There’s a lot of important stuff we learn in school . But there’s also a lot of stuff we don’t learn in the classroom, whether it be a useful tidbit or something totally trivial.
The Instagram page Everyday History Facts gives us, well, history facts every day. I’ve definitely learned some pretty interesting facts, just from these posts alone
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“In 2006, the largest theft in British history occurs. At least 6 men stole £53 million from the bank.”
“The day before the robbery two men dressed as officers stopped and forced the bank’s manager to enter their car… A 100 years total in prison sentences were handed to the robbers and £32 million is yet to be recovered.”
To put that in perspective, $53 million in 2006 works out to over $100 million USD in today’s currency. That’s an insane amount of money for people to actually walk away with.
“In 1959, the first Barbie doll goes on sale. The Barbie doll was named after the inventor’s daughter, Barbara.”
“When first put in stores, the doll was $3. Today, a mint condition doll can cost more than $25,000.”
I bet they weren’t expecting Barbie to be the worldwide cultural phenomenon she is today. Anyone else remember watching those strange Barbie movies as a kid?
“In 1964, The Beatles appear for this first time on live American Television on the Ed Sullivan Show.”
“73 million Americans were watching the historic moment. The major success of the appearance paved the way for other British rock groups which led to the ‘British Invasion.'”
Amazing how, nearly 60 years later, their music is still culturally significant.
“In 1692, the first people are accused of witchcraft as part of the Salem Witch Trials.”
“The trials began when two little girls began having fits and a doctor diagnosed them of suffering the effects of witchcraft. The community then began accusing people of witchcraft.”
So as it turns out, one doctor inadvertently caused mass hysteria in an entire community. Cool…
“In 2001, famous singer Aaliyah died in a plane crash.”
“Aaliyah is known for her smooth vocals over hip-hop beats, which helped usher R&B into the mainstream. In addition, Aaliyah was one of the few R&B artists who danced in her music videos.”
It’s been over two decades since she died, and yet her impact hasn’t gone away. In fact, her label is releasing a posthumous album this year!
“Before becoming an actor and president, Ronald Reagan was a proud lifeguard.”
“In 1925 and continuing for the next 7 summers, Reagan worked for 12 hours a day, 7 days a week.”
It’s strange to think about presidents doing things other than being president. But they had whole lives, after all.
“During the 1930s through the 80s, before computers, data was processed by women.”
“These women worked as ‘human computers’ for NACA and its successor, NASA. A chunk of these ‘human computers’ were African American women, but they had to work in a separate office for several years due to segregation.”
I can’t imagine the kind of data they’d have had to process without computers… or the internet…
“During the 1900s, rat-catchers were employed in Europe to control rat populations.”
“Despite the risk of being bitten or acquiring a disease from a rat, many rat-catchers would capture rats by hand.”
I guess rat-catchers are the precursor to modern day exterminators, who can help you get rid of more than just rats.
“During the British Industrial Revolution up until the 1940s, the human alarm clocks known as the knocker-ups would wake people up so that they would get to work on time.”
“At a time when alarm clocks were not cheap or reliable… knocker-ups would bang a pole on people’s windows or blow on a rubber tube as a peashooter until they received confirmation that their client was up and moving.”
So basically, they were kind of like my parents on a weekday morning growing up.
“In 1981, Nintendo releases Donkey Kong.”
“Initially Nintendo wanted to release a Popeye game, but they could not get the license to do so. Therefore, Nintendo created a game that had similar characteristics to Popeye.”
It’s funny to think that the Super Mario franchise is actually a spinoff of Donkey Kong.
“In 2001, *The Fast and the Furious* debuts in theaters.”
“The movie was inspired by a 1998 article in “Vibe” magazine that was based on illegal racing. The movie was an unexpected hit, with the 9th installment being released soon.”
20+ years later and people are still clamoring to the theater to watch these movies. Wild.
“In 2012, the world’s tallest tower opens.”
“The Tokyo Skytree is 2,080 ft. tall. To take it into perspective the tower is twice the height of the Eiffel Tower.”
It’s also the second-tallest building in the world, right behind the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
“In 2010, Miep Gies dies. Gies was the last survivor who helped hide Anne Frank and her family during World War II.”
“Despite Gies’ heroic contributions trying to save the Franks from the Nazis, the Franks were captured. However, Gies protected Anne Frank’s notebooks that described Frank’s experience in her 2 year hideout.”
No doubt you know who Anne Frank is, but you may not have known the names of the people who helped hide her family. So amazing.
“In the 17th and 18th century, boys usually 6 years old were purchased from their poverty stricken parents by a master sweep in England.”
“These boys would become chimney sweeps. Children would climb up chimneys using their elbows, back, and knees… In 1864, Parliament passed the ‘Act for the Regulation of Chimney Sweepers’ which ended the use of young boys to clean chimneys.”
Glad they ended that practice, that’s for sure.
“In 2004, Shrek the Sheep is finally sheared.”
“The sheep was hiding for 6 years from shearers because of his strong dislike of getting haircuts and was eventually found. The sheep’s fleece weighed a record 60 pounds at the time.”
I’m trying to imagine how many sweaters you could get out of that wool. Probably enough to outfit a whole neighborhood.
“Meet Tsutomu Yamaguchi, the man who survived two atomic bombs.”
“On August 6, 1945, Yamaguchi was on his way to work when suddenly the sky erupted in a blaze of light. He had just enough time to dive into a ditch before an ear-splitting boom rang out… 3 days later Yamaguchi dragged himself out of bed to report to work. This time he had a meeting in Nagasaki where another bomb dropped.”
Amazingly, he lived until the ripe old age of 93.
“In 1993, Andre the Giant dies.”
“Andre was a professional wrestler who was 7 ft. and 4 in. tall and weighed 520 pounds. Andre’s massive size was due to a brain tumor that produced large amounts of a human growth hormone.”
Am I the only one who remembers him in The Princess Bride ?
“In 1992, Whitney Houston’s hit song ‘I Will Always Love You’ premiers.”
“Many associate this song with Whitney Houston. However, the song is a cover of Dolly Parton’s song. Parton agreed to let Houston use it after she was asked by Kevin Costner who co-starred The Bodyguard with Houston at the time.”
The lesser-known (but probably still well-known) version of the song by Dolly Parton is still good, though!
“In 1954, the man who reportedly inspired the famous animated character Shrek, Maurice Tillet dies.”
“Tillet was a famous wrestler in the 1930s and 40s… In his 20s, Tillet was diagnosed with acromegaly, a condition that causes bone to overgrow and is usually the result of a tumour on the pituitary gland.”
Well, they definitely look alike. At least a little bit.
“In 1972, the deadliest snow storm in history begins.”
“The 7 day snow storm dropped 10 to 28 ft of snow on Iran. The snow buried thousands of people and two villages had no survivors.”
A snowstorm usually leads to a snow day for the kids, but this is genuinely terrifying. Hopefully nothing like it happens again.
