5 Little-Known History Facts
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5 Little-Known History Facts

Weird history facts you never learned in school.

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5 Little-Known History Facts
Molly Sanders

We all studied history in grade school, but did you know any of these weird facts from history?

1. The Olympic Games used to award medals for art.

From 1912-1948, the Olympics had competitions in the fine arts. The projects were required to be related to the games, in the areas of literature, architecture, painting, music, and sculpture. In favor of requiring cities to provide cultural events to accompany the games, the arts medals were removed.

2. President Jefferson embraced a life of leisure.

When president, Jefferson would greet White House guests in his robe and slippers. And while Jefferson didn’t adopt the bisou, he did initiate the custom of shaking hands when meeting people, as opposed to bowing that had been favored by George Washington.

3. Salem, New Jersey, held a trial against tomatoes in 1820.

Believing that the vegetables were poisonous, Robert Johnson bravely proved the general populous wrong. Standing at the front of the courthouse, Johnson ate an entire basket of tomatoes. After staying alive, the court dismissed the trial and stated that tomatoes were safe to eat.

4. Vikings never wore horned helmets.

The idea of Vikings wearing horned helmets came from the myth-making of the 16th and 17th century Europeans, who viewed the vikings as warrior crusaders with wings and horns on their heads.

5. "Witches" were never burned at the stake during the Salem witch trials.

In contrast to popular opinion, supposed witches were never actually burned at the stake. Instead, in accordance with traditional English law, they were hanged or in one case, crushed to death with stones.

So, after learning these, are you more interested to learn about all of the weird facts in history? I know I was, and I was also surprised to know that some things I learned in grade school were incorrect. So remember to always look facts up before believing them.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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