Driven to Distraction

In 1642, during the Thirty Years War, when soldiers attacked a village in Prussia the nuns from the town’s convent overturned the convent’s beehives. The angry bees drove back the attackers. The grateful townsfolk renamed their village Beyenburg (Bee town).

Adrienne Mayor, Archaeology, Nov-Dec 1995, page 36

More Daily Facts

I blog every Monday, Wednesday and Friday about the intersection of history and science. My favorite topics are the history of sanitation, funky fashions, and insects.

• Buzz Off
• Something Fishy
• Clean Up or Ship Out
• Almost 1 in 7
• Toga Parties

More Posts