Historical Fun

Fun History Facts for October 5th On This Day In History, October 5th, 1582, in Italy, Spain, Poland and Portugal , nothing existed. Not even October 5th.   This was due to the change to the Gregorian calendar. October 4th, yesterday, was immediately followed by October 15th. A good excuse to forget to give someone a birthday card.   On This Day In History in 1910, the monarchy of Portugal was overthrown in a revolution, and Portugal was declared a republic.   On This Day in 1962, Dr. No, the not-actually-the-first James Bond film was released . Obviously no one counts "that" version of Casino Royale, that doesn't exist.   On This Day In History in 1285, Philip III of France died of Me-Pooper-Won't-Stop-A-Pooping.   King Philip III of France was also called Philip the Bold, because he invented the darker font.   Philip the Bold was called The Bold, as he was pretty darned good on horseback and more than capable in...

HISTORY FUN FACTS October 2nd     On This Day In History in 1452, Richard III of England was born. As a complete and utter nephew-murdering bastard.   Richard III became King of England in 1483, because he really, really wanted it. And nothing is going to stand in his way.   Except, maybe the kid. And the other kid. But those can be dealt with easily enough.   Richard's brother was King Edward IV, and when he died, Richard was named Lord Protector for Edward's twelve-year-old son, Edward V. A position Richard took seriously. Very seriously. Very, very seriously, Mwahahahaha.   As the young Edward V travelled to London to take his place as the new King of England, Richard, ever the loving uncle, and totally serious about that Lord Protector title, met him halfway and escorted him into the capital city ... and then right into the Tower of London.   One down, one to go.   A few days later, Edward's nine-year old brother ...

History Fun Fact September 6th On This Day in 380, Emperor Theodosius defeated the usurper, Emperor Eugenius, at the Battle of the Frigidus. With the defeat of Eugenius, both the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire were untied once again, the last time in history it would be one great big Empire.   Theodosius, also known as Theodosius the Great, or Cute-Squirrel-Lips by his Praetorian Guard, was born on the 11th of January, 347.   After the Battle of Figidus, Theodosius became Emperor of the entire Roman Empire, the last Emperor to rule over the whole thing.   During his reign, Theodosius-Cute-Squirrel-Lips had a serious problem with the Goths during and set about trying to eradicate them. Perhaps they reminded him of his own moody teenage years.   Unfortunately, his reputation took a serious hit, along with his gonads, a war injury he would never recover from, as he wasn't successful in destroying them. Or the other b...

History Facts - September 4th On This Day In History in 476 , it was the end of an era.   The 4th of September, 476, is the date the Western Roman Empire ended when Romulus Augustus was deposed by Odoacer, who then proclaimed himself King of Italy.   Romulus Augustus was also known as Augustulus, or little Augustus, a nickname his wife gave him on their wedding night.   It was also due to him being mostly useless as an Emperor. He was barely a flicker of the man hundreds of years before who became the first Roman Emperor, the legend that was Augustus Caesar.   On This Day in 1882 , Thomas Edison switched on the first commercial electric power station. It was only able to light a single square mile of lower Manhattan, but that was a heck of an achievement for that time.   This was the day commonly referred to as the start of the Electrical Age.   "Finally," said Edison after flipping the swit...

HISTORY FACTS - August 31st On This Day In History, 31st of August, 1422, King Henry V of England , the second king from the House of Lancaster, died of Something-Wrong-With-Me-Poops and That-Curry-Has-Some-Serious-Consequences.   This left his son, Henry VI, free to claim the throne. He demanded all bow down to him as supreme ruler of the milky-milky-sucky-nipple people.   What?   Henry VI was only 9-months-old when he became king.   On This day, 31st of August 1803, Lewis and Clark began their most famous of expeditions to the west when they left Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.   It would take the entire journey, and more than a few coincidences, before Lewis found out that Clark had a secret identity. The glasses were a perfect disguise.   31st August, 1888, Mary Ann Nichols is murdered. Although never proved, the common consensus is that she was killed by a secret society of aliens who had been living in London for the last t...

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY 17th FEBRUARY   On This Day in 364 AD, the Roman Emperor Jovian is found dead in his tent at Tyana, where they had camped the night before on their way back to Constantinople.   Jovian had been eating magic mushrooms the night before and bungee-jumped off his bed into a tea cup full of gorillas in purple tutus.   On This Day in 1753, Where the heck did our twelve days go? It was like, err, the middle of February when I went to sleep.   In 1753, Sweden went to sleep on February 17th and woke to find it was March 1st all ready. And they could have sworn they only got eight hours.   It was either aliens, or they finally switched from the Julian Calendar to the Gregorian Calendar. I'm going with aliens.   On This Day in 1801, Thomas Jefferson is elected President of the United States of America. He actually tied with his opponent, Aaron Burr.   However, to resolve the issue, they played Rock-P...

