25 Historical Twists That Will Make You Question Time Itself
If history had a script, these would be its biggest plot twists. Some ancient and modern events have happened so close to each other that it feels impossible, while others are so far apart that they break your brain. These 20 historical time warps will change the way you think about the past forever!
The Moon Landing Happened Closer to Cleopatra’s Lifetime Than the Pyramids Did
Cleopatra was closer to watching astronauts land on the moon than witnessing the pyramids being built! The pyramids were ancient ruins by the time Cleopatra ruled. In fact, 2,500 years separated her from their construction, but only 2,000 years stood between her and the moon landing.
Oxford University Existed Hundreds Of Years Before The Aztec Empire Was Founded
Imagine Oxford scholars sipping tea while the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán didn’t even exist yet. The university was already teaching students by 1096, while the Aztec Empire wasn’t founded until 1325. A world where medieval libraries were older than a mighty empire? History really doesn’t follow expected timelines.
The Last Woolly Mammoths Existed When Egypt’s Great Pyramid Was Being Built
A time traveler visiting Ancient Egypt might spot a woolly mammoth—alive! While the Great Pyramid of Giza stood tall, mammoths roamed Wrangel Island until 1650 BCE. So, while Egyptians were carving stone masterpieces, some of history’s last mammoths were taking their final steps. Talk about overlapping eras!
Star Wars Came Out Closer In Time To The End Of WWII Than To Today
When Star Wars premiered in 1977, World War II had ended 32 years earlier. Fast-forward to today and that movie is almost 50 years old. This means that, to a 1977 audience, WWII was fresher in their minds than Star Wars is now. Feeling old yet?
The Last Guillotine Execution In France Happened The Same Year “Star Wars: A New Hope” Premiered
A movie about laser battles in space and a 16th-century execution device shouldn’t share a release year, but they do. France executed a man by guillotine in 1977, the same year Star Wars debuted. One story embraced the future, while the other clung to the past.
Nintendo Was Founded Right After Jack The Ripper Terrorized London
Nintendo feels like a brand of the digital age, yet it was founded in 1889—just one year after Jack the Ripper’s killing spree in 1888. While detectives were still puzzling over London’s most infamous mystery, a company that would one day bring us Super Mario was about to take its first steps in Japan.
The First Fax Machine Was Patented While People Were Still Traveling The Oregon Trail
Picture settlers trekking across the Oregon Trail, dodging disease and disasters—while someone patented a fax machine in 1843! As pioneers braved months-long journeys by wagon, people elsewhere were inventing ways to send messages instantly. A world where telegraphs and covered wagons coexisted is some serious historical whiplash.
Harvard University Was Founded Before Isaac Newton’s Laws Of Motion Were Discovered
Harvard students were hitting the books before Newton had even defined gravity! Founded in 1636, Harvard existed 50 years before Newton’s 1687 physics breakthroughs. That means students were studying… what, exactly? The idea of a prestigious university predating the fundamental rules of motion? That’s mind-warping academia.
The Last Civil War Widow Died In 2020
Yes, 2020. Helen Viola Jackson, who married a Civil War veteran in the 1930s, lived into the age of smartphones and TikTok. She married him as a teenager, ensuring she carried a direct connection to Lincoln’s era right into modern times.
John Tyler, The 10th U.S. President (Born In 1790), Still Has A Living Grandson Today
John Tyler was president before photography—yet his grandson is still alive! Due to multiple generations of late fatherhood, his family line stretched across three centuries. A president born when George Washington was alive has a grandson who could be scrolling the internet today.
Anne Frank, MLK Jr., and Barbara Walters Were Born Within the Same Year
Anne Frank and Martin Luther King Jr. feel worlds apart in history, yet both were born in 1929—the same year as Barbara Walters. One documented Nazi horrors, another led civil rights marches, and one became a TV icon. Hard to believe they were age-mates!
The Ottoman Empire Still Existed When The Chicago Cubs Last Won a World Series Before 2016
The Cubs’ 1908 win feels ancient, but guess what? So does the Ottoman Empire—because it still existed at the time! The empire collapsed in 1922, meaning Chicago’s World Series drought lasted longer than the Ottoman Empire’s final years. Even history thought they’d never win again!
