100 history FACTS will SHOCK you !! Ancient History Secrets EXPLAINED

0:03 Welcome to Scyfax Info, where history's most unbelievable moments come alive. Today we are diving into some of the most absurd, shocking, and fascinating facts from the pages of history. Benjamin Franklin believed cold air was good for health. So each morning he opened his windows and sat naked for up to an hour to bathe in the fresh air. He thought it helped prevent illness. Science agrees that airflow helps, but the nudity that was just Ben being Ben. Did you know that the first computer bug was an actual bug?

0:48 In 1947, engineers working on Harvard's Mark 2 computer found the cause of a malfunction. A moth stuck in the relay. They taped it in their log book and wrote, "First actual case of bug being found." The word bug had existed in engineering for decades, but this was the first time the problem was literally a bug. Ketchup was sold as medicine in the 1830s. Dr. John Cook Bennett added tomatoes to ketchup and sold it as a cure for diarrhea, indigestion, and more. He even made ketchup pills. It worked as a laxative, but most cures were just marketing. Still, people ate it

1:37 up. Ancient toothpaste was surprisingly effective. The Egyptians used crushed eggshells, powdered ox hooves, and ash to clean their teeth. One recipe from 4 AD even included rock salt and iris flowers. Sounds horrible, but studies show some of these ancient concoctions actually [Music] worked. The dancing plague of 1518 was real. In Strawburg, Alsace, modern-day France, a woman named Fra Troofa started dancing uncontrollably in the street. Others joined her. Within a month, 400 people were dancing non-stop. Authorities banned music, but it didn't help. After 2 months, it

2:23 stopped. No cause was ever found. Mass hysteria, maybe. Contrary to popular belief, pirates were surprisingly democratic. Pirate ships weren't dictatorships. Captains were elected and could be voted out at any time. Loot was shared equally, and pirates created a fund to support injured crew mates. So, looks like piracy offered better benefits and more freedom than life in the Navy. Dracula was a national hero. Vlad the Impaler, the man who inspired Dracula, was known for skewering

3:09 thousands. Yet in Romania, he's seen as a hero. He fought off the Ottomans, united the land, and ruled with ruthless efficiency. His cruelty was legendary, but so was his leadership. Ancient pregnancy tests actually worked. In 1350 BC, Egyptians told women to urinate on wheat and barley seeds. If the seeds sprouted, she was pregnant. Studies show this method had up to 85% accuracy. The Greeks had a different method involving onions, which, let's just say, didn't age well. The first online sale was weed. In

3:56 1971, Stanford students used Arpanet to arrange a cannabis deal with MIT students. The payment was in person, but the order was placed online. Forget eBay. The internet's first product was pot. The journalist who raced fiction. Nelly Bllye went undercover in a mental asylum and exposed horrific conditions. Then she raced around the world in 72 days, beating the fictional record set by Phyious Fog. She even met Juel Vern, the author of the novel that inspired her [Music] journey. Cleopatra lived closer to the moonlanding than the pyramids. Cleopatra was born in 69 BC.

4:44 By then, the Great Pyramid of Giza was already over 2,000 years old. In fact, she lived closer to the Apollo 11 moon landing than to the pyramid's construction. Ancient Egypt was already ancient to the ancient Egyptians. Mind-blowing, right? In 1233, Pope Gregory the 9 linked cats to Satan and ordered their extermination. The resulting cat purge let rats multiply unchecked. Those rats helped spread the black death. Sometimes a holy war has unholy consequences. Ancient Rome had female gladiators called

5:30 gladiatrices. They were rare but real and they fought wild animals or other women for the crowd's entertainment. The practice was outlawed in the 3rd century AD, but its legacy still slices through history. The pirate queen was more powerful than Blackbeard. Ching Shir commanded over 70,000 pirates and 1,200 ships in the South China Sea. When she surrendered in 1810, she negotiated full pardons and let her crew keep their loot. She retired rich, respected, and undefeated. Did you know that the Olympics once gave

6:15 medals for art? Between 1912 and 1948, the Olympics awarded medals in architecture, sculpture, music, and literature. The only rule, the work had to be inspired by sports. Artists were later dropped for being professionals. [Music] Not all civilizations used base 10 numbers. The Babylonians used base 60, which is why we have 60 seconds in a minute and 60 minutes in an hour. Some Native American tribes counted in base 8 using only their fingers and ignoring their thumbs. Base 10 isn't the only way to count, just the one that stuck.

