Stories From History That Sound Fake But Are Completely Real

History is often stranger than fiction, but these stories are so unbelievable you'd be forgiven for thinking they were made up by bored historians looking to prank contemporary scholars. Dig past the big battles and major political figures of the past and you can find some truly weird examples of human imagination and ingenuity... along with plenty of life-threatening, poor decisions. From the mayor of New York's battle with the Artichoke King to the United States president who tried to fund an expedition to the Hollow Earth, here are stories from history that sound fake but are completely real.