History Facts for Kids
Incredible facts from the past
Alexander the Great had conquered an empire stretching from Greece to northwestern India by the time he was just 32 years old. He never lost a single battle in his military career. His empire stretched over two million square miles, connecting many cultures and spreading Greek language and culture across the ancient world.
China invented movable type printing around 1040 AD by Bi Sheng, about 400 years before Johannes Gutenberg's printing press in Europe. Korean craftsmen later created metal movable type in the 13th century. Gutenberg's press was independently invented but revolutionized European communication and literacy.
Athletes in the ancient Olympic Games competed completely naked. The Greeks believed the human body was a thing of beauty to be celebrated, and clothing was seen as unnecessary during athletic competition. The word 'gymnasium' even comes from the Greek word 'gymnos,' meaning naked.
On August 28, 1963, more than 250,000 people gathered at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. It was there that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous 'I Have a Dream' speech. The march helped push forward the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Roman concrete used in ancient harbors and buildings actually gets stronger over time as it ages, unlike modern concrete which weakens. Scientists discovered that seawater reacts with the volcanic ash used in Roman concrete to grow strengthening crystals. This remarkable property is being studied to make modern concrete more durable.
The Mesoamerican ballgame, played by the Olmec, Maya, and Aztec civilizations, is the oldest known team sport, dating back over 3,500 years. Players used their hips, knees, and elbows to keep a heavy rubber ball in the air without using their hands. Evidence suggests losers — or possibly winners — were sometimes sacrificed to the gods.
Napoleon Bonaparte's most enduring legacy may not be his military conquests but the Napoleonic Code, the legal framework he established in 1804. This code established equality before the law, freedom of religion, and property rights, replacing the old feudal legal system. It influenced the legal systems of dozens of countries around the world.
Ancient Egyptians loved playing board games. Senet, one of the world's oldest board games, was played in Egypt over 5,000 years ago. Game boards have even been found inside ancient tombs, suggesting Egyptians expected to play games in the afterlife!
British codebreakers at Bletchley Park, including mathematician Alan Turing, cracked Germany's secret Enigma code during World War Two. Historians believe this intelligence work shortened the war by up to two years and saved millions of lives. The codebreakers' work remained classified until the 1970s.
The Great Wall of China was not built all at once — it was constructed and extended over many centuries by different Chinese dynasties beginning as early as the 7th century BC. The sections most tourists visit today were built during the Ming Dynasty between 1368 and 1644. In total, the wall and all its branches stretch over 13,000 miles.