History

What are the largest empires in history?&nbsp;That question is much more loaded than it may first appear to be. There's no single metric by which the size or influence of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/historical-empires-collapse/michael-muir">any empire</a> is measured. As a result, there can be several answers to such a question. It's all in how you look at it.The biggest empires in terms of land is generally considered to be<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/what-it-was-like-to-live-british-empire-farthest-reaches/melissa-sartore"> the British Empire</a>. But, when the population enters the conversation, several dynastic lines from Asia truly reign supreme.&nbsp;Then, there's influence. If one were to assess which empire left the biggest genetic imprint on history, Genghis Khan and his <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/how-many-people-are-related-to-genghis-khan/melissa-sartore">Mongolian legacy</a> are still very much among us. Leadership, like that of Genghis Khan or someone like Alexander the Great in his vast Macedonian Empire, are also fair to consider.&nbsp;Culturally, groups like the Umayyads and the Persians made their own contributions, muddying the waters even more when trying to decipher which empire was the biggest. And, what about timespan? Egyptians ruled for thousands of years and, arguably, the Roman Empire continued through the Byzantine Empire and well into the 14th century.Collectively, these factors make determining the biggest world empires a challenge. But, by looking at land and population at an empire's peak, it's possible to get clarity about just how much influence an empire really had. Below you will find the dates each of the largest empires existed, when they peaked, and the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.space.com/17638-how-big-is-earth.html#:~:text=The%20surface%20area%20of%20Earth,%25%2C%20is%20covered%20by%20water.">amount of land</a> they controlled (out of the 57 million square miles on Earth) when they were at their biggest. Then, you'll find out exactly why they ultimately came to an end.&nbsp;

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The Largest Empires In History, By The Numbers

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The 9 Largest Empires In History, By The Numbers

Melissa Sartore

Before the invention of photography (1822), the wealthy donned their fanciest duds, sat perfectly still for hours on end, and let artists do their best to make them look attractive. Let's rank.

Portrait Gallery

Weird History

In 2013, the unveiling of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2260655/Kate-Middleton-Rotten-official-portrait-Duchess-Cambridge-artist-Paul-Emsley-unveiled.html">the first official&nbsp;portrait of the Duchess of Cambridge</a> caused an international response fit for, say, an actual important international event. People all over the world&nbsp;went crazy with&nbsp;judgment and jeers, critiquing every aspect of the painting. But Kate Middleton's portrait looks like a Rembrandt compared to some of the heinously ugly royal portraits&nbsp;that came before it. The&nbsp;historical artists who&nbsp;crafted many of these horrendously unflattering <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/portraits-of-historical-royals-vs-real-life/alby-thompson">royal portraits</a>&nbsp;are lucky they aren't alive to experience the wrath of the Twitterverse. If they were, their paintings, and they themselves, would probably be torn to shreds for the travesties they committed to canvas.&nbsp;To be fair, it isn't always the fault of the artist that a&nbsp;painting comes out looking like the stuff of nightmares.&nbsp;Sometimes, a royal just doesn't measure up to the day's beauty standards, and an artist has to grit his teeth and muscle his way through. Perhaps that's why a few monarchs&nbsp;make their way onto the list numerous times, painted by different artists.There are also artists throughout history who created intentionally&nbsp;bad portraits, as a means of criticizing&nbsp;a royal individual or family.&nbsp;Ultimately, whether the result of bad artistry&nbsp;or <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.ranker.com/list/weird-royals-in-history/danielle-ownbey">royal inbreeding</a>, these royal&nbsp;embarrassments are our enjoyment. Want more?&nbsp;Take a look at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/firsthand-descriptions-what-royals-really-looked-like/setareh-janda">our roundup of written, firsthand descriptions of historical royals</a>.

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23 Of The Most Heinously Unflattering Royal Portraits In History

23 of the Most Heinously Unflattering Royal Portraits in History

Danielle Ownbey

World History

Throughout history, wealthy&nbsp;people &ndash;&nbsp;like many <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/notable-monarch_s)/reference" target="_blank">notable kings</a>&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;had extravagant weddings. For these inestimably costly ceremonies,&nbsp;pre-celebration festivities often&nbsp;included very lavish dowries on behalf of the new brides. Sometimes, these nuptials that involved famous dowries took place between <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/weird-royals-in-history/danielle-ownbey" target="_blank">weird royals</a>&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;like uncles and nieces and already closely related cousins.&nbsp;But who had the&nbsp;biggest&nbsp;dowry&nbsp;in&nbsp;history?

