Top 10 Biggest Historical Misconceptions

We all grew up learning the same stories in school and hearing the same tales of explorers, pilgrims, colonization, and expansion. Many of those stories are not historically accurate, though. Some were taken from authors who intentionally used creative license to sell their works, while others resulted from mistranslations and misunderstandings.

Below are some of the biggest historical misconceptions, with the descriptions providing a more accurate account of what happened. Let's try to keep history accurate and historical instead of the propaganda it has become.
The Top Ten
Jesus Christ was born on December 25

Most theologians believe he was born in the spring.

Guglielmo Marconi invented the radio

Another invention taken from Tesla. Tesla sued him for that, won the battle, and the ruling stated he is the true inventor of the radio.

Emperor Nero played the fiddle while Rome was burning down
Marie Antoinette said, "Let them eat cake"
Benjamin Franklin discovered electricity Benjamin Franklin (January 6, 1706 – April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Among the leading intellectuals of his time, Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States,... read more
The "witches" of the Salem trials were burned at the stake There are no records of people being burned at the stake during the Salem Witch Trials. The Accused were either hanged or died while in prison.

More died in prison than were hanged.

Vikings wore horns on their helmets

If they actually did that in real life, it would be dangerous!

Jewish slaves built the pyramids

Professional laborers built the pyramids.

Napoleon Bonaparte was short In fact, Napoleon was slightly taller than the average Frenchman of his time. The problem comes from the difference between French inches and English Inches. He was actually about 5 foot 7 inches tall.

This could be the result of so many tall men being used in the military, making him appear short in comparison.

Napoleon was actually around 5'6 or 5'7, which was pretty average for his time.

The average life expectancy during the Middle Ages was about half what it is now While people did typically live shorter lives back then than we do now, the average age of 30 comes mainly due to infant mortality rates. Once a person survived childhood, their life expectancy was usually around 64 years total.

The Newcomers

? Roman vomitoriums were used for vomiting
? Pirates said things like "Arrr" and "Shiver me timbers"

I think the book Treasure Island established many modern stereotypes about pirates.

The Contenders
George Washington had wooden teeth His dentures were made of gold, hippopotamus ivory, lead, animal teeth, and probably human teeth from slaves.
Ancient Romans regularly vomited during meals This came from use of the word "Vomitorium" which people assume meant a room for vomiting. In fact, it just means an entryway like those used at modern day stadiums. You walk through a vomitorium every time you enter or exit a large stadium.
Christopher Columbus was the first European to visit the Americas

Besides the Vikings, it is probably true that the Phoenicians and Polynesians made it.

Iron maidens were used as torture devices in the Middle Ages There is no evidence that Iron Maidens ever existed in the Middle Ages or that they were used for torture. Instead they were pieced together in the 18th century from several artifacts found in museums in order to create spectacular objects intended for (commercial) exhibition.
Medieval Europeans believed the Earth was flat Knowledge of a round Earth dates back to ancient Greek philosophers and was common knowledge by most intellectual Europeans.

It's just people from the pre-Columbus era and the Flat Earth Society nowadays.

The chastity belt was used to keep women chaste in medieval times Most existing chastity belts are now thought to be deliberate fakes or anti-masturbatory devices from the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Albert Einstein failed math In fact, Einstein said, "I never failed in mathematics... Before I was fifteen I had mastered differential and integral calculus." He did fail the entrance exam to the Swiss Federal Polytechnic School his first time but then again he was 2 years younger than his peers and scored exceptionally well in math and science.
Jesus Christ was white
Thomas Edison invented the light bulb
Humans evolved from chimpanzees

We had a common ancestor, and chimps are our closest biological relatives.

Saying humans evolved from chimpanzees is like saying English evolved from German.

Coca-Cola invented the modern image of Santa Claus By the time Coca-Cola began using Santa Claus's image in the 1930s, Santa Claus had already taken his modern form in popular culture and had been used extensively by other companies in their advertising.
Gautama Buddha was obese
Spanish influenza originated in Spain
The Civil War was fought in order to abolish slavery

Let's be real here, Lincoln didn't care whether or not slaves were freed as long as the Union held together. The war was really about the Northern and Southern elites fighting over which economic system would prosper. In contrast, Robert E. Lee was a far bigger opponent of slavery, who only sided with the Confederates because it was too painful to betray his homeland.

The moon landing was a hoax
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