Stranger than Fiction: Real History

[Louanne Learning]

Do you know of an interesting, strange or astonishing fact or event from history? Post it here!

Feel free to use any posted event as a spring board for a story.

(Let's keep away from the politics of current events)

 

[Louanne Learning]

Coca-Cola was invented by pharmacist John Pemberton in 1886.

Pemberton was addicted to morphine and looked for a substitute.

It was originally marketed as a "temperance drink" and a "patent medicine" - it could even cure "nerve disorders."

 

[Louanne Learning]

Nowadays, it's women who wear high heels. But high heels were actually first invented by the Persians and it was men who initially wore them into battle.

The Persian cavalry used to hook them into their stirrups while riding to maintain stability during battle. From the 10th century, heeled shoes were known in Persia to make it easier for soldiers to stand up on horseback and fire their arrows.

 

[Luxuria]

The oldest recorded victim of the shaving cream to the face prank (as far as I know) was the Emperor Claudius. (See Suetonius, Claudius 8)

8 1 But all this did not save him from constant insults; for if he came to dinner a little after the appointed time, he took his place with difficulty and only after making the round of the dining-room. Whenever he went to sleep after dinner, which was a habit of his, he was pelted with the stones of olives and dates, and sometimes he was awakened by the jesters with a whip or cane, in pretended sport. They used also to put slippers on his hands as he lay snoring, so that when he was suddenly aroused he might rub his face with them. - Suetonius, Claudius 8 - (Suetonius • Life of Claudius)

If you are wondering what this prank is, let Johnny and Ben demonstrate:

 

[Louanne Learning]

shaving cream to the face prank (as far as I know) was the Emperor Claudius.

it reminds us of our shared humanity!!

 

[Madman Starryteller]

One thing that some complain about is close-quarter fighting in science fiction/future settings. But they seem to forget our own absurd history of dressing up in colourful clothing and standing in lines, firing metal balls at each other before charging.

Our own history is full of absurd and dangerous fighting. There is a reason the phrase "over the top" came into existence when referring to absurd things. It is what soldiers did when they charged enemy trenches in world war one and were mowed down by machine gun fire.

The fighting in my universe may be absurd and over the top, and that's because I take inspiration from our real history.

 

[Naomasa298]

Coca-Cola was invented by pharmacist John Pemberton in 1886.

Pemberton was addicted to morphine and looked for a substitute.

It was originally marketed as a "temperance drink" and a "patent medicine" - it could even cure "nerve disorders."

And Fanta was invented by Nazi Germany to replace Coke, which had become unavailable to them, for obvious reasons.

 

[Louanne Learning]

The premiere of Handel's Messiah took place at the Musick Hall on Fishamble Street, Dublin, Ireland, on April 13, 1742.

Here's the Hallelujah chorus

 

[Rath Darkblade]

Yes. Handel wrote Messiah in just three weeks and had it premiered in time for Easter, to raise money for charitable causes, specifically for the Foundling Hospital in London.

On one occasion, Socrates' wife Xanthippe was upset because friends were coming for dinner and all she could afford was very basic food. Socrates replied: "If they are true friends they will understand. If they are not, their opinions don't matter anyway."

On one occasion, Xanthippe first screamed at Socrates, and then throw water over him. Socrates remarked: "Did I not say that Xanthippe was thundering now, and after that I'd get rain?"

A man once asked Socrates if he should marry. He replied: "Whether you do so or not, you will regret it." His own marriage was stormy, so he changed his opinion to: "Every man should marry. His wife will either make him happy or make him a philosopher."

(from The Classical Compendium by Dr Philip Matyszak, 2009)

 

[CatrionaGrace]

Can you imagine living with someone who specialized in relentlessly questioning people in order to expose contradictions in their beliefs? He's lucky she didn't put hemlock in his tea years before Athenian society had had damn all enough of him.

 

[Rath Darkblade]

I know. Socrates was a troll ... but at least he was a well-meaning troll.

Empedocles (c. 494 - c. 434 BC) was a Greek pre-Socratic philosopher, whose philosophy is known best for originating the cosmogonic theory of the four classical elements (Fire, Earth, Water and Air). He also proposed forces he called Love and Strife which would mix and separate the elements, respectively.

Empedocles challenged the practice of animal sacrifice and killing animals for food, and developed a distinctive doctrine of reincarnation. Some of his work survives, which is more than is the case for any other pre-Socratic philosopher.

However, Empedocles' death is the strangest thing about him. The legend, recorded by Diogenes, is that Empedocles threw himself into Mount Etna to prove to his disciples that he was immortal (since they believed he would come back as a god after being consumed by the fire). The volcano, however, threw back one of his bronze sandals, revealing the deceit.