8/20/07

Famous Myths

Some of the most commonly taught stories in history might not be 100 percent true.
I shall sum up some of Write Spirit's "The 20 Greatest Historical Myths" that set the record straight on some misunderstood stories throughout history.

14. Myth: Eve ate an apple.
Truth: The bible said "the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden" (Genesis 3:3) so it could have been any tree fruit. It was Milton who wrote that it was an apple with his poetic interpretation of the biblical event "Paradise Lost."
13. Myth: Newton was hit by an apple.
Truth: Voltaire wrote a story about Newton saying this but it's not necessarily true that Newton was hit with an apple.
12. Myth: Walt Disney drew Micky Mouse.
Truth: Ub Iwerks drew Micky because Walt Disney stunk at character drawing, but Walt Disney did provide the voice for Micky for some time.
11. Myth: Marie Antoinette said "let them eat cake."
Truth: Jean Jacques Rousseau wrote that a "great princess" said this famous line. Marie Antoinette was only 11 when he wrote that.
10. Myth: Van Gogh sliced off his ear.
Truth: He only cut off a piece of his left lobe after his eight years of painting led to a tragic end.
9. Myth: Salem witches were burned at the stake.
Truth: Most of those tried were hanged while one was crushed by stones.
8. Myth: Napoleon was short.
Truth: His nickname was Le Petit Corporal ("The Little Corporal") because of his low rank. He was actually 5'7".
7. Myth: Shakespeare came up with the story of Hamlet.
Truth: Shakespeare just came up with the best adaptation of Hamlet, which is the situation with many of his plays; they're the best versions of the stories created by others before him.
6. Myth: America gained independence on July 4th, 1776.
Truth: The Declaration of Independence was signed on that day, America became independent on September 3, 1783.
5. Myth: Edison invented electric light.
Truth: It was Sir Humphry Davy who invented electric light, but it was Edison, along with his many unnoticed assistants, who improved on his design to make it last longer.
4. Myth: Columbus proved the Earth was round.
Truth: Columbus thought the Earth was pear shaped, he never touched American soil (landed in the Bahamas), and most educated Europeans during the time already believed the Earth was round anyway.
3. Myth: Ghandi liberated India.
Truth: He was really only a small part since India was well on its way to liberation without him. In fact some argue that India would have been liberated faster without Ghandi.
2. Myth: Jesus was born on 12-25.
Truth: "There is no evidence whatsoever, biblical or otherwise, that He was actually born on that day" and even though there were three gifts there weren't necessarily three wise men either.
1. Myth: George Washington was the first President in the U.S.
Truth: Before Washington there were Presidents of the United States in Congress Assembled and before them were Presidents of the First/Second Continental Congress which means that Washington was the 15th President in the U.S.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

EVERYTHING I KNOW HAS BEEN A LIE! Dx

Anonymous said...
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