MOST BIZARRE Historical Events

hey everyone I'm counting down 15 of the most bizarre historical events starting with number 15 the pig War while the United States gained independence in the late 18th century tensions remained high with the British Empire for long after and one of the more unusual conflicts that took place between the two was called the pig War which took place in 1859 it was all to do with the disagreement over the ownership of the San Juan Islands which are located between Vancouver Island and the mainland United States and its name because while no people were injured a

pig found itself caught in the crossfire this all happened because of a dispute about the wording of the Oregon Treaty of 1846 which aimed to settle the boundary between British North America and the United States in the Pacific Northwest the treaty said that the boundary would run along the 49th parallel to the middle of the channel which separates the continents from Vancouver Island which left room for differing interpretations and led to both sides es claiming the San Juan Islands things escalated a bit on June 15th 1859 when an American Settler named Lyman Cutler took a

pig belonging to Charles Griffin an employee of the Hudson Bay Company because it was digging in his garden what seemed to be a relatively minor incident would then spark a serious International dispute Griffin demanded compensation which Cutler refused claiming the pig had been trespassing and as tensions Rose the British authorities threatened to arrest Cutler which led to the American settlers requesting military protection in response General William S Harney the US Army commander in the department of Oregon dispatched Captain George picket and a company of soldiers to San Juan Island to protect the American interests piet's

arrival on June 27th 1859 inflamed the situation as British authorities viewed this as an occupation of disputed territory British troops were ordered to confront picket but refused to engage in combat reportedly stating that the would not involve two great nations in a war over a squabble about a pig well for several months there was a standoff with both sides reinforcing their positions the situation remained a diplomatic and Military deadlock with each unwilling to escalate the conflict to actual violence well ultimately both governments realized how ridiculous the whole situation was and agreed to a joint military

occupation of the islands while diplomatic negotiations continued number 14 the dancing plague of 1518 so today it's not too unusual to see people dancing in the streets and recording themselves while they do it but this isn't the first time that dancing fever has broken out on a mass scale in 1518 A peculiar event took place that still to this day hasn't been fully explained the dancing plague of 1518 it was a bizarre and mysterious event that took place in Strasburg in modern day France in the Holy Roman Empire residents there experienced experienced an outbreak of

involuntary and uncontrollable dancing with dozens of people dancing for days on end without rest this strange phenomenon lasted for about 2 months and resulted in a number of people verging on the brink of utter exhaustion it all began when a woman named fra traaa stepped into the streets and started dancing by herself she continued to dance for hours and within a week around 34 others had joined her as the dancing continued more people joined in and the the number of dancers grew to about 400 this outbreak puzzled and alarmed the local authorities and Physicians who

were unable to explain the cause of the dancing or how to stop it several theories have been put forward to explain the dancing plague one being it was a form of mass hysteria triggered by the stress and hardships faced by the people of stasbor others have suggested that the dancers were victims of ergotism which is a condition caused by consuming infected Rye with the Urgot fungus which can induce hallucinations convulsions and other symptoms we'll probably never be certain and with other similar events having also taken place since it could well happen again number 13 the

Indian cobra Bounty have you ever tried to do something but the complete opposite ended up happening this is something called the Cobra effect and while this may sound like a strange name it's got roots in a historical story where things certainly didn't go to plan back in colonial India during during British rule there was a serious problem with the number of cobras in the city of Delhi in an attempt to get the situation under control British authorities decided to implement a bounty system they offered a monetary reward for every Cobra brought to them hoping this

would give an incentive to everyone in the city to capture and therefore reduce the number of these deadly snakes at first the strategy seemed successful many Cobras were handed in for the Bounty but people soon realized they could make a serious profit from the system instead of tracking down wild cobras as was intended some enterprising individuals began breeding Cobras for the sole purpose of collecting the Bounty when the British authorities finally found out that this was happening they quickly ended this bounty scheme but now losing their potential income the Cobra breeders released their now worthless

snakes into the wild this then caused a huge increase in the number of cobras with far more now in the wild and loose in the city than there were before the Bounty had been introduced it's a mistake that's actually been made time and time again particularly when it comes to trying to control populations of wild animals where a scheme that's introduced with one intention makes things a whole lot worse with unintended consequences number 12 the miracle of 1511 the miracle of 1511 which also became known as the snowman's rebellion was an event that took place