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY - 9th February   On This Day, the 9th of February, 1825, John Quincy Adams is elected as President of the United States of America.   He didn't actually receive the most electoral votes. That accolade went to future President, Andrew Jackson. But, due to neither getting an overall majority, the House of Representatives decided to swing towards John Quincy Adams.   To say Andrew Jackson was miffed would be an understatement. He proclaimed the election of Adams was a corrupt bargain, and that Pepsi Max was better than Coca Cola. He also thought the election of a really bad wig would be a huge mistake.   Andrew Jackson is well known for his liking of duels. It's very lucky he decided against challenging Adams to a duel to decide the fate of the Presidency. Jackson never lost a duel. Unless you count that one he had against the parrot. But, in all fairness, the parrot cheated.   In Other News On This Day In History On Thi...

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY 8th FEBRUARY   On This Day, the 8th of February, 1587, Mary, Queen of Scots, was executed at Fortheringhay castle after she was found writing letters making fun of the ginger wig her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I, kept wearing.   The night before, Mary was informed of her upcoming beheading via a Twitter update from her cousin, the Queen of England.   @QueenyBethOfEngland Gonna cut that Mary's head off in the morning. LOL.   On the morning of the 8th of February, Mary was taken up some steps to the top of the scaffold. She sat on a stool, along with the Earl of Shrewsbury and the Earl of Kent, and awaited the ceremony.   The executioner and his assistant knelt before her and asked for forgiveness. She nodded and replied, "I forgive you with all my heart, for now, I hope, you shall make an end of all my troubles." It was only as Bull, the executioner, rose, that he noticed she had her fingers c...

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY 7th FEBRUARY   On This Day, the 7th February 1812, Charles John Huffam Dickens was born. Huffam. Seriously love that name. Not as good as Everard Digby. But, still a great name.   His parents had Great Expectations of him when he was born, and by the time he died, he left us all saying, "Please, Sir. I want some more."   Fun Fact: Charles Dickens was forced to leave school to work in a factory when his father was imprisoned in a debtors' prison.   During Charles Dickens' life, he was visited by three ghosts: the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Presents (I love getting Christmas presents), and Casper, who was a really friendly ghost.   Where the Dickens was he when he died and where is he buried? He died of a stroke at Gad's Hill Place and, although he wanted a private funeral and to be buried at Rochester Cathedral, he has an honoured place at Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey, London. ...

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY - 3rd of FEBRUARY On This Day, the 3rd of February 1924, President Woodrow Wilson died. Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States of America, and the President responsible, finally, after three years, for America entering World War 1. America declared war on Germany on April 6th 1917.   Because of Woodrow Wilson's involvement in World War I, he became the first American President to cross the Atlantic Ocean, and spent longer outside America than any president before him. Did You Know: Woodrow Wilson's papers occupy over 500 reels of microfilm in the Library of Congress. Yet, he couldn't read until he was eleven years old.   He died at home of a stroke at the age of 67. His wife, Mrs Wilson, survived another 37 years, passing away on the 28th of December, Woodrow Wilson's birthday .   Celebrity Birthday On This Day in 1970, the one, the only, Warwick Davis was born. Who? Oh, come on, you know h...

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY 1st FEBRUARY On This Day, the 1st of February 1994, Harry-Wears-A-Wig-Styles was born.   Harry Styles is best known for needing to wear a wig. As he is totally bald. He is also famous for being a member of the most successful boy band in history, Take That.   Oops, nope. He's in One Direction. It's been mildly successful, too.   Did You Know One Direction wasn't the first band Harry Styles joined. He performed as a singer in the band "White Eskimo" in his home town of Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, England. He once told his girlfriend that he'd made the "Same Mistakes the night before with a randy hedgehog." And "Everything About You" reminded him of that hedgehog, which he had Taken from Liam Neeson after winning a game called Summer Love.   A few weeks after Something Great happened with that hedgehog, he knew it was Still the One, as he found it Irresistible. But he knew the two o...

