Strange Historic Facts In 200 BC, when the Greek city of Sparta was at the height of its power there were 20 slaves for every citizen.   The first-known contraceptive was crocodile dung and was used by the Egyptians in 2000 BC.   The Hundred Year War actually lasted for 116 years ? from 1337 to 1453.   The shortest war there has ever been was between Britain and Zanzibar during 1896. It lasted for a pathetic 38 minutes.   Everyone in the Middle Ages believed -- as Aristotle had -- that the heart was the seat of intelligence.   Fourteenth century physicians didn't know what caused the plague, but they knew it was contagious. As a result they wore an early kind of bioprotective suit which included a large beaked head piece. The beak of the head piece, which made them look like large birds, was filled with vinegar, sweet oils and other strong smelling compounds to counteract the stench of the dead and dying plague victims.   In England and the American colonies they year 1752 only had 354 days. In that year, the type of calendar was changed, and 11 days were lost.   The condom was invented in the early 1500's, and was originally made of linen.   In the Great Fire of London in 1666 half of London was burnt down but only 6 people were injured.   It has been calculated that in the last 3,500 years, there have only been 230 years of peace throughout the civilized world.   At the height of inflation in Germany in the early 1920s, one U.S. dollar was equal to 4 quintillion German marks.   In 1778, fashionable women of Paris never went out in blustery weather without a lightning rod attached to their hats.   During the time of Peter the Great, any Russian man who wore a beard was required to pay a special tax.   In 1892, Italy raised the minimum age for marriage for girls to 12.   Ancient Egyptians shaved off their eyebrows to mourn the death of their cats.   In ancient Rome, a runaway slave was considered a criminal because he had stolen himself (i.e. the property of his master)!   Roman women especially enjoyed when their husbands went to war against Germany because the naturally-blond hair of Germans captured in battle would be used to make wigs!   According to Juvenal, the streets of Rome were so noisy that people living near them would die from lack of sleep! (Hyperbolically speaking, of course)   The punishment of a Vestal Virgin who broke her oath of chastity was to be buried alive!   In early Rome, a father could legally execute any member of his household!   In May 1948, Mt Ruapehu and Mt Ngauruhoe, both in New Zealand, erupted simultaneously.