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!
Glenn K. Tripp, a D.B. Cooper copycat, hijacked Northwest Flight 608 in 1980. His drink was spiked with Valium by a flight attendant, and after a 10 hour standoff, he lowered his ransom to 3 cheeseburgers and a getaway car. He was captured and arrested on the way to his car. He tried to hijack the same flight while on probation three years later. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: http://www.check-six.com/Crash_Sites/NWA305-DBCooper.htm
In the early 1950’s, British company Fairey started to develop a helicopter-type aircraft for commercial passenger use. They eventually built the Rotodyne, which took off vertically using helicopter rotors with jets at their tips but was powered forward by turboprops on the wing. The aircraft never made it into commercial use. – WTF Fun Facts
The oldest known telephone directory was issued in February 1878 and consisted of a single piece of cardboard. It listed 50 individuals or businesses in New Haven, Connecticut that had telephones but not their numbers. – WTF Fun Facts
A racehorse named Sham ran the Kentucky Derby with a time just under 2 minutes (1:59.90). His time was good enough to win any Kentucky Derby past or present except the one he was in. He lost to the legendary Secretariat by about 2 ½ lengths. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://www.liveabout.com/the-fastest-runnings-of-the-kentucky-derby-1880673
In the late 17th-18th century a “cackler” was a chicken and a “cackling fart” was an egg. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://victoriablakewriter.wordpress.com/2020/03/17/historical-slang-cackling-fart/
Prior to 1743, the Celsius scale values were reversed (i.e. the boiling point was 0 degrees and the freezing point was 100 degrees). The 1743 scale reversal was proposed by Jean-Pierre Christin. – WTF Fun Facts
In the 1950’s, babies traveled on airplanes in “skycots.” They were attached to the overhead luggage bin, with children placed inside for the duration of the flight. – WTF Fun Facts
In the 17th century, a Humpty Dumpty was a drink made of brandy boiled with ale. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humpty_Dumpty
During WWI, the British Army had “Pals battalions,” which allowed men from the same community to serve in the war together. This practice was ended after the Somme offensive, as entire battalions (and consequently communities as well) were wiped out. – WTF Fun Facts
President Jimmy Carter had 32 solar-thermal panels installed on the White House roof in 1979. They were removed for roof works in 1986 while Ronald Reagan was in office and never re-installed. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://blog.sciencemuseum.org.uk/solar-panels-and-the-white-house/
During the Korean War, Tootsie Rolls instead of ammunition were accidentally sent to US Marines in a battle at Chosin reservoir. The nourishment from the candy is credited with helping save the marines and they also used it to fix bullet hole riddled equipment. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://usmc-mccs.org/articles/how-tootsie-rolls-accidentally-saved-marines-during-war/
Louis Le Prince, who filmed the first ever motion pictures, disappeared without a trace in 1890. Thomas Edison soon took credit as the first and sole inventor of cinematography and was granted US patents for his motion-picture camera. – WTF Fun Facts
One of the oldest photographs in existence of a US President (John Quincy Adams) was discovered when it was bought for 50 cents in an antique shop in the 1970’s. President Adams himself described the photo as hideous. – WTF Fun Facts
The ampersand (&), which is derived from the Latin et meaning “and”, was once the 27th letter of the alphabet, coming after Z. When reciting the alphabet, you would end it with “and per se and” which over time evolved into “ampersand”. – WTF Fun Facts
Vienna is famous for its horse-drawn taxis, called Fiakers. Normally worked by family-run organizations, they go back to 1693 and are an iconic piece of the city’s rich heritage. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://www.virtualvienna.net/the-fiaker-a-taxi-with-tradition/
Braille was originally known as “night writing” and invented in the early 1800’s by Charles Barbier of Napoleon’s French Army after soldiers were being killed because they used lamps after dark to read combat messages. An 11-year-old Louis Braille later simplified it into what we use today. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://brailleworks.com/braille-resources/history-of-braille/
The creator of the first ATM machine, John Shepherd-Barron, was unable to access his money one day when he arrived after the bank had closed. He came up with the solution to this problem while taking a bath, taking inspiration from the chocolate bar vending machines. – WTF Fun Facts
At the peak of production during World War 2, Ford Motor Company produced a B-24 Liberator airplane every 63 minutes at the Willow Run assembly plant. Each bomber was made of 488,193 individual parts. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: http://www.strategos-m.com/willow_run.htm