# 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:** 9
**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:** [August 24, 2025, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/161 "2025-08-24T17:00:04Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > Schuylerville, NY. I defy you to pronounce the last name. I think the first syllable, emphasized, sounds like that blue thing that often has clouds in it, the second syllable rhymes with “blur” and the last syllable is much as one would expect. ---
**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:** [August 24, 2025, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/162 "2025-08-24T17:22:47Z")
At least according to [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandwich#), The Earl of Sandwich didn’t invent the concept of putting meat between two pieces of bread. That meal existed in the 16th and 17th century; before becoming known as a “sandwich” people called it a “bread and meat” or “bread and cheese”. Lord Sandwich did invent a certain kind of roast beef sandwich which became popular in London, which is how his name became attached to all bread-with-filling dishes. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2025, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/163 "2025-08-24T17:29:36Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > Lord Sandwich did invent a certain kind of roast beef sandwich which became popular in London, which is how his name became attached to all bread-with-filling dishes. Did he invent it himself, or was it his cook? I can hardly believe that male British aristocrats of that time made their own dinner. ---
**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:** [August 24, 2025, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/164 "2025-08-24T17:34:14Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > I can hardly believe that British aristocrats of that time made their own dinner. Well, according to the linked Wikipedia article, he frequently ordered his valet to bring them to him. I’m assuming he “invented” it by telling his servants to make it for him, not by actually cooking it himself. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2025, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/165 "2025-08-24T17:43:02Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Did he invent it himself, or was it his cook? I can hardly believe that male British aristocrats of that time made their own dinner. In Ripley’s Believe it or Not, Jack Palace recreated it as the aristocrat becoming hungry while playing cards, then he told his servant to prepare the regular bread with roast beef, but with the fancy ingredients and continue playing. And the rest is a misunderstanding of History. He did not invent it, but I think it was the gall of a card player not doing “the civilized thing” and go to the table to eat like a proper gentleman that made it a noticeable thing. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2025, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/166 "2025-08-24T18:03:46Z")
I always thought the ‘Sandwich invented sandwiches’ story to be largely a myth - he may have popularized the concept to English peoples, but the idea that it wasn’t until the 18th century before someone had the idea of putting a slab of meat between two pieces of bread is, pardon the pun, hard to swallow. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2025, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/167 "2025-08-24T18:10:20Z")
But let’s not forget that to make a sandwich you first have to invented sliced bread, which is, as we all know, the best thing ever since all subsequent inventions are compared to it. The part that’s really hard to understand is why you needed sliced bread if sandwiches hadn’t been invented yet. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2025, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/168 "2025-08-24T18:26:05Z")
I wonder how they worked glass that resulted in variations in thickness? ---
**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:** [August 24, 2025, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/169 "2025-08-24T18:26:26Z")
Winner of today’s internet bucks jackpot. Excellent 😀. New York state has an incredible smattering of Dutch, English, Tribal, and biblical names – and Schenectady. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2025, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/170 "2025-08-24T18:27:25Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > When I took the “Underground Seattle” tour many years ago, they proudly displayed a period toilet with the “Crapper” logo prominently displayed on it. No wonder feeble leader refers to Seattle as a shithole town! ---
**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:** [August 24, 2025, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/171 "2025-08-24T18:30:34Z")
Wild applause. I see it growing into a hit musical the scale of “Hamilton”. 👏 👊 👏 ---
**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 24, 2025, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/172 "2025-08-24T18:30:59Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > Schuylerville The existence of “Hamilton” (the musical) is a big clue to the pronunciation. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2025, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/173 "2025-08-24T18:41:23Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > Also from the war of English Aggression 😁 The battle of Saratoga did not take place in Saratoga; it took place in Stillwater, NY and people from there are still salty about it (college friend). The Battle of Saratoga monument is in neither place; it’s in the village of Victory, part of Schuylerville, NY. I defy you to pronounce the last name. The battle was in Saratoga County, though. However, the Battle of Bennington took place in Hoosic Falls, NY. Bennington was the objective of the British troops – there was an armory there. The monument in Bennington marks the location of the armory, not where the battle was fault as most believe. BTW, the Bennington battlefield is very impressive. The British troops were camping at the top of a hill and could see and Continental troops approaching. But they neglected to guard the woods behind them, and were attacked from there. It’s a very small battlefield, with only a couple of signs, but the British probably thought they couldn’t be attacked. I live in Schenectady, so have no problem pronouncing “Schuylerville.” ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2025, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/174 "2025-08-24T18:47:52Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > Also from the war of English Aggression 😁 The battle of Saratoga did not take place in Saratoga; it took place in Stillwater, NY and people from there are still salty about it (college friend). But it was Saratoga county.. Many battles back then were not named for their precise location- sometimes there is something more prominent, or in the case of Bunker Hill, the old period maps i have found dont even list Breeds hill, so sometimes that location is just not common knowledge. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2025, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/175 "2025-08-24T19:09:42Z")
While we’re on the subject, the gunfight at the O.K. Corral actually happened in a vacant lot in Fremont Street, close to, but not in, the O.K. Corral. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2025, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/176 "2025-08-24T19:14:12Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > Winner of today’s internet bucks jackpot. Excellent 😀. New York state has an incredible smattering of Dutch, English, Tribal, and biblical names – and Schenectady. Schenectady is an Iroquois word meaning “beyond the pine barrens.” Schenectady, New York | Advisory Council on Historic Preservation [Schenectady, New York | Advisory Council on Historic Preservation](https://share.google/ONgYCQqmR2OWUT9eU) ---
**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:** [August 24, 2025, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/177 "2025-08-24T19:26:05Z")
I recall reading the foreword of a book by Barry Longyear in which he described his response to fans who asked him where he got his ideas. He would tell them that he would put a check into an envelope and mail it to a certain PO box and a few weeks later he would receive a letter containing a story idea. And where was this PO box? The title of book was _It Came From Schenectady_. (which is, sort of, another historical month debunked) ---
**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:** [August 24, 2025, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/178 "2025-08-24T19:42:01Z")
I think mainly [Crown glass](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_glass_(window)). ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2025, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/179 "2025-08-24T19:46:19Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > The British troops were camping at the top of a hill and could see and Continental troops approaching. But they neglected to guard the woods behind them, and were attacked from there. Was General Percival in charge? ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2025, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251/180 "2025-08-24T19:55:28Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > historical month debunked Misread thread title? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-myths-debunked/1022251.md?page=10)