How We
Verify WTF
The story can be strange. The sourcing cannot be.
Event verification
We establish that an event occurred using the strongest evidence available, prioritizing primary, institutional, archival, and scholarly sources, supported by strong contemporary reporting where appropriate. Important claims are independently corroborated when the record allows.
Exact-date verification
A story enters the archive only when its calendar date can be supported, and the corresponding weekday is independently checked rather than assumed.
Disputed facts
Uncertainty is labeled, not tidied away. The WTF can survive uncertainty.
Exaggeration checks
Popular retellings are compared with the record. Memorable details that outrun the evidence do not pass.
Multilingual sourcing
History happened in every language. We research it that way. Original languages are displayed and translations are identified.
Source presentation
Sources may appear as plain-text citations when no safe, exact public URL is available. A clickable link indicates a verified outbound navigation path; the absence of a link does not by itself indicate a weaker source.
WTF qualification
The WTF is the admission ticket. A story must be historically documented and possess genuine incongruity, consequence, or improbable timing. An event is not included merely because it is amusing, strange, or viral. Candidates whose central claim, date, or weekday cannot be supported by sufficiently strong evidence are rejected.
WTF scoring
Scores are one-decimal editorial judgments, not measurements. Context, improbability, consequence, and timing all inform the index.
Sensitivity
People and cultures are never the joke. History gets the final vote.
Visual provenance
Visuals are treated as documentary or contextual archival visuals, Editorial Fact Graphics, or placeholders, with provenance and rights identified where available. AI-generated imagery is not used as documentary evidence; rights and provenance take priority over aesthetics.
WTF VERIFIED
The badge means the event, date, weekday, and central claim have passed the current review standard. Caveats remain visible.
Ongoing review
WTF History is an ongoing archive, not a quota-driven publication. New verified stories may be added periodically, and stories, sources, links, and visuals may be corrected or improved when better evidence becomes available.
The ratings are not peer reviewed.