Since time immemorial, some interesting historical events have changed the world. The Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the landing of Apollo 11 and the fall of the Berlin Wall are just some of the most significant and interesting historical events in history.
But what about less interesting historical events? Those who were not necessarily as big or polarizing as a war or a monumental discovery, but still essential?
History books just are not long enough to record everything that has happened in the world. So some stay behind. That does not mean that they are not that important.
For example, you know that the United States played an important role in the First World War, but did you know that only one telegram is responsible for the entry of the United States?
Hundreds of interesting historical events in world history have been set in motion by much smaller events that often do not deserve the merit they deserve.
1. In 1867, Russia sold the territory of Alaska to the United States for $ 7.2 million. Fifty years later, the Americans had already received this amount back 100 times.
With this check, the US bought from the Russian government nearly 600,000 square kilometers of land for $ 7.2 million.
The United States acquired Alaska on March 30, 1867 from the Russian Empire. The Russian Empire was anxious to sell Alaska because the country had no natural resources and was uninhabitable. They also feared that the United Kingdom would conquer Alaska should a war break out between the two. As a result of this purchase, the United States added 586,412 square miles of new land.
The purchases from both countries were mixed. The reason why the US wanted to buy Alaska and the profitability of this deal was unclear. One of the American newspapers asked, "Why does the United States need this" cooler "and 50,000 wild Eskimos drinking fish oil for breakfast?" Even the congress disapproved of this purchase. However, the deal was closed at $ 7.2 million.
In 1896, the Klondike Gold Rush took place and Alaska was considered a valuable asset to the United States. The gold rush has brought in hundreds of millions of dollars. Seal fishing was another attraction that brought considerable revenue to the United States.
The revenue from the seal fishery reportedly exceeded the price paid for the Alaska acquisition. This allowed the United States to benefit from its purchase in less than 50 years.
2. The massacre of Jonestown
The bodies lay around the Temple of the People's Temple after the death of over 900 faithful led by Reverend Jim Jones after drinking cyanide-flavored alcohol. November 19, 1978. Jonestown, Guyana.
In 1955, Jim Jones founded the Peoples Temple in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The sect was originally founded to preach against racism and teach Christian ideals, though most claim that the end result is ultimately the creation of a socialist cult.
The temple moved from Indianapolis to San Francisco in the 1970s, after the ideals of integration for the city in the Midwest proved to be too advanced. San Francisco, however, was not much more tolerant. In California, Peoples Temple was charged with financial fraud, physical abuse and child maltreatment.
Paranoid, Jim Jones then moved the Temple of the People to a place where he thought he would not be sued by strangers - in South America. Jones founded his organization in French Guiana, a small country on the northeast coast of the continent. He called his colony Agricultural Project of the People's Temple, but people called him Jonestown.
Jonestown quickly became a caring communist community led by Jones alone. He wanted to build a model community and wanted everyone to live as a perfect example of socialism. In short, he thought he was creating an utopia for his people. But the utopia soon became a nightmare. The members worked for 10 ½ hours in the community and only received one hour for lunch.
Exposure to current events was limited and was frequently altered by Jones' interpretation. Jones also asked all city residents, adults and children, to call him "daddy" or "father".
The penalty for non-compliance with these rules was strict.
Over time, Jones managed to cast a spell over all the people of Jonestown, convincing them that he was the authority in all things and that they had to follow his example to achieve what they wanted.
Jones often scared members into thinking that Jonestown was constantly under attack. In response, he often held meetings called "sleepless nights," in which he told them that the only way out was to escape, fight, or commit suicide. Fortunately for the members, the attacks were just the fruit of Jones' imagination.
Until 17 November 1978.
Congressman Leo Ryan of California announced that he would travel to Jonestown to investigate alleged ill-treatment of US citizens in the city. With a group of helpers he went to Guyana and tried to gain access to Jonestown. Jones's people raided the gang on their catwalk and killed Ryan and four others while injuring others.
The attack that Jones had preached had taken place. After the attack on the runway, Jones phoned everyone at Jonestown Lodge and told them they could run away, fight or die. Then he revealed a huge Kool-Aid tub of grapes mixed with cyanide and potassium chloride. The children were poisoned first, then adults, with more than 900 people dying. After everyone died, Jones shot himself in the head.
Until September 11, 2001, it was the largest number of casualties involving US citizens the world has ever seen.
3. The world's first fully covered underwater diving suit was invented in 1715 and consists of a hermetically sealed oak shaft. The suit was mainly used for wreck rescue operations.
Replica of the gun by John Lethbridge (1715), between the diving bell and the standard diving suit. Cité de la Mer, a maritime museum in Cherbourg, France. Picture credits: Ji-It via Wikipedia
John Lethbridge was the inventor of the first diving suit. Lethbridge had this idea when he worked as a salvage officer for the East India Company. His design was a hermetic oak barrel. The gun was two meters long and the diver had to lie flat on his stomach after the cannon had been lowered into the water with a rope. He had two airtight holes on the sides for the hands and a glass-fronted hole for the diver's window. During the test, Lethbridge showed that the suit allowed divers to stay at a depth of 12 fathoms for at least 30 minutes.
