Prospects for making a profit - it was believed that at a speed of 60 km / h, passengers would suffocate.

  • Opponents of the use of gas for lighting in England argued that it undermined the whaling industry.
  • Isaac Singer (sewing machines) was married to five women at the same time. He had 15 children from them and, in order not to be mistaken, he called all the daughters Mary.
  • In the 1st century AD, out of 87 types of goods that were imported to Ancient Rome from Asia and the east coast of Africa, 44 were spices.
  • Spices were highly valued - in the 5th century, the Romans bought the whole city from the siege of the barbarians for one and a half tons of pepper.
  • When Vasco da Gama reached Calcutta and returned with goods that paid back sixty times the cost of the voyage.
  • Sir Francis Drake, setting sail on one ship, brought a cargo worth more than the entire annual income of Queen Elizabeth.
  • Sugar was such a lucrative commodity that the Dutch exchanged it for sugar Surinam, and France abandoned Canada in exchange for Guadeloupe with its cane plantations.
  • More than half a million arrows were fired during the Battle of Crecy between the British and French.
  • Norbert Wiener formulated a concept that he called cybernetics (from the Greek for "control") and used it in his work on anti-aircraft fire guidance systems. In 1944, this system was implemented in the M-9 anti-aircraft fire control device. From the very beginning, he showed his high efficiency in intercepting German V-1 missiles in the English Channel. At first, anti-aircraft gunners shot down about 24% of the missiles fired. On the day of the last raid, out of 108 rockets that took to the air, 64 were destroyed using a fire control system.
  • In the 17th century, whaling brought 500% of the profits.
  • In the middle of the 17th century, under the influence of Luther's ideas, believers in droves switched from Catholicism to the Protestant faith. In 1656, Rome decided to take retaliatory measures and convened a church council. The cathedral lasted for several decades and one of its decisions was to increase propaganda through the arts - this trend is now known as baroque.
  • In the Aristotelian model of the universe, the Earth was at the center of the Universe. And the days of Easter (which are determined taking into account the relative position of the Sun and the Moon) were calculated incorrectly. And since the observance of church holidays was a necessary condition for the salvation of the soul, the mistake had to be corrected. The Church entrusted this to the Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus.
  • What we call a “cucumber” in Indian ornament is nothing more than a spruce or pine cone, a traditional Muslim symbol of prosperity and fertility.
  • The Nobel plant, which produces sea mines in Russia, was called the "Mechanical and Iron Plant of Ogarev and Nobel" for conspiracy. It was these mines during the Crimean War that forced the allies to launch a land assault on Sevastopol, and leave transport ships with provisions and uniforms on the roadstead of Balaklava. There they were caught by the famous hurricane on November 14, 1854, during which the fleet was completely destroyed.
  • London medical luminaries recommended smoking more to kill germs and wearing a mustache as a respirator.
  • Six months after Florence Nightingale's arrival in the Crimea, the death rate among the wounded fell from forty-four percent to two percent. In total, of the 18,058 British who died in the Crimean campaign, 1,761 were killed on the battlefield, the rest died as a result of hospitalization.
  • In the 17th century, the average life expectancy
  • 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 has been called Rus, but it is not known for certain where this name came from. 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 Rus', its individual regions began to be called Little Rus', White Rus' and Great Rus', or Little Russia, Belarus and Great Russia. It was believed that only all these parts together make up Russia. But after the revolution of 1917 and the coming to power of the Bolsheviks, Little Russia began to be called Ukraine, and Great Russia - Russia.

    In Rus', grasshoppers were called dragonflies.

    A long time ago, in the time of Rus', grasshoppers were indeed called dragonflies, but this name does not in any way directly refer to the flying insect dragonfly, the grasshopper got the name "dragonfly" because of the sounds it made, which sounded like a chirp or click.

    Foreign invaders only once managed to conquer Russia

    Many tried to conquer Russia, and these attempts repeatedly failed. Only the Mongols were able to conquer Rus', and this happened in the 13th century. The reason for this was that Rus' at that time was divided into many principalities, and the Russian princes could not unite and jointly repel the conquerors. Since then and to this day, it is the stupidity and greed of the rulers, internal conflicts that have been and remain the main source of problems for our country.

