5 Badass Historic Events With Crazy Consequences
History doesn’t exist in vacuums. Own ways to get you into fits of laughter
Truth is said to be stranger than fiction. This is completely evident in history and its events. Some events in history may seem odd, silly, or stupid but they let us have laughter fits. So why not?
Here are a few events, packed with moments of wit and foolishness with little lessons for the future.
1- The fame through the Murderer Fart:
Abu Hassan, also called the farting man, fled away to India from Yemen on his wedding night. His embarrassment at the unbeatable fart left him no room to stay in his hometown. He worked for the king of India and stepped up in his services.
In the curiosity of what the people think of his very huge gift to his wedding guests, he prepared for his journey back to Yemen. However, to avoid recognition he disguised as a dervish. After a long journey coming across snakes, lions and weird adventures, he finally reached the place he called home.
He walked around and tried hearing what people have to say, hoping they forgot the big night. But was it that easy to forget a night 10000 people died on?
Eavesdropping the conversation of a mother-daughter duo, he heard the worst news of his life. When asked about her daughter’s birth date, the mother called it ‘The night Abu Hassan farted’.
Humiliated once again by the unwanted fame, Abu Hassan went back to India.
2- Was Spinach really Popeye’s best bud?
Every iron-deficient individual has been told to eat Spinach. While professionals believe it to be an iron-containing and healthy vegetable out there, it is no better than broccoli.
It all began when a chemist, Erich Von Wolf, during his research on spinach and its nutrients wrote a decimal point the wrong way. 3.5 g became 35 g and Spinach became iron veggie.
This hype was elevated further as Popeye the Sailorman became the favorite child show. In the urge of the muscles and strength, people started having Spinach and increased its sales.
Researchers did try to remove the misconception but who can fight the public’s faith in Popeye?
3- A jig to a plague- the dance epidemic in 1518
On a random day in mid-July 1518, a woman came out of her house dancing across the streets. Not only did that amuse the people around who watched her in awe but also encouraged many more to join her.
This was not a one-timer, but a dance that went on for days. Sebastian Brant wrote about this event in his book Ship of Fools too. He, along with his colleagues consulted a doctor who named it a condition where overheated blood affects the brain.
What was the solution? The councilmen arranged stages and initiated more dancing. Drummers were invited and the dance continued. Many people died and ended what was called the pandemic of dancing.-
4- Shoe Stores- science, fancy and chaotic
A visit to the shoe store is just about trying a shoe, walking to check its comfort level, and deciding which one you want. But the shoemakers of 1900s wanted to be extravagant. And they tried.
They used x-ray radiation to make the process interesting and accurate. Dr Jacob Lowe was the man behind the idea. He created a wooden device that would radiate feet. Other salesmen copied the idea and made other Shoe Fitting Fluoroscopes. Other names they were known with were X-Ray Shoe fitters, Foot-o-scopes, and pedoscopes.
The customers would wear the shoes, put their feet in the wooden box and look straight at their bones and shoe line. People admired the concept and ignored the drawbacks it brought along. The shield was removed for better focus and so the unshielded x-ray radiation directly hit the genitals of the customers.
The radiation in 20 seconds of feet exposure was equal to half that in a CT Scan of the chest. Some fitters radiated 300 times more radiation than the safety limit of maximum exposure.
The disadvantages were unseen till 1957 when the British Medical Journal reported the condition of a woman with burns. She worked in a shoe shop for ten years and had to even use the device on her own feet to show how it works. She required a leg amputation and had to face severe consequences.
5- President of the US, unaware of the world
John Quincy Adams was the second president of American and a amazing diplomat. He was a good ruler, and an even better social service spokesperson. But did he know the world in and out?
His biggest flaw was his belief in The Hollow Earth Theory, something that was already proved wrong. When John Cleves Symmes Jr aimed to take an expedition to the north pole and go inside the earth to meet the inhabitants, the president approved it. Symmes made a circular and called the people who would join him bravely.
Thankfully, his government was followed by another who rejected the idea.
Conclusion:
History contains several such stories that speak for the stupidity of the people as well as their growth. While the dance pandemic and x-ray shoe fitter are just another reason for the world to laugh in the 21st century, these are the foundations of scientific research. They teach us what to do and what not to do, and allow us to learn lessons in a fun way.
As years go by, these stories are our friends through life and its barriers. They make us smile, and laugh, and help us hop the hurdles with these seconds of excitement.
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