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Sometimes we forget how young the world is when we discuss history, so here's a few modern milestones to get things in perspective:
- Pocahontas of Jamestown died in England only one year after William Shakespeare.
- The Holy Roman Empire was dissolved a full 30 years after the United States declared its Independence. In fact, the empire collapsed the same year that Colgate was established in New York!
- The various cities and states on the Italian Peninsula did not unify into a single sovereign nation of Italy until eighty-five years after the United States.
- The 26 autonomous Germanic princedoms, duchies, and principalities in Central Europe did not become a unified sovereign nation of Germany until ninety-five years after the United States.
- The Ottoman Empire actually fell 30 years after Nintendo was established.
- Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, and Nintendo all existed at the same time.
- Van Gogh actually painted his masterpiece “The Starry Night” the same year that Nintendo formed as a corporation.
- Many people today have this notion that Picasso must a Renaissance man, but in actuality this world-renowned painter and sculptor was still very much alive when President Richard Nixon withdrew American forces from Vietnam.
- President Ronald Reagan was alive at the same time as Harriet Tubman. Harriet Tubman was alive at the same time as President Thomas Jefferson.
- California's world-famous Golden Gate Bridge is actually 4 years younger than their long-reigning (and still current) Senator Diane Feinstein.
- It took a mere 66 years for America to go from the first powered flight (the Wright Flyer in 1903) to the first landing on the Moon (Apollo 11 in 1969).
- The Azec Empire was only established nearly 200 years after Oxford officially became a University.
- The patent for the fax machine was filed five days before the first major wagon train left Missouri and head west on the Oregon Trail, with 1000 pioneers on 100 wagons pulled by 5000 oxen.
- Sylvester Magee, the last living former slave in America, died fifteen days after the opening of Disney World .
- Shrek actually predates 9/11. That's how long ago - or recent - it was, depends on the person reading this.
- Rosa Parks was still alive in 2005, the year when Hollywood released Batman Begins, Sin City, Revenge of the Sith, Kingdom of Heaven, Wedding Crashers, Madagascar, Hitch, Mr and Mrs Smith, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire , Constantine, and American Pie Presents: Band Camp.
- Ruby Bridges is a well-known historical figure in U.S high school textbooks for being the very first Black girl allowed to attend an interracial school in America, under the protection of armed Federal agents. That historic moment was not as long ago as you might think. She was actually born the same year as Oprah Winfrey, Denzel Washington, John Travolta, Jackie Chan, Jerry Seinfeld, Howard Stern, Dennis Quaid, Katey Sagal, James Cameron, Ang Lee, David Lee Roth, Yanni, The Simpsons' Matt Groening, Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary, WWE's Paul Bearer, U.S Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Germany's Angela Merkel, Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Australia's Malcolm Turnbull, and Japan's Shinzo Abe.
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Feel free to add your own interesting facts, but remember to include reference links! If you don't have anything of substance to add, please enjoy the thread quietly without the usual WR shit-posting.
- Pocahontas of Jamestown died in England only one year after William Shakespeare.
- The Holy Roman Empire was dissolved a full 30 years after the United States declared its Independence. In fact, the empire collapsed the same year that Colgate was established in New York!
- The various cities and states on the Italian Peninsula did not unify into a single sovereign nation of Italy until eighty-five years after the United States.
- The 26 autonomous Germanic princedoms, duchies, and principalities in Central Europe did not become a unified sovereign nation of Germany until ninety-five years after the United States.
- The Ottoman Empire actually fell 30 years after Nintendo was established.
- Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, and Nintendo all existed at the same time.
- Van Gogh actually painted his masterpiece “The Starry Night” the same year that Nintendo formed as a corporation.
- Many people today have this notion that Picasso must a Renaissance man, but in actuality this world-renowned painter and sculptor was still very much alive when President Richard Nixon withdrew American forces from Vietnam.
- President Ronald Reagan was alive at the same time as Harriet Tubman. Harriet Tubman was alive at the same time as President Thomas Jefferson.
- California's world-famous Golden Gate Bridge is actually 4 years younger than their long-reigning (and still current) Senator Diane Feinstein.
- It took a mere 66 years for America to go from the first powered flight (the Wright Flyer in 1903) to the first landing on the Moon (Apollo 11 in 1969).
- The Azec Empire was only established nearly 200 years after Oxford officially became a University.
- The patent for the fax machine was filed five days before the first major wagon train left Missouri and head west on the Oregon Trail, with 1000 pioneers on 100 wagons pulled by 5000 oxen.
- Sylvester Magee, the last living former slave in America, died fifteen days after the opening of Disney World .
- Shrek actually predates 9/11. That's how long ago - or recent - it was, depends on the person reading this.
- Rosa Parks was still alive in 2005, the year when Hollywood released Batman Begins, Sin City, Revenge of the Sith, Kingdom of Heaven, Wedding Crashers, Madagascar, Hitch, Mr and Mrs Smith, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire , Constantine, and American Pie Presents: Band Camp.
- Ruby Bridges is a well-known historical figure in U.S high school textbooks for being the very first Black girl allowed to attend an interracial school in America, under the protection of armed Federal agents. That historic moment was not as long ago as you might think. She was actually born the same year as Oprah Winfrey, Denzel Washington, John Travolta, Jackie Chan, Jerry Seinfeld, Howard Stern, Dennis Quaid, Katey Sagal, James Cameron, Ang Lee, David Lee Roth, Yanni, The Simpsons' Matt Groening, Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary, WWE's Paul Bearer, U.S Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Germany's Angela Merkel, Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Australia's Malcolm Turnbull, and Japan's Shinzo Abe.
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Feel free to add your own interesting facts, but remember to include reference links! If you don't have anything of substance to add, please enjoy the thread quietly without the usual WR shit-posting.
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