On this day in 1534, King Henry VIII was formally declared the Supreme Head of the Church of England, marking a pivotal moment in English history. This declaration did not come out of nowhere; it was fueled by the king’s desire to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, but the Pope refused to grant his wishes. Imagine changing the course of history because you want a divorce lol. As the dispute with the Pope escalated, Henry harnessed his political influence and rallied Parliament to pass the Act of Supremacy—a legal measure that severed England’s ties to the Roman Catholic Church and transferred clerical power to the crown.

The king’s decision was not just about personal marital matters; it was also about solidifying royal authority. By breaking from Rome, Henry VIII ensured his realm would no longer answer to the Pope or be subject to papal taxes and decrees. His move reshaped English religion and politics, as clergymen were now required to swear loyalty directly to the monarch. This realignment introduced a new era where royal edicts trumped traditional religious hierarchy, paving the way for the English Reformation to gain momentum under later rulers.

In the years that followed, Henry’s establishment of the Church of England reverberated far beyond his reign. Monasteries were destroyed due to their wealth being taken by the crown, and religious upheaval became a prominent feature of Tudor society. Although Henry personally never fully embraced Protestant doctrine, his severance from Rome set the stage for deep and lasting religious transformations in England—changes that would spark conflict, shape identities, and influence the course of European history for centuries to come.

On January 15, 1919, Boston’s North End neighborhood awoke to a sight that was as bizarre as it was disastrous: a massive wave of molasses barreling down the city streets. A towering storage tank, containing over two million gallons of the sticky sweetener, ruptured unexpectedly, unleashing a wave of thick, brown goo. Eyewitnesses reported that the flood reached speeds of up to 35 miles per hour, sweeping through the waterfront with insane force. Buildings were crushed, wagons and train cars overturned, and people were trapped in the deadly surge. By the end of the day, the Great Molasses Flood had killed 21 people and left over 150 more injured.

The event may sound comical on the surface—after all, the idea of an unstoppable molasses tidal wave seems more like something out of a cartoon than a real-life catastrophe. However, the chaos was very real, and it left Boston in a shock. Back then, molasses was more than just a tasty pancake topping; it was a valuable industrial product used in everything from baking to ammunition production. The tank that fell had been quickly erected during World War I to meet the high demand, and its rushed and poorly supervised construction led to the catastrophic collapse. In the aftermath, cleanup crews battled sticky molasses for weeks, using salt water and sand to scrub down streets, buildings, and even local homes.

The Great Molasses Flood had a long-lasting impact on the city. Not only did it spur significant reforms in construction regulations, but it also became a piece of Boston’s folklore. For years afterward, on hot summer days, residents claimed they could still catch a whiff of molasses lingering in the air. Today, the event stands as an almost unbelievable reminder that even the sweetest ingredient can become sour under the wrong conditions, and it remains one of the strangest disasters in American history.

Blue Cross Dog 🪖
During World War II, a Great Dane named Juliana was awarded the Blue Cross Medal after she extinguished an incendiary bomb by peeing on it!

Alexander The Great Buried Alive 🪦
Alexander the Great was probably accidentally buried alive. Scientists believe Alexander suffered from a neurological disorder called Guillain-Barré Syndrome, and that when he died, he was actually just paralyzed and mentally aware!

Ketchup For Medicine 🍅
Ketchup was sold in the 1830s as medicine. In 1834, it was sold as a cure for an upset stomach by an Ohio physician named John Cook. It wasn't popularized as a condiment until the late 19th century!

Abe Lincoln Was a Wrestler 🤼
Did you know Abraham Lincoln is in the wrestling hall of fame? The 6'4" president had only one loss among his around 300 contests. He earned a reputation for this in New Salem, Illinois, as an elite fighter.