The most impressive emperor of all time was hands down Alexander the Great. He created an empire so huge, that stretched from Greece all the way to India. Thankfully, his life was well documented by Greek historians and that’s why we now know, besides his military achievements, some small (and interesting for all of us useless info junkies) details of his life.
Stories like the one with the drinking contest he once held in India.
In 324 BC, Alexander the Great was in the Persian city of Susa. One day, one of his most trusted philosophers who was 73 at the time, gymnosophist Calanus, informed him that he was feeling weakened by the travel and, instead of living as an invalid, he decided to commit suicide. Despite Alexander’s attempts to dissuade him, Calanus did kill himself by self-immolation. (the article continues after the ad)
To honor him, Alexander decided to organise Olympics in India. However, since locals weren’t familiar with Greek sports, he decided to create a wine-drinking contest instead. But it was a tragedy. Indians weren’t used to consuming alcohol and all 41 contestants died on the spot! The winner, who was a Greek soldier named Promachus, consumed the equivalent of 13 litres of unmixed wine and died four days later from alcohol poisoning.
By the way, Alexander the Great was a drinker himself. Historians believe that he was a heavy drinker and he was driven into it by his over-demanding parents.
If you like what you read, then you will definitely love this one: Ultraviolet Light Revealed That Ancient Greek Statues Were Actually Coloured
Main Article Photo: Prezi.com
Photoshop: I’m A Useless Info Junkie
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