History does not only consist of tedious battles and numerous dates impossible to remember; It is also full of curious facts and unique characters that make studying it much more entertaining.
Would you like to know some historical curiosities? Keep reading.
Ephemeral kings, strange diseases, historical hoaxes… Below, we present a compilation of 20 of the most curious anecdotes in history.
1. The precursor of sexology was… a Jesuit
Just as you read it. Specifically, Tomás Sánchez from Córdoba who, at the beginning of the 16th century, wrote a voluminous treatise in which he detailed the relationships in marriage. And although the religious limited the sexual descriptions to the sacrament, The explanations he offered were so detailed that his superiors tried to censor his work so that it would be a little less “spicy”.
2. The publication of Werther of Goethe triggered a wave of suicides
This novel by the German writer revolves around the impossible loves of young Werther, in love with Charlotte, a married woman. The tragic end of the protagonist caused a mirror effect among European readers, where the novel had caused a sensation, and a true suicide fever was unleashed among young people, who wanted to imitate the suffering of their “hero.” The situation became so alarming that the authorities of some countries banned the work.
3. The epidemic that inaugurated a new cemetery
Until the first urban health edicts, cemeteries had been located within the walls, preferably near churches. At the end of the 18th century, new ideas derived from the Enlightenment motivated the creation of cemeteries located away from crowds, to avoid diseases.
In 1821, the feared yellow fever reached Barcelona through two ships that docked in its port. It is estimated that 10% of the population died, a true economic and humanitarian disaster. To deal with the burial of the multitude of corpses that were accumulating in the streets, it was decided to build the first cemetery outside the walls of Barcelona, the famous Poblenou cemetery, where there is currently a monument in memory of the terrible plague.
4. The “miraculous” birth of James I
James I of Aragon himself records this anecdote in his chronicle. It is also collected, in turn, by the medieval chronicler Ramon Muntaner, so we can deduce that, broadly speaking (and ignoring the elements that could be added later) the story is true.
The hatred that King Pedro II of Aragon felt towards his wife was so great that he did not even sleep with her to father an heir to the crown. The issue became a matter of state, and some of the nobles conspired with the queen to develop a plan that would allow the sovereign to have relations with her husband. Thus, they made the monarch believe that a lady for whom he felt a preference was waiting for him in her bed, but that she wanted to remain in the dark all night. The king had relations with her and, when the first light of day came, discovered that the supposed lady was, in reality, his wife María de Montpellier That night, both fathered the man who would later become James I the Conqueror.
He has gone down in history as one of the best-known Frenchmen, but the truth is that Napoleon Bonaparte was on the verge of never being one. The island of Corsica belonged to Genoa, but the Treaty of Versailles, signed between the republic and the kingdom of France, annexed the island to French territory. This happened on May 15, 1768, exactly 15 months before Napoleon’s birth. Somewhat self-conscious about his non-Galic origin, Napoleon changed his Italian surname. Buonaparte by Bonaparte
6. “Please be quiet”
In its beginnings, cinema was not the “seventh art” that it is considered today. It was more of a mass entertainment, and people came to the rooms as if they were going to a picnic. It was very common for the audience to eat loudly, whistle and talk constantly, which made it difficult to follow the film (even though it was silent).
To avoid all this revelry, in 1912, in New York, before the movies, a series of advertisements began to be shown that invited the public to behave correctly and, to the ladies, to take off their cumbersome hats so as not to impede the visibility of the men. behind. Fun fact: in these recordings, Yawning in the middle of the screening was also prohibited
7. Parasites in the Nile
One of the most common diseases among ancient Egyptians were parasites, which could trigger very serious health problems. In a society where the flooding of the Nile was a crucial element for the development of agriculture, it was normal for worm larvae to proliferate in the stagnant waters of the river bank. These worms could enter the body of anyone who crossed those waters and cause hemorrhages that would eventually lead to anemia, which is known as schistosomiasis.
8. The mythical Egyptian slaves
And speaking of Egypt… surely you have heard more than once that the pyramids were built on the blood of the slaves who built them. Fake. The people who worked on the construction of these monuments were free workers who received a salary for their activity. We cannot deny that some may have suffered an accident and even died, but in no case was it work done by slaves.
9. Roman roads were not paved
…or, at least, not in all sections. This is another of the historical myths that American peplum movies have introduced us to: long, perfectly paved roads, where cars don’t even wobble. As false as the “slaves of the pyramids”. For much of their length, Roman roads were covered with simple and uncomfortable gravel
10. “Nothing”
Famous is the historical anecdote that tells that, on the same day of the storming of the Bastille, at night, King Louis XVI wrote in his diary: “Nothing.” Many have taken advantage of the brief word to demonstrate the absolute uselessness of the monarch when it comes to capturing the crucial events that were happening around him, but the truth is that this “nothing” refers to something else. The diary was a mere hunting diary, and with the word the king simply confirmed that he had returned from the hunt empty-handed.
11. Marie Antoinette’s daughter who was queen of France for a few hours
Of all the children Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI had, only one girl survived. Some died from illness at a very young age, and the Dauphin, little Luis, died in prison due to the mistreatment meted out to him by his captors.
