That really happened? Why has no one told me about this?

I was reading this: http://www.cracked.com/article_18430_6-historic-acts-revenge-that-put-kill-bill-to-shame.html and was astounded by the first entry. So I read this: http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/heroine10.html

HOLY SHIT! REALLY? Why isn't James Cameron making a movie about THAT?

Focus: Amazing obscure histories. What are some truly awesome stories from history that few people know about?

 

FOCUS: Personally, I love Robert Greene's books for this very reason. They are all full of cool stories, some you've heard of, some you haven't. The really cool thing though is he always ties them back into a lesson, being that it is a book about power, seduction, love or 50 cent.

Take for instance Miyamoto Musashi, genius samurai, wrote Book of Five rings. Basically this guy, killed this guys father in a duel. Pissed off, rightfully so his son challenges Musashi to a duel. But this son is a prick, and Musashi knows it so as opposed to showing up late like his status quo, he shows up a little early. So like anyone would do he lies in the bushes waiting, watching. This guy shows up with a bunch of dudes, like the asshole he is. They start bullshitting, standing around, Musashi sick of hearing this bullshit jumps up and slashes the son in the face. Being a badass samurai and all he runs at them, making sure to angle them so they block each other. Slashing heads left and right, he kills what I'm probably guessing like 30 dudes. Bing bang boom he is done for the day proving once again, to be a badass. That is just one of the many obscure tales in that book.

Directors should seriously just read any of those books, hire some good fucking writers and take some poetic license. Seriously.

edit:spelling, ugh.

 

Please excuse the Wiki quote

So Musashi butchered a 12 year old boy then legged it. I'm not saying it wasn't tactically sound or politically expedient, just a bit of a douche act.

Focus: William Marshal


<a class="postlink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Marshal,_1st_Earl_of_Pembroke" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Ma ... f_Pembroke</a>

 

Cracked has dozens of articles that apply directly to this topic. I suggest looking up "Five Real-Life Soldiers who Made Rambo Look Like a Pussy," but beyond that this is probably my favorite "obscure" history one:

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.cracked.com/article/238_5-inspiring-acts-kindness-by-terrifying-crime-syndicates/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.cracked.com/article/238_5-in ... yndicates/</a>

 

I give you Simo Hayha. This guy has 505 confirmed kills on the Red Army. You read the right: five hundred and five, this guy was a one man holocaust. I wouldn't be surprised if he even capped Russians while taking a shit.

Here's that article, 5 Real Life Soldiers Who Make Rambo Look Like a Pussy.

 

I recall seeing this story on Masterminds on TRU TV about an ex-SEAL who got busted for robbing fast-food joints by drilling into them at night. After a month in prison, he mail-ordered a bunch of sew-on patches and disguised his prison outfit and climbed into the wheel well of a laundry truck. He made it to a small town and went into Wal Mart and NEVER LEFT. He lived in Wal Mart. He lived on baby food and had manipulated their security cameras and would come and go as he pleased. He then robbed the store pretending to break in but he never left. Because by then he lived in the abandoned Circuit City next door. He was engaged to a prominent businesswoman when they finally caught him. One smart motherfucker.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla

The only mention of him in Hollywood that I can recall is in The Prestige, where he is a secondary character. What he is rumored to have accomplished is utterly insane and fascinating.

 

I'll second Tesla. Hell, there's a theory that the man was responsible for the Tunguska Explosion (no way of being sure, but *still*)

Boudicea/Boudicca was pretty hardcore, too, though she's actually fairly well known in the UK. They're even reasonably sure where she's buried, but they can't verify it as their best guess is under one of the platforms for St. Pancras train station.

 

Being a Kiwi there are two guys that I have always held a great amount of respect for Burt Munro and John Britten. Munro modified a 1920 Indian Scout to break a land speed record in his 60s that still stands today and Britten built a superbike in his backyard that won numerous world racing events. Munro even had a movie made about him called The Worlds fastest Indian, Anthony Hopkins is awesome in it.

For those bike freaks and racing enthusiasts out there have a read of these.

http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/hofbiopage.asp?id=381

http://www.britten.co.nz/history/johnbritten.html

 

Jan Baalsrud. He cheated death so often you have wonder if he didn't have a bet going. David Brooks wrote a column about him earlier this month.

 

The (surprisingly not well-known) 1917 Halifax Explosion:

also:

Cool Hoover Dam fact (from what I was told there):

99 people died building the Hoover Dam. The last man that died there was the SON of the FIRST man that died there. Seriously, how fucked up is that?

 

I may have posted this on the old board , but think its still worth sharing.

List of ususual deaths http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unusual_deaths

which includes The Dyatlov Pass incident

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyatlov_Pass_incident

 

Hill 60 - A bunch of Aussie Diggers set off the biggest explosion in human history (Prior to Hiroshima) right under the German lines, vaporising over 10,000 Hun.

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.beneathhill60.com.au/background.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.beneathhill60.com.au/background.htm</a>

And they are making a movie about it.

 

Another bunch of famous Aussie diggers.

The Rats of Tobruk.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rats_of_tobruk

 

If you ever wondered why English is such a fucked-up language, you have the Vikings to thank.

Back in 1066 they fought, and were soundly defeated by the English in the Battle of Stamford Bridge.

Just a few WEEKS later, the Normans landed and fought the English in the Battle of Hastings. These guys were depleted, and many fighting in Hastings were walking wounded from the previous battles, and they had to fight against an even number of Norman warriors. They lost, and a vestige of this loss is reflected in the way we speak English today.

The mind-blowing part of all this? This happened as a result of a few battles involving just a few thousand guys. Think about that next time you have to use the dictionary because you can't figure out how to spell a word in English.