Ur was an ancient Sumerian city in the area we now know as Tell el-Muqayyar in Iraq. Though it used to be an important trading post and city for the wealthy elite, today, only its silhouette remains. Read more below.
👉
#OnThisDay
in 1954, Ann Hodges became the first human on modern record to be hit by a
#meteorite
.
The meteorite created a 3-foot wide hole in the roof of Ann's house, hit a radio, and struck her on the thigh, leaving a huge bruise. But she lived to tell the tale.
#WeirdHistory
A couple of construction workers take a break on a Chrysler Building gargoyle, circa 1930.
It was the world's tallest building for just 11 months, until the Empire State Building took its title.
A series of photographs showing the construction of the Eiffel tower in Paris. It took 2 years, 2 months, and 5 days of construction; 7,300 tonnes of iron; 60 tonnes of paint; 2.5MM rivets; and 5 billion lights!
📸Getty Images
Located in Georgia, this 131-foot column supports a truly implausible residence built between the 6th and 8th centuries as a church and refuge to house monks. Incredibly, this place is still used by monks to this day.
#AmazingPlaces
#RemoteHouses
📸Getty Images
This is widely believed to be the first photograph ever taken — or at least the oldest surviving photo.
It was taken by French inventor Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in 1826 or 1827.
Check out more
#photography
“firsts” here:
Today’s strange historical invention award goes to the “bed piano.” Created in 1935, this device helped bedridden individuals get their keyboard practise in 🎹
#weirdhistory
#strangeinventions
#bedpiano
Discover more weird inventions from history here:
Alexander the Great was likely buried alive.
The famous leader succumbed to a rare condition that left him paralyzed for 6 days, so his people probably buried him mistakenly thinking he was dead. He was only 32.
#AlexanderTheGreat
#WeirdHistory
#HistoryFacts
📸Getty Images
#DidYouKnow
that during the Civil War, General Ulysses S. Grant ordered that all of his troops must receive a ration of cranberry sauce on
#Thanksgiving
Day?
Check out more historical origins of your favorite Turkey Day dishes here:
📸 Getty Images
Meet Salvo the “paradog,” a fox terrier who played a key part in
#WW2
. Brave pooches like Salvo were dropped behind enemy lines to sniff out mines! Discover more unbelievable images of the Second World War:
#EleanorRoosevelt
was born
#onthisday
in 1884.
She led an extraordinary, yet complicated life. Historians have uncovered letters that shed a little more light on what she was going through:
#WeirdHistoryWednesday
:
Did you know that Napoleon was once attacked by a horde of bunnies? Yes, really. 🐇
He arranged a rabbit hunt for his men, but when the hundreds of bunnies were released, they charged toward Napoleon. He finally escaped by speeding away in his carriage!
Photo from 1951, New Jersey: Pillow cases cover the heads of women competing in the “Beautiful Leg Contest” so that the judges would not be swayed by their faces...
#weirdhistory
#photooftheday
#historicalphotos
(Image credit: Getty Images)
#DidYouKnow
the
#Halloween
tradition of pumpkin carving originated in 19th-century Ireland, where people used to hollow out turnips to make grotesque faces? 🎃
Discover the strange origins of other Halloween traditions here:
How did
#ButchCassidy
get his name?
As a young man, Robert LeRoy Parker landed a job in a butcher’s shop. He got the nickname “Butcher” and later added Cassidy as an homage to his friend and fellow thief Mike Cassidy.
The famous
#WildWest
outlaw died
#onthisday
in 1908
The tradition of football on
#Thanksgiving
goes back farther than you'd think. This Harper's Weekly illustration shows a Thanksgiving game between Yale and Princeton all the way back in 1879! Too bad this particular matchup ended in a tie.
📸 Getty Images
Ever called someone a “smellfungus?”
How about a “jobbernowl?”
Or if you’re feeling really mean... a “churl?” 😅
These are all historical insults, and we’re kinda obsessed. Read them all here and comment your favorite below!
#FridayFact
Abe Lincoln grew his trademark beard because of a little girl called Grace Bedell, who wrote to him in 1860 saying, “You would look a great deal better, for your face is so thin.” She thought this would help him win the election, which of course he did!
#historytrivia
Julia Pastrana was shown in the “freak shows” of the 1850s. They called her “the ape woman” and “the ugliest woman in the world” and claimed she was found living in a cave.
Read the strange and sad story of the original "Bearded Lady":
#WeirdHistory
: Did you know
#Rasputin
used to wear the same unwashed underwear for 6 months at a time?!
Discover more strange facts about the “Mad Monk” of Russia here:
On this day in history: US citizens celebrate Japan surrendering to the Allies, putting an end to WW2 — August 14, 1945. (image credit: Getty Images)
#OnThisDay
#WW2
#photooftheday
The dark history Of Helltown, Ohio, really lives up to its name!
This infamous
#ghosttown
is riddled with rumors of hauntings, murderous Satanists, and serial killers... Read more here:
A Chinese Emperor who liked to party naked in his lake of wine.
An 18th-century French soldier who feasted on stray cats.
Why were we never taught about these wonderfully weird people in
#history
class?
More here:
Is this a cruel historical punishment? No! It’s a doctor-approved “baby cage” from the 1920s, recommended for giving your child some fresh air...
#weirdhistory
#historicalphotos
#photooftheday
(image credit: Getty Images)
#DidYouKnow
that Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa was stolen by an ex-Louvre employee
#OnThisDay
in 1911? Vincenzo Perugia only wanted to avenge Italy but caused a global scandal instead.
#oops
#monalisa
(image credit: Getty Images)
If you’ve seen 𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦: 𝘈 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺, you’re familiar with the crush-worthy fictional version of King George III — but the real story is tragic.
#royalhistory
#bridgerton
#madkinggeorge
In 1927,
#CharlieChaplin
’s second divorce became the most expensive settlement of all time. But that wasn’t his most scandalous reason for making the history books. One misdemeanour was so thorny it ended up changing the law.
#OnThisDay
#DidYouKnow
Is this what
#Jesus
actually looked like?
Facial reconstruction specialist Richard Neave created this image of Jesus Christ using the skull of a Jewish man from the 1st century. See what other famous figures from history looked like here:
@StevensP1013
It's called View from the Window at Le Gras, and it was taken from a window of the photographer's family home in Burgundy. You can make out some (blurry!) rooftops and trees.