A fair number of medieval and early modern princesses and archduchesses were given lots of land as their dowries, and their husbands wed them for the promise&nbsp;of significant revenue&nbsp;from these properties. Sometimes, these territories were so vast they&#39;re nearly unthinkable. For example, Eleanor of Aquitaine&nbsp;brought the rulership of most of southwestern France &ndash;&nbsp;her duchy of Aquitaine&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;to both of her husbands. Anne of Denmark wed Eleanor&#39;s descendant, James VI of Scotland/I of England, and brought the Orkney Isles with her. But was this the&nbsp;biggest&nbsp;dowry&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp;world?

Other wives have brought a ton of cash with them to their newly minted husbands. Modern-day royal Marie-Chantal, Crown Princess of Greece, apparently brought $200 million to her husband, while Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza&nbsp;gave her spouse, Charles II of England, trading rights all over the world.

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The Most Lavish Dowries In History

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Carly Silver

Since the dawn of civilization, a lot of important things have happened. Here are lists of about the many winding routes we took to get where we are today.

Historical Contexts

If you weren't living in the 21st century, when and where would you live? There are many advantages to living in the 21st century, but there are also&nbsp;forgotten <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/which-era-would-you-want-to-live-in/jacob-shelton?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">eras of history</a> full of peace, rapid cultural&nbsp;building, and prosperity.&nbsp;Some people choose their&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/which-era-would-you-want-to-live-in/jacob-shelton">favorite historical era</a> based on their personality - but what was really the&nbsp;best time to be alive? And could the perks of a bygone era&nbsp;convince you to hop into&nbsp;a time machine?&nbsp;It is important to note that while an era might have brought amazing experiences to some people, those opportunities often came with&nbsp;pain and persecution for&nbsp;others. Still, there are surprising times and places where certain groups, like women, may have had even more rights than they do in Western society today.So, what was the best time in history to live in?

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The 12 Best Times In Human History To Be Alive

What Were The Best Times To Be Alive In History?

Susanna Olson

History is a murky concept at best, and it gets murkier the further back one goes. That’s why it’s often so surprising to learn about <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-most-influential-people-of-all-time?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">famous historical figures</a> who lived at the same time, let alone <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/historical-events-happening-at-the-same-time/kellen-perry" target="_blank">historical moments that happened at the same time</a>. Sometimes, it’s even more surprising to learn about historical figures who were born at the same time, which, rude as it may sound, often gives one a true sense of just how damn old some people are!History is full of amazing paths that crossed. Thanks to all the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-most-important-leaders-in-world-history?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">famous world leaders</a> who were alive at the same time, humanity&nbsp;has had some&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/unlikely-friendships-throughout-history-v1/katherine-ripley" target="_blank">unlikely friendships throughout history</a>, like the one between&nbsp;Elvis and <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/how-and-why-richard-nixon-invented-the-war-on-drugs/stephanroget" target="_blank">Nixon, who invented the&nbsp;war on drugs</a>. As they say, it’s a small world, after all,&nbsp;and it also happens to be a world filled with interesting people -&nbsp;many of whom walked the Earth at the exact same time.

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Famous Historical Figures Most People Have No Idea Lived At The Same Time

Historical Figures You Never Realized Lived At The Same Time

Stephan Roget

"Clothes make a man. Naked people have little or no influence on society." - Mark Twain

Past Fashion

Old Stuff

Crazy fashion trends from history teach contemporary clothes horses&nbsp;a few things. One, people will go to ridiculous lengths to prove their station in society. They&rsquo;ll nearly break their necks by teetering on towering platform shoes, hobble themselves with skirts, and bind themselves up in an organ-shifting corset, all in the name of style. And two, exaggeration is key. From hugely padded sleeves to large embroidered codpieces, true devotes of trends believed that bigger was better. Some films <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/things-movies-get-wrong-about-historical-clothing/genevieve-carlton/" target="_blank">get historical fashion wrong</a>, but others are pretty accurate, no matter how ridiculous the clothes seem.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/deadly-fatal-victorian-beauty-trends-and-treatments/amandasedlakhevener">Weird fashion trends</a> from history were frequently dangerous as well. Vivid dyes could be made with toxic arsenic, while voluminous&nbsp;crinolines could easily catch on fire. Even if the clothing wasn&#39;t fatal, a&nbsp;lot of these crazy fashion trends from history seriously impaired&nbsp;a person&rsquo;s ability to live a normal life. People who wore bliauts couldn&rsquo;t really use their arms. Men who donned&nbsp;crakowes found walking a bit problematic. And extra wide panniers kept women from fitting through narrow doors.