    Corporal punishment in Russia

    On August 11, according to the old style (24 according to the new one), 1904, corporal punishment for peasants and young artisans was abolished in the Russian Empire. This was the last social group for which various types of physical influence were still used. A little earlier, in June of the same year, corporal punishment was abolished in the navy and army.

    Corporal punishment fell into three broad categories:

    1) mutilating (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 beating with various tools (whips, whips, batogs (sticks), gauntlets, rods, cats, molts);

    3) shameful (disgraceful) - the most important is the disgrace of the punished (for example, putting up at the pillory, branding, imposing shackles, shaving the head).

    The upper strata of the population were anxious about 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 whipped with rods. The educated Bogolyubov went mad and died from such an insult, and the famous Vera Zasulich avenged him by seriously injuring Trepov. The court acquitted Zasulich.

    Official Soviet pedagogy since 1917 considered corporal punishment of children unacceptable. They were banned in all types of educational institutions, but in the family they remained a common occurrence. In 1988, the 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 on them.

    Cuban Missile Crisis and Black Saturday

    What we call the Caribbean Crisis, the Americans call the Cuban Crisis, and the Cubans themselves call the October Crisis. But the whole world calls the most important day in the Caribbean crisis 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 its formation and strengthening

    If not for Russia, the United States would not have arisen at all, let alone 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 the American Civil War, Russia actively supported the northerners by sending squadrons to New York and San Francisco, while England and France wanted the US to disintegrate and took the side of the southerners. Finally, Russia ceded to the United States California and the Hawaiian Islands, where it had colonies, 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, there were two superpowers left in the world that clashed in a global confrontation - the USA and the USSR. Despite the worst starting conditions, the USSR in the 60s pulled ahead in many respects, and many believed that it would win in the fight against the capitalists. In the 70s, the capitalist world was struck by a severe crisis provoked by rising 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 their enemy by signing disarmament agreements and agreeing to sell oil for dollars. The United States, on the contrary, relied on the collapse of the USSR and victory in the Cold War, which, in the end, they were able to achieve 20 years later, with the complicity of traitors among the Soviet leadership.

    The first Japanese in Russia

    The first Japanese who came to Russia was Denbei, 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 of the Japanese language in the Artillery Order. Denbey personally told what he could to Peter I about Japan and thus 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, Denbey was baptized and took the name Gabriel Bogdanov (which blocked 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.

    Prior to Denbey, only one Japanese is 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 the Time of Troubles turned out to be tragic for them: they were captured by foreign Catholics, 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 an Indian, not a Japanese.

    Favorite commander of Catherine II

    Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov was a favorite of Empress Catherine. She celebrated and showered awards on the Russian Macedonian, and he happened to allow himself what was unacceptable to others, knowing in advance that Catherine would always forgive any trick or eccentricities of the great commander. Here are some interesting cases:

    Once, at a court ball, Catherine decided to pay attention to Suvorov and asked him:
    - What to treat dear guest? - Bless, queen, vodka! “But what will my ladies-in-waiting say when they talk to you?” “They will feel that a soldier is talking to them!”

    Once, in a conversation, the empress said that she planned 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 mail coach and left for Vyborg, from where he sent a message to Catherine: “I am waiting, mother, for your further commands.”

    It is known that Suvorov dressed very lightly even in severe frosts. Catherine II gave Suvorov a fur coat and ordered him to wear it. What to do? Suvorov began to carry the donated fur coat with him everywhere, but he kept it on his knees.

    After the pacification of the Poles in 1794, Suvorov sent a messenger with a message. The “message” is the following: “Hurrah! Warsaw is ours! Catherine's response: "Hurrah! Field Marshal Suvorov! And this is at the time of lengthy reports about the capture of cities. How did you send an SMS. But, nevertheless, he failed to surpass Field Marshal Saltykov in lapidarity, who, after the battle with the Prussians at Kunersdorf during the Seven Years' War, simply sent the hat of the Prussian king found on the battlefield to St. Petersburg.

    Kutuzov is not a pirate, he does not need an eye patch!

