# Historical events most people only know of because a song was written about them **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 2, 2010, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-events-most-people-only-know-of-because-a-song-was-written-about-them/548882 "2010-08-02T13:35:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2010, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-events-most-people-only-know-of-because-a-song-was-written-about-them/548882/61 "2010-08-03T17:45:45Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I remember him! I saw him last night, in fact. Alive as you and me. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2010, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-events-most-people-only-know-of-because-a-song-was-written-about-them/548882/62 "2010-08-03T18:18:19Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > > [@Nava](#): > > > > I may have heard The Royal Guard, but don’t recognize the name at all. > > You may have heard [the song](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oxzg_iM-T4E), though. The chorus, at least, is pretty well-known. > > \*Ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty or more > The bloody Red Barron kept rolling up the score > Eighty men died trying to end the spree > Of the bloody Red Baron of Germany. > \* I had heard [the tune](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EPsuOEH1fY) (and that, only recently), but not the song. ---
**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2010, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-events-most-people-only-know-of-because-a-song-was-written-about-them/548882/63 "2010-08-03T18:29:34Z")
I would never have heard about the Good Ship Venus if it hadn’t been for the _Sex Pistols_. I suspect the song might not be historically accurate, however. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2010, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-events-most-people-only-know-of-because-a-song-was-written-about-them/548882/64 "2010-08-03T19:49:07Z")
I should imagine that few folk would have heard about Buffalo Soldiers were it not for the song. > **[Buffalo Soldier](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_Soldier)** > > Buffalo Soldiers were United States Army regiments formed during the 19th century to serve on the American frontier that primarily comprised African Americans. On September 21, 1866, the 10th Cavalry Regiment was formed at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The nickname "Buffalo Soldiers" was purportedly given to the regiment by Native Americans who fought against them in the American Indian Wars, and the term eventually became synonymous with all of the African American U.S. Army regiments established ... ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2010, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-events-most-people-only-know-of-because-a-song-was-written-about-them/548882/65 "2010-08-03T20:42:44Z")
I only heard of [The Wreck of the Old 97](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wreck_of_the_Old_97) because The Blues Brothers didn’t know it. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2010, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-events-most-people-only-know-of-because-a-song-was-written-about-them/548882/66 "2010-08-03T22:18:52Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Truth be told, I wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out that the majority of Americans had never heard of the French Revolution **at all** , much less from a song. That’s ridiculous. We know the whole story from _History of the World, Part I_. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2010, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-events-most-people-only-know-of-because-a-song-was-written-about-them/548882/67 "2010-08-03T22:26:57Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > I learned that in the year of 1941, when the war had just begun, that the Germans had the biggest ships and they had the biggest guns. The Bismark was the fastest ship to ever sail the seas, with guns as big as steers and shells as big as trees. > > All thanks to Johnny Horton. - Hit the decks a-runnin’ boys and spin those guns around When we find the Bismark we gotta cut her down\* That one and the one about the Battle of New Orleans are the only two Johnny Horton songs I know. 🙂 I mentioned this is another thread recently, but I suspect that most people of my generation can sing the Preamble to the United States Constitution largely due to the classic _Schoolhouse Rock_ spot. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2010, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-events-most-people-only-know-of-because-a-song-was-written-about-them/548882/68 "2010-08-03T22:36:39Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > > [@RandMcnally](#): > > > > All thanks to Johnny Horton. > > - > > Hit the decks a-runnin’ boys and spin those guns around > When we find the Bismark we gotta cut her down\* > > That one and the one about the Battle of New Orleans are the only two Johnny Horton songs I know. 🙂 Oh, come on. Surely you’ve heard of _North to Alaska_? “When it’s springtime in Alaska, it’s forty below…” ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2010, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-events-most-people-only-know-of-because-a-song-was-written-about-them/548882/69 "2010-08-03T22:55:50Z")
