1 The Titanic’s distress signal SOS wasn’t standard until 1906 — it replaced “CQD”
When the Titanic famously sank in 1912, its crew used the distress signal SOS, but not everyone knows that SOS wasn’t always the standard. Before 1906, ships used CQD, which meant “All stations — distress.” The Titanic’s radio operators actually sent both signals: “CQD CQD SOS SOS.” They were among the first to use SOS, which was chosen because it’s easy to tap out in Morse code (three dots, three dashes, three dots). This tragic event helped cement SOS as the global distress call we know today.
2 In Ancient Egypt, servants were smeared with honey to attract flies away from pharaohs
Life as an Egyptian pharaoh was luxurious but came with its unique problems — like swarms of flies in the hot climate. To keep the royal family comfortable, it’s said that servants were covered in sticky honey so insects would land on them instead of bothering the pharaoh. This might sound cruel today, but it shows the extreme measures rulers took to maintain their comfort and divine aura.
3 Viking men wore makeup — eyeliner made them appear more intimidating
When we picture Vikings, we imagine fierce warriors with axes and long beards — but did you know many Viking men also wore makeup? They used a dark eyeliner called kohl to frame their eyes. It wasn’t just about looks: the dark liner reduced glare from snow and sun, and made them look more fearsome in battle. Some historians believe it was also part of their grooming rituals to show status and strength.
4 The guillotine was last used in France in 1977
The guillotine is often linked with the bloody days of the French Revolution, but surprisingly, France continued using it for executions long after. The last person to be executed by guillotine was Hamida Djandoubi, who was beheaded in 1977 — the same year the original Star Wars movie came out! It’s shocking to think that such an old and gruesome method was still in use in the modern era. France abolished the death penalty entirely in 1981.
5 Ketchup was sold as medicine in the 1830s
Today, ketchup is just a tasty burger topping, but in the 1830s, it was advertised as a cure-all medicine. An American doctor, John Cook Bennett, claimed his tomato ketchup could treat indigestion, jaundice, and even diarrhea. He even turned it into concentrated tomato pills! Of course, science later proved ketchup is delicious but not exactly a miracle drug — but this quirky bit of history shows how wild medical marketing once was.
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