    In recent years, images of the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army in 1812, Field Marshal His Serene Highness Prince M.I. Golenishchev-Kutuzov, with a bandage over his right eye, began to be massively replicated. The "one-eyed" Kutuzov can be seen on the covers of books and magazines, in the paintings of 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 eye patches. There is not a single memoir or epistolary evidence of Kutuzov's contemporaries describing a field marshal with a bandage over his right eye. Moreover, Kutuzov did not need 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,” Masso, the chief surgeon of the Russian army, said with amazement, who examined Kutuzov’s “mortal wound” in the head in 1788 near Ochakovo. The bullet passed right through from temple to temple behind both eyes. The verdict of the doctors was unequivocal - death, but Kutuzov not only did not die, but did not even lose his sight, although his right eye was a little skewed. The surprise of doctors and the whole world that Kutuzov remained alive and after 6 months was again in the ranks was boundless, like 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 almost in the same place. Then doctors all over Europe considered Kutuzov's recovery a miracle, and many believed that the news of the general's injury and cure was a fairy tale, because. it was impossible to survive after such a wound.

    In fact, at the beginning of the XIX century. it was not customary to wear an eye patch after the wound had healed (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 bandage on Kutuzov's right eye was put on by the directors of the musical comedy film "Hussar Ballad" (1962) and the performance of the same name (1964) and ballet (1979).

    The image of Kutuzov, brilliantly played by Igor Ilyinsky, gave rise to a stable legend that Kutuzov wore a patch on his injured eye. The replication of this legend in recent years has taken on such a massive character that it has begun to lead to a distortion of historical reality.

    Jesters of Empress Anna Ioannovna

    The niece of Peter I ruled the Russian Empire for 10 years. The stern 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. The illustrious clowns were supposed to grimace in the presence of the empress, sit on top of each other and beat with their fists until they bleed or portray hens and cackle. In the last year of her reign, the Empress arranged the wedding of her jesters - the 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, Chuvashs, 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, utensils - was made of ice. This is where the wedding ceremony took place. Numerous candles were burning in ice candlesticks, and even the marriage bed for the "young" was arranged on an ice bed.

    Peter I and guards

    In winter, slingshots were placed on the Neva, so that after dark they would not let anyone into or out of the city. Once, Emperor Peter I decided to check the guards himself. He drove up to one of the sentries, pretended to be a spree merchant and asked to be let through, offering money for the pass. The sentry refused to let him through, although Peter had already reached 10 rubles, a very significant amount at that time. The sentry, seeing such stubbornness, threatened that he would be forced to shoot him.

    Peter left and went to another sentry. The same one let Peter in 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 it 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 the choice between a guardhouse and listening to Glinka's operas as punishment.

    On November 27, 1842, the first performance of M. I. Glinka's opera "Ruslan and Lyudmila" took place, which brought a number of sensitive sorrows to the author. The public and high society did not like the opera, Emperor Nicholas I defiantly left after Act IV, without waiting for the end. He did not like the music of the opera so much that he ordered, as a punishment, the offending officers of the capital to choose between the guardhouse and listening to Glinka's music. So the emperor additionally expressed his displeasure with the composer's work. Such were the customs, alas. Thank God that Nikolai himself did not send the composer to the guardhouse.

    "Thank God you are Russian"

    In 1826, a “Russian contemporary” described the appearance of the sovereign, Emperor Nicholas I: “Tall, lean, had a wide chest ... a quick look, a sonorous voice, suitable for a tenor, but spoke somewhat patteringly ... Some kind of genuine severity was visible in the movements” .

    "Genuine severity" ... When he commanded the troops, he never shouted. There was no need for this - the king's voice could be heard a mile away; tall grenadiers looked just like children next to him. Nikolai led an ascetic life, but if we talk about the luxury of the court, 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. Nikolai, suddenly making an exaggeratedly serious face, began to repeat every word after him, which brought his wife to a fit of laughter. Daragan, crimson with shame, rushed out to the waiting room, where Nikolai caught up with him and, kissing him, explained: “Why are you burring? No one will take you for a Frenchman; thank God that you are Russian, and monkeying is no good.”

