History
Curiously Quirky History

Curiously Quirky History

The unusual parts of history are the most interesting

By The Blinkist Curators

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History
You might know something about the Stone Age, the invention of the airplane, and the major wars. But do you know how important ping-pong was to international relations? Or the origins of swearing? Explore curious histories that didn't make it into your high school history textbooks in this collection of quirky "details" that have had incredibly far-reaching impacts.

Curiously Quirky History

The unusual parts of history are the most interesting

At Home
At Home
Bill Bryson
A Short History of Private Life
14 min3.9
Ping-Pong Diplomacy
Ping-Pong Diplomacy
Nicholas Griffin
The Secret History Behind the Game That Changed the World
28 min4.5
Napoleon’s Buttons
Napoleon’s Buttons
Penny LeCouter & Jay Burreson
How 17 Molecules Changed History
20 min4.5
Happy Accidents
Happy Accidents
Morton A. Meyers
Serendipity in Major Medical Breakthroughs in the Twentieth Century
25 min4.5
Doubt: A History
Doubt: A History
Jennifer Michael Hecht
The Great Doubters and Their Legacy of Innovation from Socrates and Jesus to Thomas Jefferson and Emily Dickinson
20 min3.6
Accidental Presidents
Accidental Presidents
Jared Cohen
Eight Men Who Changed America
4.2
Holy Sh*t
Holy Sh*t
Melissa Mohr
A Brief History of Swearing
19 min4.2
The Mystery of the Exploding Teeth
The Mystery of the Exploding Teeth
Thomas Morris
And Other Curiosities from the History of Medicine
18 min3.7
Wonderland
Wonderland
Steven Johnson
How Play Made the Modern World
17 min4.4
A History of the World in 6 Glasses
A History of the World in 6 Glasses
Tom Standage
How your favorite drinks changed the world
18 min4.3
Salt
Salt
Mark Kurlansky
A World History
23 min4.4

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