15 Historical Events That Sound Made Up — But Aren’t
A wild roundup of real moments from history that are so bizarre, you’d swear someone made them up.
- Chris Graciano
- 4 min read
History is full of moments that feel more like fiction than fact. These strange seem made up at first. However, they truly happened, and they prove that truth really is stranger than fiction. Here are 15 actual historical happenings that sound too ridiculous to be real, but 100% are.
1. The Great Emu War of 1932
Wikimedia Commons
Australia once declared war on emus — and lost. Soldiers armed with machine guns tried to control a bird population and failed miserably. The emus outran, outmaneuvered, and outlasted the army.
2. Napoleon Was Attacked by Bunnies
Andrea Appiani on Wikimedia Commons
During a hunting party, Napoleon’s staff released hundreds of rabbits for sport. Instead of fleeing, the bunnies swarmed him. Turns out, they used tame rabbits who thought it was feeding time.
3. A City Once Elected a Dog as Mayor
Jimmy Emerson, DVM on Flickr
In Rabbit Hash, Kentucky, a dog named Goofy became mayor — and wasn’t the last. The town has continued electing dogs ever since.
4. The Dancing Plague of 1518
Ardian Lumi on Unsplash
In Strasbourg, a group of people started dancing non-stop for days, and couldn’t stop. It wasn’t a party, it was a mysterious affliction. Some even danced to death.
5. The Time the CIA Tried to Spy on Soviets With Cats
Peng Louis on Pexels
Operation Acoustic Kitty involved surgically implanting listening devices into cats. Unsurprisingly, the cats didn’t cooperate — one got hit by a taxi right after being released.
6. The Great Molasses Flood of 1919
Marshall on Flickr
A giant storage tank burst in Boston, unleashing a tsunami of molasses through the streets. It moved fast enough to destroy buildings and trap people.
7. The U.S. Air Force Seriously Considered a “Gay Bomb”
Luis Erives on Pexels
In the 1990s, the military explored the idea of a non-lethal bomb that would make enemy soldiers “irresistibly attracted to one another.” It was intended to disrupt unit cohesion.
8. The Great London Beer Flood
engin akyurt on Unsplash
In 1814, a massive beer vat exploded, sending thousands of gallons of porter crashing through the streets. Buildings collapsed, and people were caught in the wave.
9. A Pope Once Put a Dead Pope on Trial
Wikimedia Commons
In 897, Pope Stephen VI dug up the body of his predecessor, Pope Formosus, and put his corpse on trial. The cadaver was dressed in papal robes and propped on a throne.
10. The British Gave Napoleon the Island of Elba—Where He Had an Army
Andrea Appiani on Wikimedia Commons
After his first defeat, Napoleon was exiled to Elba, where he was allowed to rule and maintain troops. Shockingly, he escaped and came back to power.
11. The Eiffel Tower Was Almost Torn Down in 1909
Pixabay on Pexels
Originally intended to last only 20 years, the Eiffel Tower was nearly dismantled. Only its usefulness as a radio tower saved it. The most iconic French landmark barely survived its own deadline.
12. A Man Survived Both Atomic Bombs in WWII
Maarten Heerlien on Wikimedia Commons
Tsutomu Yamaguchi was in Hiroshima during the first bombing, then traveled to Nagasaki — just in time for the second. He lived through both and went on to tell the tale.
13. An Astronaut Once Had a Heart Attack in Space—But Didn’t Know It
Wikimedia Commons
Astronaut John Young suffered a heart attack during an Apollo 16 mission, though it was only discovered later through telemetry data. He didn’t report any pain and completed the mission.
14. Cleopatra Lived Closer to the Moon Landing Than the Pyramids
José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro on Wikimedia Commons
The Pyramids were already over 2,000 years old when Cleopatra ruled. She’s closer in time to astronauts than ancient Egyptian builders. Time warps aren’t just for sci-fi.
15. A U.S. Town Banned Ice Cream on Sundays
Key Notez on Pexels
In the early 20th century, parts of America outlawed selling ice cream sodas on Sundays due to “Sabbath laws.” To get around it, shops created the ice cream sundae without soda.