Ranker Collection

Historical Contexts

9.6k votersThe Biggest Mistakes That Changed HistoryYou know when you've made a big mistake. Sure, there have been tests that you thought you aced or dates that you thought went well...

54.7k viewsHow The Worst Periods In Human History Got BetterHumanity has lived through some horrific periods in history, including natural disasters, plagues, and man-made crises. Plagues ha...

3.3m viewsHistorical Events You Won't Believe Happened at the Same TimeIn 2014, two separate Reddit users—ShyneBox and mitch3a—posted essentially the same question to AskReddit, several months apart: W...

210.5k viewsFamous Historical Figures Most People Have No Idea Lived At The Same TimeHistory 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 ab...

2.2k voters15 Facts About Geologic Time That Made Our Brains HurtHave you ever wondered about the age of the planet? To grasp just how old the Earth is might take some major mind bending. It defi...

21.3k votersThe Eeriest Coincidences Throughout HistoryMany coincidences are just that and nothing more. This is true almost across the board, and while the coincidence at hand might be...

366k viewsWhat Was The Absolute Worst Time To Live In Different Countries?Humanity has endured pretty terrible things in the last 2,000 years, from wars to natural disasters to virulent plagues. But what ...

22.9k viewsHistorical Events You Didn't Realize Were Happening Around The Globe While Slavery Existed In The USThe United States condoned slavery for centuries, and the institution, which forced thousands of African Diaspora descendants to w...

222.9k views13 Extremely Unexpected Friendships Between Historical FiguresEveryone knows that opposites attract. It's (at least initially) true for romantic relationships, and it's also sometimes true for...

284.4k viewsPlot Holes In History That Actually HappenedMovie plot holes annoy and confuse audiences when filmmakers abandon storylines, characters suddenly gain superhuman powers, or th...

223.7k viewsMistakes That Created Modern AmericaThe biggest political mistakes of both the past and present are debated ceaselessly, but governance-related blunders aren’t the on...

Graveyard Shift

1.0m viewsThe Many Times Sexual Intercourse Altered The Course Of HistoryFor many, "the deed" is a private event that takes place behind closed doors. But sex in history has altered politics and its effe...

289.3k viewsHistorical Mix-Ups That Really Got Out of Hand (Or Almost Did)Sometimes misunderstandings happen - and that's normal. But when those misunderstandings or mistakes happen on a global scale betw...

1.1m views13 People Who Were Right All Along, But No One Listened To ThemIf Abraham Lincoln had heeded the warnings that his life may be in danger, the course of history may have been very different. In ...

55.9k views10 Murder Plots That Would Have Radically Changed History (If They Succeeded)Powerful leaders walk around everyday with bull's-eyes on their backs. And the world would likely be a much different place had ma...

215.5k views12 Small Countries That Used To Be Gigantic EmpiresIt's incredible to imagine, but some small countries in all corners of the globe used to be capitals of mighty empires that contro...

Indiana Jones Franchise

849 votersAll The Artifacts Indiana Jones Has RecoveredWith Raiders of the Lost Ark, Harrison Ford helped birth one of Hollywood's most beloved characters. Even if Indiana Jones is a ho...

53.8k viewsDid People Of The Middle Ages Think The World Was Flat?When Columbus set sail in 1492, he proved - for the first time - that Earth was round. Europeans laughed at Columbus, certain he w...

340.9k viewsHistorical Close Calls And Their Impacts On The World As We Know ItThroughout the tapestry of stories that makes up human history, near misses and close calls have both threatened our existence and...

173.9k viewsBrain Farts With History-Altering ConsequencesEverybody experiences brain farts from time to time, but the fallout is usually more along the lines of forgetting to pick up 2% m...