in Brussels during a particularly harsh winter between 1511 and 1512 12 the city had experienced unusually heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures which made everyday life extremely challenging this came to be at a time when things were already tense with people losing faith in the ability of their leaders to be effective and so in protest residents took to the streets and began creating an astonishing number of snowmen and snow sculptures some estimates suggest that many thousands of figures were made transforming Brussels into a sprawling gallery of snow art the sculpture were not just Whimsical Creations but

they had deep social and political messages behind them many sazed and critiqued the ruling authorities the church and societal Norms snowmen depicted local politicians clergymen and even the Duke of Brent who ruled over the region in mocking poses and other figures represented everyday struggles such as poverty hunger and the harshness of winter cleverly even though some of the imagery was highly provocative they also knew that very little would come of it because due to the nature of the way they were made they knew the snowmen would eventually melt and all traces would be gone this

event did show though how effective communal action and art can be in society the citizens of Brussels came together to transform their City to make a statement which was ultimately listened to by their leaders who made strides in improving the lives of residents in the following years number 11 the straw hat Riot the straw hat Riot of 1922 was a strange social conflict that took place in New York City that revolved around how strictly people in the early 20th century adhered to social conventions and the consequences when those Traditions were breached in the 1920s there

was a widely observed but Unwritten rule in the United States that men should stop wearing straw hats by September 15th straw hats were popular summer attire but wearing them Beyond this date was considered a serious fashion faux paaw this seemingly trivial rule was taken very seriously especially in urban areas like New York City the riot began on the evening of September 13th 1922 2 days before The Unofficial deadline groups of young men known as the Hat Smashers took to the streets forcibly removing hats from pedestrians and smashing them this began as a form of prank

or mischief but quickly escalated into widespread violence and Chaos the first incident occurred in the mulbury bend area of Manhattan where a group of youths began attacking Factory workers who were still wearing their straw hats the violence spread to other parts of the city with large groups of people roaming the streets targeting anyone seen wearing a straw hat even carrying sticks and large boards to knock hats off heads more effectively the New York Times reported the disturbances describing scenes of chaos where mobs attacked individuals and even fought with those who tried to defend their hats

the violence became so intense that it involved police intervention leading to several arrests and injuries the police police struggled to control the rioter who were determined to enforce the unwritten fashion rule with a surprising level of aggression the riots lasted for about a week peing on the night of September 15th as the city authorities increased their efforts to calm the disorder the rioting finally ended number 10 Caligula made a horse a senator of Rome the Roman Emperor Caligula who reigned from 37 to 41 ad is often remembered for his Centric and tyrannical Behavior but possibly

the strangest Story of All About Him was his relationship with his favorite horse intis according to historical sources the emperor went to Great Lengths to ensure the comfort and importance of the horse building a stable of marble an ivory manger purple blankets and even a palace with a team of servants Caligula's lavish treatment of incitatus was not just an act of personal luxury but also a calculated display of his absolute power as the disdain he held for the Roman senate something he would make even clearer by supposedly even making his horse a senator now whether

this actually happened isn't entirely clear but two Roman historians suetonius and cassus doo wrote about it suetonius in his work the 12 Caesars claims that Caligula planed to make incitatus a Consul the highest elected office in Rome and cassus in his Roman history goes on to say that Caligula's intention was to ridicule the Senate and illust at the futility of their power in comparison to his own so while there's no confirmation that it did happen it's quite probable that Caligula was suggesting the idea as a symbolic gesture meant to insult and undermine the Senate by

elevating a horse to such high status Caligula was effectively demonstrating that the office of Senator or cul was meaningless and subject to his whims when we in modern times think our leaders couldn't manage to Plum the new depths of ridiculous it's stories like this that show it's been a problem for thousands of years in the case of Caligula Behavior like this didn't work out so well for him and his Reign was brought to an end in 41 ad by officers of the petorian guard and members of the Senate number nine the siege of tenoch titlan

the siege of tenoch titlan which resulted in the fall of the Aztec capital to Spanish conquistadors and their allies in 1521 was one of the most pivotal events in South America American history but not everything went to plan for the Spanish Hernan Cortez having allied with various local groups who were enemies of the Aztecs laid Siege to the capital in May of 1521 Teno tlon was located on an island in a lake making at a fortress that could only be approached via causeways so as The Siege progressed Cortez looked for ways to breach the city's

defenses and speed up the fall of the Aztec empire it was suggested to him that they use a historically successful Siege weapon to to do this the trebuchet now it was designed to hurl large stones and projectiles over long distances and it was hoped that such a machine could be effective in bombarding the city's fortifications the Spanish who had limited access to gunpowder and artillery in the new world saw this as a game changer despite the familiarity in this medieval technology Cortez didn't exactly have a full detail of competent Engineers with him during the campaign

