Pregnancy tests are never enjoyable to need, and they are almost never utilized for anything other than worry. This issue dates all the way back to Ancient Egypt. We’ve experienced this issue forever. Pregnancy tests were not only available to and used by Ancient Egyptian women, but they were also more comprehensive than modern pregnancy tests in that they predicted the baby’s gender at birth and were very accurate for the time (70 percent, which is really not bad at all). Even though they employed the same technique as we do today—having the lady provide a urine sample—the Ancient Egyptians did. Over 3500 years ago, we discovered that urine samples were directly related to fertility, and we still use this information today.
So how did ancient Egyptian pregnancy tests work so well, and how did they also, to a certain extent, identify the baby’s given sex? The procedure involved peeing in bags of barley and emmer wheat, so it’s not exactly like they were peeing on sticks and getting answers for “yes” or “no.” If each bag sprouted any seedlings, the woman was definitely pregnant, according to their science, which was 70% correct, according to The National Institute of Health. They weren’t precisely relying on hormone-based outcomes, though.
Any sprout from either bag indicated pregnancy, but depending on which sprouted first, you could determine whether the baby would be a boy or a girl. At birth, the baby’s gender would be determined by whether the barley or the emmer wheat sprouted first. If the emmer wheat sprouted first, the baby would be a girl.

Because replication-based tests are more common today, historians tend to view the test as not being very accurate. Barley and emmer wheat aren’t exactly reliable indicators of a child’s gender. But that is with the biology of modern women. Our biology has altered, mutated, evolved, and complied as necessary throughout time. The barley vs. emmer wheat test is a good illustration. This test may have been significantly more accurate when it was regularly used because estrogen levels in ancient Egypt and among women in general were substantially higher.
If the society had persisted in its original enthusiasm, it is impossible to know what discoveries their science may or may not have made at that time, but even then, this was simply the best they had at the moment. After all, they did develop astrology.

According to one article that cited research by Sofie Schidt, Ph.D., “Many of the ideas in the medical texts from ancient Egypt appear again in later Greek and Roman texts… From here, they spread further to the medieval medical texts in the Middle East, and you can find traces all the way up to premodern medicine.”
There is currently no known reproducible association between these two, despite the fact that pregnant women release a wide variety of hormones throughout their pregnancies that would trigger early flowering in some plants.
One theory as to why this test was so tried and true in the papyrus that was read to unravel these puzzles is heightened estrogen levels in ancient Egyptian women.
The fact that infant mortality rates were quite high in Egypt as well as the rest of the world may not come as a surprise. They tried their best to keep the infant well-fed throughout infancy and breastfed their children, especially in such unsanitary surroundings, when infant immunity is decreased after weaning, according the University of Chicago.
One study described how “piss prophets” (which is their genuine name) would diagnose pregnancies based on pee, sometimes mixing it with wine to see if there was a reaction. This practice led to the popular notion that urine was directly related to fertility in the medieval ages. They would also soak a ribbon in a woman’s urine, burn it, make her smell it, and if she gagged, she was most definitely pregnant. Things got weird in the Middle Ages.

To put it another way, young Egyptian children under the age of five essentially had to run a gauntlet of survival until they turned five, or around that time. After that, they were supposed to live long lives of up to 33 years old, and 29 if they were female. In light of the fact that many ancient Egyptian cemeteries had a childhood mortality rate peak at “about age 4,” which is roughly around when ancient Egyptians started weaning (weakening their immune systems to get ready to consume solid food), “indirect evidence” comes from the University of Chicago.
It goes without saying that they did a lot of their thinking right, and the fact that there are so few ancient Egyptian texts that mention this just highlights how much more there is to learn about Ancient Egypt in general. This ancient Egyptian pregnancy test even made its way over to Greece and even modern and, to some extent, medieval medicine.
Furthermore, in terms of urban legends, it’s not like we are exempt from them in this case. Ours include beloved classics like the notion that a woman who consumes a lot of sweets, garlic, or has acne will give birth to a girl, as well as notions that a male will be born if she has a healthy glow and dilated pupils.

