Huffington Post

8 Surprising Historical Facts That Will Change Your Concept Of Time Forever

You probably should know these things didn't happen anywhere near when you thought they did...

Not everyone can be a world history master, especially when we tend to learn about it in specifically segmented classes like "European History" or "American Revolutionary History." Maybe you have an exceptional grasp on the global historical timeline. But for those of us who don't, the list below, inspired by a recent Reddit thread called "What are two events that took place in the same time in history but don't seem like they would have?" puts key historical moments into some much-needed context.

1. Betty White is older than sliced bread.

o-450403199-570.jpg

Sliced bread was introduced in 1928 by inventor Otto Frederick Rohwedder. Before this moment, bread was sold in whole loaves as bakers didn't trust sliced bread could stay fresh. Betty White was born in 1922 and spent her early years not eating sliced bread. But White recently celebrated her 92nd birthday, which means she's been able to experience the first "greatest invention" much longer than most of us.


2. Harvard University was founded before calculus was invented.

o-171088313c-570.jpg

Established in 1636, Harvard is the oldest institution of higher education in the U.S. The "New College," as it was originally called, had no calculus classes because it didn't exist yet. The invention of calculus would come in the late 17th century with Gottfried Leibniz's 1684 publication of "Nova Methodus," and in part with Isaac Newton's "Principia" in 1687, followed by additional explanations and reformulations by subsequent mathematicians. Also, European physicist, mathematician and astronomer Galileo was still alive during Harvard's early years -- he died in 1642.


3. The last time the Chicago Cubs won a World Series, the Ottoman Empire still existed.

o-MEHMED-VI-570.jpg

The Chicago Cubs haven't won a World Series since 1908. This was back when there were still teams such as the Brooklyn Superbas and the Boston Doves. The Ottoman Empire, which was founded in the 13th century, also existed back then. Mehmed VI was the last sultan of the empire and his reign ended in 1922 when the sultanate was abolished and the Turkish government took governing control over the new republic -- 14 years after the Cubs last won the World Series.

4. The Pyramids of Giza were built in the time of wooly mammoths.

o-170303393-570.jpg

From what we can tell, the last of the wooly mammoth died out around 1700 B.C. on Russia’s Wrangel Island. In Egypt, the Pyramids of Giza were built around 4,000 years ago, although there have been claims that they're even older. This also means that Cleopatra's time on Earth is actually closer to us in history than to the construction of the pyramids.


5. The fax machine was invented the same year as the Oregon trail migration.

o-86498696-570.jpg

The first fax machine was invented in 1843 by a Scottish mechanic named Alexander Bain. This early model used a combination of synchronized pendulums, electric probes and electrochemically sensitive paper to scan documents, and then send the information over a series of wires to be reproduced. The "Great Migration" on the Oregon trail began the same year, when a wagon train of about 1,000 migrants attempted to travel west, but probably died of dysentery along the way.

r-TIFFANY-large570.jpg


6. The jewelry store Tiffany & Co. was founded before Italy was a country.

While Rome was officially a holdout for a number of years after, in 1861 General Giuseppe Garibaldi led a successful campaign to gather the various city-states and bring them under one nation. Charles Lewis Tiffany and John B. Young founded Tiffany & Young in 1837 and then became Tiffany & Co. in 1853. This means Audrey Hepburn could have gotten "breakfast at Tiffany's" before she could have had her Italian "Roman Holiday.

Similarly, Macy's was founded in 1858, also before Italy became the nation we know it as today.


7. France was still using the guillotine when "Star Wars" came out.

o-THE-STARRY-NIGHT-VAN-GOGH-570.jpg

The last time the guillotine was used as a form of execution in France was in 1977. The guillotine lasted for about two centuries. The first "Star Wars" film was also released in 1977 a few months before the execution.

Another mind-blow French historical fact: The Eiffel Tower was completed in 1889, which is the same year Nintendo was founded and that Van Gogh painted "The Starry Night."


8. Two of President John Tyler's grandsons are still alive.

r-HARRISON-TYLER-large570.jpg

John Tyler was America's 10th President, serving from 1841 to 1845, but somehow two of his grandsons are still alive. Mental Floss first reported on this fact in 2012, but since then Snopes has verified their identities, while New York Magazine even interviewed one of the grandsons. As of last year, both Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr. and Harrison Tyler were still only in their 80s.


Time is now ruined.

Via HuffPo

'Tis the season for resolutions, for Kayne this means 6 months in time out

..............maybe Kim's could be no more duck face ?

VIA Huffington Post : Apparently, Kanye West is tired of the world criticizing him for sticking his foot in his mouth. The rapper went on a 27–minute–long rant at his Toronto show, saying he'll stop speaking negatively for "six months, at least."

His oddly–musical stream of conscious described how West is looking forward to 2014, and even 2024. "I decided to completely focus everything in 2014 on all the new ideas and all the creative outlets," he said.

The rapper referenced the disagreements he has had with Nike, and promised to move forward from it with a positive attitude. "I'm not [going to] ever bring up Nike again. And the only way I'll bring them up is in a positive light," he said. "Because I actually appreciate the opportunity to have been able to make my own shoe with them, and if I didn't have the opportunity I wouldn't have my deal I have with Adidas right now."

West has become well–known in recent years for his controversial actions and statements. While he isn't willing to change who he is, he noted his need to keep it quiet for a while. He explained that his fans are one big family and he is the "crazy cousin." He joked that every family needs someone to play that role.

His rant might have gone a little overboard, but his sentiments seem positive. "I just really feel like I want to be expressive with my work, with my music. I want to be expressive with this opportunity I have with Adidas, and just go home to my family," he told his audience.

Will Kanye manage to keep his mouth shut in early 2014? We'll believe it when we see it.

If you have an incredibly high tolerance for West's antics, check out the full video of his below:

 

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/26/k...

Robin Thicke Sues Marvin Gaye's Family To Protect 'Blurred Lines'

Many have noted the similarity between Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give It Up" and Robin Thicke's song-of-the-summer smash hit "Blurred Lines," and now Thicke has gone on the offensive to ensure that the sonic likeness of the two songs doesn't end up costing him any money. Read the full story via HuffingtonPost.com HERE.

Watch the UNRATED version only on VEVO: http://vevo.ly/W0OCcA Pre Order in US now! http://smarturl.it/BlurredAlbum Click here for a special customized canvas of Blurred Lines: http://smarturl.it/CapThicke Watch him perform live on Interscope Introducing : http://smarturl.it/RTIntroducing Music video by Robin Thicke performing Blurred Lines. (C) 2013 Star Trak, LLC

mobile playable

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/16/r...