7:06 Did you know that Lincoln was a wrestling legend? Abraham Lincoln stood 6'4 and was a county wrestling champ. He fought over 300 matches and lost only one. He used a style called catches catch can. In 1992, he was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Plato was a wrestler, too. one of the most influential philosophers of all time. Even before becoming a philosopher, he was a competitive wrestler. Interestingly, he was not actually named Plato at birth. His real name was Aristocles, but his coach nicknamed him Plato, meaning broad-shouldered. He even competed in

7:51 the Istian Games. Muscles and metaphysics. What a combo. President Andrew Jackson's parrot named Paul had a filthy mouth. At Jackson's funeral, Paul started swearing so loudly and constantly that the parrot had to be removed. Nothing like a bird yelling obscenities at a funeral. Emus defeated the Australian army. In 1932, farmers begged the government to stop massive flocks of crop destroying emus. The military showed up with machine guns and thousands of rounds, but the emus scattered, regrouped, and outmaneuvered

8:37 them. After a month of humiliation, the soldiers gave up. The emus won. No contest. Did you know that the Oxford University is older than the Aztec's empire? The University of Oxford started teaching in 1096. The Aztec capital, Tennoshtitlan, wasn't founded until 1325. So yes, Oxford is older than the entire Aztec Empire. Let that marinate for a second. Alexander the Great might have been buried alive. After falling ill, Alexander was declared dead, but his body didn't

9:24 decompose for 6 days. Some modern doctors think he had guer syndrome and was paralyzed, not [Music] dead. St. Lawrence is famously remembered for his sharp wit. When asked to surrender the church's treasures, he instead presented Rome's poor and sick, calling them the true wealth of the church. When Roman officials grilled St. Lawrence over a fire, he reportedly quipped, "Turn me over. I'm done on this side. Because of this legendary line, he became the patron saint of both chefs and comedians. Arctic camels were a thing. Forget deserts. Millions of years ago,

10:10 camels roam the icy landscapes of North America. These towering beasts called Camelops stood up to 2 ft taller than today's desert dwellers. They didn't need scorching heat, just tundra and snow. They went extinct 11,000 years ago, possibly thanks to humans, but the jury is still [Music] out. Lord Byron brought a bear to college. Trinity College didn't allow dogs, but it didn't say anything about bears. So, Lord Byron brought one. He walked it on a leash and joked that he'd have it apply for a fellowship. No one dared stop him. In the 1880s South Africa, railway

10:58 worker James Wide lost both legs in an accident. So he trained a baboon named Jack to operate signal levers. After an investigation, officials were so impressed that they hired Jack. He earned wages and beer and never made a mistake in 9 years. Most of human history is missing. Humans have existed for around 200,000 years. But written history only covers the last 6,000. That means 97% of our story is lost to time. We know almost nothing about what came before writing. Only scattered artifacts and cave art give us hints. Forks were once the devil's

11:46 tool. In medieval Europe, using a fork was borderline blasphemy. When a Byzantine princess used one at a Venetian banquet, the church called it sinful. God gave us fingers, they said. The fork eventually caught on, but not before centuries of resistance and [Music] superstition. Hans Sharf, a German interrogator during World War II, never tortured prisoners. Instead, he fed them, cracked jokes, and took them on walks without guards. His friendly tactics earned their trust, and they shared intel willingly. His methods were so effective, the United States brought him in to train their

12:32 own. Mary really had a little lamb. In 1816, 11-year-old Mary Sawyer brought her pet lamb to school. It followed her there, bleeded in class, and became the subject of a poem by a classmate. Later, a writer added more verses and the nursery rhyme was born. Straight from a true [Music] story. The French Revolution sparked the metric system. Tired of confusing and inconsistent measurements. The French Revolutionaries introduced the metric system in 1795. It was designed to be logical, universal, and based on natural constants like the Earth's meridian. Before this, France had over