    If you look back at the history of mankind, you can find many events that influenced its development. These are wars that determined the borders and destinies of states; world religions and their laws; scientific discoveries. But the most interesting facts in the history of mankind may relate to his daily life. It was they who formed the habits, traditions and way of life of people.

    1. Invention of the alphabet. It is well known that one of the first examples of phonetic writing is the Phoenician alphabet. It is from him that most modern alphabetic systems originate. It is also a well-known fact that the Phoenician alphabet became the basis for the writing of the ancient Greeks.

    It was the Hellenes who made an important transformation in the alphabetical system - they began to write vowels. There are two alphabetic systems in the world: consonant, where only consonants are written, and consonant-phonetic, where both consonants and vowels are written. It is to this system of recording sounds that the alphabets of modern European countries and Russia go back.

    According to archeology, the first records using the Hellenic alphabet were made in the 8th century BC. One of the theories for the emergence of a consonant-phonetic system for recording sounds is the need to record Homer's poems and other poetic works.

    Already in the 13th century, there was a practice in Europe that made it possible to quickly create several copies of one book - scribes simultaneously copied different parts of the embroidered book, and then took new ones.

    Since the 15th century, woodcuts have been used - printing with wooden blocks. Around 1450, movable types made of metal were invented, which made it possible to create books more quickly. The first printing press was opened by Johannes Gutenberg. Following his initiative, printing houses began to appear throughout Europe. The Department of Printing began to operate at the University of Paris, the best books were printed in Antwerp and Venice. In the 16th century, the typographic press opened the way for new books with a secular content.

    3. Create an encyclopedia. Most Internet users at least occasionally turn to Internet encyclopedias. The most popular of them is Wikipedia. In addition to it, there are a number of more specialized projects that are replenished according to a similar principle - by enthusiasts at no cost. The very idea of ​​an encyclopedia as a book, where all knowledge is collected together, belongs to the ancient world - the "Disciplines" of Mark Terentius Varro. In antiquity and the Middle Ages, many works were published that claimed to present all the knowledge available at that time.

    The 18th century brought a new idea of ​​encyclopedism - a book where articles are grouped alphabetically rather than by topic. In 1704-1710, under the editorship of John Harris, a scholar and priest of the Anglican Church, the Lexicon Technicum was published. Articles in it were arranged in alphabetical order and were devoted to the natural and mathematical sciences. One of the authors of the lexicon was Isaac Newton. The success of the new encyclopedia inspired publisher Ephraim Chambers. In 1728 he published the Cyclopedia. It was followed by multi-volume universal books in the 18th - 20th centuries - the Encyclopedia of the French Enlighteners, British, Great Soviet. The Internet has opened up new possibilities for the encyclopedia, which led to the creation of Wikipedia, but the Lexicon Technicum volumes are at the heart of it.

    4. The emergence of coffee in Europe.The most interesting facts in the history of mankind may relate to the history of the culture of drinking. According to statistics, in the last decade in Russia, 70% of the population regularly drinks coffee. This drink is also popular in other countries. In the modern world, a whole culture is being formed around this drink - traditions, popular brands, the very image of coffee in popular culture.

    The homeland of coffee beans is East Africa. From there, in the Middle Ages, they came to Arabia, and then to Turkey. The first coffee houses began to operate in the Ottoman Empire. In the second half of the 16th century, coffee came to Europe, where they also began to open coffee houses.

    The new drink, along with tea, changed the way of life of Europeans, because in Western countries they began to drink less alcohol. The Spaniards and the British began to establish coffee plantations in their colonies, and this is how the drink crossed the ocean. There were heated debates at the scientific departments of Europe: some doctors assured listeners of the harmfulness of the drink, others called it a panacea for all diseases. The drink had many opponents, and even Johann Sebastian Bach in a cantata ridiculed the commitment of Leipzig women to it. But in the 16th century, coffee firmly entered the lives of Europeans (and later Russians) and remains there to this day.

    On September 30, 1847, the Vegetarian Society was founded in the English city of Manchester. A few decades before him, in European and especially English societies, there were disputes about the benefits and harms of eating meat and the moral aspects of the problem. The famous poet Percy Shelley published a treatise defending the "natural" vegetarian diet.