Whether they&#39;re deadly or just plain nuts, you can be thankful these fashion trends are in the past and are not <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/old-fashion-trends-that-deserve-a-comeback/brenden-donnelly" target="_blank">deserving of a comeback</a>.

The 17 Dumbest Fashion Trends in History

The 17 Craziest Fashion Trends In History

Lisa Waugh

Exploring the backstories and nuances of famous historical photos that will change the way you think about the past—and the future.

Photographic Memories

Wild Facts

The history of the Congo Free State is one of devastating&nbsp;genocide, ruthless colonialism, and massive greed, all on the part of one man. Leopold II served as King of Belgium from 1865 to 1909, during which time he managed to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160524201829/http://www.nationalgeographic.org/thisday/feb5/belgian-king-establishes-congo-free-state/">create a colony</a> in the Congo over 70 times the size of his Belgian kingdom. Leopold's hunger for power <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.ranker.com/list/congo-free-state-belgian-atrocities/hugh-landman">led to devastation</a> in the Congo, a humanitarian disaster&nbsp;that included mutilation, psychological torture, and murder.&nbsp;Leopold created the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Congo-Free-State">Belgian Congo slave trade</a> in order to collect rubber, ivory, and palm oil, and it was quotas of these items that led to brutal treatment of the enslaved Congolese people forced to fulfill them. This particular photo depicts an enslaved Congolese man staring dejectedly at the severed hands and feet of his five-year-old daughter, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://rarehistoricalphotos.com/father-hand-belgian-congo-1904/">his punishment</a> for failing to fulfill a rubber quota. But the dark&nbsp;truth behind this photo is much more gruesome than you would ever imagine. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

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This Image Of A Slave Father Looking At His Daughter's Severed Hand And Foot Has Haunted Generations

This Image of A Slave Father Looking At His Daughter's Severed Hand And Foot Has Haunted Generations

Cleo Egnal

Fascinating and valuable things found in unexpected places.

Strange Discoveries

Artifacts

There have been some seriously strange things found at construction sites. While some&nbsp;people have spent their entire lives searching for buried riches or lost holy relics only to come up short, others have just sort of stumbled upon historical artifacts found at construction sites. The weird stuff found on construction jobs&nbsp;ranges from priceless treasures to tangible evidence of civilizations thought lost forever. Truly, a few of these accidental <a href="/list/archaeology-that-changed-history/nathan-gibson" target="_blank">archaeological&nbsp;finds changed what we know about history</a>.&nbsp;

In all cases, the stories of those lucky (or unlucky) enough to find a mummy or a trove of <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/tudor-artifacts-found-in-rat-nest/garri-chaverst" target="_blank">Tudor artifacts in their floorboards</a> are fascinating and often creepier than fiction.&nbsp;These discoveries are by turns heartwarming, stomach-churning, and awe-inspiring. Be careful, or these&nbsp;serendipitous moments may inspire&nbsp;you to&nbsp;start digging in your backyard, combing the beach, or putting holes in your wall. But then again, who knows? You might get lucky. &nbsp; &nbsp;

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The 16 Most Bizarre Historical Artifacts Ever Discovered On Construction Sites

The 16 Strangest Things Ever Found on Construction Sites

Dave Smith

The ancient world may not have had access to computers, indoor plumbing, or the most reliable healthcare, but it was populated by the same kinds of people that exist today. Some were good, some were strange, and some of them told the same dirty jokes we&#39;ve been telling for centuries.

Redditors interested in facts about the ancient world love to share what they&#39;ve learned, especially when it concerns topics History teachers usually don&#39;t touch on. For example, ever heard of the &quot;Osterby Head&quot;? It&#39;s&nbsp;a nearly 2,000-year-old skull with a perfectly preserved hairdo. Or how about this: ancient&nbsp;Persians living in the desert had a nifty refrigeration system already figured out by the year 400 BC.

