The post 3 Adventurous Facts About Famed Explorer Marco Polo appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>Marco Polo’s remarkable story remains immortalized in his journal, aptly named The Travels of Marco Polo. But while this is widely known, a little-known fact about his famed works is that he actually wrote this book while in jail. Captured after leading a Venetian galley into battle against the city of Genoa, Polo was imprisoned alongside Rustichello of Pisa; a talented romance writer. Eager to document his travels, Polo recruited his cellmate as his ghostwriter.
Having embarked on his journey alongside his father and uncle, one would have expected Marco Polo to have a decent relationship with them. Intriguingly, his father Niccolo and uncle Maffeo had been on a trading excursion, only to return when Marco Polo was 15 years old. Despite hardly knowing them, he agreed to join his uncle and father for another trip to the Far East, traveling Asia for 20 years.
While the Polos were specialist merchants who dealt with items such as gems, silk, and spices, their travels also opened up other opportunities. The trio were recruited as emissaries for the great Mongol emperor Kublai Kahn. Upon forming a close bond with the Kahn, Polo received the role of special messenger and tax collector in China and Southeast Asia.
The post 3 Adventurous Facts About Famed Explorer Marco Polo appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post “Bite the Bullet” Once Meant Biting an Actual Bullet appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The phrase is believed to have been coined on the battlefields at some point in the 19th century. Back then, there were no anesthetics available, so patients were given something to bite, often a leather strap, on in order to help them cope with pain during surgical procedures. However, the bullets were more available on the battlefield, so the medics would opt for them when performing surgeries on soldiers.
The reason why bullets could be used for this purpose was that they were made from lead. Being a softer metal, lead could provide relief without cracking the soldier’s teeth.
Various testimonies confirm the use of bullets in this manner, including American social activist Harriet Tubman, who described assisting an amputation in the Civil War during which a soldier was biting a bullet.
Another theory is that “bite the bullet” evolved from the “bite the cartridge” phrase used by British soldiers during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. During this period, the phrase referred to opening paper gunpowder cartridges using one’s mouth.
The post “Bite the Bullet” Once Meant Biting an Actual Bullet appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post Can You Name the 7 Natural Wonders of the World? appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The Northern Lights are a dazzling celestial display of dancing light in the night sky, caused by collisions between charged particles from the sun and Earth’s atmosphere.
Over millions of years, the Colorado River created a massive canyon. The result is layers of colorful rock and offers stunning vistas.
A relatively young volcano (born in 1943!), Paricutin in Mexico rose from a cornfield and continues to be a dramatic and fascinating geological wonder.
While technically not the harbor itself, the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking the picturesque bay is a globally recognized symbol of nature and humanity.
The thundering power and mist of Victoria Falls, on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe, creates a spectacle that has earned it the nickname “The Smoke That Thunders.”
The crown jewel of the Himalayas, Mount Everest is the highest mountain peak on Earth. It’s a symbol of challenge and awe-inspiring natural majesty.
The Great Barrier Reef is a vibrant underwater ecosystem teeming with life and color. It’s the largest coral reef system in the world!
The post Can You Name the 7 Natural Wonders of the World? appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post 3 Crazy Facts About the Invention of Banks appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The very first “banks” didn’t start in grand buildings with vaults and security, they began in ancient temples. In Mesopotamia, around 2000 BC, temples served as the safekeeping facilities for grain and other commodities.
The Knights Templar, a religious military order founded in 1119, are most famous for their role in the Crusades. But they also played a crucial part in the development of early banking systems. The Templars instituted a form of banking that would allow European pilgrims to deposit funds at one point and withdraw them in the Holy Land. This system protected pilgrims from carrying cash that could be stolen during their long journey.
In 1472, after a massive failure of several deposit banks in Italy due to insolvency, Giovanni di Bicci de’ Medici, who was the nephew of Pope John XXIII, established the Medici Bank. This bank introduced several innovations that are still fundamental to banking today, such as double-entry bookkeeping and branches with semi-autonomous managers.
The post 3 Crazy Facts About the Invention of Banks appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post Can You Guess the Oldest Board Games in the World? appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>This game, unearthed from the royal tombs of Ur, holds the title of the oldest playable board game. Players race their pieces around the board using dice, and some squares even hold special meanings for fortune-telling! Thanks to a cuneiform tablet inscription deciphered in the 18th century, we can even understand the rules!
Images of Senet have been found on the walls of tombs in ancient Egypt, suggesting it was a popular pastime. The exact rules remain a bit of a mystery, but it likely involved moving pieces along a grid-like board and possibly even had a spiritual significance.
This strategy game, also known as Weiqi, is still played worldwide today. Simple in its concept, with black and white stones placed on a grid, Go includes a surprising depth of strategy and is considered one of the oldest abstract strategy games still in existence.
