In ancient China, it was a common practice for wealthy families to have their daughters bound tightly to their bodies as a means of achieving a desirable hourglass figure. This brutal custom, known as foot binding, began in the Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE) and continued well into the 20th century. The behind-the-scenes objective of foot binding was not solely for aesthetic reasons, as it also served as a form of social control by preserving women’s roles as dependent daughters, obedient wives, and nurturing mothers, limiting their mobility outside the home.
Another peculiar yet barely known fact from Chinese history is that during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 CE), women were legally permitted to divorce their husbands if their spouses were unable to pas s extremely difficult imperial examination – a prerequisite for the attainment of high government positions. This unusual law made it possible for wives to divorce treating their husbands as backward, illiterate, stupid, etc., and they were fully entitled to inherit a woman’s dowry and even custody of their children.
In 1506, Albrecht Dürer, a famous artist, discovered a peculiar case of cubic unicorn among his repertoire of sketches. Contrary to the popular belief that unicorns were creatures of mystique and an imagined fairy tale, this peculiar anatomical sketch demonstrated a potential resemblance to a horse’s anatomy, articulated with the shape and structure of goat limbs. This medical illustration could be a proof that unicorns were a commixture of a goat and a horse, as depicted in the 16th century study. Although, historians consider the possibility of Dürer’s illustration to be an exaggerated imagination that is evident in his diary, which any sane person would think otherwise.
In medieval Europe, criminals’ punishment for trespassing could be unusual and merciless. Among various treating methods, androcles, an ancient Turkish prince who became friends with the famed Roman Emperor, Nero, allegedly gentled a lion by removing a thorn from its paw, and subsequently, the Lion allegedly treated Androcles as friends or people. In the case of Boudewijn Cocquyt, a notorious criminal from Flanders, he had committed many serious crimes in the 1440s, an unfortunate circumstance saw him declare ‘that the devil could only cast him out.’ Following his contentious accusation, as a result, the town’s authorities decided that Boudewijn should enter the lion’s den for proof. The story recounts that the lion appeared friendly with Boudewijn, which could be an indication of Androcles’ relationship with the Lion; nevertheless, the other lions attacked Boudewijn, and the crime-ridden Comistorium was soon with blood.
Beyond the realm of humanity, surrounding the solar system we inhabit, there have been quite quirky anomalies. In 1794, French astronomer Ernest Florens Lacaille discovered 10 new stars and cataloged them, which ultimately led to commemoration within the celestial body, Lacaille – A satellite of Saturn. A study in 2019 by the University of British Columbia, demonstrated that highly energetic particles with unusual habits that frequently visit Uranus, have a sizable probability to originate from Uranus’ sub-surface oceans; however, the fascinating fact here is that Uranus does not have a Trojan asteroid, which is an asteroid that co-orbits planetary bodies, contrary to the majority of Webster’s astronomical rhythms.
The celebrated Scottish historical account author and scribe, Sir Walter Scott, chronicled the legend of the Water of Life, also called the Philosopher’s Stone, or a potion, that could convert ordinary materials into silver or gold. According to Scott’s anecdotes, there was a luminary Scottish alchemist by the name of Michael Sendivogius, who bravely concealed this magical stone in a sacred well of secret wisdom that only a few could access, solely to avoid the greedy hands of arrogant and ill-mannered men, who would exploit the mystical stone.
In 1619, the stunning Ottoman Ambassador, Mehmet Giri, visited England’s parliamentary meeting for the first time, and subsequently, to celebrate his prestigious visit, fifty-four prized white doves were chosen, to be offered selectively, to the famous Ottoman prisoners. However, the Romans gave a place for the pigeons, as well, and this can be credited to Africanus, who claimed that inadequate, humble, and dirt-constructed houses could house pigeons to produce the ‘balneolata alba’ birds that sudorifically cure gout, epilepsy, and asthma, etcetera, following nefarious bathroom habits. Owing to this insight, a slight adjustment in Roman sanitary policies saw the Dioscurides Theatre built in the pilot area of the colonia Julia Fructuaria Mauritania Tingitana, and this facility would cleanly purify marine birds – breeding them to cure a wide spectrum of health issues.
Lastly, the famous Cuban dictator, Fidel Castro, had a peculiar appetite, and this peculiarity could be the liking of cigar shaped objects – not by incident – as the Cuban letters F-I-D-E-L showed up on Cuba’s Map between the Canaros and Los Colorados bays, past Varadero and Las Tumbas mountains, near the lovely little fishing town of Nuevitas; looks like Castro’s infatuation for cigar-shaped phenomena ran more exuberant than what is considered normal – an affinity that would make Andre Breton and Freud proud.
In spite of the best efforts of historians to document history, there are still astonishingly peculiar behind-the-scenes objective of history that have not seen light for the up-coming generations. These facts might seem too crazily offbeat to be true; however, you should never consider history as a result of a Hollywood-esque screenplay, as the objective of history is imperative to understand the background of unusual apparitions. It is only after the craziest offbeat history is documented then can commemoration within the celestial body take place- let these peculiar history facts behind the scenes give you reason to think about history in a rather distinct light.