Here are some other cool facts about the ancient world&nbsp;you may never have heard before. Want more? <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/whoa-ancient-greece-facts/mallory-weiler" target="_blank">Here are some remarkable facts just about Ancient Greece</a>.

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Facts About The Ancient World We Just Learned Today That Made Us Say ‘Whoa’

Facts About The Ancient World We Just Learned That Made Us Say ‘Whoa’

Alby Thompson

Kings & queens, princes & princesses. They're made of blood and bones like the rest of us, but they're told they can do whatever they damn well please. Sometimes, this causes problems.

Royal Pains

Lists of fascinating facts and lesser-known details about the lives of people whose names you learned in History class (or should have).

Down in History

European history is littered with <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/weird-royals-in-history/danielle-ownbey">eccentric royals</a> whose wild behavior is almost too crazy to believe. King Ludwig II of Bavaria had a reputation for weird royal habits. As one of the most infamous European royals who met a mysterious end, Ludwig’s life is full of fascinating and tragic facts, stories, and anecdotes.Though strange Ludwig II stories have shaped modern perceptions about this fairytale king, his life was more complicated than supposed fits of madness. He ruled Bavaria when his kingdom lost its autonomy, thanks to the unification of Germany and the establishment of the German Empire. He was probably unsuited to royal life, preferring to dream up fantastic, storybook castles than&nbsp;go about the practical work of ruling a kingdom in transition.Part of the mystique and tragedy&nbsp;surrounding&nbsp;Ludwig stems from his&nbsp;appearing as a king&nbsp;out of time, in some ways. He was backward-looking, falling hard for the mythical operas of Richard Wagner and conjuring up medieval castles to which he could retreat from the demands of modern life. His untimely, violent death in 1886 anticipated the end of the 19th century, when a world came crashing down a few decades later during&nbsp;World War I.Of all the bizarre European royals and <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/crazy-ibrahim-i-facts/setareh-janda">Asian rulers</a>&nbsp;who&nbsp;fill the pages of history, Ludwig II of Bavaria was perhaps the most tragic.

16 Bizarre Facts About King Ludwig II, The Most Extreme Fanboy of All Time

16 Tragic Facts about King Ludwig II, Bavaria's Favorite Mad King

Setareh Janda

Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette, the ill-fated queen of France, is remembered for two things: losing her head and uttering the callous phrase, &ldquo;Let them eat cake.&rdquo; Though it is indeed true she was the last queen in the history of France, there was a lot more to this tragic queen. Surprising facts about Marie Antoinette actually reveal her to be a woman of character, intelligence, and strength.

Born in Austria in 1755, <a href="/list/first-hand-descriptions-of-marie-antoinette/gordon-cameron" target="_blank">Marie Antoinette</a> began life far from the mirrored halls of Versailles. Becoming queen of France would afford her extravagances and great wealth; but it would also bring her boredom, loneliness, and terror. Though it&rsquo;s true she loved fashion, cards, and sweets, she also had a hard time adjusting to life at the French court and was often accused of being an outsider. She wasn&rsquo;t just a queen; she was also a daughter, a mother, and a&nbsp;sister. Behind the legend of the doomed queen of France and the trappings of the French monarchy, Marie Antoinette was a real woman who lived, loved, and died in one of the most chaotic moments in modern history.

Even before and since her <a href="/list/list-of-executed-politicians/notable-famous-deaths">execution</a> during the French Revolution, people around the world have imagined her in specific ways - especially in recent <a href="/list/historical-figure-inaccuracies-in-movies/isadora-teich">films</a>. Some representations&nbsp;were cruel, while others were highly romanticized. The real Marie Antoinette existed somewhere between those extremes.

13 Facts That Prove Marie Antoinette Remains An Extremely Controversial Figure

Surprising Facts You Never Knew About Marie Antoinette

They pillage and plunder; they rifle and loot. Drink up, ye 'earties. Yo ho!

