20 Timeline Twists That Make History Feel Like Science Fiction
These bizarre historical coincidences and time-warping facts will make you question everything you thought you knew.
- Chris Graciano
- 5 min read
History is stranger than fiction. Plus, some events seem ripped straight out of a sci-fi novel. From futuristic predictions in the past to mind-bending overlaps across centuries, these timeline quirks are hard to believe but completely real. You might never look at the past the same way again after reading these 20 shocking twists.
1. Oxford University is Older Than the Aztec Empire
Andrew Shiva on Wikimedia Commons
Teaching began at Oxford in 1096, long before the Aztecs founded Tenochtitlan in 1325. It’s wild to think a university classroom predates one of the most powerful Mesoamerican civilizations.
2. George Washington Died Before the First Dinosaur Was Discovered
Narciso Arellano on Unsplash
When Washington passed away in 1799, no one knew dinosaurs existed. The first recognized fossil wasn’t unearthed until 1824. That means the first U.S. president never even heard of a “dinosaur.”
3. The Fax Machine Was Invented Before the Civil War
Ann Ann on Unsplash
Scottish inventor Alexander Bain developed the first fax machine in 1843. That’s two decades before the first shot was fired at Fort Sumter.
4. Harriet the Tortoise Met Charles Darwin and Lived Until 2006
Wikimedia Commons
Harriet, a Galápagos tortoise, was taken by Darwin during his 1835 voyage. She ended up in Australia and lived for more than 170 years.
5. Nintendo Was Founded in 1889
tommot0110 on Flickr
Long before Mario, Nintendo started making playing cards in 19th-century Japan, just 14 years after the American Civil War ended. The same company that now powers modern gaming once existed before the invention of the airplane.
6. The Eiffel Tower and Nintendo Are the Same Age
Anthony DELANOIX on Unsplash
The Eiffel Tower was completed in 1889, the same year Nintendo began. One symbolizes French engineering, and the other symbolizes Japanese innovation. It’s strange to think of them as contemporaries.
7. Queen Elizabeth II and Marilyn Monroe Were Born in the Same Year
RKO on WIkimedia Commons
Both iconic women entered the world in 1926, though they lived vastly different lives. One became a symbol of enduring monarchy, the other a Hollywood legend.
8. You Could Take a Train to the Titanic’s Launch
Abel Maestro Garcia on Wikimedia Commons
The Titanic launched in 1912, and trains were already widely used across Europe and America. Guests and workers traveled by rail to attend its departure.
9. Anne Frank and Martin Luther King Jr. Were Born in the Same Year
Nobel Foundation on Wikimedia Commons
Both were born in 1929, yet lived drastically different lives. One hid from Nazis in Europe, the other led a civil rights revolution in America. Their stories are often told in separate historical spheres.
10. John Tyler Has Living Grandchildren—And He Was Born in 1790
George Peter Alexander Healy on Wikimedia Commons
The 10th U.S. president was born just after the Constitution was ratified. Through late-in-life fatherhood in his lineage, his grandsons were still alive in the 2020s.
11. Cleopatra Lived Closer to the iPhone Than the Pyramids
Sailko on Wikimedia Commons
Cleopatra ruled Egypt around 30 BC, and the Great Pyramid of Giza was completed around 2560 BC. Thus, she is closer to us in time than to the builders of the pyramids.
12. The Guillotine Was Still in Use When Star Wars Came Out
Guallendra on Wikimedia Commons
France last used the guillotine in 1977, the same year Star Wars debuted. One represents medieval justice; the other, futuristic fantasy.
13. NASA Was Created the Same Year the First Credit Card Was Issued
Daniel Steelman on Flickr
The year 1958 saw the birth of both NASA and the modern credit card. Space exploration and consumer finance launched side by side. This strange pairing illustrates how different kinds of progress can occur simultaneously.
14. Pablo Picasso and Jimi Hendrix Were Both Alive in 1971
Wikimedia Commons
Though separated by artistic mediums, both lived through part of the same year. Picasso died in April, and Hendrix had died the year before.
15. The Ottoman Empire Existed When the Chicago Cubs Last Won the World Series (Before 2016)
George Grantham Bain on Wikimedia Commons
In 1908, when the Cubs won the championship, the Ottoman Empire was still a functioning power. The team’s curse lasted longer than many world empires.
16. Orville Wright Was Still Alive When Hiroshima Was Bombed
Wikimedia Commons
One of aviation’s pioneers, Orville lived until 1948. He witnessed the airplane go from wooden gliders to atomic warfare.
17. Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin Were Born on the Same Day
Elliott & Fry on Wikimedia Commons
February 12, 1809 brought both a revolutionary thinker and a revolutionary leader into the world. One changed how we understand life, and the other fought to preserve a nation.
18. Ronald Reagan Was a Lifeguard Before Becoming President
Michael Evans on Wikimedia Commons
Before movies and politics, Reagan saved over 70 lives as a teenage lifeguard. The idea of a U.S. president once yelling, “No running by the pool,” is oddly surreal.
19. There Were Samurai When Shakespeare Was Writing Plays
John Chester Buttre on Wikimedia Commons
Shakespeare lived during Japan’s Sengoku and early Edo periods. While he penned Hamlet, samurai roamed Japan under Tokugawa rule.
20. The Last U.S. Civil War Widow Died in 2020
Tymacil on Wikimedia Commons
Helen Viola Jackson married a much older Civil War veteran in 1936, when she was just 17 and he was 93. She lived until the age of 101, passing in 2020.