The post Can You Guess the Oldest Board Games in the World? appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post 3 Things You’d Never Guess Were Used as Currency in the Past appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>In regions like Mongolia, Siberia, and Tibet, tea was the common currency. From the 9th century onward, tea leaves were pressed into bricks. This made them easy to transport and divide—key qualities of any currency. These tea bricks could be traded for all sorts of goods and services and were often used to pay workers’ salaries.
In many parts of the world, particularly in Africa, the Americas, and Australia, shells were used as currency. The most commonly used were cowrie shells, which are small, shiny mollusk shells found in the Indian and Pacific oceans. Their durability, uniformity, and beauty made them a popular choice for money.
The word “salary” itself hints at its salty origins. Coming from the Latin word salarium it refers to payments made to Roman soldiers for the purchase of salt. This is all because, in ancient times, salt was a highly prized commodity due to its use in preserving food.
The post 3 Things You’d Never Guess Were Used as Currency in the Past appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post 4 Facts About Samurai That Will Surprise You appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>Katana swords are almost synonymous with samurai. However, samurai also used other weapons in combat, including guns. As a matter of fact, guns became so popular among samurai that the rules ended up banning them in the 17th century.
Samurai had a special place in the Japanese social system. They worked for feudal lords and were considered nobility, enjoying all sorts of special privileges. Also, samurai were usually educated and were tasked with various other responsibilities besides combat. A lot of them also wrote poetry and created art.
A lot of people believe that all samurai were men. However, female samurai were common in Feudal Japan. Known as Onna-musha, they were highly trained warriors and fought in battles alongside samurai men. They also had a special role in Japanese culture.
It was possible for foreigners to become samurai. Only a shogun (military leader) could give a foreigner the title of samurai, and several Europeans received this honor. There is historical evidence of four such cases, although the number of foreigners in samurai ranks was probably a lot higher.
The post 4 Facts About Samurai That Will Surprise You appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post 5 Quick Facts About the Leaning Tower of Pisa appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>From the very start of the construction of the tower in the 12th century, it became clear that the soft ground of the area couldn’t properly support the weight of the construction. After being completed in the 14th century, the tower was already leaned, and the issue worsened in the following centuries. But thanks to efforts in the 1990s and 2000s, the tower was significantly stabilized.
The construction of the tower started in 1173, but the various conflicts that the Republic of Pisa engaged in the ensuing decades significantly slowed down its completion. The construction took place in three major phases and concluded 199 years later with the addition of the bell chamber in 1372.
If you look closely, you will notice that the Tower of Pisa is also curved. This was a result of attempts to correct the leaning in the early days of its construction.
You would expect that leaning constructions are not particularly resistant when it comes to seismic events. However, the Tower of Pisa managed to survive several earthquakes and emerge unscathed. This is thanks to the same soft ground that causes its leaning.
The previously mentioned stabilizing efforts managed to straighten out the tower and prevent further leaning. However, experts predict that it will start leaning again in 200 years, at which point another intervention will be necessary.
The post 5 Quick Facts About the Leaning Tower of Pisa appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post 4 Facts About the History of Monopoly You Probably Didn’t Know appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The initial idea of Monopoly wasn’t just for people to have fun. The game was created to also help people understand tax and real estate.
The early versions of Monopoly didn’t come with a token. Instead, the players used any item they could find. It wasn’t until 1935 that six tokens—a battleship, a cannon, a clothes iron, a shoe, a top hat, and a thimble—became part of the game.
When it was first published, Monopoly cost $2, which wasn’t as cheap at the time as it sounds. Nowadays, the original version comes with a price of $20. There is also a $2 million version made out of gold and diamonds.
During World War II, British intelligence used Monopoly to smuggle items that would help Allied prisoners of war. They would hide items like maps and tools in Monopoly boxes and then place them into aid packages that the Red Cross was allowed to distribute in German prison camps.
The post 4 Facts About the History of Monopoly You Probably Didn’t Know appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post How the Printing Press Changed the World appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>Prior to the advent of the printing press, scribes had to laboriously hand-copy books. This made books expensive and rare. Gutenberg’s printing press changed this dynamic by enabling the rapid production of books. Suddenly, literature and scientific works could be replicated quickly and distributed widely.
One of the most immediate and profound impacts of the printing press was its role in facilitating the Protestant Reformation. In 1517, Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the church door in Wittenberg, challenging the Roman Catholic Church’s practices. Thanks to the printing press, copies of Luther’s theses spread rapidly throughout Europe, igniting religious debates and leading to significant religious reform and division.
The printing press also played a crucial role in the Scientific Revolution. Scientists could now easily share their discoveries, publish their research, and critique the works of their peers across Europe. This communication was instrumental in fostering a community of learning and inquiry that transcended borders.
