Lit tle known or interesting history facts.

Little known historical facts are really interesting and can be quite strange...  (Thanks to LP for starting this..!!!).
Ran into a couple more that seemed to belong...

The use of forks was once considered sacrilegious.

It's hard to believe, but we're taking our eating utensils for granted.... While forks were long-established in the Middle East, they first made their way over to the West in the 11th century. A Byzantine princess sent waves of shock and scandal through the court when she brought forks into her husband's Venetian home. Forks were considered to be an affront to God, as the Lord had already given us natural forks—our fingers. It wasn't until the 18th century that most of Europe had adopted the fork.

The University of Oxford predates the Aztec Empire.

This mind-blowing fact puts things into perspective. While Oxford is hardly the oldest university (that would be the University of Al-Karaouine, established in 859 CE), it was established way back in 1096. By 1249, Oxford had developed into a full-fledged campus, with student housing at three residence halls. And while other institutions were established earlier, Oxford is one of the oldest universities in continuous operation.

On the other end of the spectrum, many people are surprised by how recently the Aztec Empire existed. While many of us categorize this civilization as "ancient" in our minds, the founding city of Tenochtitlán at Lake Texcoco was established by the Mexica, a Nahuatl-speaking indigenous people, in 1325. Just 196 years later, Spanish conquerers captured Tenochtitlán.