How to Reanimate a Frog, 1906

"If a frog, turtle or even a land-loving toad, be left a comparatively short time to wander around the floor in the dry atmosphere of a modern dwelling house, it will dry up until it is at last so brittle that the legs may be broken like dried twigs. But if by chance any of our valued pets are reduced to this uncomfortably brittle state, do not, on that account, throw them away, for it may be possible to Bring the Mummies to Life again by soaking them in tepid water for a few hours. This fact is not generally known, and will be doubted by most people, but I personally know of two instances in which the dried, mummified and apparently dead creatures were restored to life by this method. In one instance it was a toad which was lost in a studio and in the other instance it was a small turtle which escaped from a broken aquarium." 

Daniel Carter Beard, New Ideas for Out of Doors (1906)

Perhaps in the past you have just thrown away your accidentally mummified pets. But now the secret of frog revivification is yours!

How to Tell if Someone Is or Is Not Dead, c. 1380

He's not dead yet.
BL Harley 3140, f. 39r (14th c.)

"Moreover, if there is any doubt as to whether a person is or is not dead, apply lightly roasted onion to his nostrils, and if he be alive, he will immediately scratch his nose." 

Johannes de Mirfield, Breviarium Bartholomei (c. 1380-95)

Don't bother looking for a pulse. The onion reflex is the only reliable sign of life.

How to Make Bird Missiles, 13th century

Them's fightin' birds!
Luttrell Psalter, BL Add. 42130 f.17v (14th c.)

"Another kind of fire for burning enemies wherever they are. Take petroleum, black petroleum, liquid pitch, and oil of sulphur. Put all these in a pottery jar buried in horse manure for fifteen days. Take it out and smear with it crows which can be flown against the tents of the enemy. When the sun rises and before the heat has melted it the mixture will inflame. But we advise that it should be used before sunrise or after sunset." 

Marcus Graecus, Liber ignium ad comburendos hostes ("Book of Fires for Burning Enemies"!, 13th c.)

Revealed: the origins and operational tactics of Angry Birds. The text does not explain how you get the crows to fly against enemy tents, but my guess is you put them in a little avian catapult and aim it with your finger.