History Facts

Old Abe Lincoln was the 16th President! 16th President! Ahhh… who am I kidding, you know the song right? I’m not the only one who learned it in 3rd grade am I? Well, back on topic. Abraham Lincoln was probably the greatest US President in History. Only FDR has been handed a comparable plate of issues. Today’s post is compiled of several interesting facts about Abraham Lincoln. There are so many it was hard to choose from, so I would check back in the future for Part II.

Fact #1 - Abraham Lincoln was the first president to have a beard while in office.

In the work place it is always said that a man looks more professional when he is cleanly shaven. Back in the mid 1800s, bears were quite popular. And not just regular beards… men worse chops and other obscure styles. About 10 other U.S. Presidents have had facial hair.

Fact #2 - Abraham Lincoln was the first president to be born outside of the original thirteen colonies. He was born in Kentucky.

On November 6, 1860, Lincoln was elected as the 16th President of the United States (the country’s first Republican President), beating Democrat Stephen A. Douglas. His western roots were crucial in winning the Western and border states.

Fact #3 - Abraham Lincoln led the Union in the Civil War (1861-1865) to prevent the Southern states from seceding from the United States.

As President, Lincoln’s top priority was to preserve the union. 7 confederate states actually suceeded just before Lincoln took office, and many other border states warned the President they would not support him.

Fact #4 - Abraham Lincoln’s brother, half-brothers, and brothers-in-law fought in the Confederate Army.

Talk about a family rivalry! It was actually not uncommon to have brothers fighting brothers in the Civil War. Slavery and states’ rights were hot topics that people grew up passionate about. It’s hard to believe that a President’s own brother wouldn’t stand by him.

Fact #5 - Lincoln was first president to be assassinated. He was shot at Ford’s Theater in Washington DC on the night of April 14, 1865.

A week prior to his death, Lincoln had a dream of his own assassination. He confessed the dream to his head bodyguard (who happened to be off duty the night of Lincoln’s murder). Old Abe was seeing the play “Our American Cousin” when he was shot. He died 9 hours later.

Cleopatra VII Philopator was a Hellenistic ruler of Egypt. She was born in Alexandria in 69 BC and eventually poisoned herself in 30 BC via an asp bite. As Pharaoh, she was historically linked to Gaius Julius Caesar. Her relationship with him helped solidify her grip on the Egyptian throne. After Caesar’s assassination, she married Mark Antony, with whom she produced twins. Her reign marks the end of the Hellenistic Era and the beginning of the Roman Era in the eastern Mediterranean. She was the last Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt.

Fact #1 - Cleopatra was not an Egyptian.

Because she ruled Egypt, many people think she was Egyptian. She was in fact a Macedonian Greek who descended from Ptolemy I, a Greek general of Alexander the Great. Ptolemy was given the gift of Egypt after Alexander’s death.

Fact #2 - Before her unions with Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony, Cleopatra had marriages with two of her brothers, Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV.

In ancient times it was common for royal women to marry their brothers. Today, we would never think of such a thing. But it’s quite possible that their relationships were before paper/power only. Because Cleopatra never had children with either of her brothers, some people believe their relationships were never sexual. During her marriages to her brothers, she always remained a lover to Caesar.

Fact #3 - Cleopatra could speak 9 languages.

That’s very impressive. I’m embarrassed to say I can only speak one! She was in fact the only member of the entire Ptolemaic dynasty that could speak Egyptian.

Fact #4 - Cleopatra may not have been that beautiful.

Hollywood and stories often depict Cleopatra as a beautiful woman. Although we can’t be 100% certain, most historians believe she was actually rather unattractive. Images of Cleopatra on coins suggest she had a large nose and manly features.

Fact #5 - Cleopatra died in 30 BC, when she was only 39 years old. She committed suicide and used an asp for the purpose.

An asp is an Egyptian Cobra snake. Death by snake does not seem like a good way to go. She must have been severely love sick or depressed to commit suicide in such an awful fashion.

