Friday Art & History Feature - Fast and Fun Historical Facts

I wanted to do something a little different today and present you with a number of fast and fun historical facts that you may find intriguing and interesting.

An ancient Egyptian tomb

 During the First Dynasty in Ancient Egypt, numerous members of household staff, as well as family members, and animals were walled up within the tomb of the deceased king. These people and animals were supposed to accompany the king into the afterlife.

Julius Caesar

 Julius Caesar was the first recorded user of encoded communications. His method of encoding became known as the Caesar Cipher.

In ancient Rome it was considered a sign of leadership to be born with a crooked nose.

Laika monument

 The first animal sent into space was a husky named Laika. She was launched into space by the Soviet Union in 1957. In 2008, a monument to Laika was unveiled at the military research facility in Moscow where the dog was prepared for the space flight.

Ching Shih

 One of the most famous and powerful pirates was a Cantonese woman named Ching Shih. She was once a prostitute who eventually became a pirate who commanded 1800 ships and over 80,000 pirates. This was in the early 1800s in China.

Vikings

Vikings used the skulls of their enemies as drinking vessels.

Taj Mahal

 It took 20 years to build the Taj Majal, using 20 thousand men.