A Pirate's Life for Me

People Trivia

Contrary to popular belief, not all pirates hobbled on peg-legs with talking parrots perched on their shoulders, patches covering their&nbsp;eyes, and broad West Country accents sharpening&nbsp;their vowels. One of the most important, fascinating, and relatively forgotten&nbsp;pirates was actually a woman, known to history as the so-called &quot;Pirate Queen.&quot;There have been other lady pirates in history, but perhaps none as significant as&nbsp;Gr&aacute;inne&nbsp;N&iacute; Mh&aacute;ille,&nbsp;better known by the Anglicized version of her Irish name, Grace O'Malley. She&nbsp;was born in western Ireland around 1530. Though brought up in a life of relative privilege and wealth, she also faced limitations on her ambitions. The Ireland of her birth was one of eroding independence, as England sought to exert more and more influence over the island to its west. Though all pirates are political to some extent, O'Malley was especially so: the politics of Ireland and Tudor England became tangled up in her business. Today she is even remembered as a rebel and symbol of Irish resistance and independence in the face of English colonization.By the time of her death in around 1603, she had become one of the most significant and powerful women in all of Ireland. This female pirate was chieftain of her clan, captain of her ships, and badass extraordinaire. She wasn't just history's most important woman pirate; she was also a mother, wife, lover, political actor, business manager, and folk hero at various points in her long and colorful life.

13 Facts About Grace O'Malley, The Most Badass Lady Pirate You've Never Heard Of

The Badass Lady Pirate You've Never Heard Of

13 Facts About Woman Pirate Grace O'Malley

Exploring plagues and pandemics throughout history.

It's an Epidemic

Influenza

Of all the horrors of World War I, it wasn&#39;t the bombs, bullets, or even the mustard gas that ended up as the greatest killer. In reality, the act of moving that many people around the world turned out to be the most deadly fruit of war. The last year of the war, 1918, saw the most deadly pandemic the world has ever known. With all those millions of soldiers being shipped around the globe, it spread like wildfire.

This was the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/spanish-flu-survivor-stories/melissa-sartore" target="_blank">Spanish influenza</a> pandemic. In terms of sheer numbers killed, the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/how-prisons-handled-spanish-flu/megan-summers" target="_blank">Spanish influenza</a> beats out the Black Death as the king of historical epidemics. The statistics of the Spanish flu are just brutal, and the disease touched every corner of the globe. Survivors tell of <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/spanish-flu-survivor-stories/melissa-sartore" target="_blank">heartbreaking scenes of misery and quarantine</a>, and today the flu ranks as one of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/historical-figures-who-died-of-cured-diseases/aaron-edwards">worst diseases</a> in history, a reminder of how deadly influenza can really be.

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Inside The Brutal Realities of the Spanish Flu That Killed 100 Million People

Inside the Brutal Realities of the Spanish Flu

Grim Realities of the Spanish Influenza, the Largest Epidemic in Human History

Christopher Myers

Lists about some of the most extraordinary women who made history, forever changing the world and how we see it.

Well-Behaved Women

Lists of fun facts and fascinating trivia about some of history's most intelligent people.

Great Minds

Marie Curie

<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Curie">Marie Curie</a>&nbsp;(also known as Madame Curie)&nbsp;was born Marie Sklowdowska in Warsaw, Poland, in 1867. At the time, Poland was a Russian territory, and residents had to abide by Russian rules, which included speaking Russian in schools (not Polish) and not publicly showing any pro-Polish sentiments, which wound up hurting Curie's family, as it prevented her schoolteacher father from getting a good-paying job.Curie's early home life was interrupted by the death of her mother in 1878, when Curie was only 10. After this, Curie's father enrolled her in a tough school, where she <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/notable-women-innovators-and-inventors/roger-royce">excelled in mathematics and science</a>. She went on to work as a tutor before attending college in secret. The life of Marie Curie was not easy, but after moving to France as a young adult, she went on to become one of the first <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/female-firsts/amylindorff">famous female scientists</a>.&nbsp;Tragically, one of the most important <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/famous-female-scientists/reference">women in scientific history</a>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/scientist-test-subjects/robert-f-mason">sacrificed her life</a> for her work when she died of anemia caused by a lifetime of <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/scientists-who-died-because-of-experiments/jacob-shelton">exposure to radiation</a>.

12 Things About Marie Curie That Prove She's One of the Most Influential Women Ever

12 Awesome Facts About Marie Curie

Amanda Sedlak-Hevener

The course of history has often been shaped by rivalries between states and countries. Some were limited contests for trade, while others were epic battles to death between the world&#39;s greatest powers. Some of the fiercest rivals of yesteryear are staunch allies today;&nbsp;it just took a few hundred years and a whole lot of battles to work things out.

