Humpty Dumpty has been associated with various historical events through the years. According to professor Carmichael of Cornell University, Humpty Dumpty refers to the British use of a machine called a Testudo. As the story goes, the British army was trying to conquer a castle with a moat, but they had no way to get over the wall, so decide to construct a Testudo. During the night, while the British army was working, the opposing army widened the moat. The next morning when the British attacked, their valuable machine plummeted from the wall into the moat.

Other historical events that have been identified with Humpty Dumpty are the beheading in Charles II and even the fall of the Roman Empire.