Remember back when we were kids and our history teacher taught us about George Washington chopping the apple tree as a kid and then confessing to his dad that he was the one who did it? What about the terrible events that lead to Abraham Lincoln’s death? You might think you know all there is to know about history, but the major historical events on this list weren’t part of the curriculum.
The Eiffel Tower Gets Repainted All the Time
This image shows a team of men painting the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, in 1924. But this isn’t an isolated incident. Every seven years, painters climb up the tower and repaint it a yellow-brown color.
Flight Attendants Had to Retire Early
A couple of decades ago, female flight attendants were required to look like models and wear short skirts that showed off their legs. And there’s even a rumor that they had to be young and beautiful, meaning that they had to retire by the time they were 32.
Quakers Petition Against Slavery
In 1688, a religious sect known as Quakers or The Society of Friends, believed that slavery was wrong. So, they sent a letter to the colonists to appeal to their humanity and asked that they put themselves in the shoes of the slaves to see how they would feel in their place.
The 1799 Gold Rush
In 1799, a young boy discovered a gold nugget in North Carolina. Ironically, his family had been using it as a doorstop but it turns out that the 17-pound nugget was gold. Once news spread about the discovery, the first gold rush in the US occurred and 600 gold mines were found in North Carolina.
Alcohol Was Illegal
Between 1920 and 1933, the United States made alcohol illegal, which meant that alcohol was the drug of choice on the black market. So, to keep people from buying it, the U.S. government tainted industrial alcohol with deadly chemicals, which cost approximately 10,000 people their lives.
Woman Protested Segregation in 1855
Long before Rosa Parks refused to sit in the back of the bus, another woman named Elizabeth Jennings Graham rode in a horse-drawn streetcar designated for whites only. She was forced to get off by cops, which led to a lawsuit in the New York State Supreme Court. The court ultimately ruled that black people were entitled to use public transportation like everyone else.
Germans Blew Up Military Items in New York
In the early 20th century, Germans broke into a munition shipment in New York harbor and blew it up. This led to the entire harbor being polluted by military debris that resulted in a financial loss of $20,000,000 in 1916.
New York Factory Went Up in Smoke
In 1911, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York caught on fire. It was considered one of the deadliest fire incidents in U.S. history. Investigators blamed the fire on the deplorable conditions inside the factory. Sadly, 146 employees lost their lives.
Bats Were Almost Used as Bombs
The U.S. government had considered capturing about a million bats in Texas, arming them with napalm and releasing them over major Japanese cities during WWII. Fortunately for Japan, the plan never left the proverbial drawing board.
Hats Were the Norm in the 1930s
Take a look at this photo which was taken by Margaret Bourke White in 1930. This bird’s eye view of New York’s Garment District shows that everyone was wearing a hat because in those days, it was considered the norm.
Cotton Helped Egypt Break Free
The United Kingdom was forced to look for a new source of cotton after the Union gained a major victory during the Civil War. So, they opened negotiations with Egypt and after an agreement was struck, the UK ended up boosting the Egyptian economy, which allowed Egypt to break free of the Ottoman Empire.
The Iceberg That Sunk the Unsinkable
The Titanic, which was deemed unsinkable at the time, sank when it hit an iceberg and led to the death of 1,500 people. And when rescue teams went looking for survivors, they discovered an iceberg with red and black paint from the massive vessel.
Washington Started the Seven Years’ War
In 1756, George Washington murdered a French military commander, which sparked the Seven Years’ War. The conflict affected several different countries and was financially costly. It also led to the American Revolution and the French Revolution as well.
The Brits Burnt the White House Down
It began with the War of 1812 when the US attempted to trade with France and the UK during the war. France started trade negotiations, which angered the UK and led US congress to declare war against Britain. And in 1814, the British managed to burn the White House down.
Black Slaves Enlisted in the Army
American soldiers recruited approximately 8,000 Black men, some of whom were still enslaved, by offering to give them freedom in exchange for their service. They agreed and these brave Black soldiers increased the US’s number of soldiers during the American Revolution.
The Massive Acadian Deportation
The Acadians were the descendants of Indigenous people and French colonist living in Nova Scotia. Sadly, in 1755, the British deported their population. And in the process, thousands of Acadians died at the hands of their oppressors.
The Breath of Life
In 1967, a utility worker named Randall G. Champion was working on a pole when he was electrocuted. The shock didn’t kill him, but it left him hanging from his harness near death. So, his fellow worker, J.D. Thompson climbed up and gave him mouth to mouth, which ultimately saved Champion’s life.
The Tulsa Race Massacre
In the early 20th century, Black-owned businesses were plentiful in Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Greenwood District. Unfortunately, white people weren’t happy with this at all, so in 1921, they banded together and destroyed the once-thriving businesses.
The Untouched Tomb of King Tut
Archaeologist Howard Carter spent six years looking for King Tutankhamen’s tomb, and in 1922 he found it. This photo shows the seal which had remained unbroken for 3,245 years. Ironically, there were other entrances which had been broken into and the tomb is said to have been robbed more than once.
Small Pox Devastated Native Americans
In the 1500s, settlers unintentionally infected Smallpox to the Native American community. And in the blink of an eye, 99 percent of the Native population perished, crippling them in the process. Sadly, this was not the worst thing the colonists did to Native Americans.
