1618 Defenestration Of Prague: Two Catholic Lords, Secretary Survive 70-Ft. Fall

The Defenestration of Prague depicted by Johann Philipp Abelinus between 1635 and 1662. (Wikimedia Commons)

On May 23, 1618, a divine miracle took place in Prague. That, or three guys just caught a lucky—albeit stinky—break. What began as a political protest ended with the spark that triggered the Thirty Years' War, perhaps the only war in history to start with people getting thrown out a window.