Interesting historical facts beckon with their diversity. Thanks to them, humanity has a unique opportunity to understand what happened in a particular period of development of a nation, society and states. Facts from history are not just what we were told at school. There are many secrets from this area of knowledge.
1. Peter the Great had his own method to fight alcoholism in the country. The drunks were awarded medals, which weighed about 7 kilograms, and they could not be removed from oneself.
2.In times Ancient Rus grasshoppers were called dragonflies.
3. The anthem of Thailand was written by a Russian composer.
5. Those who urinated in the pond were executed during the time of Genghis Khan.
7. Braids were a sign of feudalism in China.
8 virginity English women in Tudor times, they symbolized bracelets on the hands and a tightly tightened corset.
9.Nero, who was emperor in Ancient rome, married his male slave.
10. In ancient times, mutilation of the ears was used as a punishment in India.
11.Arabic numerals were not invented by Arabs, but by mathematicians from India.
13 bandaging the legs was considered ancient tradition Chinese residents. The essence of this was to make the foot smaller, and therefore more feminine and beautiful.
14. Morphine was once used to relieve coughs.
15. The ancient Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun's parents were sister and brother.
16. Guy Julius Caesar had the nickname "boots."
17. Elizabeth the First covered her own face with white lead and vinegar. So she hid the traces of smallpox.
18. Monomakh's hat was the symbol of the Russian tsars.
19. Pre-revolutionary Russia was considered the most teetotal country.
20. Until the 18th century, Russia did not have a flag.
21.Since November 1941, there was a childlessness tax in the Soviet Union. It was 6% of the total salary.
22. Trained dogs provided assistance in clearing objects during World War II.
23. Virtually not a single earthquake was recorded during large-scale nuclear tests 1960-1990.
24. For Hitler, the main enemy was not Stalin, but Yuri Levitan. He even announced an award of 250,000 marks for his head.
25 In the Icelandic Saga of Hakon Hakonarson, Alexander Nevsky was spoken of.
26. For a long time in Russia fist fights were famous.
27. Ekaterina Vtoraya canceled spanking for the military for same-sex contacts.
28.The invaders from France managed to expel only Jeanne Dark, who called herself the messenger of God.
29.The length of the Cossack gull, which we remember from the history of the Zaporizhzhya Sich, reached about 18 meters.
30. Genghis Khan defeated the Kerait, Merkit and Naiman.
31. By order of the emperor Augustus in ancient Rome, houses that were higher than 21 meters were not built. This minimized the risk of being buried alive.
32. The Colosseum is considered the bloodiest place in history.
33. Alexander Nevsky had military rank"Khan".
34. During the time of the Russian Empire, it was allowed to carry edged weapons.
35.The soldiers in the army of Napoleon addressed the generals on "you".
36. During the Roman war, soldiers lived in tents of 10 people.
37. Any touch of the emperor in Japan before World War II was sacrilege.
38 Boris and Gleb are the first Russian saints who were canonized in 1072.
39. In the great Patriotic War a Red Army machine gunner named Semyon Konstantinovich Hitler, who was Jewish by nationality, took part.
40. In the old days in Russia, to clean pearls, they were allowed to peck at a chicken. After that, the chicken was slaughtered, and the pearls were pulled out of its stomach.
41. From the very beginning, people who cannot speak Greek were called barbarians.
42. pre-revolutionary Russia name day for Orthodox people was a more important holiday than birthday.
43. When England and Scotland came to an alliance, Great Britain was created.
44. After Alexander the Great brought cane sugar from one of his Indian campaigns to Greece, they immediately began to call it “Indian salt”.