so the construction and operation of the trebuchet became far more difficult than expected if eventually though it was completed and positioned on a platform as close to the Target as possible what happened though was a complete farce after placing a large Stone on it to launch towards the city's walls the treuchet misfired The Rock simply launched directly upwards and when it came back down again landed on top of the trebuchet and smashed it to Pieces needless to say this was the end of their plans to try to use this machine and it is one of

the last examples of a trebuchet being used in combat the Spanish res ordered two traditional methods after this and by August of 1521 took over the city and ended the Aztec empire number eight the order of the Pug there are countless societies around the world and probably just as many secret ones too but of all the strangest to have been formed was probably the order of the Pug it's also known as the order of the mops it was a secret society that emerged in Europe in the mid 18th century and it was created at a

time when there were increasing restriction being placed on Catholic participation in Masonic lodges in 1738 Pope Clement th 12th issued a papal bull in eminente which condemned Freemasonry and prohibited Catholics from joining the organizations in response to this ban a group of German Nobles and Aristocrats founded the order of the Pug around 1740 as an alternative to Freemasonry that would be acceptable to Catholics the Pug dog was chosen as the emblem for the order for several reasons they were popular pets among European nobility and were seen as loyal steadfast and non-threatening qualities that the order

valued the rituals and symbolism of the order of the Pug borrowed Heavenly from Freemasonry but were adapted to circumvent the papal prohibition initiation ceremonies included acts such as wearing a dog collar and scratching at the door to be admitted as well as kissing a porcelain Pug's rear end to show humility and Allegiance now despite seeming satirical the order of the Pug was a series organization that attracted many influential figures including Nobles Military Officers and intellectuals it provided a venue for discussing Enlightenment ideas and promoting values such as equality fraternity and rationality albeit with a context

that was acceptable to the Catholic Church however its existence was relatively shortlived by the late 18th century the order of the Pug began to decline partly due to changing political and social climates and the reduced influence of secret societies in the face of more open and public political movements moving on to number seven Pepsi owned the sixth largest military so when you think of Pepsi Co you probably think of all the different drinks that over the years one of the world's largest multinational beverage companies has sold but it turns out that just a few decades

ago they were involved in a far more controversial type of business International arm sales The Story begins in the late 1950s when the company was looking to enter the Soviet market during the 1959 American National exhibition in Moscow vice president Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita kusf had their famous kitchen debate during which Pepsi was showcased to Soviet citizens the encounter sparked significant interest in the western soft drank however the Soviet Union's Ruble was not convertible on the international market and this made it difficult for Pepsi to even do business by 1972 Pepsi and the

Soviet government struck a unique deal to overcome this the Soviets agreed to exchange vodka specifically stoich Naya for Pepsi concentrate and this Arrangement allowed Pepsi to become the first American consumer product manufactured and sold in the Soviet Union the relationship between PepsiCo and the Soviet Union strengthened over the years and by the late 1980s this agreement coming to an end PepsiCo looked to renew and expand the deal the Soviets were Keen to to continue importing Pepsi but needed to find new Commodities to offer in exchange due to declining vodka sales this led to an extraordinary

proposal in 1989 the Soviet government offered PepsiCo a fleet of military hardware including 17 submarines a cruiser a frigate and a destroyer this of course wasn't because PepsiCo had any intentions to increase their military capabilities even though the deal would technically mean they had the world's sixth largest naval force in the time instead it was the scrap value that would cover the cost of the concentrate and the particular subs and vessels said they've been decommissioned this did though lead to the CEO of Pepsi Co Donald Kendall saying to Brent snowcraft the National Security adviser to

President George HW Bush that the company was disarming the Soviets faster than you are eventually the military hardware was sold to a Swedish company for scrapping providing PepsiCo with the funds it needed while also playing a small part in the reduction of Cold War military assets number six the Tower of Pisa was wonky from the start it's one of the most famous buildings in the world because of its peculiar slant but the problems with the Tower of Pisa weren't ones that developed after it was completed in fact it was quite clear to everyone involved that

there were issues with the foundation shortly after work began on it but the decision was made to just keep going construction of the tower began in August of 1173 3 as part of a grand Cathedral complex intended to demonstrate the wealth and artistic abilities of the Republic of Pisa the tower was designed as a freestanding bell tower for the cathedral now the ground beneath Pisa however is a dense mixture of sand clay and shells with a particularly unstable subsoil the foundation was not adequate to support this massive Stone structure a factor that was not fully

