: During WWII, a Syrian brown bear was "enlisted" as a soldier in the Polish Army. He was given a rank, a serial number, and lived in the barracks with the troops. He eventually helped carry heavy crates of artillery shells during the Battle of Monte Cassino.
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: In 1904, a Russian fleet sailed around the world to fight Japan but was plagued by bizarre accidents. They accidentally fired on British fishing boats (mistaking them for Japanese torpedo boats in the North Sea), accidentally shot their own cruiser, and picked up exotic pets like crocodiles in Africa that roamed the decks during battle. : During WWII, a Syrian brown bear was
: In 1945, a chicken lived for 18 months after his head was cut off because most of his brain stem remained intact. He became a traveling sideshow attraction before eventually choking to death in a motel. If you're looking for a genuinely from history