Table of Contents

Part I The Real Stuff You Hissed In History Class 1

The Dawn of Humanity: How Cave Dwellers Work 3

How the Vikings Worked 15

The Impenetrable Fortress: How the Great Wall of China Works 30

Top Five Ancient Chinese Inventions 43

The Assassin's Creed: How Ninja Work 49

How Aborigines Work 60

"No One Expects the Spanish Inquisition!": How the Spanish Inquisition Worked 72

Five Medieval Torture Devices 84

"All for One, One for All": How Musketeers Worked 89

Quiz: Could You Fit In as a Musketeer? 97

How Witchcraft Works 100

Quiz: The Ultimate Witches Quiz 125

How Prohibition Worked 128

Part II Scandals, Lies, Thefts, and Crimes 145

Top Five Marie Antoinette Scandals 146

Five of the Biggest Lies in History 159

Five Impressive Art Heists 166

Ten Terribly Bungled Crimes 175

Part III Historical Myths and Mysteries Decoded 183

Did the Ancient Greeks Get Their Ideas from the Africans? 184

Was There Really a Curse on King Tutankhamen's Tomb? 190

Did the Dutch Really Trade Manhattan for Nutmeg? 197

Could jack the Ripper Have Been an Artist? 203

Who Was Rosie the Riveter? 210

Did the CIA Test LSD on Unsuspecting Americans? 215

Quiz: The Ultimate Stuff You Missed in History Class 222

Answers to the Quizzes 226

Sources 236

Contributors 259

About Howstuffworks 260