The Great Wall of China is commonly listed as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. It is a massive structure that spans thousands of miles along the north side of China. It served as protection against the invading Mongolian armies. The largely brick construction was an ongoing project involving several Chinese Dynasties. Please continue to read some interesting facts about the Great Wall of China.

Fact #1 - The Great Wall of China stretches over 4,160 miles, more than the entire width of the Continental United States.

The Great Wall of China is actually several several walls built by many different Chinese dynasties. Construction started sometime around the 5th Century BC.

Fact #2 - At its peak, the Ming Wall was guarded by more than one million men.

Can you imagine facing something of this magnitude if you’re an enemy soldier? It’s sheer intimidation. Not only would the opposing forces have to climb a 30ft wall to get into China, but they would have to face 1 million guards too!

Fact #3 - It has been estimated that somewhere in the range of 2 to 3 million Chinese died as part of the centuries-long project of building the wall.

Most of the workers on the Great Wall were peasants, slaves and prisoners of war.

In today’s time, it will hit the news if 1 person dies during a construction project. If they had media during the time of the Great Wall construction it would have been a PR nightmare!

Fact #4 - The Great Wall is not just a wall.

There are many forts, barracks and storage locations along the wall. And it was not only used as protection from invasion… traders and farmers used the wall to protect their trade routes and crops. A great way to spin a military project as something economical is to give it multiple uses

Fact #5 - The Great Wall of China is visible from space.

If you’re in a low orbit around the Earth, you would be able to see the Great Wall of China. But if standing on the moon or beyond, you would not be able to see it. Seeing a wall, that is nearly the same color as the soil beneath it, from space would be far too difficult.

There is much left to be learned about the ancient Mayan culture from thousands of years ago in what is now Central America. Anthropologists have studied Mayan history for centuries. While they have discovered many startling wonders and facts about these amazing people, some aspects of their lives remain a mystery. Most noted is how the Mayan empire collapsed.

Fact #1 - The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, which was used by the Mayans, has an end date of December 21, 2012.

What will happen on this day? No one knows for sure. If the Mayan beliefs are true, then the world will end. We will see an apocalypose like you could never imagine. Complete destruction.

Fact #2 - The Mayans were the only Pre-Columbian civilization to have a fully developed written language.

The Mayans used a system of over 500 hieroglyphs, much like the Ancient Egyptians. They would transcribe their hieroglyphs on temple walls and pottery to tell the story of their people. Can you imagine having to learn a written language with over 500 characters? Kids today can’t even learn 26 letters in the alphabet!

Fact #3 - The Mayan practiced human sacrifice to appease their gods.

In some Maya rituals people were killed by having their arms and legs held while a priest cut the person’s chest open and tore out his heart as an offering. That’s not a fun way to go. Graphic depictions of this can be seen on the temple walls and in the recent Mel Gibson movie Apocalypto.

Fact #4 - No one knows how the Mayan civilization collapsed.

Non-ecological theories of Maya decline are divided into several subcategories, such as overpopulation, foreign invasion, peasant revolt, and the collapse of key trade routes. If i were a betting man, I would say that foreign invasion played a big role in their collapse. Natives were not immune to European disease. They had no way to combat it. Ecological hypotheses include environmental disaster, epidemic disease, and climate change.

Fact #5 - 90% of the Mayan civilization still remains unexcavated today.

So much Mayan history remains undiscovered in the dense rain forests. In addition to this, the Mayans build enormous temples and passages ways beneath the surface. We will never find it all.

Napoleon Bonaparte was one of the greatest conquerers the world has ever seen. He was an educated man and an outstanding military leader. If you’re going to war, Napoleon is at the top of a short list of people you want leading your army. Napoleon was born on the island of Corsica and became a French lieutenant at the young age of 16. Continue on for more interesting facts about Napoleon Bonaparte.

Fact #1 - Napoleon Bonaparte stood a mere 5′6″ tall (by English standards) or 5′2″ (by French Standards).

While today 5′6″ may seem short for a man, it was a respectable height for a man in the 18th century. Some people say he was ridiculed by classmates and friends for being short. It’s hard to say if that is true or not. Regardless, Napoleon got them best of them later on in his life. It is also said that he surrounded himself with very tall guards and wore high boots, maybe to make himself appear as tall as one of them.

