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30 Outdated Myths and Misconceptions That Have Our Red Pens All Up in These History Books

It’s like unhinged internet trolls always say: You can’t believe everything you read in a history textbook

30 Outdated Myths and Misconceptions That Have Our Red Pens All Up in These History Books

October 12, 2023

It must be expensive to reprint all those history textbooks every time you realize you’ve been duped by misinformed historians. But that’s the game you play, whoever prints history textbooks. History seems to be malleable like that.

Math appears to be somewhat exempt from the constant updates, and the dictionary adds in a new word or two every year, but it seems like we’re finding new information (or tweaking existing information) about our ancestors all the time. Here are a few outdated beliefs that may have infested your brain back in your school days…

30

Ancient Flat Earth Beliefs CRACKED.COM We like to think that people have only known the earth was round since Columbus didn't fall off. But the Greeks not only knew it, they even calculated its circumference. Which means flat-earthers could travel to 500 BC and still be considered dumb. — Source

29

CRACKED.COM Romantic? Yes. But Casablanca is also a masterpiece of World War II propaganda. Warner Brothers produced the film following a pro-war rubric outlined by the U.S. Department of War. The Department was hoping to shift the American public's stance against intervention in the escalating conflict in Europe. When will you realize that in this world, today, isolationism is no longer a practical policy? -Signor Ferrari, to American Rick Blaine — Source

28

CRACKED.COM MYTH: Bonnie and Clyde: The Legendary Bank Robbers. REALITY: They mostly robbed small grocery stores and gas stations. In the four years the Barrow gang targeted banks, they hit less than 15, didn't get away with much money, and a lot of times Bonnie stayed home and wasn't even involved. It was also easier to rob places with lower risk and quicker getaways. — Source

27

We may picture agriculture in the But the steam tractor came 1800s as quaint and low tech, a into use in the mid 1800s farmer has his horses alone in starting the mechanization of farming. the field. Circa 1861 CRACKED.COM — Source

26

To the left is what most of us recognize as a portrait of Napoleon, leading his troops across the Alps on horseback. This was painted by Jacques-Louis David in the early 1800s. BONAPARTE In reality, Napoleon crossed the Alps on a mule with the help of a guide. This was depicted on a painting to the right by Hippolyte (Paul) Delaroche in 1848. GRACKED.COM — Source

25

Those They surrendered without a fight cowardly and let the Nazis overrun their French! country! In actuality, France fought bitterly against the Nazi invasion, with both sides sustaining heavy losses. Up until the moment when newly-appointed Prime Minister Pétain capitulated, the French had managed to bring down 1,800 German tanks and a third of the Luftwaffe L0959 Even after that, they mounted resistance movements all during the Nazi occupation. If you call that surrendering without a fight. you're stretching the concept to meaninglessness. CRACKED.COM — Source

24

Leo Fender is a legend who perfected the electric guitar. But he couldn't play, and didn't like rock'n'roll. Despite the fact that his entire business revolved around manufacturing and constantly improving guitars and amps, Fender never actually got around to learning how to play them and didn't have any interest in doing so. When Fender was testing an amp with a guitar, other people in the shop had to go in and tune the instrument when they couldn't take the noise anymore. Yet his creations are the guitar of choice for legends such as Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. CRACKED.COM — Source

23

Everyone honors St. Patrick by wearing green. But St. Patrick's official color is blue. The earliest depictions of St. Patrick show him clothed entirely in blue, not green, and when George III created a new order of chivalry for the Kingdom of Ireland, the Order of St. Patrick, its official color was a sky blue, known as St. Patrick's Blue. Blue was originally the color of Ireland, and a gold harp on a blue background still appears on the Irish constitution and presidential flag. The color green represents the divide between Ireland and Great Britain. CRACKED.COM http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/should-st-patricks-day-be-blue-180954572/ — Source

22

Beef myths TY COBB Despite their different ways of playing, Cobb and Ruth eventually put aside their differences and became friends. This was demonstrated by their handshake at the 1924 World Series and their golf tournament in 1941. BABE RUTH CRACKED — Source

21

Beef myths SALVADOR DALÍ Dalí and Picasso weren't always enemies. In fact, their relationship was complicated, with admiration, rivalry and even some inspiration from each other. PABLO PICASSO CRACKED — Source

20

Beef myths MARILYN MONROE The press tried to make it seem like Monroe and Taylor were rivals, but they actually had no bad feelings towards each other. Taylor even offered to leave one movie so Monroe could get her job back. ELIZABETH TAYLOR CRACKED — Source

19

Beef myths WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART The idea that Mozart and Salieri were enemies is not accurate. In fact, they were friendly when Mozart passed away, and Salieri even offered free music lessons to Mozart's younger son. ANTONIO SALIERI CRACKED — Source