13:18 250,000 different units of measure. The metric system was their way of bringing order to chaos, and it stuck. Today, almost the entire world uses [Music] it. Before becoming Pope Pius II, Anias Piccolamini wrote The Tale of Two Lovers, a steamy romance novel. It was filled with passionate letters and erotic scenes. The twist, it became a bestseller, and so did he, just in a completely different line of work. Thomas Edison accidentally created Hollywood. In the early 1900s, filmmakers fled New Jersey to escape

14:04 Thomas Edison's lawsuits. He owned patents on nearly all movie making equipment. They headed west to Los Angeles where courts were less friendly to Edison and the weather was perfect for filming. So, Hollywood was born out of copyright evasion. [Music] Napoleon accidentally created the modern canned food industry. In 1795, Napoleon Bonapart offered a cash prize to anyone who could invent a better way to preserve food for his armies. A French chef, Nicholas Aer, answered the call by sealing food in glass jars and heating them. It worked so well that armies marched farther and faster. Later, canned food evolved into

14:51 metal tins, feeding explorers, soldiers, and eventually grocery stores. So, your canned beans exist thanks to Napoleon's hunger for [Music] conquest. Did you know that Julius Caesar invented the modern calendar? Sick of the Roman calendar constantly falling out of sync with the seasons, Julius Caesar ordered a total overhaul in 46 B.CE. His new Julian calendar introduced the 365day year and leap years. It ruled Western civilization for over 1,600 years. Its bones still shape your calendar

15:36 today. The world's shortest war lasted 38 minutes. In 1896, the British issued an ultimatum to the Sultan of Zanzibar. He refused to step down. Britain opened fire at 9:02 a.m. and by 9:40 it was over. The Sultan fled. So the entire war lasted less than an episode of your favorite sitcom. Roman Emperor Caligula loved his racehorse Insatus so much that he allegedly planned to make him a console, one of Rome's highest political offices. Insatus lived like royalty with 18 servants, a marble stable, jeweled

16:23 harnesses, and oats mixed with gold flakes. Caligula joked, or maybe didn't, that he'd make Incatus a Roman console. Some sources even claim he was made a priest, but historians today believe these stories were political hit jobs, exaggerated to paint Caligula as dangerously insane, or maybe was a stunt to mock the incompetence of real consoles. [Music] According to Cuban intelligence, Fidel Castro survived more than 634 attempts on his life, from poison cigars, exploding seashells to sniper plots, but none succeeded. He once joked, "If surviving

17:09 assassination attempts were an Olympic sport, I'd win gold. The Great Fire of London accidentally gave birth to modern insurance. When London burned in 1666, destroying over 13,000 homes, it was financial chaos. No one had insurance. In the aftermath, a man named Nicholas Barbon stepped in, selling the first fire insurance policies to panicked citizens. Out of the ashes of disaster, the modern insurance industry was [Music] born. Religion might be older than farming. For years, we thought

17:55 agriculture came first, then temples, but Gobeclete, built around 9,500 BC, predates farming in that region. It's a massive spiritual site constructed by hunter gatherers. Worship may have inspired civilization, not the other way around. Hemingway survived two plane crashes in 24 hours. In 1954, Ernest Hemingway's plane crashed in Uganda. He survived. The next day, his rescue plane exploded on takeoff. He survived that, too, by headbutting the door open. After nine concussions, the man was more myth than [Music] mortal. In 897 AD, Pope Steven V 6th

18:43 exumed his predecessor, Pope Formosus, dressed the corpse in robes, and put him on trial. The dead pope lost, had his fingers chopped off, and was dumped in the river. It was called the cadaavver cinnid. Church politics were wild. In the early 1900s, the Champawat tiger terrorized villages across Nepal and India, claiming 436 lives over the span of nearly a decade. Deforestation had destroyed its natural habitat and food sources, driving the tiger to hunt humans out of desperation. For years, no one could stop it. Finally, in 1907, legendary hunter Jim