45 In the 17th century, thermometers were filled not with mercury, but with cognac.
46 The first condom in the world was invented by the Aztecs. It was made from a fish bubble.
47. In 1983, no births were registered in the Vatican.
48. From the 9th to the 16th century, there was a law in England that every man should practice archery every day.
49. When the Winter Palace was stormed, only 6 people died.
50. About 13,500 homes were destroyed in the great and famous fire in London in 1666.
We offer a fascinating selection of historical facts about Russia and Russian people. Informative and interesting:
The origin of the name of our country is unknown
Since ancient times, our country was called Rus, but where this name came from is not known for certain. But it is known how "Rus" turned into "Russia" - this happened thanks to the Byzantines, who pronounced the word "Rus" in their own way.
After the collapse of Russia, some of its regions began to be called Little Russia, White Russia and Great Russia, or Little Russia, Belarus and Great Russia. It was believed that only all these parts together make up Russia. But after the 1917 revolution and the coming to power of the Bolsheviks, Little Russia began to be called Ukraine, and Great Russia - Russia.
In Russia, grasshoppers were called dragonflies.
A long time ago, in the days of Russia, grasshoppers were really called dragonflies, but this name in no way directly refers to a flying insect dragonfly, the grasshopper was named "dragonfly" because of the sounds it made that sounded like chirping or clicking.
Foreign invaders only once were able to conquer Russia
Many have tried to conquer Russia, and these attempts have repeatedly failed. Only the Mongols were able to conquer Russia, and this happened in the 13th century. The reason for this was that at that time Russia was divided into many principalities, and the Russian princes could not unite and jointly repulse the conquerors. Since then and to this day it is precisely the stupidity and greed of the rulers, and internal conflicts that have been and remain the main source of problems for our country.
Corporal punishment in Russia
August 11 old style (24 new) 1904 in Russian Empire abolished corporal punishment for peasants and young artisans. This was the last social group, for which the different kinds physical impact... Earlier, in June of that year, corporal punishment was abolished in the navy and army.
Corporal punishment fell into three broad categories:
1) self-injuring (mutilating) - depriving a person of any part of the body or damaging it (blindness, cutting out the tongue, cutting off an arm, leg or fingers, cutting off ears, nose or lips, castration);
2) painful - causing physical suffering by inflicting beatings with various tools (whip, whips, batogs (sticks), pins, rods, cats, molts);
3) shameful (shameful) - highest value has the disgrace of the punished (for example, putting up at a pillory, branding, imposing shackles, shaving the head).
The upper strata of the population were sensitive to the prohibition of corporal punishment. In July 1877, the St. Petersburg mayor Trepov, in violation of the law of 1863, ordered the political prisoner Bogolyubov to be flogged with rods. The educated Bogolyubov went mad and died of such an insult, and the famous Vera Zasulich avenged him, seriously wounding Trepov. The court acquitted Zasulich.
Since 1917, official Soviet pedagogy considered corporal punishment of children unacceptable. They were banned in all types educational institutions, but the family remained a frequent occurrence. In 1988, journalist Filippov conducted an anonymous survey of 7,500 children from 9 to 15 years old in 15 cities of the USSR, 60% admitted that their parents used corporal punishment against them.
Cuban Missile Crisis and Black Saturday
What we call the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Americans call the Cuban Crisis, and the Cubans themselves, the October Crisis. But the whole world calls the most important day in the Cuban missile crisis by one name - "Black Saturday" (October 27, 1962) - the day when the world was closest to a global nuclear war.
Russia has repeatedly helped the United States in their formation and strengthening
If it were not for Russia, the United States would not have emerged at all, much less would have become a superpower. During the War of Independence with England, the English king repeatedly turned to Russia for help in suppressing the uprising. Russia, however, not only did not help, but also founded a league of armed neutrality, which was soon joined by other countries that traded with the United States despite the protests of England. During civil war in the United States, Russia actively supported the northerners by sending squadrons to New York and San Francisco, while Britain and France wanted the United States to disintegrate and took the side of the southerners. Finally, Russia ceded California and Hawaii, where it had colonies, to the United States, and then sold the United States and Alaska for a ridiculous price. However, in the 20th century, the United States, having become a world power, responded to Russia with black ingratitude.