    The founders of the society were members of the Biblical Christian Church, a religious organization, one of the principles of which was vegetarianism. During 1847, preparations were made for the creation of a new society of vegetarians. In the summer, a “physiological conference” was held, in which 130 people took part, and it was decided to meet again in September.

    Paradoxically, the development of the vegetarian movement in the 19th century was a response to the spread of meat. Until recently, this product was elitist, and the general population could not afford it. In the 19th century, the situation changed, and large sections of the urban population became "meat-eaters".

    The Vegetarian Society in Manchester continued to exist and meet. Six years later, the number of its members approached 900, and by the end of the century - to 5 thousand. In the 20th century, vegetarians were engaged in promoting their views on healthy eating, demanding that manufacturers remove "non-vegetarian" components from some products.

    Over the years, well-known people of their time were members of the society. In particular, the Indian freedom fighter and non-violent resistance Mahatma Gandhi.

    These are a few episodes from world history. But they show that the most interesting facts in the history of mankind occurred in different eras. And with seeming insignificance, they shaped the world as it became by the beginning of the 21st century.

    I wonder what was the sex life of our ancestors? What were the poses? What were the customs? Or maybe intimacy was something vicious and sinful? This can be judged by ancient scriptures and folklore. And here are the findings of the researchers.

    / Historical facts

    Who came up with the idea that women are fragile and weak creatures who cannot protect themselves? Let him stand up and be stoned. A few arguments that can turn your opinion about the women's world and women's existence. A fascinating journey through time will reveal many interesting secrets and facts to you.

    / Historical facts

    In the bustle of bustle, we forgot a little about the 125th anniversary of Mikhail Bulgakov, and when we remembered, so as not to be banal, we decided to tell not about the writer himself, but about an equally amazing person who became the prototype of Professor Preobrazhensky - surgeon Sergei Abramovich Voronov, who was considered a genius , and Frankenstein at the same time.

    / Historical facts

    Art is forever. From rock art to digital art, our entire stay on this planet is laced with threads of paint, canvas, pencils and pastels. This is a kind of time funnel, with which you can be anywhere at any second. But what of all this is really worthy of being considered great?

    / Historical facts

    Great scientists and historians began to conduct deep research to prove or disprove the existence of some outstanding people. I propose to get acquainted with the six historical figures whose existence causes the most controversy.

    / Historical facts

    Now the phone is every minute access to the Internet, games, applications, and even two cameras to make it more convenient to take selfies. The telephone has become an indicator of a person's social status in society. Now it serves not for voice communication, but more for text, through social networks and text messages. But once it was different...

    / Historical facts

    Amazing architectural monuments, man-made masterpieces and archaeological finds that go beyond our understanding, dating back centuries and millennia BC, present the history of human civilization in a completely different light. Read on to know more.

    / Historical facts

    Are your new designer jeans so tight they won't let you breathe? Shoes make a date hell? Well, put your heels aside and check out the real "instruments of torture" that were once on the must-have list of any self-respecting fashionista. We present to your attention the five most unsafe fashion delights for health.

    / Historical facts

    What does it mean if a person "begs the belly" to avoid being "hanged" as punishment for a "petty betrayal" in the hopes of simply being sentenced to "relocation"? These are terms used daily in courtrooms throughout the 16th and 19th centuries, each representing a fascinating and often disturbing piece of our history. I offer 15 historical crimes and punishments.

    / Historical facts

    Speaking of cruelty and evil, we often think of murderers, maniacs and rapists. But have you ever thought about the fact that in 100% of cases male names come to mind? But how could it be otherwise? After all, a woman is a mother, it is tenderness and love. But history shows that indescribable unimaginable cruelty sometimes settled in a fragile female heart.

    / Historical facts

    We are surrounded by many things, without which we simply cannot imagine our life, they are so "for granted" for us. It's hard to believe that once there were no matches, pillows or forks for food. But all these items have come a long way of modifications to get to us in the form in which we know them. I propose to learn the complex history of simple things. Part 2.