The post How the Printing Press Changed the World appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post 3 Adventurous Facts About Famed Explorer Marco Polo appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>Marco Polo’s remarkable story remains immortalized in his journal, aptly named The Travels of Marco Polo. But while this is widely known, a little-known fact about his famed works is that he actually wrote this book while in jail. Captured after leading a Venetian galley into battle against the city of Genoa, Polo was imprisoned alongside Rustichello of Pisa; a talented romance writer. Eager to document his travels, Polo recruited his cellmate as his ghostwriter.
Having embarked on his journey alongside his father and uncle, one would have expected Marco Polo to have a decent relationship with them. Intriguingly, his father Niccolo and uncle Maffeo had been on a trading excursion, only to return when Marco Polo was 15 years old. Despite hardly knowing them, he agreed to join his uncle and father for another trip to the Far East, traveling Asia for 20 years.
While the Polos were specialist merchants who dealt with items such as gems, silk, and spices, their travels also opened up other opportunities. The trio were recruited as emissaries for the great Mongol emperor Kublai Kahn. Upon forming a close bond with the Kahn, Polo received the role of special messenger and tax collector in China and Southeast Asia.
The post 3 Adventurous Facts About Famed Explorer Marco Polo appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post “Bite the Bullet” Once Meant Biting an Actual Bullet appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The phrase is believed to have been coined on the battlefields at some point in the 19th century. Back then, there were no anesthetics available, so patients were given something to bite, often a leather strap, on in order to help them cope with pain during surgical procedures. However, the bullets were more available on the battlefield, so the medics would opt for them when performing surgeries on soldiers.
The reason why bullets could be used for this purpose was that they were made from lead. Being a softer metal, lead could provide relief without cracking the soldier’s teeth.
Various testimonies confirm the use of bullets in this manner, including American social activist Harriet Tubman, who described assisting an amputation in the Civil War during which a soldier was biting a bullet.
Another theory is that “bite the bullet” evolved from the “bite the cartridge” phrase used by British soldiers during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. During this period, the phrase referred to opening paper gunpowder cartridges using one’s mouth.
The post “Bite the Bullet” Once Meant Biting an Actual Bullet appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post Can You Name the 7 Natural Wonders of the World? appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The Northern Lights are a dazzling celestial display of dancing light in the night sky, caused by collisions between charged particles from the sun and Earth’s atmosphere.
Over millions of years, the Colorado River created a massive canyon. The result is layers of colorful rock and offers stunning vistas.
A relatively young volcano (born in 1943!), Paricutin in Mexico rose from a cornfield and continues to be a dramatic and fascinating geological wonder.
While technically not the harbor itself, the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking the picturesque bay is a globally recognized symbol of nature and humanity.
The thundering power and mist of Victoria Falls, on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe, creates a spectacle that has earned it the nickname “The Smoke That Thunders.”
The crown jewel of the Himalayas, Mount Everest is the highest mountain peak on Earth. It’s a symbol of challenge and awe-inspiring natural majesty.
The Great Barrier Reef is a vibrant underwater ecosystem teeming with life and color. It’s the largest coral reef system in the world!
The post Can You Name the 7 Natural Wonders of the World? appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post 3 Crazy Facts About the Invention of Banks appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The very first “banks” didn’t start in grand buildings with vaults and security, they began in ancient temples. In Mesopotamia, around 2000 BC, temples served as the safekeeping facilities for grain and other commodities.
The Knights Templar, a religious military order founded in 1119, are most famous for their role in the Crusades. But they also played a crucial part in the development of early banking systems. The Templars instituted a form of banking that would allow European pilgrims to deposit funds at one point and withdraw them in the Holy Land. This system protected pilgrims from carrying cash that could be stolen during their long journey.
In 1472, after a massive failure of several deposit banks in Italy due to insolvency, Giovanni di Bicci de’ Medici, who was the nephew of Pope John XXIII, established the Medici Bank. This bank introduced several innovations that are still fundamental to banking today, such as double-entry bookkeeping and branches with semi-autonomous managers.
The post 3 Crazy Facts About the Invention of Banks appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post Can You Guess the Oldest Board Games in the World? appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>This game, unearthed from the royal tombs of Ur, holds the title of the oldest playable board game. Players race their pieces around the board using dice, and some squares even hold special meanings for fortune-telling! Thanks to a cuneiform tablet inscription deciphered in the 18th century, we can even understand the rules!
Images of Senet have been found on the walls of tombs in ancient Egypt, suggesting it was a popular pastime. The exact rules remain a bit of a mystery, but it likely involved moving pieces along a grid-like board and possibly even had a spiritual significance.
This strategy game, also known as Weiqi, is still played worldwide today. Simple in its concept, with black and white stones placed on a grid, Go includes a surprising depth of strategy and is considered one of the oldest abstract strategy games still in existence.