The USSR could have easily won the Cold War
After the end of World War II, two superpowers remained in the world, clashing in global confrontation- USA and USSR. Despite the worst starting conditions, the USSR in the 60s pulled ahead in many respects, and many believed that it would win the fight against the capitalists. In the 70s, the capitalist world was struck by a severe crisis provoked by the rise in oil prices, and the US economy was on the verge of collapse. However, the Soviet leadership not only did not take advantage of the situation, but, on the contrary, actually saved its adversary by concluding agreements on disarmament and agreeing to sell oil for dollars. The United States, on the other hand, relied on the collapse of the USSR and victory in cold war, which, in the end, they were able to achieve 20 years later, with the complicity of traitors among the Soviet leadership.
First Japanese in Russia
The first Japanese to come to Russia was Denbey, the son of a merchant from Osaka. His ship was nailed to the shores of Kamchatka in 1695. In 1701 he reached Moscow.
In the winter of 1702, after an audience on January 8 with Peter I in the village of Preobrazhenskoye, Denbey received an order to become a translator and teacher Japanese in the Artillery Order. Denbey personally told Peter I about Japan what he could, and thereby gave impetus to Russian efforts to explore Kamchatka and the Kuriles and attempts to open trade with Japan.
Since 1707, Denbey lived at the palace of the prince and at one time the governor of the Siberian province Matvey Gagarin. It is known that at the insistence of an associate of Peter I, Jacob Bruce, Denbay was baptized and took the name Gabriel Bogdanov (which closed his way back to Japan, where Christianity was forbidden). The school of translators from Japanese founded by him operated in Moscow until 1739, after which it was transferred to Irkutsk, where it existed until 1816.
Before Denbey, only one Japanese was known in Russia. During the reign of Boris Godunov, a Japanese of the Christian faith visited Russia. He was a young Catholic from Manila who, together with his spiritual mentor Nicholas Melo of the Order of St. Augustine, traveled to Rome along the route Manila - India - Persia - Russia. But Time of Troubles it turned out to be tragic for them: as foreign Catholics they were seized, and Tsar Boris Godunov exiled them to the Solovetsky monastery. After six years of exile, he was executed as a supporter of False Dmitry I in 1611 in Nizhny Novgorod. In Russia he was considered Indian, not Japanese.
Favorite commander of Catherine II
Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov was the favorite of Empress Catherine. She noted and showered awards on the Russian Macedonian, and he happened to allow himself what others were not allowed, knowing in advance that Catherine would always forgive any trick or eccentricity of the great commander. Here are some interesting cases:
Once at a court ball, Catherine decided to pay attention to Suvorov and asked him:
- How to treat your dear guest? - Bless, Queen, with vodka! - But what will my ladies-in-waiting say when they talk to you? - They will feel that the soldier is talking to them!
Once in a conversation, the empress said that she was planning to send Suvorov to serve in Finland in the future. Suvorov bowed to the empress, kissed her hand and returned home. Then he got into the post carriage and left for Vyborg, from where he sent Catherine a message: "I am waiting, mother, for your further orders."
It is known that Suvorov dressed very lightly even in severe frosts. Catherine II presented Suvorov with a fur coat and ordered him to wear it. What to do? Suvorov began to carry the given fur coat with him everywhere, but he kept it on his knees.
After pacifying the Poles in 1794, Suvorov sent a messenger with a message. The message is as follows: Hurray! Warsaw is ours! " Catherine's answer: “Hurray! Field Marshal Suvorov! " And this at the time of lengthy reports about the capture of cities. As a text message sent. But, nevertheless, he did not succeed in surpassing Field Marshal Saltykov in lapidarity, who, after a battle with the Prussians at Kunersdorf during the Seven Years War, simply sent the Prussian king's hat found on the battlefield to St. Petersburg.
