10 historical figures you never imagined had tattoos

Tattooing is one of the oldest art forms in humans. Found in mummified bodies around the world, these “everlasting” designs had the most diverse meanings among the cultures that practiced ink-engraving the skin. The most modern tattoo awakening came when Europeans, especially the English, came into contact with the peoples of the South Pacific in the 18th century.

When this art was taken to the Old World, it became very popular among soldiers and sailors, but was marginalized and became a means of identifying criminals and other types excluded by society. Already these days, tattooing has a lot to do with aesthetics and has become increasingly popular, losing a little of the negative charge it carried.

Meet some important historical figures who, to our surprise, had tattoos, even though they had lived for a long time.

1. Tsar Nicholas II (Emperor. Russian Empire, 1868-1918)

Russia's last tsar before becoming a Soviet Union sported a colorful dragon on his forearm, the fruit of a diplomatic trip to Japan in 1891.

2. George Orwell (Writer. England, 1903-1950)

Born in India occupied by the British Empire, writer George Orwell was part of the Burma Imperial Police in his youth. There he would have gotten a tattoo consisting of blue dots on the knuckles that supposedly had the protective power.

3. John Wilkes Booth (President Lincoln Assassin. USA, 1838-1865)

The Confederate actor and supporter who murdered US President Abraham Lincoln was identified after he was killed by a tattoo on his hand, with his initials JWB, which helped bolster his narcissistic image.

4. Kaiser William II (Emperor. Prussia, 1859-1941)

William II was the last Kaiser, or Emperor, of the German Empire and king of Prussia, and supposedly had an eagle tattooed on his chest. From the very discreet location, it is very difficult to tell if the rumors really were real.

5. Queen Victoria (Queen. United Kingdom, 1819-1901)

Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth II's great-grandmother, now on the throne of England, became famous for naming the Victorian Era, the period of peace and prosperity in the United Kingdom. Although extremely conservative, it is said that the queen would have a tiger tattoo and a snake on her body.

6. King Edward VII (King. United Kingdom, 1841-1910)

Queen Victoria's second son and king of England followed in her mother's footsteps and also got a tattoo. Rumor has it that he would have a Jerusalem cross tattooed on his arm.

7. King Harold II (King. England, 1022-1066)

Going back quite a bit in time, but continuing in England, we have King Harold II, England's last Anglo-Saxon king. He was reportedly killed with an arrow in the face during a battle and later mutilated by his enemies. His widow, Edith, was able to recognize him by the tattoo on his chest that said "Edith and England."

8. Theodore Roosevelt (Politician. United States, 1858-1919)

The 26th President of the United States, as well as his cousin Franklin - 32nd President of the United States - had the Roosevelt family crest tattooed on his chest.

9. Thomas Edison (Inventor. United States, 1847-1931)

The famous inventor of the lamp, phonograph and camcorder also invented the electric pen, which made possible the creation of the modern tattoo machine. No wonder he had a Quincunium tattooed on his forearm, a geometric figure made up of five spheres in the shape of a cross.

10. Winston Churchill (Politician. United Kingdom, 1874-1965)

The English Prime Minister during World War II and then again from 1951 until 1955 had a classic Popeye-style tattooed anchor on his forearm.

* Posted on 2/18/2016