10 Shocking Historical Facts You Never Knew

Our latest version on the evolutionary scale has been around for over 5,000 years, and during that period, a lot of interesting things have happened. We have grown into civilizations that managed to create a global system that has now unified the world. We are in the middle of a technological boom, and our future seems magical and bleak simultaneously. The history of man has been a fascinating one so far, and no matter what we do in the future, it is clear that we have had one hell of a run. Man has affected our planet more than every other specie put together, and the quirkiness in our history speaks volumes about who we are. This list features 10 amazing facts from our history that you probably didn’t know.

Buried Alive

The servants of ancient Egyptian rulers hated the ruler’s death more than anyone else. This is because the servants and animals of the rulers would be buried alive in the tomb with the ruler as well.

Dying For A Cause

Japanese Samurai’s would use their own swords to cut out their intestines whenever they were in danger of being captured.

Cruel Times

Medieval times were tough, even on the animals. Animals would constantly be put on trial and even sentenced to death during this period.

The End Of The Cavalry

Cavalries are no longer used on the battlefield after World War II. The last time it was used was when a Mongolian cavalry charged a German infantry. While 2,000 Mongolian units died during that charge, not a single German was killed, thus ending the effectiveness of the unit.

Buried Alive

Being buried alive during the 1800’s was such a common occurrence, that coffins would include special mechanisms that allowed people to ring a bell in the graveyard just in case they were still alive in the coffin.

Born In A Coffin

The famous Greek teacher, Gorgias of Epirus, was actually born in his mother’s coffin. The pallbearers stopped the burial after the heard Gorgias crying in the coffin.

Crafty Mongols

Mongols were extremely crafty on the battlefield and resorted to using all sorts of tricks to get ahead. The archers would light the fat of their enemies on fire and shoot it at the rest of the enemies.

Peeping Alexander

Alexander the Great was one of the greatest conquerors of all-time. He used a spying technique during his time that is still used even today. It involved intercepting letters from his own soldiers to their families and executing anyone who had anything offensive to say about the empire.

Gross Dentures

Believe it or not, dentures used to actually be made from the teeth of dead soldiers until the 1800’s.

Mad King Goujian

The bizarre Chinese emperor Goujian of Yue is famous for placing a row of convicted criminals in front of his army before a battle would commence. The criminals would then cut off their own heads to prove to the enemy how crazy King Goujian was.