Our first list on Historical Oddities was very popular, so we are now presenting you with a second list! Here are 20 strange facts of history that you are probably not aware of.
1. Charles Darwin married his first cousin.
2. John F. Kennedy, Anthony Burgess, Aldous Huxley, and C.S. Lewis all died on the same day.
3. Officially, the longest war in history was between the Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly, which lasted from 1651 to 1986. There were no casualties.
4. Gay marriage was legally recognized in Rome, and Nero himself married at least two gay couples.
5. Adolf Hitler’s nephew, William Hitler, immigrated to the United States in 1939 and fought against his uncle.
6. Thomas Paine was elected to the first post-revolution French parliament, despite not speaking a word of the language.
7. William Howard Taft is the only US President to come third in his campaign for re-election, losing to eventual winner Woodrow Wilson and fellow Republican Theodore Roosevelt.
8. Technically, Henry VIII had only two wives. Four of his marriages were annulled.
9. King Richard II invented the handkerchief.
10. The Parliament of Iceland is the oldest still acting parliament in the world. It was established in 930.
11. The people who founded the Futurism art movement also founded the first Italian Fascist party in 1918.
12. Albert Einstein was offered the role of Israel’s second President in 1952, but declined.
13. New Zealand was the first country to enfranchise women. It gave them the vote in 1895.
14. The 27th amendment to the US constitution took 202 years to ratify, having been proposed in 1789 and finally ratified in 1992.
15. Until April 2008, the island of Sark remained the last feudal state in Europe.
16. Tomatoes were considered poisonous for many years in Europe and they were grown for ornamental reasons only. In fact, the leaves and stems of tomatoes are poisonous (but they can be used in moderation for food flavoring).
17. Soon after building started in 1173, the foundation of the Pisa tower settled unevenly. Construction was stopped, and was continued only a 100 years later. Therefore, the leaning tower was never straight.
18. Ancient Egyptians used slabs of stones as pillows.
19. People have been wearing glasses for about 700 years.
20. King Charles the Second often rubbed dust from the mummies of pharaohs so he could “absorb their ancient greatness.
Contributor: JT
译文:
另20个历史上你不知道的奇人奇事【Top List】
我们第一个历史上的奇异现象排行榜非常受欢迎，所以现在呈现在你面前的是我们第二个排行榜！这里有你可能不会注意到的20个历史上奇怪的事实。
奇人奇事1 - 5
1. 查尔斯·达尔文和他第一个堂姐结婚。
2. 约翰F.肯尼迪，安东尼·伯格斯，阿道斯·赫胥黎和C.S.莱维斯死于同一天。
3. 按官方的说法，历史上最长的一次战争是发生在荷兰和锡利群岛之间的，从1651年一直持续到1986年。双方无伤亡人员。
4. 在罗马，同性恋之间的婚姻是被法律认可的，尼罗自己至少和2个同性恋者结婚。
5. 阿道夫·希特勒的外甥——威廉姆·希特勒，在1939年移民到美国与自己的叔叔对抗。
奇人奇事6 - 10
6. 汤玛斯·潘恩虽然没说一个字，还是被选入第一届法国后革命国会。
7. 威廉· 霍华德·塔夫脱是唯一一个在他的改选造势活动中进行三次选举的美国总统，输给了最终的获胜者伍德罗·威尔逊和他的同事共和党人西奥多·罗斯福。
8. 按照法律来讲，亨利8世只有两个妻子。他的四次婚姻都是无效的。
9. 理查德二世国王发明了手帕。
10. 冰岛的国会是世界上最早的，还在实行的国会。它建立于公元930年。
奇人奇事11 - 15
11. 未来主义运动的倡导者同时也促使了1918年意大利法西斯第一党的成立。
12. 阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦曾在1952年被提议为以色列第二届总统，但他拒绝了。
13. 新西兰是第一个给妇女选举权的国家。在1895年给了妇女选票。
14. 美国宪法27号修正案的通过经历了202年，它于1789年上交提案，最终在1992年提案通过。
15. 2008年4月之前，萨克岛是欧洲最后一个保留着封建制的国家。
奇人奇事16 - 20
16. 西红柿在欧洲被误认为是有毒的食物很多年，他们仅仅为了装饰而种植。事实上，西红柿的叶子和茎部是有毒的（但是它们可以在食物调料中适量食用）。
17. 1173年，在比萨斜塔建成后不久，地基就不平衡了。建设被停止，人们认为它只能坚持一个百年。因此，斜塔没有直过。
18. 古代埃及人用石板和石块当枕头。
19. 人类戴眼镜的历史有700年左右了。
20. 查尔斯二世国王经常从法老的木乃伊上擦拭尘土，所以他可以“吸收他们的灵气。”
Contributor: JT
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