Top 10 Historical Events Everyone Gets WRONG

#10: Orson Welles The War of the Worlds (1938)

The Halloween episode of The Mercury Theatre on the Air caused quite the stir in 1938. Its retelling of The War of the Worlds in news broadcast form caused many people to believe an actual alien invasion was happening. Or at least, that was the story that was told in the newspapers the next day. In actuality, the broadcast was listened to by relatively few listeners, and even fewer actually believed it was a real news segment. Newspapers were quick to jump on the story though, and some used it as an opportunity to discredit their advertising competitors in radio.

#9: Ben Franklins Kite Experiment (1752)

One of the great myths of Americas revolutionary period comes from Founding Father and scientist Ben Franklin. Many of us believe that Ben Franklin discovered electricity by flying a kite that was struck by lightning in a storm. It is true that Franklin conducted an experiment to learn more about electricity using a key tied to a kite in a lightning storm. However, electricity was a known phenomenon by then. Franklin was merely trying to understand more about how it worked. Also, the kite was never struck by lightning, or else he likely would have been killed by the strike.

#8: The Building of the Great Pyramids (c. 2600 BCE)

The last remaining ancient wonder of the world has captured the attention of people worldwide for centuries. Ancient Greeks first hypothesized that the pyramids were built by slaves, which many still believe to this day. However, more recent archeological finds suggest that the pyramids were built by paid workers, often farmers working in their off season. There is evidence that they were paid fairly, housed, and fed well. For a structure so impressive many assume it could only have been built with exploited labor, its impressive that the opposite is true.

#7: Van Goghs Ear (1888)

Art enthusiasts know the infamous story of Vincent van Gogh, a brilliant but slightly mad artist who cut off his own ear and presented it to a woman in a brothel. This was the officially accepted story for years, but in 2009, historians Hans Kaufmann and Rita Wildegans presented evidence that suggested that story is not accurate. The original story is based on the account of fellow artist and friend of van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, who was living with van Gogh at the time. However, Kaufmann and Wildegans assert that Gauguin, a skilled fencer, actually cut off van Goghs ear himself during a heated scrap between the two men. Allegedly, Gauguins guilt and van Goghs shame led the artists to hide the true story of this violent incident.

#6: The Salem Witch Trials (1692-93)

A unique period in American history to say the least, this example of mass hysteria has often been exaggerated to benefit Halloween tales and Hollywood films. For one thing, those convicted of witchcraft were not burned at the stake. They might have been in Medieval Europe, but in Early Modern Salem, they were most often hanged. Float tests were another European practice that were never used in Salem. Finally, this period was not just caused by extreme religious beliefs. Other crucial factors included political unrest, war trauma, and land disputes between prominent families of Salem.

#5: The Emancipation Proclamation (1863)

Issued by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation was a significant moment in the Civil War, but it did not end slavery in the United States. The Proclamation only applied to Confederate-controlled areas, meaning any slaves in Northern-controlled states would remain enslaved. Essentially, the Proclamation was intended to inspire a greater push into rebel territory, with the added motivation of freeing the enslaved with each advance. The Proclamation also permitted black men to fight for the Union, so newly freed slaves could help free others. It wasnt until the thirteenth amendment was passed in 1864 that slavery was finally abolished throughout the entire United States.

#4: The Mohammad Mossadegh Myth (1953)

The 1953 Iranian coup détat was led by British and American forces to protect western oil interests in Iran and resulted in the overthrow of Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh. This caused significant backlash because of the blatant abuse of power from the two governments, but there have been some misconceptions about this event. Most notable is the often repeated myth that this coup saw the U.S. and U.K. governments overthrowing a democratically elected leader. In actuality, Mosaddegh was appointed by parliament, not elected by the people - and there is reason to believe he manipulated the parliamentary elections that preceded his appointment.

#3: Anastasia Romanovs Death (1918)

After the Romanov family were brutally murdered by Bolsheviks in 1918, rumors that the young Duchess Anastasia had escaped and survived were rampant throughout the 20th century. Many women claimed to be the lost duchess, and the myth even inspired the popular animated movie Anastasia in 1997. In reality, there was no evidence that any of the Romanovs had survived. Their burial site was discovered in 1991, sparking a resurgence in Anastasias survival myth after it was revealed that two bodies were missing, including Anastasias. Sadly, the final two bodies were discovered in 2007, a final confirmation of the young duchess early demise.

#2: Isaac Newtons Discovery of Gravity (1660s)

As the story goes, mathematician and physicist Sir Isaac Newton was sitting beneath a tree when an apple fell from the tree and hit him on the head. This jolt to the head inspired Newton to formulate his law of universal gravitation. While this makes for an exciting origin story for a major breakthrough in the field of physics, there is no evidence to prove that the apple hit Newton at all. This version of the story appears to be an exaggerated retelling of Newtons own account, in which he simply watched an apple fall to the ground, safe from fruit-related harm. Still, the popular story persists, and several clones of the original tree from Newtons garden can be found around the world.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Rosa Parks Protest (1956)

She Was Told to Give Her Seat to a White Person, But Was Not in the Whites Only Section

Marie Antoinettes Famous Quote (late 1700s)

She Never Said Let Them Eat Cake

The Destruction of the Library of Alexandria (48 BCE - 200s AD)

Disuse and Multiple Fires Destroyed the Library, Not One Great Fire

Italy Switching Sides in World War II (1943)

Part of Italy Supported the Axis Powers & Part Switched to Support the Allies

The Jonestown Massacre (1978)

It Wasnt Kool-Aid, It was Flavor-Aid

The Betsy Ross Flag (1776)

She Was a Flagmaker, but She Didnt Come Up with Her Eponymous Design

#1: Christopher Columbus & the Flat Earth (1490s)

You might have been mistakenly taught in school that Columbus attempt to reach the East Indies by sailing west around the world was ridiculed as no one believed the Earth was round. This story comes from Washington Irvings biography of Columbus, which took some creative liberties when it came to historical accuracy. In reality, members of the council tasked with approving Columbus proposals knew the Earth was not flat. They objected to Columbus questionable calculations of how large our world actually was. These Spanish scholars correctly assessed that Columbus journey would take much longer than he expected, given the actual distance he intended to cover. His stumbling upon the Americas was completely unexpected, and a significantly lucky break.

Were you surprised by any of these historical myths? Let us know in the comments!