History: Full of Quirky Facts

History is full of quirky little facts.

Sometimes, I like to toss in entertaining tidbits in my books by adding a little quirk to a character.

That way, it's actually the character tossing in those tidbits. It's kind of fun, you know?

You can never tell when a quirky little fact might come in handy. Perhaps it might be the perfect tidbit to put in a character's mouth.

A Dozen Quirky Facts

• King Henry VI officially banned kissing in England in 1439 when Plague first broke out in an effort stop the disease from spreading. (By the way, it didn't work. About 30% of the population died that year.)
• In 1912, a Paris orphanage held a raffle to raise money and gave away live babies as prizes!
• Karl Marx was once a correspondent for the New York Daily Tribune.
• Ronald Reagan was a lifeguard during high school and saved 77 people from drowning.
• Everyone knows that the Aztecs made human sacrifices, but did you know that in 1487, they sacrificed 20,000 people for the dedication of the temple in Tenochtitlan.
• The Romans used human urine as mouthwash.
• In the 19th century a popular medicine for kids was Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup which included morphine.
• In early Rome a father could legally kill anyone in his family.
• Attila the Hun bled to death from a nosebleed on his wedding night.
• People have been wearing glasses for about 700 years.
• February 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon.

• There is no known civilization that did not tax. Even the very first known civilization, the Sumerians, recorded their tax history on clay cones.

Takeaway Truth

I love writing, and I love history. I challenge you to learn a few. Then, the next time your kid bemoans history, challenge them to best you in the quirky historical facts category. Bet you'll win. Even better, maybe it will interest them in the underlying drama that is history.