The post Can You Guess the Oldest Board Games in the World? appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post 3 Things You’d Never Guess Were Used as Currency in the Past appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>In regions like Mongolia, Siberia, and Tibet, tea was the common currency. From the 9th century onward, tea leaves were pressed into bricks. This made them easy to transport and divide—key qualities of any currency. These tea bricks could be traded for all sorts of goods and services and were often used to pay workers’ salaries.
In many parts of the world, particularly in Africa, the Americas, and Australia, shells were used as currency. The most commonly used were cowrie shells, which are small, shiny mollusk shells found in the Indian and Pacific oceans. Their durability, uniformity, and beauty made them a popular choice for money.
The word “salary” itself hints at its salty origins. Coming from the Latin word salarium it refers to payments made to Roman soldiers for the purchase of salt. This is all because, in ancient times, salt was a highly prized commodity due to its use in preserving food.
The post 3 Things You’d Never Guess Were Used as Currency in the Past appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post 4 Facts About Samurai That Will Surprise You appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>Katana swords are almost synonymous with samurai. However, samurai also used other weapons in combat, including guns. As a matter of fact, guns became so popular among samurai that the rules ended up banning them in the 17th century.
Samurai had a special place in the Japanese social system. They worked for feudal lords and were considered nobility, enjoying all sorts of special privileges. Also, samurai were usually educated and were tasked with various other responsibilities besides combat. A lot of them also wrote poetry and created art.
A lot of people believe that all samurai were men. However, female samurai were common in Feudal Japan. Known as Onna-musha, they were highly trained warriors and fought in battles alongside samurai men. They also had a special role in Japanese culture.
It was possible for foreigners to become samurai. Only a shogun (military leader) could give a foreigner the title of samurai, and several Europeans received this honor. There is historical evidence of four such cases, although the number of foreigners in samurai ranks was probably a lot higher.
The post 4 Facts About Samurai That Will Surprise You appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post 5 Quick Facts About the Leaning Tower of Pisa appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>From the very start of the construction of the tower in the 12th century, it became clear that the soft ground of the area couldn’t properly support the weight of the construction. After being completed in the 14th century, the tower was already leaned, and the issue worsened in the following centuries. But thanks to efforts in the 1990s and 2000s, the tower was significantly stabilized.
The construction of the tower started in 1173, but the various conflicts that the Republic of Pisa engaged in the ensuing decades significantly slowed down its completion. The construction took place in three major phases and concluded 199 years later with the addition of the bell chamber in 1372.
If you look closely, you will notice that the Tower of Pisa is also curved. This was a result of attempts to correct the leaning in the early days of its construction.
You would expect that leaning constructions are not particularly resistant when it comes to seismic events. However, the Tower of Pisa managed to survive several earthquakes and emerge unscathed. This is thanks to the same soft ground that causes its leaning.
The previously mentioned stabilizing efforts managed to straighten out the tower and prevent further leaning. However, experts predict that it will start leaning again in 200 years, at which point another intervention will be necessary.
The post 5 Quick Facts About the Leaning Tower of Pisa appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post 4 Facts About the History of Monopoly You Probably Didn’t Know appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The initial idea of Monopoly wasn’t just for people to have fun. The game was created to also help people understand tax and real estate.
The early versions of Monopoly didn’t come with a token. Instead, the players used any item they could find. It wasn’t until 1935 that six tokens—a battleship, a cannon, a clothes iron, a shoe, a top hat, and a thimble—became part of the game.
When it was first published, Monopoly cost $2, which wasn’t as cheap at the time as it sounds. Nowadays, the original version comes with a price of $20. There is also a $2 million version made out of gold and diamonds.
During World War II, British intelligence used Monopoly to smuggle items that would help Allied prisoners of war. They would hide items like maps and tools in Monopoly boxes and then place them into aid packages that the Red Cross was allowed to distribute in German prison camps.
The post 4 Facts About the History of Monopoly You Probably Didn’t Know appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>The post How the Printing Press Changed the World appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>Prior to the advent of the printing press, scribes had to laboriously hand-copy books. This made books expensive and rare. Gutenberg’s printing press changed this dynamic by enabling the rapid production of books. Suddenly, literature and scientific works could be replicated quickly and distributed widely.
One of the most immediate and profound impacts of the printing press was its role in facilitating the Protestant Reformation. In 1517, Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the church door in Wittenberg, challenging the Roman Catholic Church’s practices. Thanks to the printing press, copies of Luther’s theses spread rapidly throughout Europe, igniting religious debates and leading to significant religious reform and division.
The printing press also played a crucial role in the Scientific Revolution. Scientists could now easily share their discoveries, publish their research, and critique the works of their peers across Europe. This communication was instrumental in fostering a community of learning and inquiry that transcended borders.
The post How the Printing Press Changed the World appeared first on History Chronicle.
]]>