- McDonald’s tried bubble gum flavored broccoli. It was an attempt at getting kids to eat veggies. Ew!
- In Medieval Germany, marital disputes were actually settled in a duel. Husbands had to fight with only one arm and in a hole in the ground while wives fought with a sack filled with rocks and free to move around.
- Yoda and Miss Piggy were voiced by the same person, Frank Oz.
- Canada is south of Detroit.
- Guinness World Records was started by Guinness Brewery in Dublin, Ireland to settle bar disputes. They are no longer connected.
- Napoleon was attacked by a horde of bunnies. During a set up rabbit hunt, 3,000 rabbits were release to be hunted. Instead of scurrying away, the rabbits banded together and charged Napoleon and his fellow hunters! Sounds like a scene out of Monty Python, right? (mentalfloss.com)
- President Lyndon B. Johnson liked to show journalists his penis, which he nicknamed Jumbo. Rumors state that the “B” in his name stands for “big”.
- Andrew Jackson defeated John Quincy Adams in the 1824 Presidential election (99 to 84 electoral votes), but lost the election. The votes were not enough of a majority, so the vote went to the House of Representatives, who elected Adams. Jackson supporters were outraged because he won the popular vote and the electoral vote, but could not claim the White House. Sound familiar?
- Police responded to an armed robbery at a video store in 1992. The “armed robber” turned out to be a cardboard cutout of Denzel Washington.
- Ancient Olympians competed naked. Yup, in the nude. It was thought to show off for the Gods.
Bonus fact: Coco-Cola was a huge sponsor in the 1969 moon landing. They were fundamental in the broadcasting of this historic event. Neil Armstrong is known to have said “Coco Cola – It’s the real thing!” just before his more famous line “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”.
25 Hilarious Historical Facts You Won’t Believe Actually Happened (liveabout.com)
This Day Fun Trivia and History (thisdaytrivia.com)
100 History Facts They Didn’t Teach You At School | The Fact Site