18

Beef myths NIKOLA TESLA Tesla's accomplishments were quickly acknowledged, and he was even given the Edison Medal in 1917. This was a big deal, since Edison was on the committee that gave out the award and could have stopped it from happening. THOMAS ALVA EDISON CRACKED — Source

17

MYTH x Graves must be dug six feet under. FACT In America, most states require only a minimum of 18 inches of soil on top of a coffin. The six foot rule stems from plague-ridden England, when people thought burying bodies farther underground would stop the spread of the disease. CRACKED — Source

16

MYTH x Henry Ford invented the car in 1908. FACT The first automated vehicle was invented in France by Nicolas Joseph Cugnot, all the way back in 1769. The first modern automobile was created in 1866 by Karl Benz, who would later go on to found Mercedes Benz. CRACKED — Source

15

MYTH Walt Disney drew Mickey Mouse. x FACT Disney came up with the concept for Mickey Mouse and voiced the character. But Disney's partner, Ub Iwerks, was the artist behind the Mouse, as well as his first animator. CRACKED — Source

14

CRACKED NAPOLEON Contrary to popular belief, Napoleon wasn't particularly short. Не was probably around the same height as the average Frenchman in the 19th century --he was estimated to be 5'6 or 5'7. — Source

13

CRACKED 25MADE ADOLF HITLER The FBI put out a bunch of papers that had a bunch of stories saying that Hitler didn't really kill himself and had gone to South America instead, but even the FBI couldn't find any proof that it was true. — Source

12

NEANDERTHALS WERE NOT DIM-WITTED. They were capable of complex thought, communication, and sophisticated technology. And they bred with modern humans. CRACKED.COM — Source

11

CRACKED.COM MYTH: The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4th. It was drafted on June 11 and 28, presented to Congress on July 2, and revised on July 3 and 4. It was adopted by the Congress on July 4th. However, John Hancock didn't lay his big ol' signature down until August 4th. — Source

10

CRACKED.COM MYTH: Christopher Columbus discovered the U.S. Even ignoring that indigenous people had been in America for over 20,000 years before Columbus, Leif Erikson is believed to have led the first European expedition to North America...500 years before Columbus was even born. Columbus never even stepped on U.S. soil. Не went to several Caribbean islands, and Central and South America. — Source

9

CRACKED.COM MYTH: Betsy Ross created the first American flag There's no evidence to suggest this, aside from her grandson's account. Historians have confirmed that she made flags for the Pennsylvania State Navy Board. — Source

8

CRACKED.COM MYTH: The Founding Fathers were Christians. No matter who you include as a Founding Father, not all of them were Christian. Deism (which prioritizes human experience and rationality over religious dogma and texts) had a huge influence during their time. — Source

7

CRACKED.COM MYTH: Cowboys are uniquely American The original cowboys were Mexican cattlemen, known as vaqueros, who predate America cowboys. They taught future American cowboys how to do everything that's now considered classic cowboy, and eventually one in three cowboys were Mexican vaqueros. — Source

6

CRACKED BURNING AT THE STAKE AT THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS People often think that witches were burned at the stake during the Salem Witch Trials, but that's not true. In reality, 19 of the accused were hanged and one was pressed to death with heavy stones. — Source

5

CRACKED SPARTANS AS ANCIENT SUPER-SOLDIERS. It's a common misconception that Spartans were the best warriors in ancient Greece. In fact, there's no proof that they were particularly good at fighting in the Archaic period. Their fame mainly comes from their victory at the Battle of Thermopylae. — Source

4

CRACKED MARIE ANTOINETTE SAYING LET THEM EAT CAKE Marie Antoinette supposedly said this when she heard peasants were very hungry. But it's likely that something like this phrase was actually said by Maria Theresa, the Spanish princess who married Louis XIV a century before Marie Antoinette's time. — Source

3

CRACKED EVERLAST CHASTITY BELTS IN THE MIDDLE AGES In the Middle Ages, people talked about chastity belts as a way to keep women faithful. But the truth is, not many of these belts actually existed back then. The references to them in writing were probably just symbolic. — Source

2

CRACKED VIBRATORS AS TREATMENT FOR HYSTERIA It's a common misconception that Victorian doctors used vibrators to treat female hysteria, but there's no proof that this was ever a regular medical practice at all. — Source

1

CRACKED THE DESTRUCTION OF THE LIBRARY OF ALEXANDRIA The Library of Alexandria wasn't destroyed in one big event, but over a long period of time. Fires, lack of care, and the fact that papyrus scrolls were becoming outdated all played a part in its destruction. — Source

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