# Historical myths DEBUNKED! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 19, 2025, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251 "2025-08-19T02:56:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 15
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2025, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/281 "2025-08-30T14:20:39Z")
> [@solost](#): > > If you lived past childhood and didn’t get yourself killed in a war, you had a good chance of living into your 70s or even 80s. Or for a woman, if you lived past years of child-birth. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2025, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/282 "2025-08-30T14:58:23Z")
Speaking of geographic misconceptions—The 1969 Woodstock Music Festival was NOT held in Woodstock, New York–it was on a diary farm 60 miles southwest in Bethel. Woodstock was the promoter’s original plan but the local residents objected. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2025, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/283 "2025-08-30T15:50:09Z")
One myth I’d accepted was that all the horses used by the Sioux, Cheyenne, Comanche, etc. were the result of the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. The Pueblo had had enough, killed or scared off the Spaniards, and slapped their horses on the butts so they ran off north. Maybe that was the single largest source of horses onto the Plains, and the Pueblo used the horses as trade and tribute instead of just turning them loose, but it wasn’t the only way they became available. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2025, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/284 "2025-09-03T17:53:15Z")
The famous “Keep Calm and Carry On” signs were produced in Britain at the beginning on World War 2, but were rarely displayed and had been mostly forgotten until 2000 when a bookstore owner bought one at an auction and hung it in their shop. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2025, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/285 "2025-09-03T18:26:40Z")
Yes. IIRC they found them in storage in a bomb shelter? ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2025, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/286 "2025-09-03T21:35:55Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Yes, there were electric lightbulbs before- they lasted mere minutes. Edison invented the first **Practical** electric bulb, I think that’s true for a lot of inventions; the person who gets the credit is the one who comes up with the first practical version of that thing, not the person who made the initial very rudimentary version of the thing. I think the Wright Brothers may be another example of this – other people may have built flying machines that could hurl themselves into the air, fly in a straight line, and basically crash land, prior to their first flight. But the Wrights built the first one that could be flown **in a controlled manner**. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2025, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/287 "2025-09-03T23:32:05Z")
To be fair, it’s a great painting. Have you ever seen it (or its copy) in person? It’s damn impressive. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2025, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/288 "2025-09-03T23:44:56Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > Woodstock was the promoter’s original plan but the local residents objected. IIRC they kept the name as Bob Dylan was living in Woodstock at the time, and they hoped people would think he was on the line up because of that. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2025, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/289 "2025-09-04T02:15:20Z")
[![](https://scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/505825502_4061792624106460_7793565029153931271_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=aa7b47&_nc_ohc=DmqnbcUQ5UsQ7kNvwGhvQ6v&_nc_oc=AdnMnBuj5rpQ2gBqrNcnP9GFCcUhEe5RHq1jx3eDvkgR9_IKwjLCGcLXHuUnjyo_QCJWEd92L8-w-CKZYAptqSgG&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-lax3-1.xx&_nc_gid=_OvRfe_gViWddG3JF2rmqg&oh=00_AfbYukStWIXhQCZ5pk6HF4hU7A_7M9TwrFmlrYxhibuzAg&oe=68BEADE3) ](https://scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/505825502_4061792624106460_7793565029153931271_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=aa7b47&_nc_ohc=DmqnbcUQ5UsQ7kNvwGhvQ6v&_nc_oc=AdnMnBuj5rpQ2gBqrNcnP9GFCcUhEe5RHq1jx3eDvkgR9_IKwjLCGcLXHuUnjyo_QCJWEd92L8-w-CKZYAptqSgG&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-lax3-1.xx&_nc_gid=_OvRfe_gViWddG3JF2rmqg&oh=00_AfbYukStWIXhQCZ5pk6HF4hU7A_7M9TwrFmlrYxhibuzAg&oe=68BEADE3) ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2025, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/290 "2025-09-04T03:12:49Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > It’s damn impressive. According to the wikithingy, it is 12’5" tall by 21’3" across. That would go nicely in my living room. ---
**Author:** ![Clearbluesky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Clearbluesky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clearbluesky)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2025, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/291 "2025-09-05T23:22:22Z")
I have not actually seen it. But I think it’s a cool painting, I like Washington, and he did win in Trenton. I’m just saying an artistic work, like “The midnight ride of Paul Revere” becomes commonly accepted version of what happened. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2025, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/292 "2025-09-10T23:55:44Z")
Here’s a trivia question you can toss at somebody who’s looking at the painting; pick out the future presidents. The obvious answer is George Washington. The less obvious answer is James Monroe, who was Washington’s aide during the war and who is the guy right behind Washington in the picture, holding the flag. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2025, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/293 "2025-09-13T13:00:00Z")
