Strange History

Strange Series #1

by Bathroom Readers' Institute

The fifth book in the popular Uncle John’s Briefs series contains the strangest short history articles from over 30 Bathroom Readers—along with 50 all-new pages. From the 20th century to the Old West, from the Age of Enlightenment to the Dark Ages, from ancient cultures all the way back to the dawn of time, Strange History is overflowing with mysterious artifacts, macabre legends, kooky inventions, reality-challenged rulers, boneheaded blunders, and mind-blowing facts. Read about…

*The curse of Macbeth
*Stupid history: Hollywood style
*The secret LSD experiments of the 1960s
*In search of the lost “Cloud People” of Peru
*The Swedish queen who declared war on fleas
*Unearthing the past with the Outhouse Detectives
*The Apollo astronaut who swears he saw a UFO
*How to brew a batch of 5,000-year-old beer
*The brutal bloodbaths at Rome’s Coliseum
*Ghostly soup from ancient China
*The bathroom of the 1970s

And much, much more!

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Humor, Trivia, Reference, Politics, Historical

415 pages, Paperback

First published June 7, 2016

About the author

The Bathroom Reader's Institute UJBR boasts more than 12 million books in print and a membership base topping 40,000 loyal readers . . .

Reviews

[Simona · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I've got this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review*

This book was quite an entertaining read, however there were some "facts" that didn't sound like reality, so I tried to do my research and find more about them, however I didn't found any proof of them. That's why I would recommend to not look at this book and what's in it too seriously, or at least do your research first.
However I still recommend this book for a mood lifter, because there were definitely some stories that made me smile.
It is a great book for coffee table or at a waiting room in doctors office, because you don't have to read it from start to finish in order to understand what it is about, all the stories are short and each of them talk about different topics.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am fairly convinced that I now know where the writers on “Jeopardy” get some of their questions. I was flipping through the pages of this book during a commercial break while watching the game show and there it was! – The exact trivia tidbit that had just been a question on the show. Their secret is out now.

STRANGE HISTORY by The Bathroom Readers Institute

The folks at the Readers Institute have taken some of the most interesting historical facts and strange stories from their numerous previous books and compiled them in this book that is perfect for history trivia buffs. According to the blurb on the book there are also about 50 pages of previously unpublished stories.

Whether you have read the some of the stories before or all of them are brand new to you this book is a fun read. Do you want to know if Marco Polo really saw Unicorns, the story behind the curse on Shakespeare’s Macbeth or who really discovered the Rosetta Stone? This is the book that will give you all that and so much more.

I didn’t realize there was a Reader dedicated to Canadian facts and trivia nor one featuring scary stories … they are definitely going to be added to my TBR.

I'd like to thank Printers Row Publishing Group and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy of this book at no charge

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book to pick up before bed. All the stories are about one page and are very quick reads, making this book very easy to pick up and put down without having to worry about losing the plot (cause there isn't one...).
As an avid non-fiction reader, I was activity looking for factual errors whilst reading this. I was very surprised that I didn't find any obvious errors or inaccuracies. There are some details, theories, and in-depth information left out, but when your aim is to fit stories on one page, that's understandable. I'm not saying you should take any information in this book as gospel, however. If you find something particularly interesting, always find more sources and check the facts for yourself. But I'd say that with ANY non-fiction book, not just this one. Always second guess. But all in all, I think fans of oddities, history, non-fiction, etc will really enjoy this one.

**I received this copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

[Mystereity Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love books like this where every page is a something new waiting to be discovered. I found it hard to put the book down and even when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it. Inside, you can find historical facts encompassing everything from the longest unassisted solo cow flight in recorded history to historical facts about famous figures, to the treasures one can find digging up old privies (I fully expect Outhouse Detectives to be a series on the History Channel sometime in the near future.)

Strange History is a fascinating, entertaining and side-splitting read that will stay with you for a long time. At the very least, you'll never look at an Olympic torch relay the same way again.

[Kid Disaster · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book to pick up in the bathroom! You can read one to two pages at a time about hundreds of different historical facts and oddities. I enjoyed the read and learned plenty of random facts.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

[Carlissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this would be a fun book full of strange trivia, but I was really bored by it.