This collection looks at some of history&#39;s most notable rivalries, from the great struggles&nbsp;of the ancient world to the First World War.&nbsp;

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11 Of History's Longest And Most Intense Rivalries

The Most Famous Feuds In History

History's Longest And Most Intense Rivalries

M. Muir

As long as human beings have been alive, we have been doing bizarre things that barely make sense. Here are lists of a few thousand of them.

Weird History Around the World

The<a href="https://historydaily.org/history-of-cats-how-did-we-domesticate-felines" target="_blank"> history of cat</a> worship primarily centers around ancient Egypt, but that&#39;s not the only place where reverence for all things feline existed. So who worshipped cats? There are many societies that bowed to our feline friends - Li Shou was a Chinese cat god that protected crops from being eaten by mice, and a black cat called Ovinnik was a god in ancient Poland.&nbsp;

Did you know that wealthy cat owners draped their feline companions in jewels in ancient Egypt? Or that an entire battle was surrendered, simply because the Egyptians didn&#39;t want any harm to come to cats scattered on the battlefield? Read on to discover all the purrfect facts about cat worship throughout history and vote up the strangest facts.

Purrfectly Odd Things You Didn't Know About Cat Worship in History

Things You Didn't Know About Cat Worship in History

Candice Darden

World History lists at Ranker - The ultimate source for hundreds of world history lists and rankings

World History lists on Ranker

Saving Private Ryan

Schindler's List

The Great Escape

Lists about life for soldiers and civilians alike during the Second Great War, which raged around the world from 1939-1945.

WWII

Looking closer at some of the best, most realistic, most brutal depictions of war in the history of entertainment.

Wars on Screen

Looking closer at films, TV shows, docs, and miniseries that explore, recreate, and occasionally flub up real historical events.

Watching History

All about Spielberg's epic & heartbreaking WWII drama, celebrating 25 years in 2023.

Watchworthy

The best World War II movies not only recount historical events, but also deeply resonate with audiences through powerful portrayals of courage amidst adversity. World War II, a tumultuous period marked by bravery, sacrifice, and human resilience, has long been an evocative backdrop for storytelling. Films inspired by this era delve into the complexities of war, capturing the essence of heroism and loss on both grand and intimate scales. &nbsp;These movies invite viewers to reflect upon the past while appreciating the artistry of filmmaking.Showcasing diverse perspectives during one of history's most harrowing periods, these exceptional films immerse audiences in tales that span from battles to quiet acts of defiance. Great WW2 movies reveal multifaceted aspects of humanity caught in the throes of conflict by highlighting themes such as camaraderie, betrayal, hope, and despair across different cultural contexts. These stories come alive through outstanding cinematography, gripping performances, and masterful direction that evoke poignant emotions even decades after their release.Movies like Saving Private Ryan, The Great Escape, and Schindler's List stand as prime examples of remarkable World War II cinema. In Saving Private Ryan, director Steven Spielberg throws audiences into the visceral chaos of D-Day before transitioning to a captivating mission that showcases loyalty and selflessness among soldiers. Meanwhile, The Great Escape expertly blends suspense and adventure as it follows Allied prisoners plotting against all odds to break free from a German POW camp. Lastly, the monumental impact of Schindler's List is indisputable; its stark (mostly) black-and-white visuals coupled with compelling character arcs immortalize Oskar Schindler's efforts to save Jewish lives under unimaginable circumstances. Yet these are just a few gems amid an array of incredible wartime narratives. Other famous WWII movies contending for the top spots on this list include Hacksaw Ridge, Letters from Iwo Jima, Patton, and A Bridge Too Far.As cinema continues to evolve over time, filmmakers will persistently draw inspiration from pivotal moments throughout human history - particularly when they have the potential to strike emotional chords within viewers. In this context, movies about the second World War will undoubtedly remain a significant subgenre of filmmaking as they challenge us to confront the darkest chapters of our collective past while celebrating acts of valor and resilience in trying times. The greatest World War II films serve as vital reminders that even amidst the horrors of war, there are stories worth remembering and lessons to be learned about the human spirit's remarkable capacity for survival and hope.