On July 24, 1148, a massive Crusader force began the Siege of Damascus — a turning point in the Second Crusade that ended in disaster for the Europeans. The armies of King Louis VII of France, Conrad III of Germany, and several regional leaders from Jerusalem tried to take the city, hoping to strengthen Christian control in the Holy Land.

Damascus was ruled by the Burid dynasty at the time. It was a wealthy and strategically critical city in modern-day Syria. Ironically, it had previously been an ally of the Crusader states. But the Crusaders saw it as a prize — a chance to make up for their earlier failures in the campaign and secure a powerful stronghold in Muslim territory.

They attacked from the west, but the city’s defenders fought back hard. After just four days, the Crusaders made a critical mistake — they shifted their assault to a weaker eastern side, thinking it would be easier. Instead, they found themselves cut off from supplies and surrounded. Morale collapsed, and the siege was called off.

So on July 24, 1148, the Crusaders kicked off a siege that not only failed but fractured their alliance and damaged their reputation across Europe. It was one of the final nails in the coffin of the Second Crusade.

On July 24, 1911, Hiram Bingham, an American historian and explorer from Yale University, stumbled upon the Incan city of Machu Picchu, hidden deep in the Andes Mountains of Peru. Though locals had always known about the site, Bingham's expedition brought global attention to one of the most stunning archaeological finds of the 20th century.

Machu Picchu had been built by the Inca Empire in the 15th century, likely under the rule of Pachacuti, but it was abandoned about a hundred years later during the Spanish conquest. Somehow, it remained untouched and mostly unknown to the outside world — sitting 7,970 feet above sea level, surrounded by thick jungle and steep cliffs.

Bingham was actually looking for a different site — the lost city of Vilcabamba — but when a local farmer and a young boy led him to the ruins, he realized he had found something much bigger. With help from Yale and National Geographic, Bingham began excavating and documenting the site.

So on July 24, 1911, the modern world was reintroduced to Machu Picchu — a breathtaking example of Incan architecture, astronomy, and engineering that’s now considered one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

Invisible Ink🖊️
During the American Revolution, espionage networks used a range of invisible inks, including lemon juice, milk, and even urine, to transmit secret messages between operatives. These substances would dry clear and only reveal writing when exposed to heat, such as from a candle or heated iron. George Washington supported the development of more advanced invisible inks and even funded research into chemical reagents that could reveal hidden messages. One British spy ring was uncovered in part due to intercepted letters that were chemically tested for invisible writing. The practice became a key part of early American intelligence tactics and laid the groundwork for modern cryptography.

Royal Toilet Paper🧻
In 14th-century China, the imperial court of the Yuan Dynasty reserved toilet paper as a royal luxury, with records showing production of over 700,000 sheets annually for the emperor’s personal use. These sheets were enormous—measuring roughly two feet long by three feet wide—and were often sprayed with perfume to reflect elite status. While the emperor enjoyed soft, scented paper, commoners had to make do with bamboo sticks, leaves, or cloth. The mass production of toilet paper for the imperial family marks one of the earliest documented uses of paper hygiene. It would take centuries before toilet paper became accessible to the general public outside China.

A Weird Timeline📲
Cleopatra lived closer in time to the iPhone than to the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza. She died in 30 BC, while the pyramid was completed around 2560 BC — a gap of over 2,500 years. In contrast, only about 2,000 years separate Cleopatra’s death and the launch of the iPhone in 2007. That means the pyramids were already ancient ruins when Cleopatra was alive. To her, the pyramids were as old as Stonehenge or Mesopotamia is to us today.

Outlawing Pointy Shoes👞
In the 14th century, King Edward III of England banned the famous pointed shoes called crakows, which sometimes extended 18 inches beyond the toes. The shoes were stuffed to maintain shape, making them difficult to walk in and dangerous for soldiers. Edward’s ban cited both moral decay and military impracticality, and it restricted shoe length by social class. Violations were met with harsh penalties, especially for commoners defying sumptuary laws. But even though they were banned, crakows stayed in fashion for decades, only disappearing after repeated royal decrees and changing trends.

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