The First Subway System Was Built Before The Battle Of Little Bighorn
Picture Victorian Londoners riding underground trains while, across the Atlantic, Native Americans and U.S. soldiers still fought on horseback. The London Underground opened in 1863, but Custer’s famous last stand at Little Bighorn happened 13 years later. Trains existed before some major Wild West battles!
Queen Elizabeth II And Marilyn Monroe Were Born In The Same Year
A queen and a Hollywood star were born the same year? Yes! Queen Elizabeth II and Marilyn Monroe both entered the world in 1926. One ruled Britain; the other ruled the silver screen. Their lives couldn’t have been more different, yet history rolled them out at the same time.
The First Commercial Airplane Flight Took Off Two Years After the Titanic Sank
The first commercial flight launched in 1914, just two years after the ship’s tragic sinking. A Titanic survivor could have gone from ocean liner luxury to witness the dawn of air travel, living through two transportation revolutions in a single lifetime.
Pluto Was Discovered, Named a Planet, and Demoted—All Within Harvard’s Existence (The “Harvard Outlasted a Planet” Twist)
Harvard opened in 1636, nearly 300 years before Pluto was discovered in 1930. In that time, Pluto was found, named the ninth planet, and then demoted to a dwarf planet in 2006—all while Harvard kept teaching. It turns out that even planets aren’t as permanent as Harvard.
The Roman Colosseum Was Built Before Paper Money Existed
Gladiators fought to the cheers of thousands inside the Colosseum by 80 CE, yet paper money wouldn’t exist for another 600 years. That means the Romans had massive stadiums before wallets! You could attend a chariot race, but good luck paying with anything but coins.
The First Academy Awards Were Held the Same Year as the Wall Street Crash
The Oscars feel ancient, yet their first ceremony was in 1929, the same year the Great Depression began. That means there was a time when stock markets existed, but the Oscars didn’t. The fact that Hollywood was just starting its biggest tradition while the world’s economy crumbled overnight feels like a timeline malfunction.
Orville Wright Was Still Alive When Chuck Yeager Broke The Sound Barrier
Orville Wright, who first took flight in 1903, was alive in 1947 when Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier with his jet. That means in just one lifetime, humans went from biplanes barely lifting off the ground to jets going faster than the speed of sound. Talk about progress!
The Berlin Wall’s Fall and 9/11 Are Closer Than 9/11 and Today
Time speeds up when you’re not looking. Take this for instance: The Berlin Wall fell in 1989, just 12 years before 9/11. Yet 9/11 is now 23 years behind us. What once felt like a fresh wound is twice as far from today as it was from the Cold War’s end.
The Last Samurai Died Just A Century Before Star Wars Debuted
The samurai era and space battles don’t belong together—yet they do, in a way. Saigo Takamori, often called Japan’s last true samurai, died in 1877, almost exactly a century before Star Wars debuted in 1977. One of history’s oldest warrior traditions had faded just as fictional Jedi knights were about to capture the world’s imagination. The past and future weren’t as far apart as they seemed!
Firing Squads Were Still Used in the U.S. When the First iPad Hit Stores
In 2010, Apple launched the iPad, revolutionizing how we consume media. That same year, the U.S. executed someone by firing squad, a method older than the country itself. The fact that touchscreen tablets and Old West-style justice coexisted in the same year? That’s history throwing a curveball.
The First Selfie Was Taken Before The American Civil War
Think selfies started with smartphones? Try 1839! Robert Cornelius snapped the first-ever selfie using an early camera before the American Civil War even began. While most think of selfies as a Gen-Z obsession, this one predates electricity, the telephone, and even Abraham Lincoln’s presidency.
The Leaning Tower Of Pisa Was Already Tilting Before The Mongol Empire Existed
The Mongol Empire, led by Genghis Khan, reshaped the world in 1206, but the Leaning Tower of Pisa started tilting in 1178. That means while Europe built crooked towers, Mongolia hadn’t yet begun its world-conquering spree. One of history’s mightiest empires was outlived by a mistake!
Harriet Tubman Was Alive When Ronald Reagan Was Born
Harriet Tubman, the Underground Railroad abolitionist, and Ronald Reagan, a modern U.S. president, feel like two different eras. Yet Tubman died in 1913, two years after Reagan was born. A woman who rescued enslaved people and a man who starred in Hollywood films coexisted in history.
