Learning the World

Napoleon Bonaparte - How to keep the whole world in awe? Life Story and Short Biography #NapoleonBonaparte

The Cruelest Rulers In History

Have you ever wondered what kings and queens got up to in their spare, sexy time in the bedroom? You know, when they weren't too busy with any of their other weird royal obsessions? Well, wonder no further - some of these monarchs had pretty creepy kinks and unusual sexual habits in the privacy of their own homes. While there are several reasons people develop a particular thing they like in the bedroom, one might assume that some of these kings and queens were just straight-up bored. After all, if you have all the money and power in the world, what else is there to do for fun? Some of them, of course, probably just had stories made up about them. Still, from the emperors of ancient Rome to the necrophiliacs of France, here are some of the strangest royal tastes in all of recorded history.

After the First World War women in Germany were given the vote and a feminist elite, led by Rosa Luxemburg and Clara Zetkin, helped to shape the political post-war scene. Luxemburg, the leader of the Spartacus League, was murdered by the Freikorps in January, 1919, but other women replaced her at the forefront of politics and by 1932 they had 36 members of the Reichstag. Germany also had 100thousand women teachers, 13 thousand women musicians and 3 thousand women doctors. During the early 1930s women often found it easier to find jobs than men. The main reason was that female labour was cheaper. As Richard Grunberger has pointed out, Skilled women earned 66 percent of men's wages, unskilled ones 70 percent, which explains why during the Depression nearly one man in three was dismissed but only one woman in every ten In 1933 women formed 37 percent of the total employed labour force in Germany.

Antarctica is touted as one of the most haunted places in the world. Sure, this is based on the number of ghosts per capita, but with a population fluctuating between around 1,100 brave folks in the winter to 4,400 during the summer, there is said to be roughly one perturbed spirit for every nine people that inhabit the desolate continent. The spirits of explorers, scientists, and tourists are believed to wander the icy wasteland and the abandoned buildings they once inhabited during their lifetimes. Whether by plane crash or exposure to the extreme temperatures, many have involuntarily included themselves among the Antarctic ghosts. #antarctica

The Cruelest Rulers In History (Who Weren't Hitler) When we think of the evilest rulers in history, names like Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Benito Mussolini rush to mind. But it's important to remember that brutality existed in rulers well before the 1930s. Others, like Attila the Hun or Chinese Empress Wu, may seem like obvious choices. But after looking deeper at the effects of their rule and how they were perceived by those they reigned over, it becomes clear that they're not the worst rulers in history. Instead, they suffered from then-contemporary historians' ire (Attila because he wasn't Roman, and Wu because she was a woman). So, it's time to focus instead on those despots who were truly the cruelest rulers in history - many of whom are less known, though there will definitely be a few names on this list that ring a bell, including a number of them whose cinematic depictions have only further entrenched their place in the cultural consciousness.

The Invincible Army of the Mongols In the thirteenth century, the peoples and countries of the Eurasian continent experienced the overwhelming onslaught of a victorious Mongol army that swept all in its path. The opposing armies of the Mongols were led by meritorious and experienced commanders who fought on their own soil, protecting their families and peoples from a cruel enemy. The Mongols fought far from their homeland, in unfamiliar terrain and unfamiliar climatic conditions, often outnumbering their opponents. However, they attacked and won, confident in their invincibility...

Hygiene in the American Wild West was probably about what you'd expect - unhygienic. Men and women who made their way west across the North American landscape contended with harsh weather and difficult terrain - a less-than-ideal situation for finding a place to bathe. With the journey to new lands came a perpetual quest to find clean water, something that could be a matter of vital importance. In difficult conditions, the practicalities of survival often outweighed concern for cleanliness. Days or weeks without a bath, living in close quarters, and the lack of adequate toilet facilities all contributed to a life in the Wild West characterized by foul smells, constant disease, and a generally squalid existence.

Baldwin the fourth had leprosy at a time when it was considered a death sentence as well as a ticket to social ostracism. Instead, he became the King of Jerusalem and a hero to his people. Medieval prince Baldwin the fourth knew his chances weren’t good when he was diagnosed with leprosy at the age of nine.

Gladiators were the rock stars of their day, but there was also a social stigma attached to their existence. They were slaves who embodied some of the greatest virtues held by Roman society, but their status didn't stop women in Rome from desiring gladiator sex or from gladiator sweat as an aphrodisiac as they tried to satisfy their lust for the fierce, manly fighters. Needless to say, when it came to sex in ancient Rome, gladiators were in an interesting position - literally and figuratively. Our knowledge of sexuality throughout history is based on archaeological evidence - such as sexual graffiti - as well as the works of contemporary writers; fortunately, there's plenty of evidence to show us what it was like both for the gladiators and those looking to find a way into their tunics.

The Victorian era left us feeling like sex scandals are a new thing. But our ancient ancestors actually put us to shame when it came to high-profile immorality. Their sex scandals were often interlaced with conspiracy, murder, and executions—raising the stakes for powerful ancients caught in compromising positions.

King George the third was a whole lot more than just America’s final king. Known to history as Mad King George, this British monarch may have ruled over an empire, but he didn’t always rule over his own body and mind. His story is filled with tragedy and drama.

The worst royal marriages in history also happen to be some of the most bloody, heartbreaking, and shocking. From royal cousins who got married to love-matches that soured quickly, some royal marriages were downright disastrous. More often than not, royal husbands and wives lived unhappily ever after. Even though people around the world have fantasized about marrying into royalty, the history of disastrous royal marriages shows that dreaming about marrying a prince is often better than actually marrying one.

For much of history, LGBTQ royalty needed to hide their identities. Even though some societies embraced homosexuality, most refused to accept a gay monarch. But before we talk about LGBTQ kings and queens, let's start with the history of sexual identity. The terms heterosexual and homosexual didn't exist until the 1860s. And until the 1930s, heterosexual meant an abnormal attraction to the opposite sex. For centuries, many societies didn't see sexuality in binary terms at all. Ancient Greeks and Renaissance Florentines took both male and female lovers. King Edward the second of England openly kissed his male lover on his wedding day. And the Roman emperor Hadrian named a city after his male lover. Many kings and queens needed to keep their sexuality quiet, but others defended their lifestyle openly.

The Mongols created the largest contiguous land empire to have ever existed. Founded by Genghis Khan in 1206, the Mongol Empire spanned across Asia, extended into Eastern Europe, and reached into the Middle East. As warriors and rulers, the Mongols facilitated the integration of language, populations, and belief systems and, while their accomplishments have long been acknowledged, so, too, have their unique hygienic practices.

The stereotypical perception of the 1950s involves white picket fences and domestic bliss. But what about sex in the 1950s? Sexual mores and taboos throughout history often challenge perceived ideas about a society and sometimes even come to define a lot of what we know about historic groups entirely. Think of the sexual practices of ancient Romans. Their sex practices are closely linked with some of the best known stories about their lives. Sex and history are linked, and even some of the worst moment in time have their stories to tell. Sex and sexuality in the 1950s is no different. Marriages in the 1950s were supposed to be peachy — just look at those 1950s marriage manuals — and homosexuality in the 1950s was forbidden. But what about the reality of sex and relationships? Was it as straightforward as the 1950s would like you to believe?