21 Fascinating Historical Facts You Absolutely Need To Know

We're all taught nursery rhymes, but some of them have interesting beginnings. The nursery rhyme "Ring Around The Rosy" is actually about the Black Plague. During which, one third of all Europeans died.

Joseph Stalin wasn't actually the famous dictator's birth name. He was born Ioseb Jugashvili, but changed his name when he became involved in politics. Stalin is translated as "Man Of Steel."

The American myth of patriots breaking away from Britain is tantalizing, but not entirely true. In 1775, just a year before the Declaration Of Independence, American patriots sent the Olive Branch Petition to King George III. It was an affirmation of loyalty to the king, begging him to prevent further conflict.

Facts about Adolf Hitler are always so curious, considering his place in history. Hitler was an admirer of Henry Ford, who published the Pamphlet, "The International Jew: The World's Foremost Problem. Hitler kept a picture of Ford on his desk in Munich. It goes to show that the forces at work in Germany were also present here in America.

Some jobs are sweeter than others. In Ancient Egypt, servants of the Pharaoh would put honey all over their faces. They did this in order to draw bugs away from their God-King.

Religious ideas can often seem strange from an outside perspective. In the 18th century, Roman Catholics in Bavaria created a sect called the Order of the Pug. Initiates had to wear a collar and scratch at the door for entry.

Henry VIII had men in his employ called "Grooms of Stool." They did exactly what you think they did. They wiped his bottom. These men were knighted.

We remember Abraham Lincoln for the greatness for his service to the United States, but his career is far more storied. Aside from being a fantastic lawyer and politician, Abraham Lincoln was also a champion wrestler. He only lost once.

In the pre-industrial era, marriage and childbirth was incredibly important to social stability. To the point where, during the Renaissance in France, a woman had a right to take her husband to court if he was impotent. She would then have the right to divorce.

The Age of Piracy is filled with many tall tales. What many don't known, however, is that one of the most successful pirates of all time was a Chinese former prostitute. She commanded a fleet of 1,500 ships.

When the famous Voltaire was on the verge of death, a priest asked him to disavow Satan to save his soul. But Voltaire was a man of the Enlightenment. The philosophe replied, "This is no time to be making new enemies."

The citizenry tend to always be ahead of the law. This case is no different. Jeanette Rankin, the first-ever female member of congress was elected in 1916. Four years before the 19th amendment was passed.

When Christopher Columbus set sail in 1492, no educated person actually believed the world was flat. This is complete fiction. In fact, its circumference was fairly accurately calculated in Ancient Greece.

At one point, Charlie Chaplin was one of the most popular celebrities on the planet. But there's one hilarious anecdote from his career most people don't know. Charlie Chaplin entered a look alike competition for Charlie Chaplin and only came 20th place.

Some wars don't last years. Some don't even last months. Some even, don't even last an hour. The shortest war in history was fought between Zanzibar and the UK. It lasted just 38 minutes.

Thomas Edison is famous for many inventions. But there's a dark side to this inventor. He once filmed the fatal electrocution of an elephant in front of a crowd of over 1000 people.

The Declaration Of Independence was a momentous event in history. Two founding fathers, who also became presidents, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, both died on the same day, just hours away from each other. July 4th, 1826. Exactly 50 years to the day the Declaration Of Independence was signed.

During World War II, President Roosevelt was open to any suggestion that could the USA the edge in battle. The U.S. Army even experimented with a "bat bomb" by adhering explosives to bats. The project was abandoned after the bats destroyed the testing facility.

Some scientific experiments can border on the cruel and unusual. Animal rights activists definitely won't like this. In 1929, researchers at Princeton University successfully turned a live cat into a telephone.

The Civil War began on Wilmer McLean's farmhouse. He wanted to escape the fighting, so he moved over a hundred miles away. He didn't run far enough, however, because the war ended in his house in Appomattox.

Rome has given us an insane amount of culture and customs to be proud of. However, some of the realities of life in antiquity might not sound so great. For example, Ancient Romans used their own urine as mouth wash. It contains ammonia, making it an excellent natural cleaning agent.