As a history buff, I know that no matter who you are, and no matter which period of history is your favorite, there are always more historical facts to learn. So, here are 10 interesting historical facts I learned recently that I think are cool enough to share. enjoy!
1. In 1781, the Royal Academy of Sciences in Brussels solicited proposals for scientific research from “the distinguished scientists and philosophers of the world.” Benjamin Franklin was one of the few brilliant men who never passed up the opportunity to write a hilarious proposal. Its title? “A letter to the Royal Academy about farting”, or “Farting with pride”.
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Regarding the act of farting, Franklin wrote: “To allow air to escape and mingle with the atmosphere is generally offensive to corporations, as is accompanied by a foul odor.”
“Were it not that this flight was accompanied by a revolting odor,” he continued, “the release of this wind among their fellows by polite men might have been as unrestrained as by their spitting or blowing their noses.”
So he suggested that the Academy conduct a study “to discover some wholesome and non-objectionable drug, which, mixed with our common foods or sauces, would render the natural winds in our bodies not only harmless, but as pleasant as perfume.” That’s right—he suggested they develop a drug that would make our farts smell good. As in “pleasant as perfume.”
Franklin ultimately did not send the letter to the college; instead, he sent it to several of his friends for laughs. He was clearly frustrated with the current state of the scientific community and the problems they primarily chose to investigate. Still, great advice Ben!
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2. Nellie Bly, born Elizabeth Jane Cochran, was an American journalist in the 1990s. She began by writing a scathing letter to the editor of The New York Times. pittsburgh express Responding to an article criticizing the presence of women in the workforce. In response, the paper’s editor offered her a job as a reporter.
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After moving to New York, Bly found it difficult to find work as a woman. According to the National Museum of Women’s History, Bly “stormed into the offices of the New York World” one day, A desire to “write a story about the immigrant experience in America.” The editor – none other than Joseph Pulitzer – refused, but asked her to write an article that would win her national reputation.
Pulitzer wanted Bly to write an investigative article about Blackwell’s Island, “one of New York’s most notorious mental hospitals.” Bly decided to “pretend to be mentally ill to gain admission to the hospital and directly reveal how patients were treated.” Her exposé, titled “Ten Days in the Bedlam,” made her famous. According to the museum, “Her reporting on life in asylums shocked the public.” Her work revolutionized investigative journalism.
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3. In 1219, Genghis Khan invaded the Khwarezm Empire, a powerful empire spanning present-day Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia. Initially, Genghis Khan “sought to establish peaceful trade relations with the Khwarezm Empire.” Unfortunately, when he sent an envoy to see the ruler of the empire, Shah al-Din Muhammad II, the Shah insulted him by “beheading the chief envoy of the diplomatic corps and sending his head back to the Mongols.” Big mistake.
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Genghis Khan, despite his many, many flaws, was a proponent of safe passage for merchants, diplomats, and ambassadors. The Mongol Empire was the forerunner of paisa, a safe passage used for this purpose. Thus, three years after the Shah beheaded his envoy, Genghis Khan invaded the Khwarezm Empire.
Within two years the empire was destroyed.
4. Plastic surgery was invented as a result of World War I. World War I was the first war to see widespread use of new heavy weapons such as machine guns, heavy artillery, and poison gas, which resulted in new, bloodier harms.
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New Zealander Harold Gillies (pictured below, 75), who joined the Royal Army Medical Corps and was sent to France in 1915, was apparently shocked by the “increase in horrific facial wounds”. In 1917 he “established the Queen’s Hospital at Frognal House in Sidcup”, a hospital designated for the treatment of facial injuries. A pioneer in the field of facial reconstruction, Gillis further developed the skin grafting technique already in use. Today, he is known as the “Father of Plastic Surgery.”
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5. Ohio was at war with Michigan over Toledo. Well, it’s not a official War, no one died, but it is still called the Toledo War. In 1835, Ohio was a state and Michigan was still a lowly territory. The state of Ohio sent a team of surveyors to lands roughly bordering Ohio and Michigan, where they were “captured and imprisoned” without trial (Michiganians defended this through Michigan’s Pain and Punishment Act), although some escaped. The only injury in Toledo’s war occurred in July when an Ohioan stabbed Michigan Sheriff Joseph Wood as he tried to arrest him. Eventually, Ohio gained the Toledo Strip in exchange for statehood from Michigan and the entire Upper Peninsula. Not a bad deal!
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6. In 1969, a war called “La Guerra Del Fútbol,” or “The Football War,” broke out between Honduras and El Salvador. The conflict killed more than 3,000 people in just four days and the flame was lit in a football match between the two countries in Mexico City three weeks ago.
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Tensions between the two countries have been rising for some time. El Salvador has nearly 700,000 more inhabitants than Honduras, but the country is five times larger. The Salvadoran elite has been encouraging Salvadorans to immigrate to Honduras with the aim of “taking advantage of the available land and working for American companies operating in the country.” But this has “caused great dissatisfaction” among Honduran farmers, who are vying for the same opportunity. Salvadoran media published reports of Honduran persecution of Salvadorans, exacerbating the conflict.
Such was the political environment in which the two countries were locked in a tense competition to qualify for the 1970 World Cup. Honduras won the first game; El Salvador won the second. The third game was played on June 27. The two sides tied 2-2 and went to two overtimes. In the end, El Salvador scored the winning goal.
On June 27, the day of the game, El Salvador terminated all diplomatic relations with Honduras. On July 14, the Salvadoran army invaded Honduras.
By the time a ceasefire was reached on July 18, an estimated 3,000 people, mostly Honduran civilians, had died. According to the BBC, “Trade between the two countries was disrupted for decades and the border was closed.”
7. Sharks are older than trees. In fact, sharks are older than a lot of things, including the North Star Polaris, which is only about 70 million years old. Shark could be from Polaris grandfather; Their first appearance in the geological record may date back to 450 million years ago. To put this into perspective, just consider the fact that even the dinosaurs only appeared about 252 million years ago.
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and put That To put it into perspective, consider the fact that T. rex lived closer to humans than Stegosaurus did. Time is a wild thing.
8. Just over 40 years passed between Charles Lindbergh’s first solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean and Apollo 11’s landing on the moon. Lindbergh flew across the Atlantic between May 20 and 21, 1927; Apollo 11 was launched on July 16, 1969.
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9. Canadian Elsie MacGill was the first woman in the world to earn a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering. She designed the Maple Leaf Trainer II aircraft and personally oversaw the production of the Hawker Hurricane, “one of the primary fighter aircraft that defended Britain during the Battle of Britain”. She is known as the “Hurricane Queen”.
Elsie Gregory MacGill / Library and Archives Canada / via commons.wikimedia.org, Umdash9 / Getty Images
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10. Finally: In November 1970, the carcass of a sperm whale washed up on a beach in Florence, Oregon. The carcass weighed more than eight tons, and engineers with the Oregon Highway Department didn’t know the best way to remove and dispose of it. So, they decided to blow it up with 20 boxes of explosives.
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Rather than simply breaking the carcass into small pieces like its target, the whale explodes hundreds of feet into the air. The “spectacular explosion” sent “blubber raining down on spectators, cars and the dunes,” Oregon Live reported.
Today, the whale explosion is a local legend and celebration. In November 2025, the people of Florence, Oregon just celebrated the 55th anniversary of the whale explosion!
If you like any dramatic, funny, or just plain cool facts about history, be sure to drop a note in the comments! I always enjoy learning more historical information and I’m sure others do too. Or, if you’d like to share anonymously, fill out the form below!
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