History isn’t always the polished story we learn in textbooks; many moments were downright NSFW. Below we count down ten wild episodes when times history got anything but PG.
Times History: A Quick Look at the Scandalous Side
10 American Diplomat Took A Prostitute To Meet The Queen Of England
Civil War General Daniel Sickles was a perpetual controversy magnet. His most infamous act was murdering his wife’s lover, Philip Barton Key II, by pleading temporary insanity—a defense that made headlines. Sickles’ personal life was equally turbulent: he wed 15‑year‑old Teresa Bagioli while he was 33, yet he favored the company of high‑class escorts, most famously New York courtesan Fanny White.
When Sickles received the post of first secretary to the American Legation in London, he didn’t leave White behind. He whisked the courtesan across the Atlantic and introduced her at a formal royal event, where she met Queen Victoria herself. All the while, his legitimate wife remained at home, pregnant with his child.
9 Greek Philosopher Masturbated In Public
Diogenes of Sinope, a founding father of Cynicism, earned a reputation for living on his own terms—often in the most eyebrow‑raising ways. Though none of his own writings survive, anecdotes preserve his philosophy of stripping life down to the essentials.
He once told a statue‑watching crowd that he begged there to get used to rejection, turned down Alexander the Great’s wish‑granting offer by demanding the king move out of his sunlight, and carried a lamp in daylight to “search for an honest man.”
His disdain for social conventions sometimes manifested in shocking public acts: he defecated while delivering speeches, urinated on people he disliked, and, when nature called, masturbated openly.
8 The Maya Got High On Enemas
The ancient Maya weren’t shy about chasing visions. Archaeologists have uncovered evidence that they administered intoxicating drinks rectally to amplify the experience. These concoctions mixed chocolate, corn, tobacco, water lily, and sometimes the emetic herb ipecac.
Pottery scenes show participants vomiting after drinking the mixtures, leading scholars to debate whether the vomiting was accidental or intentional. Some suggest the Maya switched to enemas after discovering ipecac’s nauseating effects, while others argue the purging itself was a deliberate hallucinogenic technique.
7 Irish King Had Sex With A Horse
In medieval Ireland, horse meat often featured in royal inauguration feasts. One 12th‑century king, according to the notoriously biased chronicler Giraldus Cambrensis, appears to have taken the ritual a step further.
Giraldus records that a newly crowned monarch around 1187 copulated with a white mare, treating the animal as a surrogate for an Earth goddess. After the act, the horse was slaughtered, its blood used to bathe the king, and its meat served to the assembled courtiers.
6 Buddhist Monk Achieved Enlightenment Through Sex
Travel across Bhutan and you’ll encounter vivid phallus murals that have adorned temples for half a millennium. The tradition stems from the eccentric Lama Drukpa Kunley, dubbed the “Divine Madman.”
Kunley preached that enlightenment didn’t have to be austere; it could involve wine, song, and, yes, sex. Legends claim he handed out enlightenment through sexual encounters, earning the nickname “Saint of 5,000 Women.”
Armed with a phallus‑shaped staff he called the “magic thunderbolt of wisdom,” Kunley once subdued a demon at the site of Chimi Lhakhang. Today, pilgrims still receive blessings by having the wooden phallus tapped on their heads.
5 Duke Seduced Two Of The Emperor’s Mistresses
Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, is best known for beating Napoleon at Waterloo. After the victory, he amassed a trove of Napoleonic art, hired the former emperor’s cook, and even displayed a risqué portrait of Napoleon’s sister, Pauline, in his bedroom.
When Wellington was posted as British ambassador to France, he moved into Pauline Bonaparte’s former residence. There, he embarked on a bold liaison campaign, seducing two of Napoleon’s former lovers: Italian opera star Josephina Grassini and French actress Josephine Weimer.
Weimer even compared the Duke’s sexual stamina to that of her former paramour, declaring Wellington the stronger of the two.
4 The FBI Thought JFK Was Sleeping With A Nazi Spy
John F. Kennedy’s youthful playboy reputation is well documented, but one of his early affairs raised eyebrows in the most unexpected place. In 1941, as a 24‑year‑old navy ensign, Kennedy fell for Danish beauty‑queen‑turned‑journalist Inga Arvad.
Arvad had once been a guest of Adolf Hitler at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, a fact that alarmed the FBI. The bureau feared she might be a Nazi spy extracting classified information from the future president.
Agents bugged the rooms where the couple met, capturing a trove of steamy “pillow talk” that, while lacking any espionage, proved the FBI’s suspicion was more about romance than security.
3 The Confessional Was Invented To Stop Priests From Having Sex With Parishioners
The Catholic practice of confession dates back centuries, but the iconic confessional booth only appeared in the 16th century. Before its invention, penitents sat beside or knelt before the priest, a setup that often led to “sollicitatio ad turpia”—the euphemism for priests seducing their flock, usually young women.
Such misconduct persisted because victims had little recourse. After the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215 made confession an annual obligation, the church sought a solution.
The confessional booth provided a physical barrier, making illicit encounters far more difficult and offering a semblance of privacy for genuine repentance.
2 French President Died While Having Sex With His Mistress
In 1899, French President Félix Faure died suddenly at age 58. Officially, the cause was apoplexy, but gossip quickly revealed he collapsed while “entertaining” his 30‑year‑old lover, Marguerite Steinheil.
Steinheil, a woman of many scandals, had previously tangled with several high‑profile men before facing murder charges herself. The exact nature of their final encounter in the Élysée’s drawing‑room remains murky.
A popular rumor, amplified by political rival Georges Clemenceau’s witty epitaph, claimed Faure died during oral sex. Clemenceau quipped that Faure “wished to be Caesar, but was only Pompey,” a French double‑entendre where “Pompey” sounds like “pumped.”
1 Founding Father Encouraged Us To Fart Proudly
Benjamin Franklin was as famous for his practical jokes as for his scientific mind. In 1781, while serving as ambassador to France, he penned a satirical letter to the Royal Academy of Brussels titled “To The Royal Academy of Farting,” popularly remembered as “Fart Proudly.”
Franklin argued that flatulence itself wasn’t the problem—its odor was. He proposed a “perfume‑like” drug that would render one’s farts pleasant, turning an everyday nuisance into a fragrant experience.He closed the letter with a pun, declaring that until the odor issue was solved, other problems weren’t worth a “fart‑hing.”