Shocking Facts That Will Change How You See History

History is a vast subject, to say the least. Sometimes even a tiny detail can completely change our view of history. But with so little time to cover it all, plenty of things get swept aside in favor of the bigger stories like World War II and the Louisiana Purchase. Those things are certainly interesting stories, but they’ve got nothing on these wacky facts we dug up. These facts were not taught in our history classes, but they are cool and neat to learn nonetheless. Some of these facts should have made it into mainstream history books to keep children more interested in teacher’s lectures.

We have collected some striking facts that will let you dive into some less explored chapters of history and look at the world from a different angle. We wish our history teacher didn’t forget to mention some of these!

Flour sacks used to be fashionable.

Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons

During the Dust Bowl, people sewed clothes out of flour sacks when money was tight. They did what they had to do in order to keep warm and clothe their children. When flour distributers heard about this practice, they made their bags more colorful so the subsequent clothing would be more attractive. Women then regularly began using the sacks to make clothing, diapers, dish clothes, and more. Families appreciated the manufactures for creating decorative patterns; some would have flowers, paisley, dogs, ballerinas, or other bright and colorful options. While it would be weird to think of wearing one now, it was a staple for millions during the Great Depression.

Flamethrowers were invented in 673 A.D.

Pixabay.com

The military used flamethrowers in World War I, and even more widely in World War II. However, these weapons were actually invented by the Greeks back in 673 A.D. The concept of throwing fire as a weapon has existed since ancient times. Known as Greek fire; it was used extensively by the Byzantine Empire. It gave the Byzantines a substantial military advantage against enemies such as members of the Arab Empire, especially for battles out at sea. They used rudimentary hand-pumped flamethrowers on board their naval ships in the early first century. The pump shot bursts of fire via a siphon-hose and piston, intuiting it with a match, as it was ejected.