Historical Overlaps That Will Mess With Your Perception Of Time

We all had history lessons in school, and while most of us got by memorizing dates and events and passing tests, very few of us have a full grasp on historical events and what happened when. We say some things happened in the distant past, like “that’s ancient history”. And then there’s just something that happened back in the day, which we usually correlate with like our grandparents, some things are “just a couple of years ago” and some are modern-day. But you’d be surprised how many things we get wrong. And you’ll be even more surprised when you find out how certain things overlapped and we had no idea. Here’s a little list of truly mind-blowing historical facts.

1. Women’s Rights and Space

While women’s rights are still something we talk about to this day, and many countries women and men are still not seen as equals, we like to think that basic human rights have been granted to women a while back. Because it seems like a priority, right? But you’d be wrong. In 1971 the US drove a lunar rover on the moon, it was the third moon landing. But it was also the year Swiss women got the right to vote in the elections.

2. Harvard and Calculus

When you think of Harvard University you probably think of super-smart people doing a lot of calculus, but that’s not actually the case. In fact, Harvard was built way before calculus was even invented. Harvard was built in 1636 and calculus hasn’t been invented for at least 30 years after. So the first students definitely didn’t study calculus at Harvard.

3. Palace Of The Governors and Plymouth Rock

The Plymouth Rock is a historical site that marks where William Bradford and the Mayflower Pilgrims got off the ship and started a colony. It’s one of those founding moments in American history. 1620 was the year it all started in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Meanwhile in New Mexico, they’ve already had the Palace of the Governors for 10 years. They had a governing body when the pilgrims only landed in Plymouth.

4. Queen Elizabeth II and Marilyn Monroe

We think of Marilyn Monroe as a star from the past. Even though we know she died young, it still feels like a very long time ago. But you’ll be surprised to find out that the Hollywood starlet was born the same year as the current Queen of the United Kingdom, who’s 94 at the moment. They even met once at a movie premiere in London when they were both 30 years old.