19:29 Corbett tracked and killed the tiger, ending one of the deadliest reigns of terror in [Music] history. A US president has a living grandson from the 1700s. John Tyler the 10th US president was born in 1790. He had a son at 63 and that son had a child at 75. As of now, Tyler's grandson is still alive. Three generations spanning over 230 [Music] years. Before faxes became retro, they were revolutionary. The first fax machine dates back to 1843, thanks to Alexander Bane. That's the same year settlers began crossing

20:15 the Oregon Trail. Pioneers were in wagons, and Scotland was already sending documents electronically. The world's oldest complaint letter is almost 4,000 years old. In 1750 BC, over 3,700 years ago, a man named Nani filed the world's first known customer complaint. On a clay tablet in ancient Mesopotamia, he angrily accused a merchant, a Nasier, of selling him lowquality copper and treating his messenger poorly. Nanny demanded either a refund or better copper. This oldest written customer complaint, a Guinness World Record holder, is a proof that even in 1750

21:03 BCE, customers were already asking to speak to the manager. Did you know that sleep deprivation causes catastrophes? Chernobyl, the Challenger explosion, and the Exxon Vald oil spill all involved sleepd deprived decision makers. Fatigue impairs judgment worse than alcohol. Yet nearly a third of adults get under 6 hours of sleep at night. That nap might actually save [Music] humanity. In 1807, Napoleon planned a celebratory rabbit hunt. Thousands of bunnies were released, but instead of fleeing, they charged. These were tame rabbits raised

21:48 by farmers. They thought Napoleon was there to feed them. He retreated, overrun by a fuzzy stampede. The first museum curator was a princess. In 530 BC, Princess Enaldi Nana of Babylon ran a museum with artifacts labeled in three languages. Some items dated back 1,500 years. Even then, her father, King Nabanodus, was the world's first archaeologist. So, technically, history had a museum before it even had history [Music] books. During Soviet times, Genghaskhan's name was erased from

22:33 textbooks, monuments, and maps. He was too nationalistic for Soviet ideology. It wasn't until the USSR collapsed that Mongolia could openly honor its greatest and most feared leader [Music] again. Ancient perfume was solid cones. Forget fancy sprays. Ancient Egyptians rocked perfume cones made from myrr, frankincense, and other aromatic goodies. They perch these solid cones on their heads, letting them slowly melt under the sun, releasing a steady cloud of fragrance all day. The original longlasting scent hack. Romans used public toilets for

23:19 chats. Roman public toilets were literal social hubs. Rows of bench holes side by side meant you were never alone for your business. politics, gossip, business deals, all discussed mids squat. They even shared a communal sponge on a stick instead of toilet paper. Hygiene not exactly their strong suit. Medieval animals went on trial. In medieval Europe, pigs, rats, and even insects could be dragged into court. Pigs were hanged for killing kids. Rats were excommunicated for spreading the plague. It sounds absurd now, but back then, animals were considered moral actors just like

24:06 people. Justice was bizarrely [Music] universal. Vikings get painted as filthy, dirty, barbarian broods, but archaeology tells a different story. They owned tweezers, combs, and even ear cleaners. Hot springs were their jam. They had a word for hair wash day. In truth, Vikings probably smelled way better than most medieval [Music] Europeans. The Great Wall had rice glue. When you think Great Wall of China, you picture stone and mortar, right? Well, archaeologists discovered that ancient builders mixed sticky rice with slaked lime to create a super strong binding

24:52 agent. This rice glue was so durable that parts of the wall still stand even after centuries of battering by war and weather. Mummy unwrapping was a Victorian entertainment. In the 1800s, rich Victorians threw parties where the main attraction was unwrapping a real Egyptian mummy. Guests would sip champagne while a doctor peeled back ancient bandages layer by layer. It was built as science but was basically gruesome showbiz for board elites. Did you know that Einstein's brain was stolen? After Einstein died in 1955, the

