On the night of June 17, 1462, Vlad III of Wallachia — better known as Vlad the Impaler — narrowly escaped assassination by one of the most powerful forces in the region: the Ottoman Empire. Sultan Mehmed II, fresh off his conquest of Constantinople, had sent an army of over 90,000 men to crush Vlad and bring Wallachia under Ottoman control. Vlad, facing impossible odds, decided to strike first — with one of the boldest nighttime ambushes in medieval history.

The plan was simple: kill the Sultan in his sleep. Vlad and a small group of horsemen slipped into the massive Ottoman camp under the cover of darkness. They knew the layout, dressed like Ottoman soldiers, and aimed straight for Mehmed’s tent. What followed was pure chaos — fires were set, alarms sounded, and confusion spread across the Ottoman lines. Vlad personally led the charge, and many believed he had come shockingly close to reaching Mehmed.

But it wasn’t the Sultan’s tent he hit — it was the wrong one. Mehmed survived the attack, and Vlad had to retreat as dawn broke. Though the assassination failed, the Ottomans were rattled. Seeing how far Vlad was willing to go — and how brutal his tactics could be — Mehmed briefly pulled his army back. The failed ambush didn’t win the war, but it gave Vlad a psychological edge, showing his enemies that he didn’t play by the rules.

The Night Attack at Târgoviște, as it’s now known, became one of the most legendary moments in Vlad’s violent reign. It solidified his reputation as both a national hero and a ruthless warrior, and it helped inspire the dark myth that would later evolve into Dracula. On June 17, 1462, Vlad proved that even against an empire, fear could be a weapon.

On June 17, 1885, the Statue of Liberty arrived in New York Harbor aboard the French ship Isère. A gift from France to the United States, the statue was meant to celebrate American independence and symbolize friendship between the two nations. But it didn’t show up in one piece — it came in 350 separate parts, packed into more than 200 crates. For many New Yorkers, seeing the crates unloaded was the first glimpse of what would become one of the most iconic landmarks in the world.

The statue, officially named “Liberty Enlightening the World,” was designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and engineered by Gustave Eiffel, the same man who would later build the Eiffel Tower. While France funded and built the statue itself, the U.S. was responsible for creating the pedestal. That ended up taking longer than expected due to funding issues, and the statue actually sat in storage for over a year while Americans scrambled to raise money.

Much of that fundraising effort was led by Joseph Pulitzer, who used his newspaper, The New York World, to rally donations from everyday citizens — especially immigrants and working-class readers. By 1886, the pedestal was finished, the statue was assembled on Bedloe’s Island (now Liberty Island), and it was officially unveiled on October 28, 1886 in front of thousands of spectators and a massive parade through New York City.

But it all started on June 17, 1885, when a ship carrying crates of copper and steel pulled into the harbor. The statue wouldn’t just become a symbol of liberty — it would soon welcome millions of immigrants arriving by boat, standing tall as a beacon of hope and freedom at the gateway to America.

Window View Burial⚰️
In Victorian England, a widespread fear of being buried alive led to the invention of “safety coffins” — equipped with features like windows, air tubes, and even bells connected to a string tied around the corpse’s hand or finger. The idea was that if someone woke up after premature burial (a genuine fear in an era of weird medical diagnoses), they could ring the bell to alert someone above ground. These inventions reflected the Victorian obsession with death, mourning, and the terrifying possibility of being trapped six feet under — still alive. 🪦🔔😱

Banksy’s $60 Piece🎨
In 2013, the elusive street artist Banksy set up a stall in Central Park selling original artworks for just $60 each, without revealing they were authentic. Most passersby ignored the booth, thinking it was just another street vendor. Only a handful of pieces were sold, including one to a woman who bought two paintings after haggling for a discount. One buyer later had their piece appraised at over $250,000, turning a casual purchase into a massive payday. The stunt was classic Banksy — a clever critique of art world hype, value, and authenticity. 🎨🖼️

1800’s Suicide Bomber💣
In 1881, Tsar Alexander II of Russia was assassinated by a suicide bomber from the revolutionary group People’s Will while riding through St. Petersburg in an open carriage. The attackers first threw a bomb that damaged the carriage but left the tsar unharmed. Ignoring warnings, Alexander got out to check on the injured — and at that moment, a second assassin approached and detonated another bomb at close range, fatally wounding the tsar. He died shortly after, becoming the first Russian ruler to be killed by a suicide attack. Ironically, he had just signed plans for major democratic reforms hours before his death. 🕊️💣👑

Roman Salary🧂
Roman soldiers were sometimes paid in salt or given an allowance to buy it, as it was a highly valued commodity used for preserving food and maintaining health. This practice gave rise to the Latin word “salarium,” which originally referred to the money allotted for purchasing salt — and eventually evolved into the modern word “salary.” Though not all Roman pay was in salt, the term stuck, showing just how essential and valuable salt was in the ancient world. It wasn’t just seasoning — it was strategic, vital, and worth fighting for. 🧂💰⚔️

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