Kutuzov is not a pirate, he doesn't need an eye patch!
In recent years, images of the commander-in-chief of the Russian army in 1812, General-Field Marshal, His Serene Highness Prince M.I. The "one-eyed" Kutuzov can be seen on the covers of books and magazines, in paintings by contemporary artists and on various souvenirs, as well as on busts and monuments.
Such images do not correspond to historical accuracy, since Kutuzov never wore an eye patch. There is not a single memoir or epistolary evidence of Kutuzov's contemporaries describing a field marshal with a patch on his right eye. Moreover, Kutuzov had no reason to hide his eye under a bandage, since he saw with this eye, although not as well as with his left.
“Fate appoints Kutuzov to something great,” said the chief surgeon of the Russian army Masso, who examined Kutuzov’s “fatal wound” in the head in 1788 near Ochakov. The bullet went through from temple to temple behind both eyes. The doctors' verdict was unambiguous - death, but Kutuzov not only did not die, but did not even lose his sight, although his right eye was slightly distorted. The surprise of the doctors and the whole world that Kutuzov remained to live and after 6 months was again in the ranks, was boundless, as it was 14 years before, when he was first “mortally wounded”. In 1774, near Alushta, as well as near Ochakov, Kutuzov was wounded in the head, and the bullet passed practically in the same place. At that time, doctors from all over Europe considered Kutuzov's recovery a miracle, and many believed that the news of the general's injury and healing was a fairy tale, because it was impossible to survive after such a wound.
Actually, at the beginning of the 19th century. wearing an eye patch after the wound healed was not accepted (even if the eye was completely absent). For the first time, the "one-eyed" Kutuzov appeared in 1944 in the feature film "Kutuzov". Then the directors of the musical comedy film "The Hussar Ballad" (1962) and the performance of the same name (1964) and ballet (1979) put on a blindfold on Kutuzov's right eye.
The image of Kutuzov, brilliantly played by Igor Ilyinsky, gave rise to a stable legend that Kutuzov wore a bandage over his injured eye. The replication of this legend in recent years has become so massive that it has led to a distortion of historical reality.
Jesters of Empress Anna Ioannovna
The niece of Peter I ruled the Russian Empire for 10 years. The harsh disposition of the Russian landowner did not prevent her from having fun.
It is known that Empress Anna Ioannovna was very fond of jesters and dwarfs. There were six of them at her court. Three of them were demoted aristocrats. So, she forced princes Mikhail Golitsyn and Nikita Volkonsky, as well as Count Alexei Apraksin, to play the role of a jester. Radiant clowns were supposed to grimace in the presence of the empress, sit on top of each other and beat their fists until they bleed, or pretend hens and cluck. V Last year of her reign, the empress arranged the wedding of her jesters - 50-year-old prince Golitsyn and the ugly Kalmyk Anna Buzheninova, who received her surname in honor of the empress's favorite dish. Representatives of different nationalities of both sexes were discharged from all over the country to participate in wedding celebrations: Russians, Tatars, Mordvins, Chuvash, etc. They were supposed to dress up in their national clothes and have musical instruments... It was winter. By order of Anna Ioannovna, an ice house was built on the Neva, in which everything - walls, doors, windows, furniture, dishes - was made of ice. Here the wedding celebration was celebrated. Many candles were burning in ice candlesticks, and even the marriage bed for the "young" was arranged on an ice bed.
Peter I and the sentries
In winter, slingshots were placed on the Neva, so that after dark, no one would be allowed into the city or from the city. Once Emperor Peter I decided to check the guards himself. He drove up to one of the sentries, pretended to be a partying merchant and asked to let him through, offering money for the pass. The sentry refused to let him through, although Peter had already reached 10 rubles, the amount at that time was very significant. The sentry, seeing such persistence, threatened that he would be forced to shoot him.
Peter left and went to another sentry. The same one missed Peter for 2 rubles.
