22 Odd Pieces of History

1.

In the days before alarm clocks, people like Mary Smith of Brenton Street were employed to rouse sleeping people. They were known as knocker-uppers. Mrs. Smith was paid sixpence a week to shoot dried peas at market workers windows in Limehouse Fields, London. 1870-1945.

2.

Argentavis magnificens: Magnificent Argentine Bird- With a wingspan of 21 ft, Argentavis is the largest known bird to ever fly. It lived 6 million years ago in the open plains of Argentina and the Andes mountains, and it is related to modern-day vultures and storks but with feathers the size of Samurai swords.

3.

Metal boxes, 20 inches high and completely square, five ft by five ft, sunk deep in the surf began appearing along beaches in OR, Washington State and CA Feb. 6 2013. They have no opening or seam, and cant be moved even when yanked by a four-wheel drive truck pulling with chains around them, they are solid and seem to have this humming coming from the boxes and the atmosphere around them.

4.

Mary Bell- When she was 10, she strangled a 4 year old boy. When she was 11, she and a 13 year old friend killed a 3 year old. They strangled him, and Mary carved an ''M'' into his stomach, cut off his hair, and mutilated his genitals. She was convicted and served 12 years in prison. Eventually she was released and granted permission to start life under a new name.

5.

The July 1889 find in Nampa, Idaho, of a small human figure during a well-drilling operation caused intense scientific interest last century. Unmistakably made by human hands, it was found at a depth of 320 ft which would place its age far before the arrival of man in this part of the world. The find has never been challenged except to say that it was impossible.

6.

When the flour companies learned that the poor in the dust bowl were sewing flour bags together to make dresses and other clothing for the children, they began selling their flour in different decorative bags with flowers and such things printed on them so that the "clothing" made would be a bit more attractive.

7.

The heads on Easter Island have bodies, as discovered in 2012. The soil around the bodies have kept them in exceptional condition.

8.

Chinese foot binding is a now ancient tradition of wrapping the feet of young girls. This tradition died out about 100 years ago. The idea was, the smaller the feet, the more beautiful and feminine the girl.

9.

These strange underwater pyramids at a depth of 6,000 ft were identified with the help of a sonar. Studies of other structures like Yonaguni in modern day Japan have allowed scientists to determine that the two giant pyramids, apparently made of something like a thick glass, are HUGE - larger than the pyramid of Cheops in Egypt.

10.

A bottle of Bayer's 'Heroin'. Between 1890 and 1910 heroin was sold as a non-addictive substitute for morphine... It was also used to treat children suffering with a strong cough.

11.

Shugborough Inscription, 18th century monument in Staffordshire, England. A closer look reveals a sequence of letters: DOUOSVAVVM. It is a code that has eluded decipherment for over 250 years. No one knows who carved it, but some believe it to be a clue left behind by the Knights Templar in regards to the location of the Holy Grail. Many of the world's greatest minds have failed to decipher the code.

12.

These two men had the same name, were sentenced to the same prison and look like twins. However, they were not related but are the reason that fingerprints are now used when fighting crime.

13.

This image is alleged to be a birds-eye photo of a building on the surface of Mars. Many have suggested that this is simply a geological site that can be explained through natural means however, it is safe to say it looks like many archaeological sites here on earth.

14.

Giant mushroom in Oregon over 2,400 yrs old. Its root system covers 3.4 sq. miles of Land and it is still growing.

15.

The Catholic saints that do not corrupt. The oldest incorruptible is St. Cecilia who was martyred in 177 A.D. Her body remains much as it was 1700 years ago when it was discovered. These bodies defy the natural order and 5 of the 8 stages of natural death.

16.

The Guanjuato Mummies are considered to be amongst the strangest and most horrifying in the world. Contorted faces on the mummies give credence to the belief that they were buried alive.

17.

No survivors were found on board the Ourang Medan in June, 1947. Most disturbing was the nature of the bodies, all frozen in place looking up towards the sun, their arms outstretched, mouths gaping, and a look of immense horror on their faces. The author of the SOS was frozen the same way with one hand still on the morse button. Strangely, there was no sign of injuries on the bodies.

18.

Miners in South Africa have been digging up mysterious metal spheres. Origin unknown, these spheres measure an inch or so in diameter, and are etched with three parallel grooves running around the equator. The kicker is that the rock in which they where found is Precambrian - and dated to 2.8 billion years old! Who made them and for what purpose is unknown.

19.

Stalin era retouched photos. When people were killed or "disappeared," Stalin just ordered the pictures revised... As if the people never existed.

20.

Spanish Donkey- The naked victim was placed astride the main board, and various numbers of weights were attached to his or her feet. The agony could be fine-tuned by using lighter or heavier weights. Sources relate that on occasion, the wedge would slice entirely through the victim as a result of the immense weight attached to his or her feet.

21.

Tut's parents were siblings! DNA confirmed this mummy is both the mother of King Tut and the sister of Tut's father Akhenaten. Her name is unknown.