# 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:** 17
**Author:** ![rsat3acr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@rsat3acr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsat3acr)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/321 "2025-09-26T00:54:37Z")
Lemons and limes can be carried by either African or European swallows, so they don’t have to migrate by themselves. 😆 ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/322 "2025-09-26T01:41:03Z")
> [@rsat3acr](#): > > Lemons and limes can be carried by either African or European swallows I believe you have swallows confused with fruit bats. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/323 "2025-09-26T03:25:06Z")
What fruit bat? ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/324 "2025-09-26T05:09:16Z")
It could be an African fruit bat. Not a European fruit bat, that’s all I’m saying. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/325 "2025-09-26T06:12:20Z")
Oh, yeah, an African fruit bat maybe, but not a European fruit bat. That’s my point. But then of course, uh, African fruit bats are non-migratory. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/326 "2025-09-26T14:11:07Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > What fruit bat? I’m still waiting for the canonical answer. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/327 "2025-09-26T14:16:12Z")
Eric the fruit bat. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/328 "2025-09-26T14:21:27Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > > [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > > > What fruit bat? > > I’m still waiting for the canonical answer. The kind that carry fruit…like limes and lemons. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/329 "2025-09-26T14:39:00Z")
Ah, there it is. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/330 "2025-09-26T18:12:14Z")
> [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](#): > > Eric the fruit bat. Well, half a fruit bat. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/331 "2025-09-26T19:23:10Z")
Eric the half a bat carries cut limes. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/332 "2025-09-26T20:18:59Z")
Is that why there is a bat on a bottle of Bacardi? It’s Eric! ---
**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 26, 2025, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/333 "2025-09-26T20:45:35Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I’m still waiting for the canonical answer. Okay, Saint Fruitbat. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/334 "2025-10-02T02:10:12Z")
Sherlock Holmes wore a deerstalker hat maybe once- In Hound. He wouldnt wear one around London, but that is how his is portrayed. ---
**Author:** ![Zoobi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/13edae/32.png) [@Zoobi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoobi)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/335 "2025-10-02T02:46:03Z")
Sherlock Holmes wasn’t real so I’m not sure it counts as busting any sort of myth. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/336 "2025-10-02T09:27:53Z")
There are so many myths about the medieval period that have just been internalized and also show up all the time in popular culture. Frequent ones being that they didn’t bathe; that only the rich could afford coloured cloth or black cloth; that they never drank water, only beer… ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/337 "2025-10-02T13:35:57Z")
It doesn’t help that, far and away, the most recognizable narrative set in medieval Europe is a Monty Python film. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2025, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/338 "2025-10-10T03:03:46Z")
The big one is that people valued spices because it concealed the smell of rotting meat. An absurd idea, since spices were luxury goods, and no one would waste valuable spices on bad food. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2025, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/339 "2025-10-10T19:41:21Z")
> [@zimaane](#): > > The big one is that people valued spices because it concealed the smell of rotting meat. Yep. Hell, it’d be cheaper just to get new meat rather than hide it with expensive spices. Mind you, they did like their meat well aged. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2025, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/340 "2025-10-22T19:33:12Z")
I have two more- The Norse Vikings- as far as we know- never used what some call a “Viking funeral” by putting someone is a boat , sending it out to sea, then setting it afire. There is an accounts- once - of the Rus using it on a river. The Lost Cause/Southern Apologists have spread the myth that the Emancipation Proclamation didnt free any slaves. This is fake propaganda- Lincolns proclamation freed immediately about 50000 slaves, and by wars end something like three million more. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251.md?page=16) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251.md?page=18)