The daughter, María Teresa, known as Madame Royale, survived the tragedy of her family and married a cousin of hers, Luis Antonio de Angoulême. Louis’s father came to reign under the name of Charles IX and, after his abdication, the crown legally passed to his son, which made Maria Theresa queen of France for all purposes. However, The Angouleme’s reign only lasted a few minutes, because immediately after the father’s abdication, the son abdicated Thus, the one who was the daughter of the guillotined kings managed to be queen of the French… for twenty minutes.
12. The last tsar of Russia was not Nicholas II
There are other monarchs who have reigned only for hours or minutes. For example, the case of Michael, the brother of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. After Nicholas’s abdication, in his name and that of his son, the imperial throne technically passed to his brother, Grand Duke Michael. However, he soon abdicated in turn, fearful of the turn that events were taking and, probably, under pressure from everyone. In this way, the true last tsar of Russia was Michael II, who remained on the throne for almost a full day.
13. The empress of China whose name is unknown
Another case of “hourly” sovereigns is that of a Chinese empress from the 6th century. On this occasion, her passage to the throne was so rapid that her name has not even been recorded. She is only known to have been the daughter of Emperor Xiaoming, who was murdered by his own mother. It was precisely this, Empress Hu, who designed a plan so that her little granddaughter could access the throne: he passed the girl off as a man The deception lasted just a few hours. Finally, everything was discovered, and the imperial throne passed into the hands of a distant relative.
14. The true pioneer of vaccination in Europe
We don’t want to downplay Edward Jenner, of course; It was thanks to him that vaccination against smallpox was perfected to the point of completely preventing the development of the disease. There is much that history owes to the great doctor, but we must not forget that the person who introduced the idea to Europe was Lady Mary Montagu.
Intrepid and passionate about travel, Lady Mary was in Constantinople in the company of her husband, who was an ambassador. There she realized that the natives used inoculation to treat the feared smallpox. Upon her return to England, Lady Mary did the same thing with her children, which earned her harsh criticism. Years later, Jenner demonstrated the validity of his theory.
15. The first traffic light ran on gas
The year was 1868. London had become the busiest metropolis in Europe; The traffic was chaotic, so it was decided to install a device that would help control the traffic of vehicles and people. Thus, the first traffic light was placed on Westminster Bridge; its mechanical color signals were moved by gas propulsion. Unfortunately, It was only active for a month, because after a serious gas explosion it was removed from public roads
Of the thirty-five Visigoth monarchs, twelve were murdered. Almost nothing. The cases were so evident that Gregory of Tours, a 6th century bishop and historian, coined a term to refer to this “epidemic”: morbus gothorum or evil of the Goths.
Among the most notable murders is that of King Agila, stabbed to death in the year 554, and Turismundo, strangled in his bed by his own brothers. Among so much blood and conspiracy, the case of Eurico, one of the best kings of the Visigoth kingdom of Tolosa, who died of natural causes at the age of seventy-four, draws attention. Or at least that’s what they say.
17. The discussed sexual orientation of Ricardo Corazón de León
This is what many of the studies that began in the 20th century on the subject wanted to see. And although, as always, there may be a lot of legend, the statement is built on concrete historical testimonies. The historian Iris Rodríguez, in an interview offered to ABC Historia, highlights the chronicle of Roger de Hoveden, contemporary to the king, in which it is commented that Richard and Philip Augustus of France loved each other so much that not even their bed separated them. Did the two monarchs sleep together?
Another issue that seems to support the alleged homosexuality of Richard I is the scant attention he gave to his wife, Berenguela of Navarra, with whom he barely lived and with whom he had no children. However, it is known that Lionheart had illegitimate children with some lovers, which raises the theory that, instead of homosexual, could have been bisexual
18. An eccentric queen
Luisa Isabel de Orleans is one of the most forgotten queens in the history of Spain; probably because her husband, the short-lived Louis I, only reigned for eleven months. However, during her short stay at the Madrid court she captured everyone’s attention, and not exactly for a good reason.
Luisa Isabel came from the court of Versailles and was the granddaughter of Louis XIV himself, but during her childhood she grew up completely neglected. This unleashed a series of emotional problems that reached their peak when the young woman landed in Spain. Testimonies from the time tell how The queen walked around the palace almost naked, belching and windblowing in public and he alternated depressive episodes (during which he did not speak or eat) with states of authentic euphoria. A misunderstood character who has gone down in history as one of the most eccentric queens of Spain.
19. Sissi’s gym
Another sovereign who suffered from severe anxiety disorders was Empress Elizabeth of Austria, better known as Sissi. The anorexia of which he was a victim is well known Therefore, with his 172 cm height, he never exceeded 50 kg. of weight. It seems that his anorexia alternated with bulimic episodes, since it is known that, sometimes, he could eat an entire box of chocolates in a few minutes.
Sissi’s obsession with staying thin led her to drink only milk and broth, and to train daily in the gym that had been installed in her rooms.
20. The “king” of pornographic cinema
Alfonso XIII was a great fan of cinema… and scantily clad ladies. In fact, It has always been rumored that it was the monarch’s money that financed the first pornographic film production company in Spain, the famous Royal Films. At least the name of the company is suspicious enough…
Of the films that the Royal filmed, only three survive: The confessor, ladies’ office and the minister. The argument seems to be obvious. By the way, the three original tapes were found in a convent.