25:39 pathologist performing his autopsy decided to keep his brain without permission. He sliced it into pieces, hoping to find the secrets of genius. Instead, he kicked off one of science's weirdest ethical scandals. Pieces of Einstein's brain traveled in jars for decades. Did you know that tugofwar was an Olympic sport? From 1900 to 1920, tugofwar was an official Olympic event. Teams grunted and strained to yank each other across a line for gold medals. It eventually got dropped for being too slow paced and frankly a little too medieval for the modern

26:29 games. The Lady Liberty was a lighthouse. When Lady Liberty arrived in New York Harbor in 1886, she wasn't just symbolic, she was functional. For 16 years, her torch served as a working lighthouse, guiding ships into the port. The problem was the light wasn't very bright. Great statue but lousy lighthouse. When the Eiffel Tower was built for the 1889 World's Fair, it was meant to be temporary with plans to tear it down afterward. Many Parisians hated it, calling it an eyesore. But Gustav Eel argued for its usefulness as a radio tower and it was

27:16 saved. Now it's one of the world's most famous [Music] landmarks. Gladiators weren't always slaves. Sure, many gladiators were prisoners, but some were free men who willingly signed up for fame and fortune. Successful gladiators became celebrities, had groupies, and made serious cash. They were the superstar athletes of ancient Rome, except with way more risk of fatal workplace injuries. Did you know ancient Greeks trained naked? Ancient Greek athletes competed totally nude. It was a tribute to the gods and a celebration of the human body.

28:02 No Adidas, no Nikes, just bare skin and a lot of olive oil. Today's gym gear has nothing on the full commitment style of ancient Greeks. During the 1692 Salem witch trials, paranoia ran so deep that a dog was accused of witchcraft. Both Salem and Andover saw dogs killed because they were believed to be possessed by demons or witches. Some animals, like dogs, were thought to be vessels for witch's souls, causing strange behavior. Harming these animals was believed to hurt the witch controlling them, leading to cruelty. One of the most shocking cases involved a dog that was said to carry the spirit of a man who refused to

28:49 arrest witches. The poor pup was executed for allegedly cursing livestock. When even man's best friend wasn't safe, you know, hysteria had completely taken over. World War II had a ghost army. The US Ghost Army was a top secret unit of artists, actors, and engineers who faked entire armies with inflatable tanks, fake radio chatter, and sound effects. They fooled the Nazis into thinking real divisions were moving in. It was warfare by Hollywood special effects. Ancient Egyptians mummified animals. Egyptians loved their pets and

29:35 sacred animals so much that they mummified them, too. Cats, birds, even crocodiles were wrapped and preserved, often as offerings to the gods. Sometimes animal mummies were sold as souvenirs to pilgrims visiting temples. Medieval doctors used leeches for treating illnesses. Bloodletting was supposed to balance the body's humors. In reality, it often weakened patients more than it healed them. It took centuries to realize that more blood loss wasn't exactly a cure [Music] all. Vikings loved to ski. Skiing wasn't just a sport for Vikings. It was transportation.

30:21 Norse myths even included gods of skiing like Scotty and Oolar. When they weren't raiding villages, they were gliding across frozen [Music] landscapes. Ancient Roman roads still exist. Roman roads were so well built that many are still in use today. Their secret? Layers of stone, sand, and crushed rock topped with tight fitting paving stones. Their roads didn't just connect an empire, they literally stood the test of time. Ancient Greek theater used masks. Greek actors wore oversized masks with exaggerated expressions to amplify

31:07 emotions and project their voices in massive open air theaters. Without microphones, the giant mouth holes and dramatic faces made sure even folks in the nosebleleeds got the show. Blackbeard's real name was a mystery. The fearsome pirate Blackbeard was known as Edward Teach or maybe Thatch. Historians still debate his real last name. He carefully cultivated a terrifying image, weaving slow burning fuses into his beard to look like he was emerging from hell [Music] itself. Ancient Egyptians had prosthetics. Egyptians crafted prosthetic toes and fingers from wood, leather, and even metal. These weren't

