15 True Historical Facts That Feel More Like Historical Fiction

Why does history inspire us so much? Well, it contains stories that, while they happened, feel like stories invented for children, the impressionable, or as a comedy sketch someone came up with on the fly. And yet, as it always happens, reality is stranger than fiction, giving us plenty of facts and moments that make us pause and wonder how they are possible.

From renowned feats of prowess to simple observations of the passing of time, what we have here will either marvel you, or make you ponder about our time on our dear planet. These are just a few of the facts we’ve found online, at least the ones that sound like fiction.

Ancient Egyptians Were Already Studying Ancient Egypt

Prince Khaemwaset, son of Ramesses II, is often considered history’s first Egyptologist. More than a thousand years after some monuments were built, he investigated, recorded, and restored ancient sites around Memphis.

Titanic’s Sister Ship Was a Submarine Killer

RMS Olympic, Titanic’s surviving sister, had an astonishing wartime record. In 1918, she spotted German U-boat U-103 and rammed it, sinking the submarine. Olympic later accidentally rammed and sank the Nantucket Lightship in 1934.

Christmas Was Actually Banned

The so-called “War on Christmas” has a surprisingly literal historical precedent. England’s Puritan-dominated Parliament abolished Christmas celebrations in 1647, with soldiers breaking up services and confiscating food prepared for Christmas festivities. The ban lasted until the Restoration.

The Spy Network That Never Existed

Spanish double agent Juan Pujol García, codenamed Garbo, convinced Nazi Germany that he operated an extensive British spy network. In reality, many of his supposed agents existed only in his imagination and carefully constructed reports.

Minnesota Still Has Virginia’s Battle Flag

A Confederate battle flag captured by a Minnesota soldier during Gettysburg remains in Minnesota’s possession. Virginia has repeatedly requested its return, including formal efforts in 1961, 1998, 2000, 2003, and 2013.

Silent Reading Was Once Remarkable

Today, reading silently seems completely ordinary, but it was unusual enough in antiquity for Saint Augustine to specifically remark on Ambrose reading without speaking. Historians generally consider reading aloud to have been much more common in ancient Western society.

America Once Had “Ugly Laws”

For decades, American cities had laws restricting people with visible disabilities from appearing publicly. Chicago’s 1939 ordinance, for example, banned people deemed “unsightly or disgusting” from public places. Such laws persisted into the twentieth century.

Congenital Blindness and Schizophrenia

Research has found an extraordinary statistical pattern involving congenital blindness and schizophrenia. A large population study found no schizophrenia cases among 66 children with cortical blindness, supporting earlier research suggesting early blindness may offer protective effects.

Sharks Beat Trees to Earth

Sharks are older than trees, and not by a small margin. Shark ancestors were swimming through Earth’s oceans roughly 400 million years ago, while the earliest organisms recognizable as trees appeared around 350 million years ago.

Saddam Hussein Got the Key to Detroit

In 1980, Saddam Hussein received a ceremonial key to Detroit after donating money to Sacred Heart Chaldean Church. The gesture reflected American-Iraqi relations before Hussein became one of America’s most notorious adversaries.

A Huge Minority Supported Britain

The American Revolution was far from universally supported. Historians estimate that roughly 20 to more than 30 percent of colonists were Loyalists, meaning substantial numbers of people living in the future United States supported remaining under British rule.

Gladiators Were Ancient Celebrities

Roman gladiators really could become famous figures, with records tracking their victories and public advertisements promoting gladiatorial shows. However, the popular claim that they routinely endorsed commercial products like modern athletes appears unsupported by surviving evidence.

T. Rex Was Closer to Us

Tyrannosaurus rex lived roughly 80 million years after Stegosaurus, meaning the two never encountered each other. More surprisingly, T. rex lived closer in time to modern humans than to Stegosaurus.

There Are Golf Balls on the Moon

During Apollo 14 in 1971, astronaut Alan Shepard famously hit golf balls on the lunar surface. His improvised swings became one of the mission’s most memorable moments, leaving golf equipment behind on the Moon alongside the mission’s scientific hardware.

Americans and Germans Fought Together Against the SS

In May 1945, American soldiers and anti-Nazi German troops joined forces to defend Austria’s Itter Castle against Waffen-SS attackers. The castle held prominent French prisoners, including former prime ministers, generals, and tennis star Jean Borotra.