[The Springhill, NS Mining Disaster of 1958](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springhill_mining_disaster). ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2010, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-events-most-people-only-know-of-because-a-song-was-written-about-them/548882/70 "2010-08-03T23:46:27Z")
I learned most of my history from Iron Maiden songs: 2 Minutes to Midnight Aces High Alexander the Great Flight of Icarus The Trooper Powerslave Run to the Hills Ryme of the Ancient Mariner ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2010, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-events-most-people-only-know-of-because-a-song-was-written-about-them/548882/71 "2010-08-03T23:52:24Z")
> [@Telperion](#): > > I would never have heard about the Good Ship Venus if it hadn’t been for the _Sex Pistols_. I suspect the song might not be historically accurate, however. Except for the part about Tommy Loy the cabin boy. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-events-most-people-only-know-of-because-a-song-was-written-about-them/548882/72 "2010-08-04T00:01:12Z")
# _Stars Fell on Alabama_ is a 1930s standard based on an old poem and redone by Jimmy Buffett, but it refers to an actual event in [November 1833](http://uanews.ua.edu/mar00/heritage031500.htm) when the Leonid meteor shower was so strong and so visible (remember there was no ambient light at the time) that many people supposedly thought it was the end of the world. I suspect the story grew with each retelling, but according to lore there were all manner of gamblers and drunks and thieves who came into churches begging for forgiveness thinking that it was their last shot at heaven. For a while “Stars Fell on Alabama” was on the state’s license tags for some reason or other, but I doubt most know of the historical event. I learned of it through the song. _The Yellow Rose of Texas_ is, according to oral history and legend, a reference to Emily Morgan, a mulatto slave who became Santa Anna’s mistress. By said legend, it was his dalliance with her that caused him to be too preoccupied to rally his troops and thus cost him the victory at San Jacinto. ---
**Author:** ![mascaroni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@mascaroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mascaroni)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-events-most-people-only-know-of-because-a-song-was-written-about-them/548882/73 "2010-08-04T00:57:55Z")
Scott Walker’s “The Ballad Of [Sacco and Vanzetti](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacco_and_Vanzetti)” was the first time I’d heard of the case. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-events-most-people-only-know-of-because-a-song-was-written-about-them/548882/74 "2010-08-04T02:51:24Z")
While I vaguely remember the riots and the video of Rodney King there is no way I’d know the date if it wasn’t for Sublime. April 22, 1992 and I bet people much younger then me wouldn’t even know that much. ---
**Author:** ![In\_Winnipeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a8b319/32.png) [@In\_Winnipeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Winnipeg)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-events-most-people-only-know-of-because-a-song-was-written-about-them/548882/75 "2010-08-04T04:20:35Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > [The Springhill, NS Mining Disaster of 1958](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springhill_mining_disaster). We learned _The Ballad of Springhill_ in music class at school about Grade Five or so. (And for An Gadai: We also learned _Alive, Alive Oh!_ in Grade Two, as I recall.) ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-events-most-people-only-know-of-because-a-song-was-written-about-them/548882/76 "2010-08-04T18:51:01Z")
I only know about Nero fiddling while Rome burned because of Bugs Bunny. _Be it ever so crumbly, there’s no place like Rome Nero he was the emperor and the palace was his home But he liked to play with matches and for a fire yearned So he burned Rome to ashes and fiddled while it burned_ ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-events-most-people-only-know-of-because-a-song-was-written-about-them/548882/77 "2010-08-05T03:09:43Z")
Nobody is admitting that they learned of Waterloo from ABBA? ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-events-most-people-only-know-of-because-a-song-was-written-about-them/548882/78 "2010-08-05T04:35:51Z")
Six men raised the flag at Iwo Jima, but only one of them tends to be remembered by name, because he was the subject of a popular folk song: “The Ballad of Ira Hayes” ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-events-most-people-only-know-of-because-a-song-was-written-about-them/548882/79 "2010-08-05T04:41:33Z")
“The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” ---
**Author:** ![multimediac17](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/839c29/32.png) [@multimediac17](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/multimediac17)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-events-most-people-only-know-of-because-a-song-was-written-about-them/548882/80 "2010-08-05T04:44:24Z")
I wouldn’t have known about Frances Farmer if it wasn’t for Culture Club and their 1984 single ‘The Medal Song’. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-events-most-people-only-know-of-because-a-song-was-written-about-them/548882.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-events-most-people-only-know-of-because-a-song-was-written-about-them/548882.md?page=5)