# Mistakes and bad information you've heard on learning channels; (History, Discovery, **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 22, 2003, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-and-bad-information-youve-heard-on-learning-channels-history-discovery/214717 "2003-11-22T19:10:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2003, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-and-bad-information-youve-heard-on-learning-channels-history-discovery/214717/1 "2003-11-22T19:10:01Z")
Nothing inspired this thread, I’m just curious about what some ‘Dope’s’ think about these channels. Has making the subjects of history and science ‘more marketable’, greatly tarnished the full truth and facts provided? What about airing old programing, are they edited or do they often have commentary with updated info after the show? Do they often screw up on their shows, with facts that aren’t accurate? It would also be fun to list some of the more inacurate and ubsurd things they have said. ---
**Author:** ![4\_4\_Guy\_of\_Dumbness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/a9a28c/32.png) [@4\_4\_Guy\_of\_Dumbness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/4_4_Guy_of_Dumbness)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2003, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-and-bad-information-youve-heard-on-learning-channels-history-discovery/214717/2 "2003-11-22T19:39:16Z")
There’s one very easy answer to this one: the History Channel has run (I’m not sure if they still run it) \In Search Of…\ which tackles subjects from the Philadelphia Experiment to Bigfoot to aliens who visited the Native Americans in the most gullible manner possible. That show stuck in my mind ever since I saw that last episode, where they showed purported Native American etchings on rock of aliens, which more resembled what you’d get if you gave a modern 12-year-old a hammer and chisel and let him go crazy. ---
**Author:** ![4\_4\_Guy\_of\_Dumbness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/a9a28c/32.png) [@4\_4\_Guy\_of\_Dumbness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/4_4_Guy_of_Dumbness)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2003, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-and-bad-information-youve-heard-on-learning-channels-history-discovery/214717/3 "2003-11-22T19:40:34Z")
Arg blargblarg. I’ll get you next time, UBB code. Next time! ---
**Author:** ![Darkhold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@Darkhold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darkhold)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2003, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-and-bad-information-youve-heard-on-learning-channels-history-discovery/214717/4 "2003-11-22T20:02:07Z")
History channel (when it’s not covering Hitler’s cousins toothbrush) sometimes makes me gag. On the bad info side UFOs In the Bible. Secret Societies (you mean rich educated kids go onto being politicians with ridiculous amount of power? Get out!) Any sort of conspiracy theory one they run. A couple of Bigfoot shows where they don’t interview ANYONE that disagrees. Any of their wayyyy outdated Histories Mysteries (at least I think that’s the one that occasionally has shows that looks like it was filmed in 1970 with a guy that sounds like Spock doing a voice over) On the bad taste b/c of commercialism. The History of Cleavage. The history of Sex I could see the point but cleavage? Give me a break. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2003, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-and-bad-information-youve-heard-on-learning-channels-history-discovery/214717/5 "2003-11-22T20:40:57Z")
I recall a TLC (?) special about how the Sphinx was supposedly 15,000 years old that featured “evidence” that had already been proven spurious at the time the show was aired. ---
**Author:** ![Selkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@Selkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Selkie)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2003, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-and-bad-information-youve-heard-on-learning-channels-history-discovery/214717/6 "2003-11-22T22:08:08Z")
I seem to recall seeing promos for a TLC show about “alien hand syndrome”, which supposedly resulted in people’s hands acting independently of their wills, causing them to try to strangle themselves, etc. Never did catch the show, even though I wanted to for amusement purposes. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2003, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-and-bad-information-youve-heard-on-learning-channels-history-discovery/214717/7 "2003-11-22T22:29:44Z")
I love the bad-science shows on those channels, they are great entertainment. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2003, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-and-bad-information-youve-heard-on-learning-channels-history-discovery/214717/8 "2003-11-22T22:29:50Z")
I started a pit thread about this…kind of. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=223072](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=223072) ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2003, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-and-bad-information-youve-heard-on-learning-channels-history-discovery/214717/9 "2003-11-22T22:35:23Z")
I’ve seen History Channel shows about the US Navy in the Pacific in World War II, using stock footages of Royal Navy battleships in the Indian Ocean. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-and-bad-information-youve-heard-on-learning-channels-history-discovery/214717/10 "2003-11-23T06:19:29Z")
How about “The Pet Psychic” on Animal Planet? ---
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-and-bad-information-youve-heard-on-learning-channels-history-discovery/214717/11 "2003-11-23T06:22:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Darkhold \* > \*\* with a guy that sounds like Spock doing a voice over > \*\* That is “Spock”. ---
**Author:** ![Darkhold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@Darkhold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darkhold)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-and-bad-information-youve-heard-on-learning-channels-history-discovery/214717/12 "2003-11-23T06:27:24Z")
heh thanks **Muad’Dib** I always kind of wondered if it was him or if I was hearing things. (though not caring enough to watch the credits to find out I was rarely able to make it past the 1/2 way point at most of those shows.) ---
**Author:** ![Gmork](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f19dbf/32.png) [@Gmork](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gmork)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-and-bad-information-youve-heard-on-learning-channels-history-discovery/214717/13 "2003-11-23T08:07:17Z")
I’d have to second most of what’s been said - especially the stuff about ‘paranormal’ activities, aliens, Bigfoot and the like. This stuff should be on another channel. To me, the word ‘History’ implies known facts - and in the telling of which, any unknown factors are stated to be just that - unknown factors. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-and-bad-information-youve-heard-on-learning-channels-history-discovery/214717/14 "2003-11-23T15:27:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Selkie \* > \*\*I seem to recall seeing promos for a TLC show about “alien hand syndrome”, which supposedly resulted in people’s hands acting independently of their wills, causing them to try to strangle themselves, etc. Never did catch the show, even though I wanted to for amusement purposes. \*\* Paging Dr. Strangelove . . . .