After the diver left the water after 30 minutes, fresh air was injected into the suit through a bellows vent. The air used was evacuated at the same time by another vent.
The combination was mainly used for the recovery of wreck materials. During Lethbridge's first salvage operation with his invention, 25 silver boxes and 65 cannons were salvaged.
4. The black plague by Pope Gregory.
At the beginning of the 12th century, a plague spread in Europe. In the next seven years, around 100 million people died as a result of the Black Death that devastated cities from Asia to Sweden.
The plague, which originally came from Asia and traveled across the Silk Road to Europe, spread in many ways. The most dangerous of these forms was the bubonic plague, which was mainly transmitted by fleas that lived on rats, especially in Europe.
Rats were best stopped with cats. Especially in Europe, cats populated cities and were the main form of pest control. Due to the high number of cats that consumed a high number of rats, the plague was kept somewhat in check.
Pope Gregory IX, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church and therefore the largest part of Europe at that time, was not a fan of cats. Under his rule, a century before the Black Death would be an immediate threat to Europe. He published a manuscript called Vox in Rama.
The Vox in Rama said the black cat was an incarnation of Satan and demanded their complete removal. Due to the extinction of the cats, the rats had remained completely uncontrolled at the time the Black Death spread to Europe and had spread the plague much more widely than they did.
5. In the 1960s, the CIA spent $ 20 million to train cats as spies. Known as the Acoustic Kitty Project, the first mission was sabotaged when the cat was killed by a taxi.
The CIA Department of Science and Technology, the Central Intelligence Agency, was responsible for launching the Acoustic Kitty project. They wanted to spy on the embassies of the Kremlin and the Soviet Union, especially with cats. The procedure involved implanting a microphone into the ear canal of the cat. In addition, a small radio transmitter was placed at the base of the cat's skull and a thin wire was inserted into its fur. The cat was able to record and transmit sounds from its surroundings.
The first mission of the Acoustic Kitty project was to listen to two men chatting in the park. The cat was released nearby but immediately killed by a taxi. In 2013, Robert Wallace, former director of the CIA's technical department, announced that the project had been discontinued due to difficulties in training cats.
In any case, the project was considered failed and was discontinued in 1967. A former CIA officer, Victor Marchetti, said the project cost about $ 20 million.
Five Uncommon but Interesting Historical Events
Since time immemorial, some interesting historical events have changed the world. The Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the landing of Apollo 11 and the fall of the Berlin Wall are just some of the most significant and interesting historical events in history.
But what about less interesting historical events? Those who were not necessarily as big or polarizing as a war or a monumental discovery, but still essential?
History books just are not long enough to record everything that has happened in the world. So some stay behind. That does not mean that they are not that important.
For example, you know that the United States played an important role in the First World War, but did you know that only one telegram is responsible for the entry of the United States?
Hundreds of interesting historical events in world history have been set in motion by much smaller events that often do not deserve the merit they deserve.
1. In 1867, Russia sold the territory of Alaska to the United States for $ 7.2 million. Fifty years later, the Americans had already received this amount back 100 times.
With this check, the US bought from the Russian government nearly 600,000 square kilometers of land for $ 7.2 million.
The United States acquired Alaska on March 30, 1867 from the Russian Empire. The Russian Empire was anxious to sell Alaska because the country had no natural resources and was uninhabitable. They also feared that the United Kingdom would conquer Alaska should a war break out between the two. As a result of this purchase, the United States added 586,412 square miles of new land.
The purchases from both countries were mixed. The reason why the US wanted to buy Alaska and the profitability of this deal was unclear. One of the American newspapers asked, "Why does the United States need this" cooler "and 50,000 wild Eskimos drinking fish oil for breakfast?" Even the congress disapproved of this purchase. However, the deal was closed at $ 7.2 million.
In 1896, the Klondike Gold Rush took place and Alaska was considered a valuable asset to the United States. The gold rush has brought in hundreds of millions of dollars. Seal fishing was another attraction that brought considerable revenue to the United States.
The revenue from the seal fishery reportedly exceeded the price paid for the Alaska acquisition. This allowed the United States to benefit from its purchase in less than 50 years.
2. The massacre of Jonestown
The bodies lay around the Temple of the People's Temple after the death of over 900 faithful led by Reverend Jim Jones after drinking cyanide-flavored alcohol. November 19, 1978. Jonestown, Guyana.
In 1955, Jim Jones founded the Peoples Temple in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The sect was originally founded to preach against racism and teach Christian ideals, though most claim that the end result is ultimately the creation of a socialist cult.
The temple moved from Indianapolis to San Francisco in the 1970s, after the ideals of integration for the city in the Midwest proved to be too advanced. San Francisco, however, was not much more tolerant. In California, Peoples Temple was charged with financial fraud, physical abuse and child maltreatment.