The Amazing Truth About The German U-Boat That Was Sunk By A Toilet
During WWII, a German captain and an engineer flushed the submarine's high-tech toilet incorrectly, causing the vessel to rapidly fill with water. British planes patrolling the sea attacked them as the submarine was brought to the surface. While many members of the crew were killed in the attack, the captain escaped!

Keith Sapsford: The Story of 14-Year-Old Stowaway
The final image of 14-year-old Australian Keith Sapsford, who aspired to travel the world. In February 1970, he sneaked into the wheel-well of a plane flying from Sydney to Tokyo. It opened mid-air & fell out. When a photographer was testing a new lens, he captured this moment on film and was surprised when it developed.

How a Total Lunar Eclipse Saved Christopher Columbus in 1504
In 1504, Christopher Columbus was stranded in Jamaica with natives who refused to give him food. But he knew the date and time of an upcoming lunar eclipse. So he told the natives that his gods were angry at their treatment of him, and would provide a clear sign. Once the eclipse started, the natives raced to give him food and begged for mercy.

The touching story of David Vetter (bubble boy), the 'boy who lived in a bubble
David Vetter lived his whole 12 years in sterile “bubble”. He was “outside” for 20 second after being removed from his mother’s womb. He never touched any human.

10 world’s most destructive and dangerous volcanic eruptions in history
Volcanic eruptions can devastate cities, change the world's atmosphere, and devastate economic systems. They can create molten lava rivers, mudslides, suffocating ash, and poisonous gases that cause chaos around the world for years. A volcanic explosion's effects can be massive, from its size to its death toll to its economic cost. Here is ten world’s most destructive and dangerous volcanic eruptions in history.

How Greek prime minister in 1830’s tried to spread the potato in Greece
A Greek prime minister in 1830’s tried to spread the potato in Greece but people weren’t interested so he put armed guards in front of shipments of potatoes so people would think they were important. People later started stealing these potatoes a lot which spread the crop to all of Greece.

3 men lived on top of a billboard in tents for almost 9 months
From 1982-1983, three men in Allentown PA competed in a radio contest in which they lived on top of a billboard in tents. Whoever stayed up longest would win a house. Due to economic pressure from the recession, none of the contestants wanted to give up, so the contest lasted almost 9 months.

The history of Flour sack clothing fashion
After Kansas mill owners found women reused flour sack materials into apparel in the 1920s and 1930s, they started applying patterned designs to give families with more fashionable patterns and material.

8 Interesting Facts About The Unsinkable Ship, TITANIC
If you ask your friends what's the most famous ship in history the answer in most cases will be the same, of course the legendary Titanic. Its history is full of mysteries, at first it was a source of hope and national pride as well as proof of the triumphs of mankind but it soon became a source of nostalgia and pain, the extent of which cannot be described in words.

Shizo Kanakuri’s 1912 Olympic Marathon Finished 54 Years
At the 1912 Olympics, a marathon runner quit and went home to Japan without telling officials and was considered a missing person in Sweden for 50 years. In 1966, he was invited to complete the marathon. His time: 54 years, 8 months, 6 days, 5 hours, 32 minutes, and 20.379 seconds.

The Tragic Story Of Mary Ann Bevan, The ‘Ugliest Woman In The World’
After the death of her husband, Mary Ann Bevan had no income to support herself and her children. She then decided to enter a contest where she won the title of “ugliest woman” and was later hired by a circus. She endured this ridicule from the world to provide for her family.

The 1814 London beer flood
In 1814, there was a beer flood in London when a tank containing more than 300,000 gallons ruptured in which 8 people drowned.

Story of Kathrine Switzer: the first woman to run in Boston Marathon
Before women were allowed to run in the Boston Marathon, Kathrine Switzer participated. A race official attempted to forcefully remove her from the race in 1967, but her boyfriend pushed him down. She was the first female finisher who had a numbered entry in the race.

