History Facts for Kids
Incredible facts from the past
Alexander the Great founded approximately 20 cities named Alexandria during his conquests, the most famous being Alexandria in Egypt — which became the greatest city in the ancient world.
The concept of zero as a number and the decimal positional number system were invented in ancient India. Without zero, modern mathematics, computing, and science would be impossible.
Mary Read and Anne Bonny were two of the most feared pirates of the early 18th century. Both women disguised themselves as men and fought alongside the crew of pirate 'Calico Jack' Rackham.
Albert Einstein failed the entrance exam to the Swiss Federal Polytechnic in Zurich on his first attempt at the age of 15, largely because of weak French language skills.
Ancient Rome had thermopolia — the equivalent of fast-food restaurants — where hot food was served from containers embedded in stone counters. Archaeologists have found hundreds in Pompeii alone.
The Rosetta Stone, discovered in Egypt in 1799, was the key to deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics — it contains the same text written in three scripts, including Greek, which scholars could already read.
The ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes reportedly leapt out of his bath and ran through the streets naked shouting 'Eureka!' (meaning 'I have found it!') after realising he could measure volume by water displacement.
Alexander Graham Bell made the first successful telephone call on 10 March 1876, saying to his assistant in the next room: 'Mr Watson, come here — I want to see you.'
Ancient Egyptians invented papyrus — a writing material made from the stems of the papyrus plant — around 3,000 BC. It was so revolutionary that the word 'paper' is derived from it.
The Magna Carta was signed by King John of England in 1215 under pressure from rebellious barons. It was the first document to establish that even a king was subject to the rule of law.