16th Centuries facts
While investigating facts about 16th Centuries, I found out little known, but curios details like:
The Vikings had their own version of rap battling called "flyting" which is "a ritual, poetic exchange of insults practised mainly between the 5th and 16th centuries"
In the 16th century, Christians called the Anabaptists did not partake in infant baptism, instead believing that only free-willed adults could decide for themselves to be baptized. They were persecuted and killed.
In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across. Here are 50 of the best facts about 16th Centuries I managed to collect.
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In the 16th century, Christians called the Anabaptists did not partake in infant baptism, instead believing that only free-willed adults could decide for themselves to be baptized. They were persecuted and killed.
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Hans Steininger, a 16th century German Mayor of a small town, died by tripping on his beard. It was over 4 and a ½ feet long and he usually kept it tucked away in a pocket, but during a town fire he forgot to put it in and tripped on in it in the chaos, breaking his neck.
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Yasuke, a 16th century African who traveled to Japan as a slave, caused such a sensation that a powerful warlord wished to see him. He thought his black skin was paint and ordered it to be scrubbed. However, they became friends and Yasuke was later given the prestigious rank of Samurai.
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The "L" in "could" was added intentionally in the 15th or 16th century solely to match the spellings of "would" and "should."
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Pants and trousers are called pairs because they used to be separate. As early as the 16th Century, you'd feed one leg in, tie the top around your waist and do the same with the other leg. The name stayed even when they started being made as a single item.
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In 2010, a 3-year old boy playing with his father's metal detector for the first time discovered a 16th century golden pendant estimated to be worth $4 million.
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The "proof" scale for alcohol was created by 16th century British sailors to describe the strength of their rum rations. Gunpowder soaked with less than 100 proof rum would not burn and was considered unacceptable.
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Myiamoto Musashi. A samurai from the 16th century, won over 60 duels, fought in 2 wars and is credited with inventing the art of psyching out your opponent and dual wielding katana, he killed his first man at the age of 13.
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Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Machiavelli were all living together in Florence in the 16th century
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The name "California" comes from a 16th century romance novel about a mythical island populated solely by black women warriors armed with gold weapons, ruled by a Queen named Calafia.
What is true about 16th centuries?
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In the 16th century, prestigious mathematics professorships could be "won" by defeating the current professor in a public algebra competition
When a 16th century cathedral in Salamanca, Spain was renovated in the early 1990s, ornate stone carvings of an astronaut and a gargoyle eating ice cream were added near the entrance. - source
Giordano Bruno. In the 16th century he proposed that our sun was just another star moving in space. The Roman Inquisition considered this as heresy and Bruno was burned at the stake. - source
The 16th century monk Giordano Bruno proposed that stars were distant suns surrounded by exoplanets that could contain life. He was sentenced to death by the same man who sentenced Galileo to death.
Tycho Brahe, an immensely rich Danish astronomer living in the 16th century that owned not only a midget that could predict the future, but also a pet elk that once drank too much beer on a party, fell down the stairs and died. - source
“mechanical” prosthetics date back to the 16th century when wounded knights would need mechanical fingers to still grip their swords or lance
Around the 16th century, there was a chamber in the fortress of Biertan (Romania) where all the couples that wanted to divorce were forced to live with only one item of everything: one bed, one spoon, one chair, etc. before breaking up. Only one couple in 300 years ended up divorcing.
The traditional Japanese dish of Tempura was actually introduced to them by Portuguese missionaries in the 16th Century
When the Portuguese introduced chili peppers to Japan in the 16th century, rather than being eaten they were commonly put into socks to keep toes warm.
In 16th and 17th Century Denmark, merchant ship captains had to pay a toll based on the value of the goods on the ship. The value was declared by the captain. The Danish authorities could take the value based toll (1-2%) or opt to buy the cargo for the declared value.
In 16th century London, a law forbade wife-beating after 9:00pm, but only because the noise disturbed people's sleep.