History Facts for Kids

Thomas Edison, who improved the light bulb, was reportedly afraid of the dark as a child.

The Aztecs built floating gardens called chinampas to grow food on lakes.

Ancient Roman concrete is so strong that some Roman buildings are still standing after 2,000 years.

ENIAC, one of the first computers (1945), weighed 30 tons and filled an entire room.

The Stegosaurus was already extinct for about 80 million years before the T. rex even existed.

The ancient Library of Alexandria in Egypt held an estimated 400,000 scrolls and was the largest library in the ancient world.

Viking explorer Leif Erikson reached North America about 500 years before Christopher Columbus.

King Tutankhamun became pharaoh of Egypt when he was only about 9 years old.

The first photograph ever taken, by Joseph Niépce in 1826, required an exposure time of about 8 hours.

Ancient Persians would debate important decisions twice — once sober and once while drinking — to make sure it was a good idea.