30 Interesting Historical Facts That Will Change Your View On The World We Live In
Technically, a samurai from Japan could have sent a fax to Abraham Lincoln.
Gen X, millennials, and younger generations were born into the "modern" world, with television, music videos, human rights, the United Nations, the Red Cross, mixed schools, and neighborhoods, among other things. These are all aspects we take for granted and don't think much about.
For us, it is natural to believe that all people are equal and have the same rights. We don't understand that just 50 years ago, people were fighting for fundamental rights or that the first supersonic fighter jet took off less than 40 years after the Wright brothers' 120-foot flight.
Then, 60 years later, a man landed on the Moon. Novelist Zack Budryk asked his friends on Twitter to share some interesting historical overlaps that might just make you see the world in an entirely different light.
The replies came pouring in. For example, did you know that a samurai could have technically sent a fax to U.S. President Abraham Lincoln?
"Electric Printing Telegraph," invented back in 1843 by Alexander Bain, was the world's first faxing device. Amazing, right?
We have selected 30 of the most fascinating historical facts that will make you view our world entirely differently. We know you will love them. Read on to find out more.
1. Quite an improvement. But a lot more work has to be done.
ShielaJonson2. Just 60 years ago... And the child needed police protection.
ncm423. It aged nicely...
pippers132
4. Same-sex marriages and the Confederacy...
GlobalTom
5. Yes, it is totally unacceptable. I thought it was just me...
vibeulator
6. Extreme injustice...
gothspiderbitch
7. Telegram and Twitter...
whitemtn27
8. Plausible and interesting...
noaheasterly
9. Yes, he would be more relaxed...
dick_genital
10. Queen Elizabeth and the USA
Gayer_Than_Thou
11. He was too old to enlist when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.
daddykool
12. Legendary Betty White...
MatthewIgnatius
13. That's a long time...
Houckadoodledoo
14. Memory needs refreshing...
lizditz
15. Jimmy Carter - born in 1924
TiffRichElliott
16. Spain and the USA
RobertKistler7
17. The University of Oxford and the Inca Empire
ChadWaIters
18. Ha! Awesome!
HelenKennedy
19. Back to the Future reboot...
jbrown_tc
20. What would they see?
J_B_Lane
21. It was quite a year...
opaleyedragon
22. Silent and digital...
Titi_Suru
23. The most recent change, from 49 stars to 50, occurred in 1960 when the present design was chosen, after Hawaii gained statehood in August 1959. Before that, the admission of Alaska in January 1959 prompted the debut of a short-lived 49-star flag.
Obama was born in 1961 in Hawaii.
teddipasketty
24. Segregation was outlawed by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968.
ReggieStein2
25. It was a long battle.
SusanOrr
26. Man, that wasn't such a long time ago...
UN_JWFOWLER
27. Woolly mammoths and the pyramids
DrMRFrancis
28. Generations in war
vexwerewolf
29. We are new, but we have still managed to cause such damage to our planet...
SadSonya4
30. Biplanes and supersonic
PaulMeisel
Wow, these posts really give us another perspective on history. We somehow naively believe it was such a long time ago because—well, it's history.
But when you hear that the last person born into slavery died just a few decades ago or that our grandparents attended segregated schools, it shows that modern society (or what we believe this society we live in to be) is so new.
It's practically a baby. That's why it needs our support to thrive.
