24 Ridiculously Weird Historical Facts That Are Surprisingly True

Not all historical events make it to the headlines. Many stories have been set aside to make way for larger ones such as the moon landing and WWII. But as we continue to learn more about our past, we begin to take these then insignificant stories to the front page. And when they do, we learn that the past can be just as weird (and a little scary) as the present.

1. Heroin was once a completely acceptable drug. Doctors prescribe it for everything from cough to headache.

2. Albert Einstein was offered the Israeli presidency on November 17, 1952, following the death of the first Israeli president, Chaim Weisman. He said that he saw a lack of "proper treatment of people and experience of dealing with people" to work.

3. While in power, Pope Gregory IX announced that cats were to be associated with devil worship and to drive them away. He released the pope bull, Vox in Rama, which is "the first official church document condemning the black cat as an incarnation of the devil, and as a result it was a warrant of death for the beast."

4. Some believed that the disappearance of those cats helped the mice to spread the bubonic plague or the Black Death, killing millions in 13 million people.

5. In 1929, two Princeton researchers claimed to have converted a live cat into a telephone.

6. Before dentures were invented, teeth were extracted from the mouths of dead soldiers for use as prosthetics.

7. Russian dictator Joseph Stalin often had photographs to remove those who died or were removed from office.

8. Chinese women used to tie their feet to prevent further growth. The painful custom became popular as a means of displaying social status and was also a symbol of beauty in Chinese culture.

9. Rome's most tyrannical emperor, Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, also known as Caligula, made one of his favorite horses a senator.

10. The Anglo-Zanzibar War (August 27, 1896) is the shortest war in recorded history. The war, which was between the United Kingdom and the Zanzibar Sultanate, lasted only 38 minutes.

11. The Leaning Tower of Pisa was never really straight to begin with, and the design was flawed from the start. The foundation, weak on an unstable soil, began to sink when it started on the second floor.

12. Researchers believe that the terrible manifestation of guanajuato mummies is the result of victims being buried alive.

13. Former North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il was said to be a great lover of music. He composed six operas while in office.

14. Klerksdorp's shells are strange 3 billion-year-old rocks dug near Ottosald, South Africa. So far, no one has been able to fully clear the mark on its sides.

15. The great Omaha Indian chief, Blackbird, was said to have loved his horse so much that he would sit on top of it and be buried.

16. Before there were alarm clocks, there were "knock-ups", which were placed on people's windows to wake up in the morning to shoot dried peas with a blown gun.

17. Monument to the mysterious 18th century Shepherd at Sugborough Hall, Staffordshire, England, the inscription "DOUOSVAVVM", (the eight letter 'OUOSVAVV' is formed by the letters 'DM'). Some believe that it was left as a holy grail by the knight Templar.

18. President Ronald Reagan was also a prolific lifesaver who saved 77 people from drowning.

19. Grigory Yefimovich Rasputin, a Russian mystic, survived by poisoning, shooting and stabbing several times before allegedly drowning in the Volga River.

20. Winston Churchill usually smoked between eight and 10 cigars per day.

21. During the Great Depression, people often made clothes from flour sacks. Distributors will make their bags more colorful to help people stay at least somewhat fashionable.

22. The largest bird ever had a wingspan of about 20 feet. It lived 60 million years ago.

23. Like many ancient royal houses, King Tut's parents were related. According to DNA taken from his mummified body, his parents were actually brothers and sisters.

24. The use of the word "hooker" as a term for prostitute was coined with the Civil War General Joseph Hooker, who brought prostitutes along on campaigns for his men.