The next day, an order was announced for the regiment: hang the corrupt sentry, and drill the rubles he received and hang him around his neck.
Promote a conscientious sentry to corporal and welcome him with ten rubles.
Thai national anthem
The Thai national anthem was written in 1902 by the Russian composer Pyotr Shchurovsky.
Nicholas I gave his officers a choice between a guardhouse and listening to Glinka's operas as punishment.
On November 27, 1842, the first performance of Mikhail Glinka's opera Ruslan and Lyudmila took place, which brought the author a number of sensitive griefs. The public and high society did not like the opera; after Act IV, Emperor Nicholas I defiantly left without waiting for the end. He did not like the music of the opera so much that he ordered, as punishment, the fined officers of the capital to choose between the guardhouse and listening to Glinka's music. So the emperor additionally expressed his displeasure with the work of the composer. Such were the morals, alas. Thank God that Nikolai himself did not send the composer to the guardhouse.
"Thank God that you are Russian"
In 1826, a "Russian contemporary" described the appearance of the sovereign - Emperor Nicholas I: " High growth, lean, had a wide chest ... a quick glance, a sonorous voice, suitable for the tenor, but spoke a little patter ... Some genuine severity was visible in his movements. "
"Genuine severity" ... When he commanded the troops, he never shouted. There was no need for this — the tsar's voice could be heard a mile away; the tall grenadiers looked just like children next to him. Nikolai led an ascetic lifestyle, but if we talk about the luxury of the courtyard, the magnificent receptions, they stunned everyone, especially foreigners. This was done in order to emphasize the status of Russia, which the sovereign cared about incessantly.
General Pyotr Daragan recalled how, in the presence of Nikolai Pavlovich, he spoke French, grazing. Nikolay, suddenly making an exaggeratedly serious face, began to repeat every word after him, thus bringing his wife to a fit of laughter. Daragan, crimson with shame, rushed into the waiting room, where Nikolai caught up with him and, after kissing him, explained: “Why are you bursting? Nobody will take you for a Frenchman; thank God that you are Russian, and monkeying is no good. "
Almost all peoples, nations and countries have historical facts. Today we want to tell you about different interesting facts, which were in the world, about which many know, but it will also be interesting to read again. The world is not perfect, like a person, and the facts about which we will tell will be bad. It will be interesting for you, since each reader learns something informative within the framework of their interests.
After 1703 Filthy Ponds in Moscow began to be called ... Chistye Prudy.
During the time of Genghis Khan in Mongolia, everyone who dared to urinate in any body of water was executed. Because the water in the desert was worth more than gold.
December 9, 1968 computer mouse was presented at the show of interactive devices in California. Douglas Engelbart received a patent for this gadget in 1970.
In England, in 1665-1666, the plague devastated entire villages. It was then that medicine recognized smoking as useful, which supposedly destroyed the deadly infection. Children and teenagers were punished if they refused to smoke.
It was only 26 years after the founding of the Federal Bureau of Investigation that its agents were granted the right to carry weapons.
In the Middle Ages, sailors deliberately inserted at least one gold tooth, even sacrificing a healthy one. What for? It turns out, for a rainy day, so that in case of death he could be buried with honor away from home.
First in the world mobile phone this is the Motorola DynaTAC 8000x (1983). 
14 years before the sinking of the Titanic (April 15, 1912), Morgan Robertson's story was published, foreshadowing the tragedy. Interestingly, according to the book, the Titan ship collided with an iceberg and sank, exactly as it actually happened.
DEAN - The eldest over the soldiers in tents, in which the Roman army of 10 people lived, was called the dean.
The most expensive bathtub in the world is carved from a very rare stone called Caijou. It is said that he possesses healing properties, and the places of its extraction are kept secret to this day! It was owned by one billionaire from United Arab Emirates, who wished to remain anonymous. The price of Le Gran Queen is $ 1,700,000. 
