Bizarre but True: 12 Bizarre Facts of History You Won't Believe Happened

Bizarre but True: 12 Bizarre Facts of History You Won't Believe Happened

12 bizarre facts of history that seem too unbelievable to be true. From bizarre inventions to crazy moments from history, these cool facts will blow your mind.

Introduction

History is often taught in school as a series of wars, inventions, monarchs, and revolutions, but if you look a little closer the serious textbooks linked to history can be connected to a treasure trove of bizarre moments in history that sound stranger than fiction. Some stories sound so unbelievably bizarre, you might think they were made up, but the fact of the matter is that they actually happened.

I have compiled 12 bizarre facts of history that show that sometimes, reality is more wild than the imagination. Whether you are a history buff, or just love some fun trivia, these astonishing accounts of bizarre moments in history may leave you astonished, or at the very least amused.

1 : This is Bizarre - Napoleon Was Attacked by a Swarm of Rabbits

When most people imagine Napoleon Bonaparte, they think of battles, war strategy, and military campaign. However, in one strange twist of fate, Napoleon was attacked by bunnies.

1. "Napoleon's Rabbit War"

During a planned rabbit hunt for his officers,

thousands of rabbits were released, but instead of running away, the rabbits, which had been bred and raised on farms, ran toward Napoleon and his men because they thought they were going to be fed. As a result, Napoleon, the mighty emperor, had to retreat.

2. The Great Emu War in Australia

Yes, that's right, Australia officially declared war on emus. In 1932, some farmers complained that enormous flightless birds were eating their crops. So, the government sent soldiers, with machine guns, to deal with the birds. The outcome? The emus ran faster than the soldiers, dodged the bullets, and "won" the war. This is among the most bizarre things in military history.

3. Pope Gregory IX Declares War on Cats

In the 13th century, Pope Gregory IX formally declared that cats were associated with the devil. As such, many thousands of cats were killed throughout Europe. Ironically, historians believe this led to an increase in rats, which helped rapid the Black Plague. A superstition made history darker.

4. The Dancing Plague of 1518

In July of 1518 in Strasbourg (now part of France), hundreds of people took to the streets to dance uncontrollably. This phenomenon lasted for weeks, causing some to fall from exhaustion others to die.

Historians have tried to explain this "Dancing Plague," debating the causes. Some of the explanations include mass hysteria, poisoned bread, or something else entirely.

5. President Andrew Jackson's Parrot Was Kicked Out of His Funeral

Andrew Jackson, the 7th president of the United States, owned a parrot that could mimic human speech. During Jackson's funeral, the parrot wouldn't stop swearing loudly in front of the mourners and it was finally removed. Just imagine!

6. The Shortest War in History

The shortest war in history was fought in 1896: the Anglo-Zanzibar War. It lasted only 38 minutes. The British bombarded the sultan's palace, and the war ended almost as soon as it began.

7. Cleopatra Lived Closer to the iPhone than Pyramids

When people think of Cleopatra, they picture her next to the famous Pyramids of Giza. Funny historical fact: Cleopatra lived nearly 2,000 years ago while the Pyramids were built over 4,000 years ago. So she lived closer to us than to the ancient civilization of the Pyramids!

8. The Sultan of the Ottoman Empire Had a 400-Room “Cage” for Exotic Animals

Sultan Ibrahim of the Ottoman Empire loved rare animals so much that he created a massive cage with hundreds of rare species, including lions and elephants. His love for pets went so far that his own ministers started to worry that he was insane.

9. A U.S. Town Elected a Dog as Mayor

In 1998, the small town of Rabbit Hash, Kentucky, made a dog named Goofy Borneman-Calhoun mayor. Since Goofy, several other dogs have been elected mayor. Apparently, the residents preferred dogs to the human political system.

10. The Eiffel Tower Almost Had a “Temporary” Life

The Eiffel Tower is one of the world's most recognizable structures today. However, when it was built for the 1889 World's Fair, it was to be temporary, taken down after 20 years. Thankfully, it was salvaged because it served as a radio tower. Can you imagine Paris without it!

11. The Very First Alarm Clocks Could Only Ring at 4 a.m.

The first mechanical alarm clock was invented in 1787 by Levi Hutchins in New Hampshire, but it was only designed to ring at 4 a.m. – the time Levi needed to wake up for work. Adjustable alarm clocks would follow.

12. A Roman Emperor Made His Horse a Priest

Emperor Caligula, notorious for his odd personality quirks, was such a fan of his horse Incitatus that he made it a priest. Some historians even claim that he intended to make the horse a senator. Regardless of whether this was just a joke or a legitimate attempt, this remains one of the most bizarre feats in the annals of political history.

So, Why Do These Weird Historical Facts Matter?

It's easy to chuckle about these strange anecdotes, but they also tell a larger story: history is more than just kings, armies, and wars, it is also filled with human oddities, human failures, and human surprises.

From Napoleon having to deal with a bunny invasion to the dancing plague, these odd examples showcase that history is full of odd moments, and that most of the time these moments were unforeseen occurrences, and sometimes these unforeseen occurrences are more significant than we give them credit for - like killing cats, and the result being the plague spreading quicker.

Bonus: How AI Can Help Save and Learn History

As we recount peculiar historical facts, contemporary development is converting history in a unique direction. Applications to manage our budgets with AI may not be an obvious correlation, but it can be seen that artificial intelligence diminishes complexity: where we can manage atypical budgeting, even analyze ancient texts.

The options of tomorrow will uncover further historical facts in greater exclusion that we once overlooked in our textbooks and learning. As we use our budgeting applications to secure our finances, AI applications will help us as historians organize information already included across centuries, producing our historical discoveries faster than we have experienced.

Conclusion

Truth or fiction for 12 odd historical facts, supports the adage that reality can be far stranger than fiction. We have recorded the absurdities of war upon birds, presidents keeping parrots of their own, and astounding coincidences of historic events inherent in the world.

As soon as you relate that history is boring, remember to imagine there is always a rabbit stalking Napoleon as a distraction, an emu tracking bullets while jogging, or a horse gently sitting in Roman history, ready to surprise us.