Real historical facts that seem surprising today

In the history of mankind there are not only events that led to global changes, but also those that are difficult to explain from the point of view of ordinary logic. We picked up some unusual facts that may surprise you today.

Dreams of the first space journey

John wilkins

For the first time in the history of Europe, space brother-in-law Oliver Cromwell thought about space travel. Encyclopedist and scientist John Wilkins (1614-1672), married to Robin French, Cromwell's younger sister, was one of the founders of the Royal Society of London. In his work, he reflected on how “flying chariots” could deliver passengers to the moon.

He was convinced that all the planets in space were inhabited by people. Earthlings should establish relations with them and trade. If you overcome the power of Earth's magnetism, then you can reach the cosmos and sail through it to the next planet. There should be no problems with breathing, because there, above, the air is cleaner, because angels breathe it.

In the 1650s, Wilkins tried to create a semblance of an aircraft, but was convinced that the matter was much more complicated than it seemed at first glance.

The first subway escalator

In London in 1911, the first escalator was launched in the subway. People were afraid to use it. One of the employees of the subway William Harris began to ride on it up and down, demonstrating the innocuousness of innovation.

He later took the position of an engineer for setting up escalators at Charing Cross. During the construction of the station, excavations were carried out, during which the remains of an ancient oak were found. They made chairs for the Admiralty and a decorative cane, which was presented as a gift to Harris in 1913. Today she is in the London Museum of Transport.

Nine year old bestselling girl

Daisy ashford

In 1890, the little girl Daisy invented a novel, wrote it down and threw it in a long drawer. At the age of 13, she completely ceased to get involved in literature. Time passed, and after the death of her mother, Daisy Ashford and her sisters climbed into the attic. There she found her old manuscript and reread it. Oddly enough, but she and the sisters liked her. They let friends read it, they showed it to a familiar publisher, and after a while a book appeared with a preface by J. Barry, the author of "Peter Pan."

Critics reacted well to the book. They noted the unusual intent and insight of the author. The Daisy family lived well on royalties, they were able to buy a farm.

The Duke of Montague won an unusual bet

On January 16, 1749, a London newspaper reported that an extraordinary wizard would perform at the Royal Theater in the evening. The announcement said that the caster would extract music from an ordinary cane, call the name of each spectator who came incognito, transform into any person, even if alive, even dead, and finally crawled into a wine bottle.

After such an announcement, there was not a single empty seat in the theater, crowds of people wishing to fill the whole street. At this point, the organizers of the show announced that the wizard did not appear for unknown reasons and the audience could take their money. The riot began, people realized that they were trying to leave them in the cold.

But the Duke of Montague was pleased. He followed events from behind the curtains. He had just won the bet he made with Lord Chesterfield: he argued that he could completely beat the theater with spectators, promising them the unbelievable. And the more fantastic the promises are, the more people will come.

Horoscopes and serial killer

In mid-April 1968, an advertising message was printed in a French newspaper: "You can get your own individual horoscope, consisting of ten sheets, for free." To do this, readers had to tell their name, address, date and place of birth. After they received the promised horoscope and a detailed description of their person.

Many participants were so surprised by the accurate and detailed description of their characteristics that they gratefully wrote to the organizers of this experiment. More than 95 percent said the horoscope is great. The most interesting thing is that the organizers sent the same text to all participants.

Such a mockery of astrology was invented by psychologist Michelle Gauquelin. He asked a professional astrologer to create a natal chart and interpretation of the character for a real person who was born in Auxerre at 3 a.m. on January 17, 1897. This character was not chosen by chance at all. This is the time of the birth of the famous serial killer, Dr. Marcel Petio. On his conscience more than 60 killed during the war.