[Kathryn Barnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

STRANGE HISTORY by Bathroom Readers Institute

What can I say, I loved it. I didn’t read it in the bathroom but it didn’t make a difference, so you don’t have to change your reading habits. Yeah, just another reason the read this book.
Now to be serious, this is actually a really fun and believe it or not, an extremely interesting read. It is full of facts you never knew (or never wanted to) and has quotes from interesting and quirky people. Many don’t seem to know what they are talking about, but they are mostly political types so that’s normal.
Honestly, if you haven’t read this book buy it, borrow it or steal it (just joking on that one, honestly) but you gotta read it, ENJOY!!

[Kimberly Purcell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a perfect bathroom reader if you love history or weird subjects, especially so if your taste in history runs odd. Some of the topics are excavating defunct outhouses, a fartiste, real life Frankensteins (the doctor not the monster) and famous peoples' quotes where they got history wrong. Fun, informative, easy read.

[Kat Sundgren · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was pretty good. I think it has a good variety of facts from across history. The stories are short and snappy, which helps keep your attention. I also appreciate the humor of the authors. I would have liked some footnotes on where the information came from so you could follow it up if you wanted to know more or If you question the validity of the fact (which I did on a few).

[MaryAnn Lockey · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the way I rate book is if I would buy the book for someone after reading it I would I give it a five. Well I bought it for my son. Now do I believe all the statements in this book? The answer is no, but I’m to lazy to do my own research. I found it interesting and amusing. Read a couple chapters before bed.

[G. Edweird Cheese · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun bathroom read full of weird useless facts that I will now try to use in casual conversation. Did you know that crocodile dung suppositories were used as contraceptives in ancient Egypt... I'm gonna kill at the next dinner party!

[Ismaeel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is amusing in the stories it tells. I personally really enjoy the small tidbits of information you that isn't everyday information. If you're like me, this book is a must for anyone mature enough to read some of the content.

[Tom Darrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this quick hitting trivia book. I didn’t even realize it was from Uncle John until I just put in the info. Since that’s the gold standard of bathroom reading trivia, it makes sense that this would be good.

[Cris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting read, I would agree 100% that’s it’s a bathroom read! I found some odd and definitely interesting things about our history!

[Paula Beckler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting facts but sometimes hard to keep my interest

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book with hundreds of stories. I was actually kinda sad to finish this incredible book!

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny and cool facts

[Rober Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

a very interesting read.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of fun trivia.

[Amber Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this book and all of the short stories!! They are fun conversation starters.

[Andrea Hein · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book for my 5th grader but I’m glad I read it first. Some inappropriate history even though it looks like it’s for that age. Still very interesting and humorous

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating bits of history. Would have like more context for some of the storylines and a footnote or reference for things described would be nice for following up on ones of interest.

[Abigail Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing/interesting

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read but you have to take everything with a grain of salt.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun stuff and written in a funny, ironic way. Not entirely accurate in some slants, but I still really enjoyed it. Great for kids.

[Reed Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good stories.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book had a lot of interesting facts. I would recommend doing some further research on most items in this book before quoting them as fact. For a quick easy read it was good and entertaining.

[Cory Duvall · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm just a junky for random facts.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun to read in the bathroom.

[Eric Stutzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strange History is a book that truly lives up to its name. It is a collection of roughly several hundred stories, facts, and legends throughout history, from the well known to some of the funniest historical blunders you've never heard of. The Bathroom Readers' Institute has compiled a book which just so happens to be perfect for a fun history teacher to have on their desk. It doesn't have a narrative, so it is easy for readers to pick it up and read from anywhere in the book at their leisure. The stories and other inclusions are funny and enjoyable, as well as being rather informative, which is impressive considering their brevity, lasting roughly a page on average. I will say that several of the facets in this book, primarily some of the quotations are purposefully misleading, but in a way that makes it abundantly clear that they are not to be taken seriously. The majority of this book, around 95% I would wager, is truly factual, and the few examples of fiction are told in a comical way, so they stick out without feeling out of place.