Random Actual History Facts So Dumb They Sound Like Fiction - But Aren’t (15 items)

• (#1) In 1184 AD, Some 60 Nobles Of The Holy Roman Empire Plummeted Into A Latrine - And Perished

  From Redditor u/FenrirIII:

  In 1184, a number of nobles from across the Holy Roman Empire were meeting in a room at the Church of St. Peter, when their combined weight caused the floor to collapse into the latrine beneath the cellar and led to dozens of nobles drowning in liquid excrement.

  It is referred to as the "Erfurt latrine disaster."

  Context: Between 60 and 100 people are believed to have perished in this incident, which took place in St. Peter's Church on July 1184. Unfortunately, during this era (and for many centuries to come), the only septic system that existed was building a giant pit under a structure - or allowing it to drain off into a moat.
• (#2) During WWII, Soviet Anti-Tank Dogs Ran Under The Wrong Tanks

  From Redditor u/Archayvic:

  In WWII, the Russians trained dogs to run under tanks with time bombs on their backs - "anti-tank dogs." But, the Russians trained the dogs on Russian tanks, so when they set them free on the battlefield, the dogs turned around and started blowing up the Russian tanks instead of the German tanks.

  Context: This is sadly true! The dogs circled around to the diesel-fueled Soviet tanks because they were more familiar with the scent, whereas the German tanks used gasoline. The dogs were also scared of the gunfire, which made the ones that didn't turn back easy targets for the Germans. According to Russia Beyond, later attempts with anti-tank dogs were more successful, though at the cost of many dogs' lives.
• (#3) Europeans Ate A Lot Of Mummies

  From Redditor u/FredrickTheWriter69:

  The reason there [aren't] a lot of mummies around anymore? It's because we ate them.

  Context: Egyptian mummies were a popular ingredient in all sorts of European medicines, particularly in the 16th and 17th centuries. As summarized by the University of Durham's Richard Sugg, “The question was not, ‘Should you eat human flesh?’ but, ‘What sort of flesh should you eat?’” The Smithsonian writes, "Thomas Willis, a 17th-century pioneer of brain science, brewed a drink for apoplexy, or bleeding, that mingled powdered human skull and chocolate."
• (#4) William The Conqueror Exploded At His Funeral

  From Redditor u/nergigante-is-best:

  William the Conqueror exploded at his funeral.The short of it, the intestinal infection that killed him ended up eating up his body from the inside. All the gas from the decomposition was trapped in there, but as some people tried to fit him back into his coffin, his body exploded from the pressure. Guess he had to go out with a bang.

  Context: Though an impressive and muscular specimen in his youth, William the Conqueror grew increasingly corpulent with age. This contributed to his demise in 1087, when the horse he was riding reared up and drove the pommel of his saddle into his stomach and ruptured his intestines. He perished weeks later and, because the stone coffin that was prepared for him was too small for his body, the aforesaid disaster occurred. 
• (#5) Before His Passing, George Washington Was Emptied Of Nearly Half His Blood

  From Redditor u/sarcasmisart:

  Whilst on his death bed, George Washington was drained of almost half his blood and given treatments that caused him to violently vomit and sh*t himself. He perished anyway.

  Context: What caused George Washington's sudden, fatal illness remains unknown. It was speculated on in his era and continues to be a topic of debate in the present day (culprits include croup, quinsy, diphtheria, throat infection, and acute pneumonia). According to the Constitution Center, it is estimated that Washington was drained of 40% of his total blood before he expired.
• (#6) Jack Daniel Perished Because He Stubbed His Toe

  From Redditor u/Fact-Crab:

  Jack Daniel (yeah, that Jack Daniel) died from an infected stubbed toe caused by him kicking a safe containing money to which he had forgotten the combination.

  Context: You can see the safe that took Mr. Daniel's life on the Jack Daniel Distillery tour in Lynchburg, Tennessee. His story is a grim reminder of how far medical knowledge has come. After stubbing his toe, the resulting infection required first the amputation of Daniel's foot, then his leg, before he succumbed to gangrene.
• (#7) The 'Titanic's Binoculars Were Locked In A Safe - That No One Could Open

  From Redditor u/Gumpy57:

  The Titanic look-outs did not have binoculars. It was believed they had accidentally been left in Southhampton, but they were locked in a safe on board.

  Context: As How Stuff Works explains, "The binoculars were stashed in a locker in the crow's nest - where they were most needed - but the key to the locker wasn't on board. That's because a sailor named David Blair, who was reassigned to another ship at the last minute, forgot to leave the key behind when he left. The key was in Blair's pocket." It remains a point of controversy whether or not the binoculars would have helped the Titanic crew spot the iceberg. Fred Fleet, the ship's lookout, claimed they were essential. Other researchers aren't so sure. 
• (#8) Early Critics Of Trains Claimed Their Speed Would Eject A Woman's Uterus From Her Body

  From Redditor u/uthglow:

  People used to think women's uteruses would go flying if they rode the train.