New London School Explosion, Deadliest school disaster which killed almost 300 children and teachers
In 1937, a gas leak in the basement at the local school in New London, Texas caused a massive explosion which killed almost 300 children and teachers, the deadliest school disaster in US history. Adolf Hitler even sent his condolences by telegram.

Mario Segale, Developer Who Inspired Nintendo to Name Super Mario
Super Mario is named after real-life businessman Mario Segale, who was renting out a warehouse to Nintendo. After Nintendo fell far behind on rent, Segale did not evict them but gave them a second chance to come up with the money. Nintendo succeeded and named their main character after him.

The mysterious secret of Dr James Barry
Before women were allowed to enroll in medical school, Margaret Ann Bulkley studied medicine and assumed the identity of Dr. James Barry for 56 years while dressing as a man. After 46 years of service as an army doctor officer, her secret was not made public until after her death in 1865.

History of Treadmill, punishment for prisoners
Treadmills were originally a punishment used to harness human power on a giant wheel used to grind grains, hence the name "treadmill." The History of Treadmill

The incredible story of a plane that lost its roof in mid-flight and the light signal that saved 94 lives.
On April 28, 1988, Aloha Airlines flight 243 was on the way to Honolulu from Hilo when a huge portion of the upper part of the fuselage blew off the airplane.

The Mouth of Truth: Ancient Rome’s Legendary "Lie Detector" That Bit Off Hands
Discover the chilling legend of the Mouth of Truth (Bocca della Verità) in Ancient Rome—a massive carved stone face believed to bite off the hand of anyone who lied while inserting their hand into its gaping mouth. Uncover the truth behind its eerie reputation and how this ancient artifact became a symbol of honesty and fear.

Inside China’s Footbinding Tradition: The Painful Ritual of Lotus Shoes and Bound Feet
In China, Lotus shoes were used to bind women's feet to keep their feet small

Thomas Baker's heroic act that earned him the "Medal of Honor" was 8 bullets until death
Thomas Baker instructed his team to leave him with a pistol and eight bullets propped up against a tree after he was injured. Later, American troops discovered the now-deceased Baker in the same location, lying next to eight dead Japanese soldiers and carrying an empty pistol.

The day Iceland's women went on strike
Icelandic women went on strike for equal rights on October 24, 1975. 90% of women walked out of their jobs and homes, effectively shutting down the entire country. The men were struggling to keep up. The following year, Parliament passed a law requiring equal pay. Iceland elected the world's first female President five years later. Iceland now has the highest gender equality rate in the world.

The World’s First Seismograph: How Ancient China Detected Earthquakes 1,800 Years Ago
Over 1,800 years ago, long before modern technology, the ancient Chinese astronomer and inventor Zhang Heng created the world’s first seismograph in 132 AD. This ingenious bronze device could detect distant earthquakes by releasing small balls from dragons’ mouths into toads’ mouths—each indicating a different compass direction. Its historic detection of an earthquake 400 miles away astonished the imperial court and transformed the way societies understood and responded to seismic events.

Why Comedians Failed to Make Sober Sue Laugh in the Early 1900s
In the bustling vaudeville scene of early 20th century New York, a mysterious performer known as "Sober Sue" captured public imagination not for jokes or songs, but for her unshakable stoicism—she never smiled or laughed. A local theater even offered a tempting reward of $1,000 to anyone who could make her laugh, drawing crowds and famous comedians eager to claim the prize. Despite countless hilarious attempts, Sue remained expressionless, a mystery that baffled performers and audiences until it was revealed that she suffered from facial paralysis, explaining her unchanging demeanor.

Why This Belgian Bar Makes You Trade Your Shoe for a Beer
To prevent tourists from stealing their beer glasses, some bars in Belgium require people to hand over one of their shoes as a deposit which is then put in a basket and hung from the ceiling. These shoe baskets have also become an attraction.