There are some historical facts that are often overlooked or not commonly discussed. A user asked the forum, “What historical fact does no one like to discuss?” Here are the top responses.
ARAB SLAVE TRADE
“One of the darker reasons the Western Slave trade gets talked about more than the Arab Slave Trade is due to the fact enslaved African men were regularly castrated.
They didn’t breed enslaved people like the West did, as it was seen as a sign of luxury that you could just buy a new one. No descendants, so no one around to speak of the atrocities. Horrifying.
Also, just to add more horror to it, it started 700 years before the Atlantic Slave Trade, and the practice still survived up until 1960. Now imagine how many victims and potential generations were wiped out over that length of time.”
NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES WERE AMONG THE LAST ENSLAVERS IN NORTH AMERICA
“Native American tribes like the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole Nations owned enslaved Black people and were some of the last enslavers in North America. As they were sovereign nations, the emancipation proclamation didn’t affect them, and new treaties were needed to stop the enslavement.”
MODERN POSTURAL YOGA
“Modern postural yoga. The type and style predominantly practiced in Western countries is about 100 years old. It was invented in India by Indians and is derived mainly from British calisthenics and Swedish gymnastics.
It was marketed explicitly to affluent Westerners by Indians as a superior form of spiritual and physical exercise. It’s working as designed for its target market.”
FRENCH MILITARY
“The French military has a terrible reputation thanks to their performance in World War II. But if you pick up a book, France, or the people of France in general, have one of the most prestigious military reputations in humanity’s history. Even excluding their Celtic predecessors. French military victories are prolific.”
NO LAND CLAIMS
“Ultimate unpopular historical fact: there are no land claims. There’s only the land you can either militarily defend or have your allies defend for you.
It doesn’t matter what agreements were drawn up or how long people have lived on any land. It’s all about your ability to defend your land. All borders of all countries in history are proof of this.”
GERMAN PRISONERS OF WAR
“We treated German prisoners of war (nazis) better than we treated interned Japanese Americans.”
NAPOLEON DIDN’T INVADE RUSSIA IN WINTER
“Napoleon didn’t invade Russia in winter. He invaded in June.”
THE EGYPTIAN EMPIRE
“The Egyptian Empire lasted nearly 4000 Years! Today, we speak of ‘Old things’ when it’s a 100 Year House or Item. In 4000 Years, they achieved so much; still, we got so far in just 300 Years from 1800 to now. I always wonder what the difference is.”
UNITED STATES SPY AGENCIES HIRED NAZIS
“That United States spy agencies hired Nazis to work as spies during the Cold War.
I learned about this by reading a biography of Virginia Hall. It meant that she, as an employee of the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency), was now working side-by-side with the same men who had tried to disrupt her operations and kill her during World War II. Miss Hall certainly wasn’t the only one in this highly dubious and awkward position.”
THE AZTECS WERE HORRIFIC PEOPLE
“The Aztecs were utterly horrific people who did stuff like flay people alive and wear their skins as a form of worship in their religion. When Cortez invaded, he succeeded because the local tribes wanted the Aztecs gone that badly!”
AUGUSTUS
“Augustus lost two whole legions at Teutoburg. That’s about 20,000 troops, and that’s terrible.”
AFRICAN COLONIES
“For Germany: No, it’s not the Nazis as everybody talks about them.
But things we did in our African colonies before Hitler rose to power. It took until 2021 that we accepted our wrongdoing openly and called out the Genocide on the Herero and Nama.”
HITLER WAS VERY POPULAR IN THE WEST
“Hitler was very popular in the West before World War II. He was voted the most incredible living person at Princeton University in 1939, ahead of Albert Einstein, who taught there then.
CANADA AND PRISON CAMPS
“Canada had prison camps for German soldiers back in World War II. They were treated so nicely and with so much trust that many of the POWs (Prisoner Of War) were given jobs outside of the prison, and they always returned voluntarily, even if it took more than one day. Some were even trusted weapons for hunting in front of the guards.
The worst punishment they could receive? When the war ended, they were obligated to return home. Imagine having such a ‘nice life’ for so long and then having to return to a home destroyed.
Many years later, a former member of the German Army decided to return to Canada as a tourist or even buy land and start families and businesses.”
SWITZERLAND CONCENTRATION CAMP
“Switzerland operated a concentration camp for allied POWs (Prisoner Of War) during World War II and treated them massively contradictory to the terms of the Geneva Conventions.”
UNITED KINGDOM OUTLAWED SLAVERY
“The United Kingdom outlawed slavery 60-odd years before the American Civil War.”
THE LAST ANTI-JEWISH PROGRAMS
“One of the last known anti-Jewish pogroms in Poland took place in the summer of 1946.”
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This article was originally published on Mrs. Daaku Studio.