The English Admiral Nelson, who lived from 1758 to 1805, slept in his cabin in a coffin that had been knocked out of the mast of an enemy French ship.
The list of gifts for Stalin in honor of the 70th anniversary was printed in advance in newspapers more than three years before the event.
How many types of cheese are produced in France? The famous cheese maker André Simon mentioned 839 varieties in his book "On the cheese business". Camembert and Roquefort are the most famous, and the first appeared relatively recently, only 300 years ago. This type of cheese is made from milk with the addition of cream. Already after 4-5 days of ripening, a mold crust appears on the surface of the cheese, which is a special fungal culture
The famous inventor of the sewing machine Isaac Singer was simultaneously married to five women at once. In general, he had 15 children from all women. He called all his daughters Mary.
27 million people died in the Great Patriotic War.
One of the unusual records in car travel belongs to two Americans - James Hargis and Charles Creighton. In 1930, they covered over 11,000 kilometers in reverse, traveling from New York to Los Angeles, and then returning back.
Two hundred years ago, not only men, but also women took part in the famous Spanish bullfights. This took place in Madrid, and on January 27, 1839, a very significant bullfight took place, because only the fairer sex took part in it. The Spaniard Pahuelera is best known as a matador. Women were banned from participating in bullfighting in the early 20th century, when Spain was ruled by the Nazis. Women were able to defend their right to enter the arena only in 1974.
The first computer to include a mouse was the Xerox 8010 Star Information System mini-computer, introduced in 1981. The Xerox mouse had three buttons and was priced at $ 400, which equates to nearly $ 1,000 in 2012 inflation prices. In 1983, Apple released its own one-button mouse for the Lisa computer, which was reduced in price to $ 25. The mouse gained wide popularity due to its use in Apple Macintosh computers and later in Windows OS for IBM PC compatible computers.
Jules Verne wrote 66 novels, including unfinished ones, as well as more than 20 novellas and short stories, 30 plays, several documentary and scientific works.
When Napoleon was heading for Egypt in 1798 with his army, he captured Malta along the way.
During the six days that Napoleon spent on the island, he:
Abolished the power of the Knights of the Order of Malta
-Conducted administration reform with the creation of municipalities and financial management
- Abolished slavery and all feudal privileges
-Appointed 12 judges
-Layed the foundations of family law
- Introduced primary and general public education
65-year-old David Baird ran his own marathon to raise money for research on prostate and breast cancer. For 112 days, David covered 4115 kilometers, while pushing a wheelbarrow in front of him. And so he crossed the Australian continent. At the same time, he was on the move every day for 10-12 hours, and during the entire run with a wheelbarrow he covered a distance equal to 100 traditional marathons. This courageous man, having visited 70 cities, collected donations from Australian residents in the amount of about 20 thousand local dollars.
In Europe, lollipops appeared in the 17th century. At first, they were actively used by healers.
The group "Aria" has a song called "Will and Reason", few people know that this is the motto of the Nazis in fascist Italy.
A Frenchman from the town of Landes, Silvain Dornon, made his way from Paris to Moscow, walking on stilts. Having set off on March 12, 1891, covering 60 kilometers every day, the brave Frenchman reached Moscow in less than 2 months. 
The capital of Japan, Tokyo, is currently the most Big city in the world with a population of 37.5 million.
Rokossovsky - Marshal of both the USSR and Poland.
Despite the widespread belief that the transfer of Alaska to the United States of America was carried out by Catherine II, the Russian empress has nothing to do with this historic deal.
One of the main reasons for this event is considered to be the military weakness of the Russian Empire, which became obvious during the Crimean War.
The decision to sell Alaska was made during a special meeting that took place in St. Petersburg on December 16, 1866. It was attended by all the top leadership of the country.
The decision was taken unanimously.
Some time later, the Russian envoy to the US capital, Baron Eduard Andreevich Stekl, offered the American government to buy Alaska from the Republic of Ingushetia. The proposal was approved.
