10 Historical Facts They Don't Teach You At School

9. Pirates Tried To Cure Syphilis With Mercury

Pirates Of The Caribbean Dead Man's Chest
Disney

History class at school didn't do enough talking about pirates. That's likely because trying to maintain order as 30 plus teenagers tried their hardest not to laugh at the mention of "sea men" was just not possible. Just try saying that with a straight face. Go on.

Seriously though, pirates were bad-ass. Imagine the excitement of everyone then when historians stumbled upon Captain Blackbeard's ship the Queen Anne's Revenge several years ago. More thrilling were the medical items found in the wreckage. Then it just got kinda' weird when one archaeologist pulled out a urethral syringe.

Apparently, the nasty-looking implement was used to inject mercury into one's groin area as a treatment for syphilis, which is a little bit totally horrific. Not only has it dampened our love of talking up pirates, it's also caused every male within a 20-mile radius to cross his legs.

Ouch.

Advertisement
Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.