5 Historical Facts That Just Blow Your Mind

1. The fire that lasted two years in the USSR was extinguished by an atomic explosion

December 1, 1963 on the territory of the Uzbek SSR due to the mistake of engineers flared upImpact from underground / Science and life 2. Scientific feat of Kamil Mangushev / "Vatandash" Urtabulak gas field. A fountain of flame under a pressure of 350 atmospheres beat from the well for 1,074 days, that is, more than two years! But the gas still did not end, and there was no way to approach the torch.

How did the Politburo solve the problem? At a depth of 1,500 meters, a thermonuclear charge was detonated in an inclined adit next to the torch, the gas well was blocked, and the fire went out. Here.

2. In 1808, the French had a balloon duel.

In 19th century France, hot air balloons, or hot air balloons, were very popular among the nobility and were used for aerial walks. But individual originals

found1. First Duel in a Hot Air Balloon / TheBritishNewspaperArchive, 2. The Most Ridiculous Duel in History—in a Hot‑Air Balloon! / TheVintageNews these devices have a more exotic application.

So, in 1808, two aristocrats, Monsieur de Grandpre and Monsieur de Piqué, did not share a certain Mademoiselle Tirevit, a famous dancer of the Paris Opera. The first found out that the second was meeting with the lady of the heart behind his back, and called him to duel.

The duel was carried out sitting in the baskets of hot air balloons at an altitude of 600 meters.

The gentlemen fired muskets at the enemy's balloons. De Grandpré blew a hole in de Piqué's balloon, and the poor fellow fell down with "terrible rapidity, shattered on the roof of the house," as observers put it. It is sad that his co-pilot, who flew the balloon, died with him.

3. German submarine U-1206 sank due to flushing in the toilet

Submarine Type VIIC numbered U-1206 was a formidable weapon. 14 torpedoes, a 220-round cannon, an air defense gun, a cruising range of 15,700 kilometers, and 45 to 60 crew members - all this looks impressive.

But the naval combat vehicle of the Third Reich also had one unpleasant flawU-1206: Sank by Toilet / History of Yesterday: toilet valves connected to the ship's ballast system. And this engineering decision led to sad consequences.

On April 14, 1945, U-1206 was approaching the port of Peterhead in Scotland. It was commanded by Lieutenant Commander Karl Adolf Schlitt. The submarine intended to sink the British convoy. Everything seemed to go according to plan, until the captain wanted to go to the toilet.

That is, in the latrine. Don't forget we're in the Navy.

Having accomplished his plan, Schlitt triedThe Toilet That Sank a Submarine / Medium to drain the water and could not. He called a repairman to fix the drain tank, but he was busy working on the engines and sent a minder to replace him. The sailor turned the valve, and a fountain of sea water splashed from the toilet.

It was possible to stop the leak, only the battery compartment was flooded, and the uncontrolled submarine surfaced. The batteries began to emit chlorine gas, and Schlitt ordered the gasping sailors to leave the ship.

The British destroyer spotted the enemy in distress and captured 46 crew members. The submarine was abandoned, and she, floundering, safely went to the bottom. Here is the thunderstorm of the Kriegsmarine.

4. Women start wars more often than men

On the Internet, you can find statements that women in general are much more peaceful than men. And if only they ruled the states, the numerous wars that have tormented our planet throughout human history could have been avoided.

However, this is an overly optimistic view of things. Specialists from the US National Bureau of Economic Research and the University of Cambridge establishedOh Dube, S. P. Harish. Queens/NBERthat states led queens, unleashed aggressive wars much more often than those ruled by male monarchs.

This pattern fairThroughout history, women rulers were more likely to wage war than men / Quartz, at least for the studied period of European history from the 15th to the 20th century. Between 1480 and 1913, European queens started 27% more wars than male aristocrats.

Moreover, married women with children were especially warlike.

The reason of that, considerThroughout history, women rulers were more likely to wage war than men / Quartz historians, in the gender norms of the time. Queens from a successful marriage to another monarch received more benefits than kings. And they had more free economic resources to support the army.

In addition, when a woman went to war with someone, she left the civil government to her husband. The male monarchs, however, did not dare to trust their ladies with important matters due to the prejudices of that era - you never know, they still learn something. That is why they were torn into two fronts and were forced to lead the army and follow the people in the rear. And the effectiveness of their management from this fell.

5. In the 19th century, an entire block in England was flooded with beer.

October 17, 1814 in London at the Horse Shoe brewery, owned by Mo and Company, burstM. I. greenberg. Disaster!: A Compendium of Terrorist, Natural, and Man-Made Catastrophes a huge barrel of beer with a volume of 610 cubic meters. It exploded so that a chain reaction occurred and the rest of the tanks in the neighborhood exploded. As a result, 1,500 cubic meters of porter spilled onto the streets of the British capital.

Sounds like a holiday, right? Well, if you don't go into details.

The beer wave destroyed two houses that stood next to the brewery, literally washing them away, and broke through the wall of a nearby pub. A fourteen-year-old barmaid was covered in debris.

The incident took place in a poor quarter, where entire families lived in the basements of the slums, and the houses of the poor fellows were instantly flooded with booze. Eight people choked, and one died from alcohol poisoning after swallowing the liquid. Among the drowned were a four-year-old girl and two three-year-old boys.

Immediately after the incident, the consequences of the destruction came lookWhat really happened in the London Beer Flood 200 years ago? / The Independent a crowd of onlookers, who, however, behaved extremely worthily. Firstly, they donated to help the affected families, and secondly, they helped search for survivors stuck in flooded basements.

brewery continuedWhat really happened in the London Beer Flood 200 years ago? / The Independent work until 1921, later the Dominion Theater was built in its place. The local pub Holborn Whippet still remembers the beer flood of two hundred years ago, every year on the day of the incident they brew a special ale and commemorate the dead.