25 curious historical facts you probably didn't know

History is the science that studies the events of the past, usually from an anthropocentric point of view (focusing on human stages and events). The purpose of the historical study is to find out the events that occurred in the past and interpret them accordingly. the most objective way possible: we are facing a social science and, as such, it must be informative and impartial.

The history books distributed at the institute are well known: from prehistory to the present, through the discovery of America, the industrial revolution and many other processes, most human beings have a flat and basic idea about the characters and events that have us preceded.

Today we come to break schemes, well We are going to tell you many things that, almost certainly, you will not find in a history book. Either because of their anecdotal nature or because of the difficulty of being contextualized, many of these points are usually omitted in general teaching. Prepare to be surprised: we tell you 25 curious historical facts that you probably did not know.

• We recommend you read: "20 fun facts about the human mind"

Some historical data that will surprise you

We no longer waste time, as there are many periods and data to cover and limited space. Of course: we warn that we started from the beginning. Starting with prehistory and ending in the Contemporary Age, we bring you some historical data that will surprise you.

1. Life expectancy in prehistoric times was greater than you think

According to studies, life expectancy in the Paleolithic era was 33 years. To give you an idea, the World Health Organization (WHO) places this figure, today, in the 72 years globally. Primitive hunters and gatherers used to perish from diseases of a chronic nature, such as intestinal tract pathogens and opportunistic viruses that have long lived in your body term.

2. Fewer children died in prehistory than expected

While many animals lose an average of 80% of their offspring after birth, our ancestors were capable of raising more than 70% of their offspring after birth. As incredible as it may seem, in these times there were also people who were over their reproductive age, something unthinkable for most species of living beings.

3. The oldest instrument in history

There is evidence that human beings developed cultures and entertainment long before other social constructs. As proof, we have the following news: in 1995 it was found in the cave site of Divje Babe, in Slovenia, a flute that is about 45,000 years old. It is a simple carving of a cave bear bone, in the shape of a primitive “flute”.

• We recommend you read: "What was music like in Prehistory?"

4. The natural refrigerator of prehistory

To keep food in good condition in times of very cold, our ancestors soaked it in water and threw it out in the open. Thus, they were frozen and preserved naturally. From here to the refrigerator there is a world of knowledge, but we can say that our species was already standing out in its "childhood".

5. The domestication of dogs

The human being and the dog have come a long way together. New research estimates that the domestication of this canid took place in Siberia about 23,000 years ago. Since then, our species has genetically selected dogs based on different patterns morphological and behavioral to give rise to each and every one of the races that coexist in homes today in day.

6. The beginning of the Ancient Age

Surprising as it may sound, a concrete milestone marked the beginning of the Ancient Age: the invention of writing. Archaic Sumerian cuneiform writing and Egyptian hieroglyphics are generally considered the earliest writing systems, however archaic and strange they may seem to us today.

7. Social classes were hereditary

We continue in the Ancient Age, highlighting especially striking events that you may not have known about. In this stage of humanity, social class was not flexible and was inherited from father to son. There was a clear population distinction between monarchy, aristocracy, scholars, artisans, and slaves. Within the lower strata, the class was dictated by the profession exercised.

8. Dominant polytheism

In the infancy of human society, most people were polytheists. This means that they did not worship a single, perfect, omnipotent and omnipresent God, but had multiple entities as religious referents. To this day, religious currents such as neopaganism continue to maintain polytheism as their ideological base.

9. The first law ever written

During the Ancient Ages, laws appeared, so the first codes that punished social faults in human beings were born here. The first legal text of humanity found was written on a large black basalt stela over 2 meters high: we are talking about the Code of Hammurabi. If a man accuses another man and presents a homicide complaint against him, but cannot prove it, his accuser will be punished with death. (Excerpt from the Code of Hammurabi)

10. The end of the Ancient Age is dated

Leaving this exciting Age, we find ourselves with the fall of the Western Roman Empire, in the year 476. It seems that biological agents, beyond wars, had a lot to do with it: in these times, pathogen pandemics arose unknown people who killed more than 7 million inhabitants, an exorbitant figure for the time that totally overshadows the most bloody.

11. The use of fans in the Middle Ages and its explanation

From here we jump to a time much better known to all and, therefore, with more interesting and mundane facts to tell. We are going to linger for a long time in this Age of Knights, Dragons and Fables! To whet your appetite, did you know that people in the Middle Ages used fans a lot? This was not due to heat or fashion: its function was to dispel the stench emitted by human bodies.

