"Historical Lies Even History Buffs Are Guilty Of" Topic

…. Believing

"Napoleon Bonaparte allegedly said, "History is a set of lies that people have agreed upon." As the past recedes further behind us, that observation only grows more accurate.

Yet, recent history can be equally vague. Students in the US can attest that important figures are often left out of their textbooks. The lies taught in American history are rarely out of spite but a common myth agreed upon. Part of our cultural foundation, these history myths can be difficult to dispel.

With that in mind, let's get down to the myth-busting. The following "facts" are among the biggest lies in history – untrue, but repeated so often even history buffs believe them. Vote up the ones that truly surprise you…"

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Armand

'When the myth and the history disagree, print the myth".

Yawn.

+1 Shag

Marie Antoinette actually said "Let them eat Twinkies." It was just a mistranslation.

By the way, my students actually bought that one.

Anyone still taking those silly 'facts' seriously is most certainly not an historian.

The French did not use inches so old Boney would not have been measured in feet & inches.

About the only one that seems to persist for no reason is the Viking helmets one and Hollywood and comics are mostly to blame for that.

Don't forget the Minnesota Vikings football team. Their mascot is a Horned-helmet wearing fella.

(smile)

Armand

Gildas said…"The French did not use inches so old Boney would not have been measured in feet & inches".

They did use feet and inches…but were busily creating and adopting adopting the metric system so were phasing them out.

Their foot being bigger than the British foot as the article indicates.

WHAT! Abe Lincoln really didn't kill vampires before becoming president…….

Sorry bobm but the French unit equivalent to an English inch was called a pouce, not an inch. Both systems relate to the later Roman measures but with some differences. While the word 'inch' was used in France it was mostly in those parts that were, or had been, part of the English possessions.

Standards in English measures were applied more stringently in Medieval times than those in France, even though French standards had existed much earlier. Length measures varied less than measures of mass though in practical use.

Cloth measure based on English practice was common throughout medieval Europe and English terminology was used alongside local names for the same or similar lengths.