understood at the time by the time the builders reached the third floor of the tower in 1178 it begun to noticeably lean to the north due to the unstable ground recognizing the Tilt construction was halted for nearly a century as Pisa was embroiled in conflicts with neighboring states such as Florence Genoa and Lucha construction resumed in 1272 and Engineers attempted to correct a lean by building the upper floors with one side taller than the other this adjustment created a slight curve in the tower structure well despite those efforts the lean persisted and even worsened as

construction continued by the time the tower was completed in 1372 after nearly 200 years of intermittent work the Tilt was significant and clearly visible the tower continued to Tilt at a rate of approximately 1 mm per year and by the late 20th century the lean had reached a dangerous angle of over 5° in 1990 the Italian government closed the tower to the public and initiated a major restoration project to prevent its collapse Engineers removed soil from underneath the higher side and used lead counterweights to gradually reduced the Tilt by 2001 the lean was reduced to

about 3.97 de and the tower was reopened to the public number five Orchid delirium Orchid delirium is also known as Orchid Mania was an intense and often obsessive fascination with orchids that swept through Europe and North America during the Victorian era particularly from the early 19th century to the early 20th it can be traced back to when European explorers and naturalists began to discover and do doent the vast diversity of orchids in tropical regions and the publication of detailed Botanical illustrations and accounts of these exotic plants captured the imagination of wealthy Europeans as the demand

for orchids grew wealthy collectors and botanical gardens sponsored expeditions to far-flung corners of the world including South America southeast Asia and Africa these Expeditions were Frau with danger as Orchid Hunters Brave treacherous terrains and tropical diseases and hostile wildlife in their Quest to find new and rare species the competition among collectors and horticulturalists was fierce Orchid auctions became highly competitive events with wealthy enthusiasts willing to pay huge sums for rare specimens some collectors went to the extreme lengths to protect their prized plants employing armed guards and constructing elaborate Greenhouse systems to create the perfect growing

conditions with single plants sometimes being worth more than most everyday citizens would earn in a lifetime the obsession with orchids did though lead to significant advancements in Horticultural techniques gardeners and botanists develop methods for cultivating and hybridizing orchids leading to the creation of new varieties there was however a darker side to all of this as the Relentless quest for new orchids often resulted in the overh harvesting of wild populations leading to the decline and in some cases the extinction of certain species despite its obsessiveness Orchid delirium left a lasting Legacy as it was the passion

and dedication of Victorian Orchid enthusiasts that laid the foundation for the modern Orchid industry orchids however do remain one of the most popular and widely cultivated groups of plants thanks to their intricate Beauty and diversity so next time you see one just think how a few hundred years ago it was easily the most valuable thing in your home number four the 1904 St Louis Olympic Marathon nowadays Olympic events are meticulously organized with officials keeping an eye on everything to make sure it's being conducted properly but that hasn't always been the way the 1904 St Louis

Olympic Marathon for example has gone down in history as being one of the most bizarre and controversial Olympic events to ever take place it was held during the 1904 summer olympics on August 30th and was a grueling 24.8 5 Mi or just under 40 km over Dusty unpaved roads featuring Seven Hills and sharp turns the temperature on race day soared to around 90° fah or 32° C with high humidity creating tough conditions for the competitors the first problem came because the lack of water for the runners this was partly intentional as race organizer James Sullivan

wanted to conduct research on purposeful dehydration and its effects on athletic performance and he found out very quickly with just two water stations early on in the race many Runners suffered from severe dehydration and this was a major reason why of the 32 who began the race only 14 finished this wasn't all that went wrong though Fred LS an American brick layer led the race for the first nine miles but he began suffering cramps so hitched a ride in a car after about 11 miles he was refreshed he rejoined the race and quickly ran across

the Finish Line initially being declared the winner however his cheating was quickly discovered and he was disqualified leading to one of the first major scandals in Olympic history the eventual winner Thomas Hicks also faced some challenges and his victory was cont Rial as well his trainers administered a mixture of stimulants and Brandy to keep him going which today would be considered illegal doping and despite being severely weakened and barely able to walk he staggered across the Finish Line with his trainers holding him up securing his victory with a time of 3 hours 28 minutes and