12. Lack of hygiene was a problem in the Middle Ages

Following this train of thought, it won't surprise you to learn that the upper class of the Middle Ages took shower once every few months, but dampened its biological stench by using perfumes. Without going any further, it is related that King Louis XIV bathed only 2 times in his entire life.

13. The effects of the plague are inconceivable

The first black plague, whose outbreak dates from the year 1346 (Europe) wiped a third of the continental population off the face of the Earth. The causative agent was a strain of Yersinia pestis, Gram Negative bacillus that is still present today. However, the impact was not the same in all territories: France and England took the worst part by far.

14. The black plague and life expectancy

The Black Death was one of the deadliest diseases known. The appellation of black is due to the appearance of spots, buboes and a blackish color on the gangrenous surfaces of the patients. Some documents report that there were strains of the plague that killed (almost asymptomatically) the patient in about 14 hours. In general, all patients died within 5 days at most.

15. Black plague doctors and their "raven costume"

The figure of the doctors of the Black Death is part of the collective imagination, but few know what this striking outfit was really due to. This clothing, known as Al doctore della Peste, is characterized by the use of a mask with a kind of beak, which gave the professional the appearance of a bird of ill omen. Actually, this skin had a functionality: the base of the spout was filled with aromatic herbs and strawIt was believed that this mixture protected doctors from disease and served as a filter. In addition, these workers used sticks to analyze patients without having to touch them.

16. The expression of "carrying the dead"

In the Middle Ages, if a dead person appeared in inexplicable circumstances in a population group and no one declared himself guilty, all the members of it had to pay a large fine. From this bombastic custom comes the saying "carry the dead", alluding to when someone bears the blame for an act that he has not perpetrated.

17. The fashion of pointed shoes

Medieval pointed footwear became a true fashion during this Age. The tips of this outfit they reached 46 centimeters long and, to fill the hollow space, those who wore them filled the interior of the shoe with moss.

18. The end of the Middle Ages

The Middle Ages ended with the discovery of America in 1492. We reserve curious facts about this historical milestone, because, unfortunately, they would only generate controversy and displeasure among readers. We will only say one thing: the bloody fame of the settlers today is preceded by irrefutable historical events.

19. The most destructive wars in history

Taking a leap of faith, we go from the Middle Ages directly to the contemporary, because here some of the historical milestones that have most shaped today's society took place. We begin with an encouraging fact: despite the fact that millions of soldiers died on the Western Front during the First World War, it is estimated that 9 out of 10 fighters in the trenches returned to their homes after the conflict.

20. In the first world war there were almost as many deaths from diseases than from bullets

More than 9 million people died on the front lines from this altercation, but many of them did so not from a bullet, but from a pathogen. Pneumonia, diseases transmitted by lice, tuberculosis and other diseases claimed a large part of the fighting troops.

21. During the first world war, pocket bibles were sold out

If before we have said that in the childhood of humanity people stood out for their non-Christian beliefs, here we find the other side of the coin. In Britain, mothers equipped their children with pocket Bibles, in order to protect them from death on the front lines. Such was their demand that they literally sold out.

22. The effects of the second world war

We went on to a series of battles much more bloody, temporarily close and rugged. In the Second World War no less than 60 million people died. Some of them were murdered senselessly, in one of the most shameful crimes of humanity historically: 6 million Jews were murdered during what we know today as the Holocaust.

23. Atomic bombs changed the course of history

The atomic bombs of Nagasaki and Hiroshima were the only ones used against the civilian population. This had not only a social impact, but a global one: it is estimated that a new historical stage, the Anthropocene, could be founded on the basis of the action of this global disaster. After their detonation, radioactive isotopes from atmospheric nuclear explosions of the 1960s can be geologically dated.

24. Discrepancy in the number of countries

As of today, the UN postulates that there are 194 sovereign countries around the world. If we take into account those that are not recognized, the list easily exceeds 200.

25. The world, more populated than ever

According to the World Data Bank, in 2018 there were 7.594 billion human beings on Earth. This translates into an annual population growth of 1.1%. This last curious historical fact comes to us like a glove, as it serves as a perfect closure to this brief but very interesting journey through human civilizations. We know our history, but what does the future hold? We hope to be able to make a new list in about 200 years!