FACTArchive →
During the 1904 Olympics, marathon runners were given brandy and strychnine as performance enhancers, and one athlete nearly died from rat poison.
FACT
@fact5
Dark HistoryFeb 04, 2026

During the 1904 Olympics, marathon runners were given brandy and strychnine as performance enhancers, and one athlete nearly died from rat poison.

1904 Olympic marathoners were given brandy and strychnine as fuel. One runner nearly died from consuming rat poison. Another was chased by wild dogs for 2 miles. The winner had hitchhiked half the race in a car.

See it on Facebook →← All facts
Share → X Reddit WhatsApp Threads Facebook
Spot an error? Email hello@thefact5.com with a source — we correct visibly.
KEEP SCROLLING

More strange facts ✦

Beauty salons once burned facial hair away with X-rays. 🩻
FACT
@fact5
Dark History
Beauty salons once burned facial hair away with X-rays. 🩻
At its peak, one in three American prescriptions was for the same pill 💊
FACT
@fact5
Dark History
At its peak, one in three American prescriptions was for the same pill 💊
People once kept radioactive water in their kitchens. ☢️
FACT
@fact5
Dark History
People once kept radioactive water in their kitchens. ☢️
The Mad Hatter was a real medical diagnosis. 🎩
FACT
@fact5
Dark History
The Mad Hatter was a real medical diagnosis. 🎩
The Flying Tailor
FACT
@fact5
Ironic Twists
The Flying Tailor
That famous burning handshake? The wind turned. 🔥
FACT
@fact5
Ironic Twists
That famous burning handshake? The wind turned. 🔥
The creator of the children's TV show Barney was a former FBI agent who specialized in investigating organized crime before becoming a children's entertainer.
FACT
@fact5
Ironic Twists
The creator of the children's TV show Barney was a former FBI agent who specialized in investigating organized crime before becoming a children's entertainer.
Seattle's crows started paying a child in tiny treasures. 🐦
FACT
@fact5
Animal Oddities
Seattle's crows started paying a child in tiny treasures. 🐦
In 1969, NASA accidentally contaminated the Moon with Earth bacteria when Apollo 12 astronauts retrieved parts from an unmanned probe that had crashed there.
FACT
@fact5
Science Gone Wrong
In 1969, NASA accidentally contaminated the Moon with Earth bacteria when Apollo 12 astronauts retrieved parts from an unmanned probe that had crashed there.
The Oak Coffins of Norfolk
FACT
@fact5
Creepy Discoveries
The Oak Coffins of Norfolk
In 1953, researchers at MIT accidentally created LSD-infused elephants by injecting an elephant named Tusko with 3,000 times the normal human dose, killing him instantly.
FACT
@fact5
Science Gone Wrong
In 1953, researchers at MIT accidentally created LSD-infused elephants by injecting an elephant named Tusko with 3,000 times the normal human dose, killing him instantly.
Pack Up Your Troubles
FACT
@fact5
Ironic Twists
Pack Up Your Troubles
🎲 Surprise me with another