America’s oldest, unbroken treaty relationship is with Morocco, which was the first nation to recognize the US. The treaty was signed by Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Sultan Muhammad III. It has lasted 232 years and is called the “Treaty of Friendship”.–WTF Fun Facts
History
Weird history facts all gathered right here under our history category. Once you have had your fill of history facts head over to our random fact generator to learn more random factoids!
WTF Fun Fact – Four Penny Coffin
The four penny coffin was one of the first homeless shelters created for the people of central London by the Salvation Army during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. For 4 pennies, they received food and shelter and could sleep in a coffin-shaped wooden box with a tarp. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: Four penny coffin – Wikipedia
WTF Fun Fact – Popcorn For Cereal
In the 1800s, popcorn was often eaten as a cereal with milk and sugar. – WTF Fun Facts
WTF Fun Fact – ABSCAM FBI Operation
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the FBI formed a fake Arabian company and attempted to bribe members of congress as part of an operation known as ABSCAM. Nearly 25% of those tested accepted the bribe and were later convicted. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: Abscam – Wikipedia
WTF Fun Fact – NYC’s 3700 Year-Old Obelisk
In 1881 an Egyptian obelisk named Cleopatra’s Needle was erected in NYC’s Central Park. The 3700+ year-old obelisk was originally created around 1425 BCE near modern-day Cairo. It took over a year to move the 220-ton structure. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: Obelisk (Cleopatra’s Needle) | Central Park Conservancy (centralparknyc.org)
WTF Fun Fact – Lawns As A Status Symbol
Seventeenth-century English aristocrats planted grass on the most visible parts of their properties so people would know they were wealthy enough to “waste” the land by not using it for crops. This is the beginning of lawns as a status symbol. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: Grassy lawns should not be mandatory. (strongtowns.org)
WTF Fun Fact – Shouting Bomb
In 1957, the US military developed a ‘shouting bomb’. The nine-foot long bomb could address large crowds for nearly 3 minutes as it dropped to the ground with a parachute. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: PATTER OF FACTS. – Free Online Library (thefreelibrary.com)
WTF Fun Fact – Black Tom Explosion
On July 30, 1916, German agents set off an explosion in NY Harbor that killed 4 people, destroyed over $400 million in today’s dollars worth of military goods, and damaged the Statue of Liberty. The Black Tom explosion was one of the largest artificial explosions ever, registering over a 5 on the Richter scale.. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: Black Tom explosion – Wikipedia
WTF Fun Fact – Pyramids of Meroe
Many pyramids were built in the Kingdom of Kush in modern day Sudan. However, an Italian treasure hunter obtained permission to perform “excavations” and blew up 40 pyramids with explosives ultimately destroying them. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: Giuseppe Ferlini – Wikipedia
WTF Fun Fact – Not So Toll Free For Fundamentalist Preacher
In 1985, a guy programmed his computer to call fundamentalist preacher Jerry Falwell Sr’s toll free prayer line every 30 seconds for 8 months. It clogged up the lines and cost Falwell over $750k in charges. – WTF Fun Facts
WTF Fun Fact – Waterloo Teeth
After the battle of Waterloo in 1815, scavengers removed the teeth from tens of thousands of dead soldiers for use in dentures. The so-called “Waterloo teeth” were in demand because they came from relatively healthy young men. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: Battle of Waterloo – Wikipedia
WTF Fun Fact – Type-in Programs
In the early days of home computers (late 1970’s to early 80’s), computer magazines featured code listings that readers would spend hours typing into their computer in order to play a game or have a certain program. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: Type-in program – Wikipedia
WTF Fun Fact – U.S. Supreme Court’s Only Criminal Case
In 1906, the U.S. Supreme Court tried the only criminal court case in its history. United States v. Shipp was a contempt of court case against a Tennessee sheriff who ignored court rulings for the rights of a black man. – WTF Fun Facts
WTF Fun Fact – Dia Del Mar
On March 23rd, the landlocked country of Bolivia celebrates “Día Del Mar” or “National Day of the Sea” to remind them of the “historical injustice” that occurred when they lost 250-miles of the Pacific coast to Chile as a result of the War of the Pacific. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: ‘Día Del Mar’ celebrates the coastline Bolivia lost 140 years ago (pri.org)
WTF Fun Fact – Chowchilla Kidnapping Fail
In 1976, three men kidnapped 26 kids and their bus driver and forced them into a trailer they buried underground. They were never able to give their $5 million ransom request to the police as the phone lines were busy, so they took a nap instead. When they woke up, the victims had already escaped and been rescued. – WTF Fun Facts
WTF Fun Fact – Nokia Message Tones
In old Nokia phones, the standard notification tone for an SMS (text message) was simply ‘M’ (for message) in Morse code. The “Special” tone when receiving an SMS was Morse code for “SMS”. – WTF Fun Facts
WTF Fun Fact – Frietmuseum
There is a museum of potatoe fries in Bruges, Belgium. The Frietmuseum is devoted to the history of potatoes and the production of Belgian fries. It traces the history of potatoes, beginning in Peru ~8000BC. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: Frietmuseum – Wikipedia
WTF Fun Fact – Old School Karen
The oldest known written complaint is from ancient Babylon written circa 1750 BC. On a clay tablet, a customer named Nanni complains to the merchant Ea-nasir about the low quality of his copper as well as him being rude to Nanni’s servant who passed through enemy territory only to be refused a refund.–WTF Fun Facts