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY - 28th JANUARY   On This Day In History in 1393, Charles VI of France is almost killed , accidentally on purpose, by several masked dancers, who happened to be on fire.   The King of France was attending a masquerade ball, The Bal des Ardents, which translates as "The Ball of the Burning Men", which we hope was name after the event. If it was actually called that before it happened, then suspicions would have been aroused.   Charles VI was known for his awesome dance moves. That king could move. Think John Travolta on ice having an epileptic fit whilst holding seven octopi (or octopuses, or octopuddies) who are also having epileptic fits. Strobe lighting was very popular six hundred years ago. It was an issue.   The King of France, never wanting to miss an opportunity, decided to get up and dance. When shouts were heard from the spectators, "Yo, Kingy, You're On Fire!", Charles VI just assumed they were payi...

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY - 20th JANUARY On This Day, 20th January 1265, The first ever English Parliament to include not just Lords, but also the common people, was held at the Palace of Westminster. The English Parliament, or Simon de Montfort's Parliament, only lasted a few months, but it was the start of what would become the new normal for English politics. The summoning of both Commoners and Lords alike to discuss the politics of the nation. Simon de Montfort didn't start this tradition out of his belief the people should be represented in parliament. He did it as his power was dwindling and this was the only way to get it back. Simon de Montfort had taken control of England after defeating King Henry III at the Battle of Lewes. But, soon after, his power was being threatened. He needed more support. And that support wouldn't be found with the barons, as they were getting annoyed with Montfort. He decided to summon representatives of the barons, although ...

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY for the 14th of JANUARY On This Day, 14th of January 1724, King Philip V of Spain abdicated his throne . His son, Louis, took over as King, although he didn't last long. Seven months later, and Louis was dead, leaving no heirs, and Philip re-king'd himself.   There are many rumours about Philip's abdication. And his mental instability. Some believe he had no choice but to give up the throne to his son, as his wife, the manipulative Elisabeth of Parma, and the seagulls at his bedroom window, told him to let his son be king. And to dance nekkid in the garden wearing a mask made out of a unicorn's head.   Others believe he abdicated the throne of Spain so he could ascend to the throne of France after Louis XV died. Philip was the grandson of King Louis XIV of France and so had a legitimate claim. But there was a law in place in France that meant any reigning King of Spain couldn't sit on the throne of France. ...

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY for the 13th of JANUARY On This Day, the 13th of January 1990, Liam Hemsworth was born. Liam is an Australian actor best known for having a much hotter older brother. Yep, Chris Hemsworth, also known as Thor. You know, I'm not gay, but I'd totally suck his.... Liam started out his career, like most Australian actors, in the television show Neighbours. Everybody needs good neighbours. He then went on to star in the Elephant Princess, as an elephant with a tiny trunk, who happened to also be a princess, with a much sexier older brother who happens to be a demi-god. Oh, yeah, is he a demi-god, or what. Very tasty. But then stardom hit. Liam's brother got the role of Thor. Seriously have to watch that movie again. He is such a hunk. Err, anyways, Liam, the lesser beefcake, played Gale Hawthorne in the Hunger Games movies. Also in the News : On This Day, 13th of January 1547, Henry Howard, the Earl of Surrey was sentenced to death b...

Today is New Year's Eve. Or if you're in Scotland, Hogmanay. Or, if you're in Wales, Nos Galan.   This is where tradition dictates you get totally and absolutely sloshed out of your mind, head-butt four random strangers in a game of No-I-Love-YOU-The-Most (this is where the Klingons got the ritual, in case you were wondering), urinate in a policeman's hat (but only if you're pregnant), and then forget where you live.   It's a tradition that dates back to the Norse over a thousand years ago, when Thor, the Asgard god of thunder and hair products, descended on Scotland during the dark days between Avengers films, to demonstrate the virtues of over-drinking and public displays of this-is-just-embarrassing-you-can't-get-married-to-a-lamppost.   There are some pretty strange and interesting local traditions around the United Kingdom.   For example, in Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, in north-east Scotland , they have a rather dangerous way ...

On This Day In History - 29th December   On This Day, 29th December, 1170, Thomas Becket had a knight problem on a cold winter's night. That is to say, he was stabbed to death by four knights.   Long story short, in 1161 King Henry II made Thomas Becket the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Church's highest ranking bloke in England.   After nine short years, Henry got really miffed with him, because of reasons. Henry is said to have remarked, "Who will rid me of this troublesome priest?" Which the four knights took as an order to travel back to England and kill Thomas Becket. And then kill him a lot more, slicing and dicing away, hacking and whacking, dipping and skipping.   When King Henry II heard about the death of Thomas Becket, he was heard to say, "What the frigging frack did you do that for? It was a sodding rhetorical question. Bunch of twaddling dingbats. Now, go look rhetorical up in the dictionary. Write it a thousand times on a piece of ...