31:54 just cosmetic, either. They were functional. Some prosthetic toes show enough wear that historians believe they were used for walking, not just burial rights. Medieval siege warfare was brutal. Sieges were the ultimate war of attrition. Attackers didn't just batter walls with catapults. They hurled dead animals and human corpses over the walls to spread disease. Starvation, sickness, and psychological terror were standard siege [Music] tactics. Ancient libraries were treasures. The library of Alexandria wasn't just famous, it was legendary, housing hundreds of thousands of scrolls that attracted the greatest minds of the ancient world. Its destruction remains

32:41 one of history's greatest cultural tragedies. [Music] Vikings navigated by the stars. Viking sailors used the sun, stars, and even birds to chart their way across the Atlantic. But on cloudy days, they used sunstones, special crystals that detected polarized light, helping them find the hidden sun. [Music] In medieval Europe, guilds regulated who could work in a trade, what prices they charged, and how products were made. They protected quality, trained apprentices, and kept trade secrets locked tighter than any modern copyright lawyer could

33:29 dream. Did you know that ancient Chinese invented paper? In 105 AD, Ka Lun introduced paper to China using malberry bark and hemp fibers. Before that, people wrote on bamboo, silk, or animal hides. Paper made recordkeeping cheaper, faster, and more widespread, sparking a communication revolution that changed the world forever. Mayans had accurate calendars. The Maya weren't just great builders. They were master astronomers. Their calendars could predict solar eclipses and track the movements of Venus with stunning

34:15 precision. The end of the world myth, it was just a modern misinterpretation of a calendar cycle reset, not a doomsday prophecy. Medieval castles were homes. Castles were not just about defense. They were bustling centers of medieval life, housing noble families, servants, soldiers, and craftsmen. Beyond the battlements, castles hosted feasts, courts, and even elaborate dances. They were fortresses and lively homes rolled into one. [Music] Ancient Africa traded gold for salt. In

35:01 West Africa, salt was so vital that it was traded ounce for ounce with gold. Salt preserved food, maintained health, and enabled survival in the brutal heat. In cities like Timbuktu, fortunes were built not on precious metals alone, but on simple white crystals. Medieval universities started small. The first European universities in places like Bolognia and Paris were informal gatherings of students and scholars. No sprawling campuses, just rented halls and a passion for learning. Over the centuries, these humble beginnings evolved into today's sprawling educational empires.

35:48 Did you know that Japan once was a republic? In 1868, samurai loyal to the old shogunate briefly declared part of Hokkaido an independent country. They called it the Republic of IO. They even elected a president, Enomoto Takayyaki. But after just a few months, imperial forces crushed the rebellion. It remains Japan's only experiment with democracy before the Maji emperor's rule. Persia had a huge empire. At its height under Darius the Great, the Persian Empire stretched from Egypt to India. It was a model of efficiency featuring postal systems, standardized currency, and religious

36:34 tolerance. The Persians mastered the art of running a multicultural empire long before Rome. Medieval knights wore heavy armor. A fully suited knight lugged around 45 to 55 lb, about 20 to 25 kg of armor. It wasn't as clunky as movies show, but it still made moving fast tricky. Knights trained rigorously to fight, ride, and climb while encased in steel. No wonder they needed squires just to help them gear up. Samurai were bound by Bushidau, the strict way of the warrior. This way of life demanded absolute loyalty, personal

37:22 honor, and total fearlessness in battle. Failure or disgrace was so shameful that many samurai were expected to commit sepeku, a brutal form of ritual suicide. They were not just soldiers. Samurai were a fusion of monk-like discipline and nightly warfare. Living a code that valued death over [Music] dishonor. Medieval medicine was rough. If you got sick in medieval Europe, you were in trouble. Treatments involved bleeding, purging, and prayers rather than science. Diseases were often blamed on imbalanced humors, bad air, or angry gods. Germ theory would not arrive for