> [@Clearbluesky](#): > > I have not actually seen it. But I think it’s a cool painting, I like Washington, and he did win in Trenton. I’m just saying an artistic work, like “The midnight ride of Paul Revere” becomes commonly accepted version of what happened. Pretty doubtful that anyone here has seen the original since it was destroyed in 1942 in a bombing raid in Bremen. The full sized copy which was painted shortly after the original is in The Met. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2025, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/294 "2025-09-14T03:41:04Z")
There is also a smaller version that was once displayed in the West Wing of the White House. In 2015 it was purchased and placed at the Maritime Arts Museum in the small town of Winona Minnesota. We were able to see it there, before it was sold in 2022 for 45 million dollars. Even the smaller painting is amazing to look at. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2025, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/295 "2025-09-16T18:47:46Z")
I was just reading that “ring around the rosie” had nothing whatsoever to do with the Great Plague. First version found dates from 1790, and doesnt contain the ‘all fall down” line. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring\_a\_Ring\_o](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_a_Ring_o)’\_Roses ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2025, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/296 "2025-09-18T02:31:40Z")
The myth that the British government invented a bunch of atrocities committed by the Germans in Belgium at the start of WW1, in order to drum up support for the war. That is absolutely a myth. They made the most of the atrocities that were committed, and produced a bunch propaganda that portrayed the Germans as monsters. But it was all based on real atrocities carried out in Belgium by the Germans, the British government did not invent anything. The British tabloids, having the same high standards in 1914 they do nowadays, did print a bunch of made up stuff, often just unfounded rumors from Belgian refugees in the UK. This myth was widely accepted as true in the interwar years and had massive repercussions. As when the allies, particularly the British, started to hear about the Holocaust, even via methods that could be made public (they were never going publicize Enigma decrypts), they were very reluctant to make them public as it would seem like Germans in Belgium all over again. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2025, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/297 "2025-09-18T05:09:09Z")
I’m half way through re-reading **The Guns of August** , and Barbara Tuchman goes into quite some detail on the German atrocities in Belgium, saying they were essentially out of frustration they were not just allowed to march through unopposed to attack France. The later atrocities in France, out of an exaggerated fear of partisans ( [francs-tireurs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francs-tireurs) ). But I’ve not seen any mention of this myth, that they were invented by the British government for propaganda purposes. As you say, no actual need to as the British press did that job quite fine, for free. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2025, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/298 "2025-09-18T17:55:41Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > The myth that the British government invented a bunch of atrocities committed by the Germans in Belgium at the start of WW1, in order to drum up support for the war. German soldiers ate Belgian babies, and strung them on bayonets? > **[Atrocity propaganda](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrocity_propaganda)** > > Atrocity propaganda is the spreading of information about the crimes committed by an enemy, which can be factual, but often includes or features deliberate fabrications or exaggerations. This can involve photographs, videos, illustrations, interviews, and other forms of information presentation or reporting. > The inherently violent nature of war means that exaggeration and invention of atrocities often becomes the main staple of propaganda. Patriotism is often not enough to make people hate the... _Atrocity [propaganda](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_in_World_War_I "Propaganda in World War I") was widespread during [World War I](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I "World War I"), when it was used by all belligerents, playing a major role in creating the wave of patriotism that characterised the early stages of the war.__[[21]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrocity_propaganda#cite_note-Cull-21)_ _[British propaganda](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_propaganda_during_World_War_I "British propaganda during World War I") is regarded as having made the most extensive use of fictitious atrocities to promote the war effort.__[[21]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrocity_propaganda#cite_note-Cull-21)_ _One such story was that German soldiers were deliberately mutilating Belgian babies by cutting off their hands, in some versions even eating them. Eyewitness accounts told of having seen a similarly mutilated baby. As [Arthur Ponsonby](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Ponsonby,_1st_Baron_Ponsonby_of_Shulbrede "Arthur Ponsonby, 1st Baron Ponsonby of Shulbrede") later pointed out, in reality a baby would be very unlikely to survive similar wounds without immediate medical attention.