    / Historical facts

    We are surrounded by many things, without which we simply cannot imagine our life, they are so "for granted" for us. It's hard to believe that once upon a time there was no comb, tea bag or buttons. But all these items have come a long way of modifications to get to us in the form in which we know them. I propose to learn the complex history of simple things.

    / Historical facts

    “Our” habits are the habits of post-Soviet people. We were brought up and grew up in approximately equal conditions, with the same opportunities. And customs and traditions have made us recognizable almost all over the world. Yes, and lost in a foreign country, we can still get to know each other, even if we don’t talk. One word: "ours"!

    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 only what we were told in school. There are many secrets from this area of ​​knowledge.

    1. Peter the Great had his own method to fight alcoholism in the country. Drunkards were awarded medals, which weighed about 7 kilograms, and they could not be removed from oneself.

    2. In the days of Ancient Rus', grasshoppers were called dragonflies.

    3.The national 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. The virginity of English women in Tudor times was symbolized by bracelets on their hands and a tightly tightened corset.

    9. Nero, who was an emperor in ancient Rome, married his male slave.

    10. In ancient times in India, mutilation of the ears was used as a punishment.

    11. Arabic numerals were not invented by Arabs, but by mathematicians from India.

    13. Foot binding was considered an ancient tradition of the Chinese people. The essence of this was to make the foot smaller, and therefore more feminine and beautiful.

    14. Morphine was once used to reduce coughs.

    15. The ancient Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun's parents were a sister and a brother.

    16. Gaius Julius Caesar had the nickname "boots".

    17. Elizabeth the First covered her own face with white lead and vinegar. So she hid traces of smallpox.

    18. The hat of Monomakh was the symbol of the Russian tsars.

    19. Pre-revolutionary Russia was considered the most non-drinking country.

    20. Until the 18th century, Russia did not have a flag.

    21.Since November 1941, there was a tax on childlessness in the Soviet Union. It was 6% of the total salary.

    22. Help in clearing objects during the Second World War was provided by trained dogs.

    23. Virtually no earthquake was recorded during large-scale nuclear tests in 1960-1990.

    24. For Hitler, the main enemy was not Stalin, but Yuri Levitan. He even announced a reward of 250,000 marks for his head.

    25. In the Icelandic "Saga of Hakon Hakonarson" it was said about Alexander Nevsky.

    26. Fist fights have long been famous in Rus'.

    27. Catherine II abolished flogging for the military for same-sex contacts.

    28. Only Joan of Dark managed to expel the invaders from France, 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 Keraites, Merkits and Naimans.

    31. By order of Emperor Augustus, in ancient Rome they did not build houses that were higher than 21 meters. This minimized the risk of being buried alive.

    32. The Colosseum is considered the bloodiest place in history.

    33. Alexander Nevsky had the military rank of "Khan".

    34. In the days of the Russian Empire, it was allowed to carry edged weapons.

    35. Soldiers in Napoleon's army addressed the generals as "you".

    36. During the Roman war, soldiers lived in tents of 10 people.

    37. Any touching of the emperor in Japan before World War II was blasphemy.

    38. Boris and Gleb are the first Russian saints who were canonized in 1072.

    39. A Red Army machine gunner with the name Semyon Konstantinovich Hitler, who was Jewish by nationality, participated in the Great Patriotic War.

    40. In the old days in Rus', to clean pearls, they gave it to peck at a chicken. After that, the chicken was slaughtered, and the pearls were pulled out of her stomach.

    41. From the very beginning, people who do not know how to speak Greek were called barbarians.

    42. In pre-revolutionary Russia, name days for Orthodox people were a more important holiday than birthdays.

    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, he immediately began to be called “Indian salt”.

    45. In the 17th century, thermometers were filled not with mercury, but with cognac.

    46. ​​The Aztecs invented the first condom in the world. It was made from a fish bladder.

    47. In 1983, not a single human birth was registered in the Vatican.

    48. From the 9th to the 16th century in England there was a law that every man should practice archery every day.

    49. When the Winter Palace was stormed, only 6 people died.

    50. About 13,500 houses were destroyed in the great and famous fire of London in 1666.


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