German POWs Were Forced to Watch
This photo shows a group of German prisoners of war who had been forced to look at footage of what the Nazis had done to Jewish people during the concentration camps. Many of the POWs appeared so emotionally disturbed by what their people had done that they covered their eyes with their hands.
Life Was Still Chaotic After the Civil War
The Civil War between the North and the South came to an end in 1865. But the victory was as bitter as defeat as everyone’s lives was in a state of flux, especially in relation to race. Approximately four million former slaves and Confederate states were slowly being re-integrated with the rest of the US.
Blair Mountain Miners Rebelled
In August 1921, the Blair Mountain Miners were fed up with the way they were being treated, especially since their lives were put in danger while working in hazardous mines. So, they rebelled in what became a terrible battle, which historians compared to a mini-Civil War.
Job Hunter in the 1930s
The internet did not exist during the Great Depression, so looking for jobs was pretty difficult. Some men would wear signs like this and walk around the city hoping a business or company would hire them. Sometimes they would have to travel from far away to the closest city and stay in public shelters only to wake up and walk around wearing that sign again until they found something.
People Weren't Just Sad About General Patton's Death
General Patton died on December 21, 1945, 12 days after breaking his neck in a car accident near Mannheim, Germany. Many people were heartbroken, but it seems not just humans suffered from the loss. Patton's dog Willie would follow him where ever he went and days after he passed Willie was snapped here mourning by his belongings. Willie was later sent to live with Patton's wife and kids.
The Morning After Sweden Changed Driving Lanes
On September 3, 1967, Sweden switched from driving on the left side of the road to the right, and this day in history is now called Högertrafikomläggningen or Dagen H (H Day) which means "The right-hand traffic diversion." People were still confused and had to take some time to acclimate to the switch as you can tell from the photo. It was the largest logistical event in Sweden's history.
A Woman Arrested For Wearing a One-Piece Bathing Suit
In the 1920s, fashion for women was much more modest than it is today, and there were laws enforced that kept it that way. This photo, taken in 1922, is not the only one of its kind. Even men were escorted away from public beaches for not wearing shirts, because it was thought to be indecent.
Filming MGM's Credits
Everyone knows the iconic MGM movie intro showing a lion roaring, it is iconic and legendary. Here is a snapshot of the filming of the scene and how relatively simple it was. Though their mascot is referred to as "Leo the Lion," the lion's name was Jackie and was a very good boy during filming in 1928.
First White American Woman with a Tattoo
Olive Oatman and her family were attacked while traveling from Illinois to California. Many of her family members died during the attack, but she and her youngest sister were captured, enslaved and then traded to the Mohave people. Her youngest sister died but five years after the massacre Olive escaped and returned to white society wearing a blue tattoo on her chin given to her by the Mohaves.
The Only Female to Strike Out Babe Ruth
Seventeen year old Jackie Mitchell, a southpaw who pitched against the New York Yankees on April 2, 1931 striked out not only Babe Ruth but Lou Gehrig, too. There are still rumors today saying that it was done for promotional purposes and wasn't genuine but hey, staged or not, it is still a pretty big credit to strike out the Great Bambino.
American Soldiers Return Home After World War II
World War II was one of the largest wars of all time but you really don't realize how many people fought in the war until you see it photo form. The United States alone had more than 12 million men and women in the armed forces at the end of World War II of whom 7.6 million were stationed abroad. Here is a photo of some of the soldiers returning home from war.
The Night Prohibition Ended
The 18th Amendment to the Constitution, which was passed in 1919, prohibited the sale of alcohol within the United States. On December 5th, 1933, the Amendment was repealed, leading to many celebrations (with plenty of drinks) across the country.
Circumcision Used to Identify People
In 1971 during Bangladesh's War of Independence, soldiers used circumcision to identify whether or not men were Hindus. Men were often made to undress to prove that they had been circumcised and hence were Muslim. Many Hindu male and women were either killed or raped during this war.
Prisoners Used as Test Subjects
While this looks like a fun sport of some sort it is actually a prisoner testing safety nets in 1958. Back in the '50s, capital punishment was utilized everywhere in America and prisons used their captives as test subjects while they were awaiting the death penalty or some other fatal ending in prison.
Bison Skull Mountain
This mini-mountain made of bison skulls actually isn't a creepy art installation. Originally, bison were hunted for their skins in the 1800's but the left over bones weren't used by hunters so, instead of just tossing them, they used the bones in refining sugar, making fertilizer and fine bone china. Pictured here are a few hundred skulls in 1870 before being used.
Gravity-Free Feline
Before we could take people into space, humans had to test out weightlessness. They would use cats to see how they reacted without gravity and the medical after effects of the experience. Pictured here is a pilot who took a cat up 25,000 feet in the air in the 1960s.
Original Mount Rushmore
Gutzon Borglum sculpted the design of Mount Rushmore from 1927 to 1941. The original design of the gigantic landmark shows more than just four heads of the United States' founding fathers but also the top portions of the bodies and even Lincoln fixing his tie with his hands. This plan was made before funding ran out.
The Headquarters of Mussolini
We all know that Mussolini was the Italian dictator who created the fascist party and was an all-around not good person, but you won't really realize how creepy he was until you see his headquarters during election season. The Palazzo Braschi in Rome, the headquarters of the Fascist Party Federation is decorated here during the 1934 elections with his creepy face and "Si, Si, Si" (meaning "yes") written over and over behind it.