__[[2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrocity_propaganda#cite_note-Kingsbury67-22)_[2]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrocity_propaganda#cite_note-Kingsbury67-22) _Another atrocity story involved a Canadian soldier, who had supposedly been crucified with bayonets by the Germans (see [The Crucified Soldier](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crucified_Soldier "The Crucified Soldier")). Many Canadians claimed to have witnessed the event, yet they all provided different version of how it had happened. The Canadian high command investigated the matter, concluding that it was untrue.__[[](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrocity_propaganda#cite_note-Keene-23)_ _[23](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrocity_propaganda#cite_note-Keene-23)__[]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrocity_propaganda#cite_note-Keene-23)_ _Other reports circulated of Belgian women, often nuns, who had their breasts cut off by the Germans.__[[24]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrocity_propaganda#cite_note-Hollander-24)_ _A story about [German corpse factories](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kadaververwertungsanstalt "Kadaververwertungsanstalt"), where bodies of German soldiers were supposedly turned into glycerine for weapons, or food for hogs and poultry, was published in a [Times](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Times_(United_Kingdom) "The Times (United Kingdom)") article on April 17,1917.__[[25]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrocity_propaganda#cite_note-Kingsbury49-25)_ _In the postwar years, investigations in Britain and France revealed that these stories were false_ _.__[[2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrocity_propaganda#cite_note-Cull-21)_ _[1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrocity_propaganda#cite_note-Cull-21)_ Dont get me wrong= plenty of real atrocities occurred. Many by German soldiers in Belgium, generally after being shot at by resistance. However- the Allies committed their share also- the food blockade of Germany continuing after the war was over, so that the French could get better terms In 1915, the captain of the British Q-ship HMS _Baralong_ ordered his crew to kill German U-boat survivors in retaliation for the sinking of the passenger liner RMS _Lusitania_. **:** Also n December 1918, Australian and New Zealand soldiers attacked the Arab village of Sarafand in Palestine.. Not to mention the various atrocities the Russians committed. And of course the Armenian genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire. > [@griffin1977](#): > > The British tabloids, having the same high standards in 1914 they do nowadays, did print a bunch of made up stuff, often just unfounded rumors from Belgian refugees in the UK. The British press was completely censored and controlled during the war. Those tabloid stories only got out if the British government approved them. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2025, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/299 "2025-09-18T18:38:52Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > > German soldiers ate Belgian babies, and strung them on bayonets? Which were not included in British government propaganda during WW1, as explained in that Wikipedia article: > One of the most widely-disseminated documents of atrocity propaganda during the war was the _[Report of the Committee on Alleged German Outrages](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Committee_on_Alleged_German_Outrages "Committee on Alleged German Outrages")_, or the _Bryce Report_, of May 1915. Based on 1,200 witness depositions, it depicted the systematic murder and violation of Belgians by German soldiers during the German invasion of Belgium, including details of rapes and the slaughter of children > **[Committee on Alleged German Outrages](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Committee_on_Alleged_German_Outrages)** > > The Committee on Alleged German Outrages, often called the Bryce Report after its chair, Viscount James Bryce (1838–1922), is best known for producing the "Report of the Committee on Alleged German Outrages," published on 12 May 1915. The report is seen as a major propaganda form that Britain used in order to influence international public opinion regarding the behaviour of Germany, which had invaded Belgium the year before. It was the first significant publication from the War Propaganda Bure The key point being…. > historians focusing on the actions of the German army in Belgium have found Bryce’s work to be "substantially accurate ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2025, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/300 "2025-09-25T13:10:30Z")
The ’ [Obscure historical events made famous by works of art](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-historical-events-made-famous-by-works-of-art/1023373)’ thread jogged my memory of another historical myth: the story of the Bounty mutiny and the resulting reputation Captain Bligh got as an evil, cruel commander. Countless people over the years have said stuff like “my boss is a real Captain Bligh!”. But the truth is, Captain Bligh was actually relatively progressive for a British ship’s captain of his day. His punishments were not particularly harsh or cruel; if anything they were less so than the typical punishments Royal Navy sailors would receive. It wasn’t his fault that Fletcher Christian and his cohorts got too soft on the easy living in Tahiti and refused to go back to a hard life on ship. Not to mention, after Captain Bligh was relegated to a lifeboat with a few remaining loyal sailors, his ability to get them to a safe outpost thousands of miles away was an astounding feat of navigation. Captain Bligh got a historical raw deal! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251.md?page=14) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251.md?page=16)