In August of 1945, the language of power changed forever. No longer did the largest army mean the strongest

nation. It wasn't about tanks or strategy or even money. No power forevermore would be about

one thing and one thing only. Who had access to an atomic bomb. And ever since, that bomb has

become more than just a weapon. It's now a symbol showing who has influence and who does not.

Of course, back in the days before atomic power, nations had to rely on more creative status

symbols to prove their might.

For example, in the 1820s, that symbol happened to be giraffes. Yes, you heard me right.

You see, the viceroy of Egypt at the time, Mehmed Ali Pasha, was on a bit of a giraffe gifting spree.

Paris, Constantinople, and London had all received one of

the animals as a diplomatic gift, and in 1828, it was Vienna's turn. And the Austrians were

honestly pretty stoked about it. Having a giraffe in your city had become a marker of political

alliance, and they didn't want to be left out.

The giraffe in question, a young male, made the voyage by sea, along with a caretaker and two cows,

to provide it plenty of milk to drink on its long trip.

Finally, the ship arrived, but the journey wasn't over yet.

Before the giraffe was allowed to

set hoof on the mainland, it was required to quarantine on a nearby island called

Poveglia, which had long been an isolation station for plague-carrying soldiers. After all,

who knew what diseases this foreign animal might be carrying? Forget the Trojan horse. What about the Egyptian

giraffe? For a full 40 days and 40 nights, the long-necked visitor waited and waited. It was probably

pretty confusing for the poor young calf, not to mention the fact that Poveglia is said to be

extremely haunted by sailors who never made it off the island.

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