And in 1867, for 7.2 million gold, Alaska came under the jurisdiction of the United States of America.
In 1502-1506. Leonardo da Vinci painted his most significant work - the portrait of Mona Lisa, wife of Messer Francesco del Giocondo. Many years later, the picture received a simpler name - "La Gioconda".
Girls in Ancient Greece married at the age of 15. For men, the average age for marriage was a more substantial period - 30 - 35 years. The father of the bride himself chose a husband for his daughter and gave money or things as a dowry.
In 1992, a group of Australians set themselves the goal of winning the jackpot of the national lottery by all means. They invested $ 5 million in lottery tickets (a dollar per ticket) to cover almost every possible combination and won $ 27 million.
II
One nun really needed a ladder, and she had no one to turn to. The devout woman began to pray fervently to the patron saint of carpenters, Saint Joseph. Soon a man appeared on the threshold, who offered his services and in a couple of months made a beautiful, strong spiral staircase. When the work was completed, the man simply disappeared without receiving any payment or gratitude, and all attempts to find him were unsuccessful. It is curious that the staircase is made without any supports, without a single nail, and at the same time makes a 360-degree turn. 
III
Elephants rape and kill rhinos. Only in one National park Pilanesberg (South Africa), 63 such cases were reported. 
IV
In 1995, the New York magazine Newsweek published an article “Why the web can never be Nirvana,” mocking the future of the internet. The author of the article scoffed at the idea that someday people will find out the news, buy flights and study online. This article can still be read on the website of the publication. 
V
There is a territory between Egypt and Sudan that no state claims. It is called Bir-Tavil and is a quadrangle with an area of about 2000 kilometers. In theory, this territory should now belong to Egypt. However, in 1958, Egypt demanded that Sudan return to the borders of 1899 and the transfer of the Halaib Triangle, abandoning Bir Tawil in return. Sudan refused. So Bir-Tavil turned out to be the only “no-man's” territory outside Antarctica. 
VI
In 1730, the French pirate Olivier Levasseur was sentenced to the gallows. Before his execution, he unexpectedly threw a note with a cryptogram into the crowd, shouting: "Find my treasures, if you can!" The treasure has not yet been found. 
Vii
During the excavation of an ancient Roman temple in London's Southwark, a jar of ointment was discovered, which is at least 2,000 years old. The substance has retained its structure, even with rather clear fingerprints left on it. 
VIII
The largest robbery in Japan took place in 1968. One day, a bank car carrying a large sum of money was stopped by a police officer on a motorcycle. He said that according to his information, a bomb was planted in the car and ordered everyone to get out. Then he climbed inside "to defuse the explosive device." Suddenly the car was filled with smoke and the bank employees accompanying the valuable cargo fled in panic. And the “policeman” calmly left. During this robbery (the crime scene in the photo below), 300 million yen was stolen, and it still remains unsolved. 
IX
Most of the borders of the Middle East were established by a pair of European aristocrats in 1916. Frenchman François Georges-Picot and Englishman Marc Sykes developed the so-called Sykes-Picot Agreement, which delimited the spheres of interests of Great Britain, France, Russia and Italy in the Middle East after the First World War. 
X
In 1967, Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt disappeared without a trace. I went for a swim with friends in the bay and how I evaporated. He could not drown, as he was an excellent swimmer, there were no sharks in those places, the cheerful prime minister had no reason to commit suicide. Holt's body was never found. This disappearance has entered Australian folklore. The expression “to make Harold Holt” means to disappear suddenly and mysteriously among the locals. 
XI
In May 2013, an American Airlines plane flying from Los Angeles to New York was forced to make an emergency landing in order to expel fan Whitney Houston, who drove passengers and crew to despair. The woman, not stopping with good obscenities, screamed the famous hit “I Will Always love you” and flatly refused to shut up. She sang even when the police took her out of the car:
History is full of the most incredible facts and oddities. Throughout the history of their existence, people have not only created, but many have done to their own detriment, believing that they have found a panacea for all diseases or an ideal political solution.
