To quote Carlo Rovelli, theoretical physicist: "time is an illusion." Our naive perception of its flow doesn't correspond to physical reality. Illusion or not, time can sometimes delude us and make us second guess our perception of it. There are many great examples where we can see the incredible overlapping of historical events that happened simultaneously. When you find out the time facts about some happenings, it might change how you perceive history. So, warp your sense of time with our list of top ten facts about time delusions, as they will certainly blow your minds. We picked super compelling examples, so keep reading.
10. Charles Darwin and Steve Irwin Took Care of The Same Turtle
Harriet is the third oldest tortoise, who died in 1965 at the age of 188
Did you know that Charles Darwin brought a Galápagos tortoise (Geochelone Porter) back in 1835 after his expedition to the Galápagos Islands? No? OK, and did you know that this turtle lived for 176 years and that she died in Australia ZOO in 2006? Again no? Well, we have to intrigue you and tell you all that is a fact!
Tortoise, called Harriet, spent the last years of her life in the custody of famous zookeeper and wildlife expert Steve Irwin and his family. So yes, Darwin and Irwin took care of the same turtle. That's how long she lived, and that's pretty impressive.
9. John Tyler Died More Than 60 Years Ago Before His Grandchildren Were Born
Two generations of the Tyler family managed to last through most of U.S. history.
John Tyler, born in 1790, was the tenth president of the United States, and he is famous not only for the fact that he was the president but also for his family's longevity. Therefore his two grandsons still live! By the time he died in 1862, he had 15 children, but his living grandchildren weren't born until the 1920s.
It's mind-blowing to think that he had been dead for more than 60 years by the time two of his grandchildren were born! It's also quite unimaginable that only three Tyler Family generations exist more than the USA's whole history.
8. Cleopatra Existence Is Closer To The Era of iPhone
Cleopatra lived closer to the creation of the iPhone than to the construction of the Giza's Great Pyramids
The famous Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra, lived closer to the creation of the iPhone than to the construction of the Giza's Great Pyramids. Well, how's that possible? Let's see - She was born in the year 69 B.C. and died in 30 B.C.
However, the Great Pyramid was built around 2580–2560 BC, while the iPhone was introduced in 2007 A.D. To sum things up, she lived 2500 years after the pyramid construction and 2037 years before the iPhone was created. Wow, who would guess that?
7. Queen Elizabeth II of England and Marilyn Monroe Are Peers
Gorgeous Marilyn meets the Queen Elizabeth II
What do Queen Elizabeth II of England and the famous Marilyn Monroe have in common? Well, both of them were born the same year, 1926! Furthermore, they even met at the movie premiere of "The Battle of the River Plate" In October 1956 in London's Leicester Square.
There is even a record in black and white photography that shows the tragic star meeting Queen Elizabeth. Marilyn Monroe was at the receiving line of guests shaking the young Queen's hand. Even though she wasn't in the movie, the blonde beauty appeared at the premiere to meet some of England's most influential figures.
6. Oxford University Existed Before the Aztec Empire
Believe it or not, Oxford University existed long before the Aztec Empire
Although there's no official known date for Oxford University's foundation, there's evidence of teaching there as far back as 1096! This means that Oxford University existed for hundreds of years before the Aztec empire was founded (1428).
Aztec culture is famous for its remarkable architectural and artistic accomplishments and rich and complex mythology. At the same time, Oxford makes the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's second-oldest university that operates continuously.
5. Every Moment Is Already a Past?
Everything that we see is already a past. Photo by Amanda Dalbjörn on Unsplash
We literally live in the past and don't even know it. How's that possible? Well, when we open our eyes, we let the world stream in, but we don't really 'see' with our eyes but with our brain. There's at least a 70-millisecond gap necessary for information to travel from our vision to our brain.
So, everything that we see happened about 70 milliseconds ago! To quote John Reynolds, Ph.D., a neurobiologist, "Our brain is a computing device that takes time to compute."
4. What Are the Common Facts for "Super Mario," "Donkey Kong," and "Zelda"?
"Nintendo" existed more than 80 years before releasing its first console
In 1972, Nintendo released the first commercially available video game console, The Magnavox Odyssey, and marked the beginning of a new era for home video game entertainment. So that should be the beginning of Nintendo, right? Not really! It's hard to believe, but Nintendo existed more than 80 years before releasing its first console, as the company dates way back to 1889.
So, before Super Mario, Donkey Kong, and Zelda, Nintendo created handmade cards called Hanafuda. They were so popular that the company began a mass-production to keep up with the demand soon after its release.
3. The Last Guillotine and Releasing of "Star Wars - A New Hope" Share The Same Year
The last guillotine execution was four months after the release of the "Star Wars" movie, "A New Hope"
When we talk about death by guillotine, the first thing that comes to our mind is Louis XVI's execution. Happening on 21st January 1793, this event was among the most important ones in the French Revolution. But a less known fact is that the last guillotine execution took place on 10th September 1977. That was almost four months after the first "Star Wars" movie, "A New Hope," was released!
However, France didn't eliminate the guillotine method and capital punishment until 1981 – when MS-DOS 1.0 was released, and Indiana Jones premiered in the U.S.
2. Would The Final Outcome Be The Same If French And English Soldiers knew of Existence Of Bronze Gun?
Would the outcome be the same in The Battle of Crécy if French and English soldiers knew about guns?
The Battle of Crécy, which ended in 1346, remains famous in history because of the use of brand-new revolutionary weapons at the time - the crossbow. While fighting this battle, French and English soldiers couldn't even dream that the first bronze gun known to history that employed gunpowder was created.
That happened in China in 1332 (early Yuan dynasty), 14 years before their battle took place. We couldn't help but wonder if the outcome would be the same if they have had guns instead of crossbows?
1. The Oldest Living Tree Was Already 1,000 Years Old When The Last Woolly Mammoth Died
The Great Basin bristlecone pine's location is in the White Mountains, California, and is 5067 years old
It's so mind-blowing when you realize that you can see something that has existed for more than a century. Well, there are not many such things, but one of them is the oldest Living Tree (A Bristlecone pine), which was already 1,000 years old when the last woolly mammoth died. That fact is both fantastic and strange at the same time.
The Great Basin bristlecone pine is 5067 years old, and its location is in White Mountains, California. However, wooly mammoths on Wrangel Island didn't finally go extinct until 4,000 years ago.
We hope that we succeeded in intriguing you with these fantastic time-delusional facts on our top ten list. Also, Do you have any other examples and comparisons between some events in time? Please, tell us in the comment section.
Cover photo: Giallo/Pexels