10 Cool Historical Facts About Lebanon

Who doesn’t enjoy a little historical deep-dive? No one has ever found history boring or tedious, right?

Well, for all you history buffs out there, we found 10 cool facts from Lebanese history that are worth remembering.

1. Lebanon is home to the first law school in the world

Said to be opened by the Romans in Beirut, where it was the centre of the Empire’s law until its destruction in 551 AD.

2. Alexander the Great hates Tyre

For having the gall to defend against him in 332 BC. He eventually defeated the Tyrians, burning the city and massacring its inhabitants.

3. Lebanon is the first Arab country to have private TV

And one of those private TV companies, Compagnie Libanaise de Télévision (CLT) would be the third station in the world to broadcast in color.

4. Edward Spears: the unknown force behind Lebanese Independence

The British General was not a fan of Charles De Gaulle, leading him to support the Riad el Solh-Bchara el Khoruy plot for independence, going against the wishes of his own government.

5. Lebanon was the first Arab country to have a space program

The Lebanese Rocket Society, running out of Haigazian University managed a few successful rocket launches, even reaching low earth orbit before ceasing operations in 1966.

6. The taco is actually shawarma

One popular theory suggests that the Taco was a Lebanese adaptation of the shawarma to local bread.

7. Lebanese people claim to have invented the TV

Rest in peace Hassan Kamel Al-Sabbah

8. Lebanon’s first PM converted to Shiism

Riad el Solh, one of the fathers of the republic and the first prime minister, a spot reserved for Sunnis, converted to Shia Islam before his death to ensure his daughters would receive his inheritance.

9. Byblos is one of the oldest cities in the world

With some claiming it has been continuously inhabited since 3000 BC.

10. The Phoenicians discovered America first

According to some theorists, the Phoenicians made their way to America long before Christopher Columbus.