It’s easy to forget that historical figures were people too. Just because they lived hundreds of years ago doesn’t mean they didn’t have bizarre quirks or get into all sorts of outlandish hijinks.
These are some of the weirdest, lesser-known or surprising facts about people from the past. From Ancient Greece to the Iraq War, history is full of weirdos, and today, we’ll shine a light on some of the most interesting.
Check out these strange facts and remember that if you become famous enough to be remembered for hundreds of years, all your weird hangups and peculiarities will be immortalized forever.
1
Famous magician Harry Houdini had an agreement with his wife that the first of them to die would attempt to contact the survivor from the other side using a series of secret code words. After Houdini died, his wife held ten annual séances to attempt to communicate with him, to no success.
2
King Henry VIII of England had servants known as “Grooms of Stool”. Their job was to assist the King with his personal hygiene and toilet needs. In short, they wiped his bottom for him. He knighted all four of these servants.
3
President Zachary Taylor died from gastroenteritis that was caused from eating too many cherries and drinking milk on a hot day at a Fourth of July party.
4
Some historians believe that Alexander the Great may have been buried alive. He may have had a neurological disorder called Guillain-Barré Syndrome that paralyzed him, causing him to be declared dead prematurely.
5
Ernest Hemingway was best known for his many classic novels, but he also published a recipe for a hamburger, called “Papa’s Favorite Burger.”
6
Marilyn Monroe struggled with a stutter throughout her life. Her signature breathy speaking style was trained by a speech therapist.
7
While Isaac Newton was a student, he waited tables to make ends meet and pay for his education.
8
Saddam Hussein wrote a romance novel called Zabiba and the King. He published it anonymously while in office.
9
Amelia Earhart was in an open marriage where neither spouse was expected to be held to a “medieval code of faithfulness.”
10
The famous military leader and King of England Richard the Lionheart could not actually speak English. He spoke French.
11
John Wayne hated riding horseback.
12
Ed Headrick, the creator of disc golf, had an unusual request for his death. After he died, he had his ashes molded into plastic frisbees and given to his friends and family.
13
Leo Fender, the inventor of many iconic electric guitars and amplifiers, didn’t know how to play guitar, and was not a fan of rock and roll.
14
Saint Nikolas of Myra, the historical figure who was the basis for Santa Claus, once punched a man in the face at a theological council.
15
Martin Luther King Jr.’s doctoral dissertation was plagiarized.
16
Kurt Gödel, one of the most significant logicians and mathematicians in history, had paranoid delusions. He believed that somebody was trying to poison him and refused to eat anything not cooked by his wife. When his wife died, he starved to death.
17
After a debate about banking in Illinois, a state auditor named James Shields challenged Abraham Lincoln to a duel. Lincoln agreed, on the condition that the duel take place on an uninhabited island and that the weapons used would be broadswords. After hearing this, Shields backed out.
18
Unlike many of the other founding fathers, Ben Franklin didn’t wear a wig. This was because he was allergic to wig powder.
