[Fun Fact Friday] 5 Historical Facts That Sound Completely Fake (But Aren’t)
History is often portrayed as a stuffy, serious subject. But the truth is, the past is filled with moments so bizarre, so strange, and so unbelievable that they sound more like fiction than fact. Here are five completely true historical facts that will make you question everything.
1. The Great Emu War of Australia
In 1932, the Australian military literally declared war on emus. After World War I, around 20,000 of the large, flightless birds began migrating into farmlands in Western Australia, destroying crops. The desperate farmers, many of them ex-soldiers, petitioned the government for help. The military was deployed with machine guns to cull the emu population. The result? A humiliating defeat for the humans. The emus proved to be surprisingly resilient and difficult targets, and the military withdrew after a few weeks, having had very little success. The emus won.
2. A Roman Emperor Made His Horse a Consul
The Roman Emperor Caligula was known for his eccentric and tyrannical behavior, but perhaps his most famous act was his alleged plan to appoint his favorite horse, Incitatus, to the position of consul—the highest elected office in the Roman Republic. While historians debate whether he was serious or if it was a satirical gesture to mock the senate, records show that Incitatus lived in a marble stable, had a jewel-encrusted collar, and was treated with the reverence of a high-ranking official.
3. Ketchup Was Sold as Medicine
In the 1830s, ketchup was not a condiment for your fries; it was a pill for your ailments. An Ohio physician named Dr. John Cooke Bennet began selling tomato-based ketchup in pill form, claiming it could cure everything from indigestion and diarrhea to jaundice. The idea became incredibly popular for a short time, leading to a flood of copycat “ketchup pills” on the market.
4. There Was a “War of the Stray Dog”
In 1925, a border dispute between Greece and Bulgaria escalated into a full-blown military conflict because of a dog. A Greek soldier’s dog ran across the border into Bulgarian territory. The soldier ran after it and was shot and killed by Bulgarian border guards. The incident triggered a Greek invasion of Bulgaria. The League of Nations had to intervene to stop the fighting, which became known as the “War of the Stray Dog.”
5. Napoleon Was Once Attacked by a Horde of Rabbits
After signing a peace treaty in 1807, Napoleon Bonaparte wanted to celebrate with a rabbit hunt. His chief of staff arranged it, gathering what he claimed were thousands of rabbits for the emperor and his men. But when the rabbits were released from their cages, they didn’t flee. Instead, they charged directly at Napoleon and his party in a massive, fluffy horde. The world’s most powerful man was forced into a panicked retreat. The mistake? The chief of staff had bought domesticated rabbits, which were not afraid of humans and likely saw the men as a source of food.
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