Joseph Bonaparte saw something strange in the woods and declared it was The Jersey Devil. Credit: Napoleon Calogne
Napoleon Bonaparte’s Brother Claimed That He Saw the Jersey Devil
This next fact is especially strange, because Napoleon Bonaparte’s brother, Joseph Bonaparte, was once the King of Spain. And yet for some reason, he decided to buy a country home in Bordentown, New Jersey. He liked the location for being in-between both Philadelphia and New York City. That is- until he learned about the legend of the Jersey Devil. The story was funny in the summertime, when all of his friends were around. But once he was left in the Pine Barrens alone in the middle of winter, hunting suddenly became a terrifying event. He got so scared, he believed that he saw the legendary Jersey Devil. It was most likely some sort of animal in the woods, and his imagination got the best of him.
One of the first electric cars in history. Credit: Denver Public Library
Electric Cars Were Invented Before Gas Engines
Nowadays, electric cars are all the rage for people who are eco-friendly and want to save money on gas. This seems like a very “new” thing that has only come into the market in the past decade. But as strange as it sounds, electric cars were invented before gas engines. The first electric motor was invented in 1834 by Thomas Davenport in Vermont. He used the motor to power a small carriage. And in 1884, an English inventor named Thomas Parker created a fully electric car. It wasn’t until two years later, in 1886, that the first gasoline car was built by Karl Benz. Over time, people gravitated towards gasoline vehicles because they were faster, more powerful, and could go longer distances without refueling. Those same issues still exist today with electric cars, but they are improving over time.
It may sound strange, but the Great Wall of China predates Christianity. Credit: Shutterstock
The Great Wall of China is Older Than Christianity
The Wall that stands today is known as the Ming Great Wall, which began its construction during the Ming Dynasty, which lasted from 1368-1644. So the wall that every tourist goes to is only a few hundred years old, which doesn’t seem strange at all. However, the original structure is called the Chu Great Wall, which was built between 680 BC and 656 BC. Construction has lasted 2,300 years across 9 different Chinese dynasties. It’s mind-blowing to think of a construction project going on for that long. To put it into perspective, that’s before Christianity even existed.
France, the William the Conqueror statue in Falaise, Normandie. Credit: Shutterstock
William the Conqueror’s Corpse Exploded at His Funeral
Last but not least is the strange and disgusting story of what happened during William the Conqueror’s funeral. Before he died, William gained a lot of weight, and became rather large. In 1807, his horse reared, and the saddle punctured his intestines. Doctors tried to perform surgery, but this injury eventually led to his death. A lot of time had passed since he passed away and the funeral, so gasses were expanding his already enlarged body even further. The gravediggers made a hole, but it was too small for him to fit. So when they tried to push his body down in the hole, it exploded everywhere, guts raining down on his funeral guests.
