. 2 min read

Cleopatra lived closer in time to us than to the building of the pyramids.

DID YOU KNOW? Cleopatra lived closer in time to us than to the building of the pyramids. The pyramids were already over 2,000 years old by the time Cleopatra was born. 2 min read

The Great Pyramid was the tallest building on Earth for 3,800 years.

DID YOU KNOW? The Great Pyramid was the tallest building on Earth for 3,800 years. Built around 2560 BCE, it held the world height record until a cathedral in England finally beat it in the 1300s. 2 min read

WWII codebreakers used early computers to crack secret messages.

DID YOU KNOW? WWII codebreakers used early computers to crack secret messages. During WWII, codebreakers helped crack secret messages using early computers. 1 min read

Oxford University is older than the Aztec Empire.

DID YOU KNOW? Oxford University is older than the Aztec Empire. Oxford University is older than the Aztec Empire. 1 min read

Ancient Egyptians used honey as a bandage.

DID YOU KNOW? Ancient Egyptians used honey as a bandage. Ancient Egyptians used honey as a bandage - it never goes off. 1 min read

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