World History
5 Fascinating Facts About the Vatican
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Article
On June 7, 1929, the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini signed a treaty that established the independent state of Vatican City. With this act, the Holy See — the government of the Catholic Church, led by the pope — finally had an official home. The Vatican had existed since the ancient Roman Republic, and had served as the capital of the Papal States, but it was only in 1929 that its geographic and political boundaries were defined. With the creation of Vatican City, a true geographical oddity was born. The most famous fact about the Vatican ...Read More
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World HistoryFact2Medieval people sometimes slept in two shifts.
Most adults need about seven hours of sleep per night, but there’s nothing in the rule book about getting all seven hours at once. For the thousand or so years…
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World HistoryFact4The richest shipwreck ever holds around $18 billion in treasure.
When the San José first set sail in 1698, it probably wasn’t expecting to be making headlines three centuries later. The 64-gun galleon belonging to the Spanish navy sank in…
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World HistoryFact2People used to be buried with bells attached to their coffins in case they woke up.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, fear of being buried alive was widespread. Newspapers and pamphlets — not to mention gothic novels and “penny dreadfuls” — reported cases of mistaken…
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World HistoryArticle387 Common Last Names That Are Linked to Nobility
Have you ever wondered if your last name might have royal connections? Whether, through the centuries, your surname has traveled through the noble bloodlines of ancient empires and medieval kingdoms?…
