Because history isn’t boring — it’s just badly summarized in textbooks.
If you think history is all dusty scrolls and serious speeches, think again.
Behind the big wars and empire collapses are bizarre little side stories that make you do a double-take.
Here are five real plot twists from history that prove truth is always stranger than fiction.
🐇 1. Napoleon’s Fluffy Defeat
You know about Waterloo. You know how he’s one of the greatest military commanders in history.
But did you know that the powerful Napoleon allegedly once lost a battle to… rabbits?
During a post-campaign celebration, his men arranged a rabbit hunt. Only, the rabbits were tame and thought they were being fed, not hunted. They swarmed Napoleon and his men so aggressively, they had to flee the field.
🗼 2. The Eiffel Tower Was Meant to Be Temporary
Engineers built the Eiffel Tower for the 1889 World’s Fair, originally intending it to stand for only 20 years.
Locals hated it, and critics called it an eyesore.
But when someone realized it made a perfect radio antenna, the tower’s fate changed. Today, it’s the most iconic “accidental permanent structure” in the world.
🦠 3. The Black Death Changed Fashion Forever
You’ve seen the long robes and creepy bird masks.
Those weren’t Halloween costumes — they were real plague doctor outfits from the Black Death era.
Doctors filled the beak with herbs, thinking it would filter out “bad air.” Although it didn’t work, it ended up creating the most bizarre PPE in history.
👉 Want more twisted pandemic history?
⚰️ 4. A Dead Pope Was Put on Trial
In 897, officials exhumed Pope Formosus and put him on trial, months after his death.
His successor, Pope Stephen VI, dressed his rotting body in papal robes and set him on a throne in court.
This bizarre episode is known as the Cadaver Synod, and yes… the corpse lost the trial.
🏅 5. The Olympics Once Gave Out Art Medals
Between 1912 and 1948, Olympic athletes weren’t the only ones taking home medals.
Competitions were held for music, painting, sculpture, literature, and architecture, as long as the work was sports-related.
You could win gold for writing a poem about fencing. Seriously!
🧠 History Is A Whole Lot Weirder Than You Think It Is.
From plague masks to poetry medals, this short history feature is packed with wild turns and forgotten trivia.
👉 Want more twisted tales from the past? Uncover the History of Pandemics here.
Sources:
https://justhistoryposts.com/2023/01/27/a-brief-moment-of-history-when-napoleon-took-on-rabbits/
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/when-the-olympics-gave-out-medals-for-art-6878965