This review contains historical facts that seem somewhat strange from the height of centuries.
1. Asbestos clothing
The Romans used asbestos in clothing and everyday items such as dishwashing towels, napkins, and tablecloths. Pliny the Elder (a Roman erudite writer) said that unlike ordinary fabrics, asbestos objects could be cleaned simply by throwing them into a fire. He also noted that slaves who wore asbestos clothing often suffered from lung diseases.2. Heart versus brain
In ancient Egypt, it was believed that people think not with the help of the brain, but with the heart. The Egyptians believed that the brain was essentially just a "stuffing" for the head. For this reason, they carefully scraped it out of the head during embalming and threw it away, and preserved the heart with special care.
3. "Plague Suit"
During the plague in the Middle Ages, some doctors wore a primitive form of biohazard suit called the "plague suit." The mask of this costume had red glass eyepieces (to “make the wearer immune to evil), as well as a beak, which was often filled with aromatic herbs and spices to kill miasma, which was also believed to spread the plague.
4.3370 years of war
"The Apotheosis of War" is a painting by the Russian artist Vasily Vasilyevich Vereshchagin.
During the past 3,500 years, the entire world has had a total of only 230 years without war. It is worth wondering if there is any benefit from the "peace movement".
5. Bearded men
Among the urban population Western Europe and America's beards went out of fashion in early XVII century. In 1698, Peter the Great ordered all the boyars to shave off their beards, and in 1705 he introduced a tax on beards.
6. "The Tale of Two Lovers"
The best-selling book of the 15th century was an erotic book called The Tale of Two Lovers. Its author was none other than Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini, otherwise known as Pope Pius II.
7. Sacred cats
In ancient Egypt, cats were considered sacred. When a family's beloved cat died, the whole family shaved off their eyebrows and were in mourning until the eyebrows grew back.
8.20 slaves per Spartan
In 200 BC. the Greek city of Sparta was at the height of its power. At this time, every citizen of Sparta had 20 slaves.
9. The protracted war
Andorra declared war on imperial Germany during World War I, but did not actually take part in the hostilities. Interestingly, the country was officially at war until 1957, since it was not included in the Versailles Peace Treaty.
10. "Western schism"
During the so-called "Western Schism" or "Great Western Schism" (1378-1417), three people simultaneously claimed to be the true popes. When the cardinals refused to obey their elected Pope Urban VI and declared him insane, they elected an "alternative" Pope Clement VII. This caused great strife in the Church, which led to the election of a third Pope by the Cathedral of Pisa.
11. From pirates to bankers
The Bank of England was founded by Sir William Paterson. At the same time, few people know that before the bank was founded, he was suspected of engaging in piracy.12. Tea bags
In 1904, tea bags were invented by accident. Their inventor Thomas Sullivan (a tea merchant) decided it would be cheaper for him to send small samples of tea. potential clients in silk bags, not boxes. The recipients mistakenly thought that these were the bags to be brewed. Soon Sullivan was literally inundated with orders for his tea bags.
13. First parachute
The oldest parachute design can be found in an anonymous Italian Renaissance manuscript that dates back to 1470. The structure looked like a frame attached to a tapered dome. The man was suspended from this frame with four straps attached to his belt at his waist.
14. Tobacco enemas
In the late 1700s, tobacco enemas existed. With their help, tobacco smoke was blown into the patient's rectum for various medical purposes, primarily for the resuscitation of drowning victims.
15. Ancient depilation
In ancient Rome, there were people who specialized in armpit hair plucking. Somewhere around A.D. 1 it became fashionable among the Roman aristocrats to remove all body hair. The following requirements were imposed on people of this profession: the presence of tweezers, strong hand and the ability to keep a reluctant client in place.