Fact #2 - Napoleon invaded Russia with 650,000 French troops but was defeated and returned to France with only 40,000 troops.

A loss of over 500,000 troops is an astonishing number. Not all the troops were lost in battle though. The bitter Russia winter caused many of the troops to freeze to death or die of starvation.

Fact #3 - Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled on more then one occasion.

In the Treaty of Fontainebleau the victors exiled him to Elba, a small island in the Mediterranean 20 km off the coast of Italy. After his abdication Napoleon attempted to commit suicide by taking poison from a vial he had always carried. However the poison had weakened with age and he survived to be deported to Elba. In his exile, he ran Elba as a little country.

After his return to France, and later defeat… Napoleon was exiled again. This time to St. Helena, a small island in the South Atlantic. St. Helena would ultimately be his last home before death.

Fact #4 - Napoleon was responsible for the invention of canned goods.

Napoleon’s armies were away from home for so long that most of the food they would travel with would spoil. He sent out a notice to all the nation’s top inventors offering a large monetary prize to anyone who could come up with a way to preserve food for a long period of time. This led to the invention of canned food.

Pablo Picasso is one of the most famous artists in history. His art is recognized by nearly everyone and he continues to be the top selling artist. One thing people may not know about Picasso is that he was famous while alive. He also had four children, three of which are still alive today.

Fact #1 - Pablo Picasso’s real name is Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Martyr Patricio Clito Ruiz y Picasso. It is a series of names that honor saints, his mother, and his father.

Do you think when his parents got mad that they yelled out his entire name before sending him to his room? That seriously has to be the longest name in recorded history.

Fact #2 - Unlike many great artists before him who died poor and unknown, Pablo Picasso became rich and famous long before his death in 1973.

Picasso didn’t have to cut off his own ear, or commit suicide to become famous. His works were unique and caught the attention of major collectors and museums.

Fact #3 - During his career he created over 20,000 works. Garçon à la pipe was one of his most famous pieces and sold for USD $104 million at Sotheby’s on May 4, 2004, establishing a new price record.

Picasso was wealthy during his time, but I bet he’d be rolling over in his grave if he knew one of his paintings from 1905 would sell for over $100 million.

Fact #4 - Pablo Picasso pioneered the cubism movement.

I don’t really understand cubism art, it looks like a jumbleded up mess if you ask me. But some say it is the most beautiful form of art because of the random angles and coherent sense of depth in each painting.

Joseph Stalin was one of history’s most ruthless dictators. He murdered millions of his own innocent countrymen, often times without warning or cause. In the process, he took the Soviet Union from a rural country into an industrial super power.

Fact #1 - Joseph Stalin’s official title was General Secretary of the Communist Party. He was given this title in 1922.

This position was actually a modest post when Stalin was first assigned. It was only after several years that Stalin had developed it into the USSR’s most powerful office. I still think the title ‘Dictator’ sounds more ruthless then ‘Secretary’.

Fact #2 - The Russian word stalin means ‘man of steel.’

Joseph does not look like Superman to me.

Fact #3 - At the end of 1930s, Stalin launched the Great Purges, a major campaign of repression. Millions of people who were suspected of being a threat to the party were executed or exiled to Gulag labor camps in remote areas of Siberia or Central Asia.

Those who opposed or had different views from that of the Communist Party were considered threats to Stalin. It is estimated to up to 2 million people died during the Purge.

Fact #4 - Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Union played a major role in the defeat of Nazi Germany during WWII.

The United States and Great Britain pushed the forces east while the Soviet Union pushed Germany back to the west. Germany was ultimately surrounded and could not fight a war on two fronts.

Fact #5 - It is rumored that Joseph Stalin had a 2-year affair with Lidia Pereprygina, then aged 13, with whom he fathered two children.

Wow! And we thought Michael Jackson liked them young. So not only was Stalin a ruthless murderer, but he was also a pedofile.