As a history education major, history is clearly one of my favorite topics that I am very passionate about. I know for many people it can be boring, but what a lot of people don't realize it's that there are some amazing historical facts that many people do not know. So here are 11 strange/interesting historical facts that are sure to blow your mind!
1. There was a war against Emus known as "The Great Emu War"
Yes, you read that correctly. In 1932, the Australians had a war against Emus that lasted from November 2nd to December 10th. And you will never believe who won... (The Emus)
2. There was a Japanese soldier who fought in WWII and did not surrender until 1974
Crazy to believe, but it is true. Hiroo Onoda was a Japanese soldier. He was sent to a small island in the Philippines towards the end of the war and had strict instructions to keep fighting even when the war ended. Notes were left saying, "The war is over" be he ultimately dismissed them as lies.
3. The world's deadliest sniper was a Finnish soldier who fought in the Winter War
This is Simo Häyhä , or "The White Death" as the Russians called him. He is regarded as the deadliest sniper in the world with 505 confirmed sniper kills. What is so crazy about Simo, is that he used a sniper that had only iron sights on it, because of the glare of a normal scope would have given away his position.
4. Albert Einstein was invited by the prime minister of Jerusalem to become the second president of Israel
He had the chance, but he decided to turn it down.
5. A bear once served in WWII
Wojtek was a bear who served with the Polish army during WWII where he helped the soldiers by moving crates of ammunition.
6. There was a man named "Mad Jack" who fought in WWII with a longbow and a sword
7. Famous pirate hunter Benjamin Hornigold attacked a pirate ship just to steal their hats
All because his crew got drunk one night and threw their hats overboard.
8. Abraham Lincoln never actually slept in the Lincoln bedroom
The room that is now known as the Lincoln bedroom was actually his personal office.
9. The Swastika Did NOT originate from the Nazis, it has actually been around for over 12,000 years
That's right, it was actually used as a symbol of power before the Nazi party adopted it.
10. Napoleon Bonparte was 5ft 7in
So hey, he really wasn't so short after all!
11. The story of George Washington cutting down his father's cherry tree was a myth
So there you have it, 11 strange/interesting historical facts! To whoever is reading this, I hope you learned something new today and hope that this made you like history a little more than you did before!