53 seconds other competitors who had an unusual race included Cuban Runner Felix Carvajal a late entry who had to raise money by performing stunts to get to the United States and ran the marathon in Street cloth he continually stopped to chat with Spectators and even took a nap during the race making it more impressive that he finished fourth Len tonen and John mashani two South African participants who were among the first Africans to compete in the Olympics faced additional challenges with tonen being chased a mile off course by wild dogs some would argue this would

make it far more interesting to watch but it was in many ways the lessons learned during the marathon that made Olympic organizers far stricter with how things are planned so nothing like this could ever happen again supposedly number three the battle of pelum the battle of pelum which was fought in 525 BC took place near the city of pelum on the Eastern edge of the Nile Delta and it was a decisive point in the Persian conquest of Egypt leading to the fall of the 26th Dynasty cises II the son of Cyrus the Great was looking

to extend the Persian Empire by conquering Egypt and the Egyptian Pharaoh samic III who had set up defenses in pelum but the Persians had found a unique advantage to use against the Egyptians ancient Egyptians held animals particularly cats in high regard due to their association with the goddess bastet bastet was the goddess of Home fertility and protection and harming a cat even accidentally was considered a grave offense punishable by death cises decided to exploit this and according to historical accounts ordered his soldiers to carry cats into battle some reports also suggested that the Persians painted

images of the bastet on their Shields tied cats to their backs and drove a large number of cats in front of their lines as they Advanced towards the Egyptian defenses faced with the sight of their sacred animals being used the Egyptian soldiers found themselves unable to harm the animals and risk angering the gods which led to chaos in the ranks and their ultimate defeat number two rabbits attack Napoleon Napoleon has gone down and history as one of the most famous and successful military strategists but not every battle he was involved in went to plan in

July of 1807 after the signing of the Treaty of tilset which marked the end of hostilities between the French Empire and Russia Napoleon organized a grand hunt on the grounds of his estate in preparation Napoleon's Chief of Staff Alexander Bertier ordered thousands of rabbits to be captured and released on the hunting grounds they were gathered and kept in cages until the start of the hunt when the time came the rabbits were released from their enclosures what was meant to be a controlled and leisurely hunt quickly turned into chaos though as instead of fleeing from the

hunters the rabbits turned and charged towards the group including Napoleon he and his friends were initially amused by the sight of the oncoming rabbits but this soon turned to confusion and then to concern as the rabbits continued their Relentless Advance the emperor tried to shoe them away with his riding crop and The Hunting Party attempted to fend them off with sticks and their bare hands but the rabbits kept on going they overwhelmed Napoleon and his party swarming over their feet and even climbing over their coats eventually Napoleon had to retreat to his carriage and despite

the best efforts to contain the rabbit assault the emperor was forced to retreat away from the grounds these tame rabbits were used to being fed by humans and probably thought the Hunting Party would there to feed them so they were very keen to get as close as possible to their new friends now number one the wild west of Palisade in Nevada the wild west was a ruthless place where gunfights broke out at dawn and the law was virtually helpless in the face of continual attacks at least that's what people were meant to think during the

1870s Palisade Nevada was actually a thriving railroad Town benefiting from a strategic location and the flow of goods and people the town was what you'd expect from a frontier settlement it had saloons hotels and businesses catering to the needs of TR Travelers and local residents and it was a peaceful place but the residents in order to attract more visitors decide to turn it into a theatrical spectacle organizing a series of staged gunfights robberies and attacks The hoax began in response to sensationalist newspaper reports about The romanticized portrayal of the Wild West in popular culture residents

of Palisade realizing that tourists and travelers were eager for A Taste of the Wild Frontier decided to give them just what they they were looking for whenever a train pulled into town the locals would spring into action performing dramatic and convincing scenes of violence rather than a few set scenes this was a commitment on a whole different level men would engage in mock gunfights complete with realistic sound effects victims would fall dramatically to the ground seemingly wounded and local businesses took part too with saloons being robbed and stage coaches held up by masked Bandits the

performances also played in into the stereotypes and fears of the time providing an adrenaline pumping show for unsuspecting visitors just like you get at theme parks today the towns people's dedication to these performances was so thorough that even those in on the joke would occasionally be startled by how real it seemed the result was Palisade becoming famous with train passengers who witnessed these scenes spreading the word newspapers picked up on the stories drawing even more Curious visitors eager to see the excitement but but it wouldn't last forever as the truth about palisad staging eventually came

to light in the years that followed palisad slowly declined as railroads and transportation routes changed now Palisade is a ghost town with only a few remnants of its vibrant past remaining thanks for hanging out with me everyone I'll see you next time thank you to our channel members