7/ Christopher Columbus was not the first person to discover America
The first European to discover America was not Christopher Columbus but in fact the Viking Leif Erikson, who made the voyage from Greenland in around the year 1000 AD.
8/ Art competitions in the Olympic Games
Between 1912 and 1948, under the influence of Pierre de Coubertin, the Olympic Games were not only dedicated to sports: they also presented medals to painters, sculptors, architects, writers and musicians. The only criteria: that the works were linked to sports.
9/ The Great Fire of London
In 1666, a devastating fire ravaged the English capital, reducing a great many monuments to ashes. Strangely, the death toll was extremely low: less than ten people perished (it is well known that we never share the better news!). This fact is ever more amazing given that the fire ravaged the entire city over a period of full days.
10/ Sleep cycles in the past were completely different
According to historians, our ancestors had very different sleep cycles to us. In the Middle Ages, people tended to divide their nights in two: sleeping for the first 4 hours before getting up and about for 2 hours (praying, eating, making love, visiting neighbours, etc.). They would then go back to sleep for another 4 hours. A little strange,don’t you think?
11/ The useless currency of Sparta
In Sparta, an ancient city state of Greece, the accumulation of riches was detested, and it became very difficult to use money. The currency, made of iron, was extremely heavy and was worth hardly nothing. You needed a wheelbarrow to transport even small amounts!
12/ Post mortem photography
In the 19th century, it was common to take photographs of dead people! This allowed families to mourn and keep a visual reminder of their loved ones. The photographers manipulated the corpse, to try and make it appear alive. Did someone say the word morbid??
