5 astonishing facts from history you've probably never heard of

This conflict between the Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly began in 1651, during the English Civil War. Without not a single shot being fired, the war extended for 335 years by the lack of a peace treaty. Officially, it makes the Three Hundred and Thirty Five Years' War one of the longest wars in history and... a bloodless war.

Pope Gregory IX, who held the papacy from 1227 to 1241, believed that black cats were instruments of Satan. In 1233, he issued an official papal decree declaring that Satan was half-cat and sometimes turned into a black cat. Catholics around the the continent started slaughtering felines. It was a really bad idea - cats were the main predators of rats, who carried the Black Death plague.

In the 1600s, an English theologian John Wilkins suggested that people can travel to the Moon in his writings. He believed that Earth's natural satellite was inhabited by unknown living beings who could become great trade partners. John thought that astronauts wouldn't need any special equipment and described "flying chariots", which could take humans to space.

Commodus was an eccentric ruler. He believed that he was the god Hercules and gave Rome a new name - Colony of Commodus. He had strong opinions about gladiatorial fights too. Once he decided to get rid of imperfect citizens and gathered all the handicapped people in the Coliseum. He made them fight in a deadly battle, and, according to some sources, even fought against them himself.

It was the war between Great Britain and Zanzibar. After the signing of the Heligoland-Zanzibar treaty between Britain and Germany in 1890, Zanzibar was ceded to British influence. Pro-British Sultan Hamad bin Thuwaini ruled Zanzibar from 1893 and was a puppet of the British Empire in the region.

In 1896, he suddenly died, and his cousin, Sultan Khalid bin Barghash, assumed the position of Sultan only few hours later. He did it without British approval, and the British considered it a casus belli (the immediate cause of a war). The British authorities wanted Hamud bin Muhammed to become Sultan, but Khalid did fullfil this requirement and barricaded himself inside the palace.

On the 27th of August, at 9 a.m., the British ships in the harbor started bombarding the palace. It was defended by 2,800 Zanzibaris, including civilians and the sultan's guards, slaves, and servants. The majority of Khalid’s artillery was destroyed 2 minutes later, and Khalid himself escaped through a back exit of the palace.The Sultan's flag was pulled down at 9:45. Only one British sailor was injured, while Khalid's forces sustained roughly 500 casualties.