  Context: As cultural anthropologist Genevieve Bell explains, people have always been fearful of new and advancing technology. Early critics of locomotives thought “that women’s bodies were not designed to go at 50 miles an hour,” and claimed “[female passengers’] uteruses would fly out of [their] bodies as they were accelerated to that speed.” People also thought that women's uteruses would fall out if they ran marathons, too.
• (#9) Andrew Johnson's Vice Presidential Inauguration Was A Drunken Disaster

  From Redditor u/TheNewGirl76:

  Then American Vice President Andrew Johnson was so drunk at his vice presidential inauguration that he could not swear the new congress in and rambled incoherently during his acceptance speech.

  Context: This comes from the official Senate website of the US government: "Johnson rose unsteadily to harangue the distinguished crowd about his humble origins and his triumph over the rebel aristocracy. In the shocked and silent audience, President Abraham Lincoln showed an expression of 'unutterable sorrow,' while Senator Charles Sumner covered his face with his hands. Former vice president Hamlin tugged vainly at Johnson's coattails, trying to cut short his remarks. After Johnson finally quieted, took the oath of office, and kissed the Bible, he tried to swear in the new senators, but he became so confused that he had to turn the job over to a Senate clerk."
• (#10) Two French Kings Were Taken Out By Doors

  From Redditor u/Ramtalok:

  Not one but two kings of France perished by smashing their heads on the top part of a door, or lintel.

  Charles VIII in 1498 (the shock probably caused something else but still).

  Louis III was pursuing a fair lady (who was actually trying to escape him) on his horse on August 5, 882, when she passed a door. The horse went through, but not the king, who broke his skull and died instantly.

  Context: Not much to add here. Some 616 years after Louis III's ignominious end, Charles VIII (known as "Charles the Affable") bumped his head on the way to a tennis match. He lost his life after falling into a coma.
• (#11) Bobby Leach Went Over Niagra Falls In A Barrel - And Perished From Slipping On A Banana Peel

  From Redditor u/lucif_woods:

  The second person to go down Niagara Falls in a barrel and live later perished by slipping on an orange peel.

  Context: According to the BBC, reports differ on whether Bobby Leach slipped on an orange peel or a banana peel. It was not the initial slip that did Leach in, but the gangrene that infected his leg afterward.
• (#12) During WWII, The Allies Concocted A Plan To 'Feminize' Hitler Via Hormone-Laced Food

  From Redditor u/Alistair_TheAlvarian:

  There was a real plan to spike Hitler's food with estrogen to try to turn him into a woman and make him give up on war.

  Context: The idea here was that a more "feminine" Hitler would be less aggressive. According to Professor Brian Ford of Cardiff University, Allied agents positioned around the fuhrer made the plan "entirely possible" to pull off. And, as Time notes, "unlike poisons, estrogen would not have been detected by Hitler’s cadre of food tasters."
• (#13) Pirate Captain Benjamin Hornigold Once Raided A Ship Just To Steal The Crew's Hats

  From Redditor u/JohnSmith2217:

  Benjamin Hornigold was a pirate in the late 1600s and early 1700s who once robbed a merchant vessel purely for the crew's hats - because he and his crew got so drunk the night before that they all threw their own hats overboard for no good reason.

  Context: This tale is related in Peter Earle's 2003 book The Pirate Wars. As the Vintage News explains, "After they took the merchants’ hats, Hornigold and his crew allowed them to continue with their journey. Some historians believe that this curious endeavor was nothing more than Hornigold’s and Thatch’s wish to display their power."
• (#14) Michigan And Ohio Fought A War Over Toledo

  From Redditor u/LadyLightTravel:

  Michigan and Ohio had a war over Toledo.

  Context: There's actually a lot of political history that led to the 1835-1836 "Toledo War," but suffice to say it was an important town that both states claimed they had a right to. Though the conflict was mostly bloodless (Sheriff Joseph Wood was stabbed with a pen knife in July 1835), it did require the intervention of President Andrew Jackson before it ended.
• (#15) The Fall Of The Berlin Wall Was Due To A Bureaucrat Misreading His Notes

  From Redditor u/Farkenoathm8-E:

  How the Berlin Wall fell. In order to calm mounting protests, German Democratic Republic (GDR) officials decided on loosening travel restrictions between East and West, but not opening the border completely.

  Notes of the new rules had been handed to a spokesman who hadn't had time to read them before the press conference. "Private travel outside the country can now be applied for without prerequisites," he said. Surprised journalists clamoured for more details. Shuffling through his notes, he said that as far as he was aware, it was effective immediately. In fact, it had been planned to start the next day, with details on applying for a visa. But the news was all over television - and East Germans flocked to the border in huge numbers.

  As the border became inundated with East Berliners wishing to reunite with family and/or escape the GDR, border guards became overwhelmed and with no orders to either shoot upon the crowd or open the gate, only a handful of guards facing hundreds and thousands of citizens, rather than fire and create a stampede and potentially kill hundreds, the head of the guards decided to give the order "Open the barrier!" What came next was a spontaneous chain reaction with Berliners on both sides arriving at Checkpoint Charlie to celebrate this momentous event and to demolish the wall.

  So, basically, an ill-prepared functionary made a flippant remark and a border guard captain, unable to get orders on how to proceed, led to one of the most defining moments of the late 20th Century in Europe.

  Context: This is basically correct, though according to the BBC, it was Günter Schabowski (the politician who did not have time to read his notes) who could not get clear orders on what to do. He was the one who gave the order to open the barrier.

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