Surprising Historical Secrets nobody knows

Are you dozing off during your class on the Ancient Egyptians? Wake up! History is a hotbed of juicy details conveniently edited out. Events can be exaggerated or even fabricated for effect and secrets lie waiting at every corner. Here are some historical secrets that will make you question everything!

Turkeys were once worshipped
The ancient Mayans thought the birds were the vessels of the gods and they were an integral part of rituals and religious rites. They are heavily featured in Maya iconography and archaeology that date back to 300 B.C. And here you were, thinking the traditional presidential pardon at Thanksgiving was a big deal!

Napoleon Bonaparte tried to fight off 3,000 angry bunnies
It happened like this. In 1807, Napoleon Bonaparte, the revered conqueror wanted to go on a rabbit hunt. His men gathered up 3,000 rabbits and put them in cages. When it was time for the hunt, the rabbits were released and they all made a beeline for Bonaparte. In what we now know as the Great Bunny siege of 1807, the rabbits attacked the standing army swarming up legs and clawing at jackets. They were unfazed by the guns and switches and they drove a terrified Bonaparte into his carriage. Historians agree that Napoleon’s men didn’t capture wild hares for the hunt as they should have. They just rounded up bunnies from local farms. When the cages opened, the bunnies didn’t see Napoleon as a threat, they just thought it was lunchtime. Bonaparte survived the onslaught. His dignity didn’t.

Abraham Lincoln was a pro wrestler
He was a great one too – he only lost one match and he participated in about 300. Before he became the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln gained a solid reputation as an elite fighter in New Salem, Illinois. He eventually snagged his county’s wrestling championship.

Calvin Coolidge was the original Joe Exotic
He owned two lions hilariously named Tax Reduction and Budget Bureau. He wasn’t the only US President with a weakness for exotic pets. John Quincy Adams had a pet alligator that he kept in the guest bathroom (as one does). Theodore Roosevelt owned a black bear, a coyote, and a zebra during his Presidency.