r/AllThatsInteresting

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Reindeer hunters were astonished to find a Viking sword while they were hunting in a high-altitude area in Oppland County, Norway. The sword was wedged between two rocks on a plain filled with the small rocks that pepper the Norwegian countryside, known as scree.

Though the blade was rusted — and any organic material that was attached to it like leather straps or bone and wood adornments had rotted away years ago — it was remarkably well preserved. The extreme cold and low pressure likely prevented further rusting or degradation.

Source and more here: 1,200-Year-Old Viking Sword Discovered On Norwegian Mountain

With the ability to drive on land and on water, the Amphicar took 1960s America by storm. Originally conceived in Germany as a Nazi war vessel called the Volkswagen Schwimmwagen, it became the only amphibious car ever produced. See more of this vehicle and learn how it worked: https://allthatsinteresting.com/amphibious-car

When Shoichi Yokoi was drafted into the Imperial Japanese Army in 1941, he and his fellow soldiers were taught "to prefer death to the disgrace of getting captured alive." So when American forces invaded Guam in 1944, Yokoi fled into the jungle to avoid becoming a prisoner of war. But although he saw the pamphlets dropped above the country announcing that World War 2 had come to an end a year later, he still refused to surrender. Instead, Yokoi spent the next 27 years living in an underground shelter he dug for himself, weaving clothing out of tree bark, and eating coconuts, frogs, eels, and rats.

Then, in 1972, two hunters discovered him and turned him in to the authorities, who sent him back to Japan. Even nearly three decades after the war, Yokoi was ashamed that he'd been captured, telling the crowd gathered to greet him: "I have returned with the rifle the emperor gave me. I am sorry I could not serve him to my satisfaction." At the age of 56, Yokoi initially had trouble assimilating back into Japanese society, but he ultimately got married just nine months after returning home — and spent his honeymoon back in Guam.

Go inside the shocking story of Shoichi Yokoi and his refusal to surrender against all odds: https://allthatsinteresting.com/shoichi-yokoi

In the mid-1960s, a 456-pound man named Angus Barbieri went without food for 382 days straight in a medically supervised diet designed to help him lose weight. In addition to drinking black coffee, tea, and sparkling water, he was prescribed multivitamins — including potassium, sodium, and yeast — to compensate for the lack of nutrients. Shockingly, Barbieri not only survived the diet but was able to achieve his ideal weight. By the end of his fast, he had lost 276 pounds, reaching his goal weight of 180 pounds, and he managed to keep most of the weight off afterward. And at the time of Barbieri's death in 1990, he had only gained back 16 pounds.

Learn more about Angus Barbieri and his shocking year-long fast: https://inter.st/1px

When Pompeii was famously blanketed in volcanic ash during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, many structures and items were preserved almost completely intact — offering archaeologists a unique opportunity to see what an ancient Roman city looked like. Among the most stunning artifacts of ancient Pompeii are its legendary frescoes.

While some of these frescoes depict mythological gods and goddesses, others portray gladiators, Roman banquets, and scenes from everyday life. Since Pompeii was a prosperous and bustling city at the time of the fateful eruption, the paintings often reflect the wealth and influence of the region. Perhaps most surprising, many of these illustrations are erotic, showcasing everything from passionate lovers to prostitution to abnormally large phalluses.

See more of Pompeii's historic frescoes here: https://allthatsinteresting.com/pompeii-frescoes