38:09 another few painful centuries. Aboriginal culture is ancient. Aboriginal Australians have maintained a continuous culture for over 50,000 years. Their stories, songs, and art pass knowledge across generations without written language. They are the living custodians of one of humanity's oldest and most enduring traditions. In the 13th century, Venetian merchant Marco Polo journeyed along the Silk Road to China. His accounts of the riches and wonders he saw at Kubla Khan's court amazed Europe. Even if some readers thought he was spinning tall tales. Now that's travel

38:56 blogging medieval [Music] style. The Incas built amazing roads. The Incas connected their massive Andian empire with over 25,000 m of roads. They carve trails through mountains, across deserts, and over rivers. All without the wheel or iron tools. Their roadwork rivals anything modern engineering has pulled [Music] off. Gothic cathedrals are tall. Gothic cathedrals like Notre Dame soared skyward with pointed arches, flying buttresses, and huge stained glass windows. They weren't just churches. They were engineering marvels designed

39:41 to awe the masses and bring worshippers spiritually closer to heaven. Norse mythology has gods. Norse mythology is a wild saga of gods like Odin, Thor, and Loki battling giants, forging worlds, and facing the apocalypse of Ragnarok. These epic tales shaped Viking culture and continued to inspire pop culture. From Marvel movies to heavy metal lyrics, medieval music was diverse. From sacred Gregorian chants echoing through stone cathedrals to body drinking songs in smoky taverns, medieval music spanned the sacred and the profane. It wo through

40:28 daily life marking births, deaths, harvests, and holy days with rhythm and melody. Anchor was a powerful kingdom. The Camair Empire centered at Anchor dominated Southeast Asia for centuries. Its crowning jewel, Ankor Watt, remains the largest religious monument on earth. Intricate carvings, sprawling temples, and complex city planning made Enore a marvel of ancient urban design. Mali was rich in gold. The Mali Empire controlled vast gold mines and its ruler, Mansam Musa, was so wealthy that his 14th century

41:15 pilgrimage to Mecca caused inflation in the cities he visited. Today he is often called the richest person in history, richer than any modern billionaire. Polynisians navigated the Pacific long before GPS. Polynesian sailors mastered the Pacific Ocean, covering thousands of miles using stars, wave patterns, and bird migrations. Their outrigger canoes carried them to islands like Hawaii, Tahiti, and New Zealand without compasses or maps. Ancient Egypt had a female pharaoh. Hateps ruled Egypt for more than 20 years in the 15th century BC.

42:02 She expanded trade, built grand temples, and even wore a false beard to legitimize her rule. Her reign was so successful that later rulers tried to erase her from history out of pure envy. The Silk Road connected east and west. The Silk Road was less a single path and more a web of trade routes linking China, Persia, India, and Europe. Along it flowed not just silk and spices, but ideas, religions, technologies, and diseases, shaping the course of world history. Ancient Greece invented democracy. In Athens, citizens gathered to vote directly on laws, a radical idea that

42:49 changed political history. Their early experiments with democracy laid the groundwork for modern governments, even if voting rights were limited to free landowning men. The Aztecs had floating gardens. In the swampy valley where Tennositlan rose, the Aztecs built chinampas, artificial islands woven from reeds and mud. These floating gardens produced massive amounts of food and helped feed one of the world's largest cities at the [Music] time. The Black Death killed millions. The Black Death swept through Europe in the 14th century, killing up to 60% of the population. It reshaped

43:37 society, collapsed economies, and changed the course of history. For survivors, the world that emerged was almost unrecognizable. Cleopatra was not Egyptian. Despite being the last pharaoh of Egypt, Cleopatra 7th was actually of Greek descent. Her family, the Tamies, ruled Egypt after Alexander the Great's death, and they never fully embraced Egyptian culture. Cleopatra herself was the first of her dynasty to learn the Egyptian language and presented herself as the true queen of Egypt, though her ancestry was Greek. Thank you for watching at Scipfax Info, where fun meets knowledge. If you

44:25 enjoyed exploring the stranger side of history, be sure to like, subscribe, and turn on the notifications button for more. We have plenty more incredible facts coming your way. Until next time, stay curious. [Music]