Weird history facts

1. Mir Osman Ali Khan, the fifth richest man in the history of mankind - donated 5 tons gold to the National Defence Funds of India and was using the Jacob Diamond as a paperweight.

Curiosity and learning never go out of style. No matter the year. No matter the season. In a world that’s full of half-baked conspiracy theories, disinformation, and over-exaggerated (or completely made-up) trivia, it’s nice to find a source that you can trust. It only helps when it’s entertaining as heck, too. Enter, stage left—the ‘WTF Facts’ Twitter account.

1. People from England in the past used to believe that collecting fern seeds would make you invisible. It turns out they don’t have seeds.

Fact Republic is where curiosity meets clarity. Discover random, history, and uncommon facts about everyday life. Uncover the unbelievable and unknown

1. James Sligo Jameson, the heir to Irish whiskey manufacturer Jameson's, bought an 11-year-old girl and offered her to cannibals to document and sketch how she was cooked and eaten.

There’s a weird, probably creepy, unknown detail in every historic moment.

1. During World War 2, the British maintained an entirely fictional army, the “4th Army” that they successfully used to draw German forces away from invasion targets on multiple occasions, including the Normandy landings.

1. About 1 in 50 people can't visualize images in their head. It's called Aphantasia, and if you have it you can't even visualize things such as your own house or your best friend’s face.

If it ain’t weird, interesting, and enlightening, it ain’t got any place on the Weird History Twitter page. Home to nearly 177k adoring fans, the Weird History project embodies the best aspects of education in the digital age: make it short, make it precise, and make it fun. Throw in some spot-on illustrations and boom! You’ve made yourself popular with fact-lovers all over the globe.