Paranoid, Jim Jones then moved the Temple of the People to a place where he thought he would not be sued by strangers - in South America. Jones founded his organization in French Guiana, a small country on the northeast coast of the continent. He called his colony Agricultural Project of the People's Temple, but people called him Jonestown.
Jonestown quickly became a caring communist community led by Jones alone. He wanted to build a model community and wanted everyone to live as a perfect example of socialism. In short, he thought he was creating an utopia for his people. But the utopia soon became a nightmare. The members worked for 10 ½ hours in the community and only received one hour for lunch.
Exposure to current events was limited and was frequently altered by Jones' interpretation. Jones also asked all city residents, adults and children, to call him "daddy" or "father".
The penalty for non-compliance with these rules was strict.
Over time, Jones managed to cast a spell over all the people of Jonestown, convincing them that he was the authority in all things and that they had to follow his example to achieve what they wanted.
Jones often scared members into thinking that Jonestown was constantly under attack. In response, he often held meetings called "sleepless nights," in which he told them that the only way out was to escape, fight, or commit suicide. Fortunately for the members, the attacks were just the fruit of Jones' imagination.
Until 17 November 1978.
Congressman Leo Ryan of California announced that he would travel to Jonestown to investigate alleged ill-treatment of US citizens in the city. With a group of helpers he went to Guyana and tried to gain access to Jonestown. Jones's people raided the gang on their catwalk and killed Ryan and four others while injuring others.
The attack that Jones had preached had taken place. After the attack on the runway, Jones phoned everyone at Jonestown Lodge and told them they could run away, fight or die. Then he revealed a huge Kool-Aid tub of grapes mixed with cyanide and potassium chloride. The children were poisoned first, then adults, with more than 900 people dying. After everyone died, Jones shot himself in the head.
Until September 11, 2001, it was the largest number of casualties involving US citizens the world has ever seen.
3. The world's first fully covered underwater diving suit was invented in 1715 and consists of a hermetically sealed oak shaft. The suit was mainly used for wreck rescue operations.
Replica of the gun by John Lethbridge (1715), between the diving bell and the standard diving suit. Cité de la Mer, a maritime museum in Cherbourg, France. Picture credits: Ji-It via Wikipedia
John Lethbridge was the inventor of the first diving suit. Lethbridge had this idea when he worked as a salvage officer for the East India Company. His design was a hermetic oak barrel. The gun was two meters long and the diver had to lie flat on his stomach after the cannon had been lowered into the water with a rope. He had two airtight holes on the sides for the hands and a glass-fronted hole for the diver's window. During the test, Lethbridge showed that the suit allowed divers to stay at a depth of 12 fathoms for at least 30 minutes.
After the diver left the water after 30 minutes, fresh air was injected into the suit through a bellows vent. The air used was evacuated at the same time by another vent.
The combination was mainly used for the recovery of wreck materials. During Lethbridge's first salvage operation with his invention, 25 silver boxes and 65 cannons were salvaged.
4. The black plague by Pope Gregory.
At the beginning of the 12th century, a plague spread in Europe. In the next seven years, around 100 million people died as a result of the Black Death that devastated cities from Asia to Sweden.
The plague, which originally came from Asia and traveled across the Silk Road to Europe, spread in many ways. The most dangerous of these forms was the bubonic plague, which was mainly transmitted by fleas that lived on rats, especially in Europe.
Rats were best stopped with cats. Especially in Europe, cats populated cities and were the main form of pest control. Due to the high number of cats that consumed a high number of rats, the plague was kept somewhat in check.
Pope Gregory IX, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church and therefore the largest part of Europe at that time, was not a fan of cats. Under his rule, a century before the Black Death would be an immediate threat to Europe. He published a manuscript called Vox in Rama.
The Vox in Rama said the black cat was an incarnation of Satan and demanded their complete removal. Due to the extinction of the cats, the rats had remained completely uncontrolled at the time the Black Death spread to Europe and had spread the plague much more widely than they did.
5. In the 1960s, the CIA spent $ 20 million to train cats as spies. Known as the Acoustic Kitty Project, the first mission was sabotaged when the cat was killed by a taxi.
The CIA Department of Science and Technology, the Central Intelligence Agency, was responsible for launching the Acoustic Kitty project. They wanted to spy on the embassies of the Kremlin and the Soviet Union, especially with cats. The procedure involved implanting a microphone into the ear canal of the cat. In addition, a small radio transmitter was placed at the base of the cat's skull and a thin wire was inserted into its fur. The cat was able to record and transmit sounds from its surroundings.
The first mission of the Acoustic Kitty project was to listen to two men chatting in the park. The cat was released nearby but immediately killed by a taxi. In 2013, Robert Wallace, former director of the CIA's technical department, announced that the project had been discontinued due to difficulties in training cats.
In any case, the project was considered failed and was discontinued in 1967. A former CIA officer, Victor Marchetti, said the project cost about $ 20 million.
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