Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Break Down Which Major Historical Events Many Folks Don't Realize Happened Around The Same Time

History is fascinating, because while we're busy thinking about important events, sometimes we lose context of how long ago that event actually happened.

We might forget that two important figures in history were alive at the same time, or we might picture an event as if it happened 100 years ago instead of 20.

Remembering the context in which these events happened makes them all the more powerful.


Redditor drichm2599 asked:

"What are two historical events most people don't realize happened at about the same time?"

Diary of a Young Girl

"Anne Frank was born the same year as actor James Hong, who attended the Oscars [this year]."

- CityAbsurdia

Oxford May Be Older Than You Think

"Oxford University is older than the Incan Empire."

- Iknowr1te

"It sounds crazy until you know that the Inca were from late medieval and early modern history, rather than ancient history."

- David_bowman_starman

Galileo at Harvard

"There was a six-year period in which Galileo could have taught at Harvard."

- monkeydo54

Vienna 1913

"Hitler, Stalin, Trotsky, Tito, Freud, and Archduke Franz Ferdinand all lived in Vienna in 1913."

- AdamBombKelley

"So a communist, a socialist, a fascist, and a monarchist walk into a bar..."

- nuclear-launch-codes

"Freud: Clearly all their thoughts dwell on their mothers."

- Guy_with_Numbers

The Guillotine Isn't So Outdated

"The last execution by guillotine in France and the release of the first 'Star Wars' movie took place in the same year (1977)."

- justanotherstr4nger

Meanwhile, 'Toy Story 3' Was Released 13 Years Ago...

"The most recent execution by firing squad in the U.S. took place the same day 'Toy Story 3' was released in 2010."

- ScorpionX-123

The Samurai Address

"There was a 22-year period when Abraham Lincoln could have sent a fax to a Samurai."

"The fax machine was invented in 1843. The samurai were abolished in 1867. Abraham Lincoln died in 1865."

- SnooGrapes2914

Egyptian Civilization

"Wooly mammoths were still around when the Egyptians were building the pyramids."

- BaconReceptacle

"Cleopatra was born closer to the moon landing than to the pyramids being built. By a lot."

- Selith87

"We generally do not appreciate how long the ancient Egyptian civilization was around. Narmer, Pharaoh of the First Dynasty of the Early Dynastic Period, lived over 3,200 years before Pharaoh Cleopatra VII Philopator died, ending the line of the Ptolemaic Dynasty. And there are Pharaohs before Narmer, such as Iry-Hor, a candidate for the earliest person whose name we know."

"Egyptian culture existed for over three millennia, evolving, changing, sometimes enduring massive fractures, collapses, and invasions. Either via conquest or being conquered, they had an uncanny ability to absorb the cultures of other peoples into their own, creating this mutable yet eternal cultural identity."

"The gods of Egypt were old by the time Hatshepsut sent her expedition to Punt. They were even older when Ramesses II fought the Battle of Kadesh. By the time the Roman Republic was founded, they were ancient."

"Ancient Egypt existed for a really f**king long time."

- Nerevar1924

The Dinosaur Timeline

"One that trips me out is that T-rexes are closer to being alive with us than they would be to the Stegosaurus."

“Tyrannosaurus lived 68 - 66 million years ago, and Stegosaurus lived 155 - 145 million years ago. That puts the gap between those two, 77 million years and 66 million years between the Tyrannosaurus and us.”

"Insane, as I always think of dinosaurs being around in the same basic time period."

- Rollotommasi5

Historical Overlaps

"Joe Biden was alive when Nikola Tesla died."

- Shevek99

"Ancient" Civilizations

"The founding of the capital of the Aztec civilization in Tenochtitlan (which would become the foundation for Mexico City a few centuries later) and the beginning of the 100 Years War over in Europe are only about a decade apart (~1325 vs. ~1338)."

"In fact, the major civilizations of the Americas that were ultimately taken down by European conquests and diseases all roughly rose and fell over the course of the 11th through 16th centuries."

"I always find it funny if someone refers to the Incan, Mayan, or Aztec civilizations with words like 'ancient', considering they rose and fell during the same periods as the Mongolian and Ottoman empires, and we don't typically call those ancient."

- rizhail

The Summer of '69

"In 1969 in August Hurricane Camille hit the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico, the rain storm at Woodstock was part of that storm, and Manson’s group had just gone on the murder spree. The US was as crazy as ever."

- BinxMcGee

So Eerie

"The iconic cover photo of the Beatles' 'Abbey Road' album was taken on the same day as the Manson murders."

- President_Calhoun

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

"Fenway Park opened the same week that the Titanic sunk."

- redsoxsteve9

Kind of Wild

"We are more years in the future from the release of the movie 'Back to the Future' than the movie traveled back in time."

"If we traveled back in time the same amount of years they did, you could still get a VHS copy of 'Back to the Future' in a bargain bin."

- McFeely_Smackup

While we may know these different pieces of history, it's fascinating to think about how they all fit together into the world's timeline. Some of it's interesting, but some of it feels mind-bendingly surreal.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

A man entering a glass J.P. Morgan door
NurPhoto / Contributor / Getty Images

Photo of JPMorgan's New NYC Office Layout Gets Instantly Roasted For Its Dystopian Vibes—And The Memes Are On Point

Huge multinational bank JPMorgan just unveiled their glittering new headquarters in New York City, and if you're looking for an office layout straight out of a dystopian movie, you're in luck!

The headquarters, which is housed in a brand new skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, has a rather unique layout inside.

Keep ReadingShow less
screenshots of @courtneyraspor's father in MAGA hat from her wedding
@courtneyraspor/TikTok

Bride Calls Out Her Trump Loving Dad For Wearing His MAGA Hat During Wedding Speech

A woman's clip from her wedding video is going viral for her father's decision to put his political beliefs before her happiness on her wedding day. Asked to leave his politics at home for one day, the MAGA minion dad wasn't capable of keeping his promise to his daughter, his love for MAGA Republican President Donald Trump being more important.

Tagging it a late night find, the wedding is from several years ago, but Courtney Raspor—a stay-at-home mom of three and daycare provider—shares insights on dealing with going no contact with a narcissistic parent in her content. The wedding reception clip of her father's speech was a glimpse into why they're estranged.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; Ruben Gallego
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images; Rebecca Noble/Getty Images

Democratic Senator Trolls Trump With Hilariously Petty Idea For What To Name Trump's Ballroom When He Leaves Office

Arizona Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego floated the idea to name the new White House ballroom after former President Barack Obama once President Donald Trump leaves office, pointing out it would incense the notoriously thin-skinned president.

Trump recently ordered the demolition of the entire East Wing to make way for a 90,000 square-foot ballroom that will dwarf the size of the White House itself, sparking alarm from historical preservationists and the public alike.

Keep ReadingShow less
restaurant table set with dishes and food
Jay Wennington on Unsplash

People Break Down Absurd-Sounding Restaurant Complaints That Are Totally Valid

Anyone who has worked in the service industry has a million examples of times a customer had an absolutely ludicrous complaint.

Except sometimes, it turns out to be not so outrageous.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of @cm.stabile's Instagram video
@cm.stabile/Instagram

Mom Finds Ingenious Way To Get Son's Classmate To Stop Ripping Up Notes She Puts In His Lunchbox

The phrase "Hurt people hurt people" is popular for a reason!

When someone has a vital need that isn't being met, they often seek it out in unkind ways, because they know being unkind will get them one thing: attention.

Keep ReadingShow less