If you go back far enough in your genealogy, chances are there are a few interesting stories that are worthy of being shared with family members, friends - or even Twitter. Yesterday, we were hit with the motherlode of ancestral anecdotes on the Bird App, thanks to Jamie Schler. In a viral tweet, the writer asked her fellow Twitter users to share their odd and cool tidbits of genealogical lore. And boy did the people deliver. The tales span centuries, from the Revolutionary War all the way to the misguided war in Vietnam. While they vary in tone (sad, funny, haunting), the stories share a common thread: being cool as hell. We've put a few of our favorite of the Twitter tales in this gallery, but you can take in a lot more fascinating tweets in the thread.
history tweets
It's said that you learn something new every day. Sometimes the knowledge one gains can seem pretty mundane. But today, Twitter user @OptimoPrincipi managed to rock our world with an informative thread about ancient Roman paleontology. The short thread is an eye-opener for anyone who thought the science was, well, modern. Turns out that Roman "fossil hunters" were fascinated by the bones of the "monsters" that pre-dated humans, even going as far as to create replicas of the extinct creatures. It's a wonderful look at the inquisitive minds of the past, and a testament to the apparently rich history of archaeological discovery.
Writer Michael Harriot dropped some serious history knowledge on Twitter this past Saturday and left us with slightly bigger brains and some serious chills. The Bahamas have been heavily featured in the news following the devastation of Hurricane Dorian, and this Twitter thread gives some powerful background on the history of the storm-ravaged island nation. Michael Harriot's expert storytelling (even when limited to 280 characters) gives serious oomph to an already compelling black history narrative of slaves and ex-slaves sticking it to the man.
