21 Historical Figures Everybody Gets Wrong

All your history teachers lied to you.
21 Historical Figures Everybody Gets Wrong

If you haven't figured it out by now, pretty much everything you've ever learned has been a bold faced lie. Why? We couldn't tell you, but we can correct you so you'll look like a smart person again.

So allow us to fix some misconceptions you likely have about some very famous figures.

Everyone honors St. Patrick by wearing green. But St. Patrick's official color is blue. The earliest depictions of St. Patrick show him clothed entire
21 Historical Figures Everybody Gets Wrong
Picture Isaac Newton, and you see a guy with an apple falling on his head. That never happened. Newton never mentioned anything about an apple, and in
Wild Bill Hickok is a legend of the American Old West. But Bill wasn't short for William. Wild Bill's legend parallels those of Wyatt Earp and Billy
Rita Hayworth was the top pinup girl of the 1940s. She underwent a painful ethnic makeover. Rita was born Margarita Carmen Cansino. She was raised in
The name Plato is synonomous with reason. But it actually means broad. Plato is the most famous student of Socrates, and his name has come to stand
Abraham Lincoln was soft-spoken and dignified. And he was also a ridiculous badass. Lincoln was known to haul crates of stones weighing over 1,000 pou

Leo Fender

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
John Wayne is Hollywood's most famous cowboy. But he absolutely hated riding horseback. Wayne had learned to ride when he was young, so by the time he

Pocahontas

Remember the heroic story of Pocahontas? That never happened, and that wasn't her name. Her true name was Matoaka, although she commonly went by Amonu
John Lennon was a gentle, peace-loving hippie. But he was also abusive to women and his kid. John admitted in a Playboy interview that when he was you
Jimmy Carter is known as a president and humanitarian. But he's also laughed in the face of nuclear fallout. When President Carter was a Navy Lieutena
Iron Eyes Cody was the tortured face of Native American sadness. But he was Sicilian. Children of the '70s and'8Os probably remember the series of PSA
Che Guevara is seen as a revolutionary hero. He was actually kind of a racist. Che sauntered into Africa after the assassination of Congolese independ
Elvis Presley was the ultimate '50s ladies' man. But Elvis was more into teens and pajama parties. Elvis sure loved the ladies, but he had one very sp
Mrs. O'Leary is remembered for causing the Great Chicago Fire. FN But she was innocent. And SO was her cow. Despite all the campfire songs to the cont
People love the story that Einstein flunked math. Unsurprisingly, it isn't true. The idea that Albert Einstein did badly in school is thought to have
Remember the story of George Washington chopping the cherry tree? It's completely made up. According to the story, when Washington was six years old h
One of history's worst-kept secrets: J. Edgar Hoover was a transvestite. Which is unfortunate, because it isn't true. FBI Director John Edgar Hoover's
Napoleon is always depicted as being short. He was actually slightly above average height. Historians agree that Napoleon Bonaparte was almost 5'7, w
The movie Caligula was insanely perverted. a tus IThave Lants But Caligula himself wasn't unusually sexual. Most of Caligula's horrendous reputation c

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