# Obscure historical events made famous by works of art **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [September 25, 2025, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-historical-events-made-famous-by-works-of-art/1023373 "2025-09-25T04:44:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**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, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-historical-events-made-famous-by-works-of-art/1023373/61 "2025-09-26T12:51:47Z")
The [Tulsa Race Massacre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulsa_race_massacre) wasn’t really part of American history as taught. It was highlighted in the Watchmen TV series and brought into the public discourse. There’s a disconnect in my mind between important historical events that have been glossed over or ignored but brought to light by works of art, versus minor historical events that had little significance but were immortalized by popular entertainment. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-historical-events-made-famous-by-works-of-art/1023373/62 "2025-09-26T13:43:24Z")
Is the assassination of Marat obscure? All I know about it is he died in a bathtub. [Death of Marat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Death_of_Marat#/media/File:Death_of_Marat_by_David.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-historical-events-made-famous-by-works-of-art/1023373/63 "2025-09-26T13:56:04Z")
Thank you for the reference. I was thinking about the Tulsa Massacre but could not recall what had brought it to public attention. > [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > The same goes for the civil war in 16th century Japan that led up to the founding of the Tokugawa shogunate, made famous by the _Nobunaga’s Ambition_ video games. The Japanese Civil war period (sengoku jidai) had been well popularized by Clavell’s novel _Shogun_ and the TV miniseries based on it, in the 1980s. Everyone in my high school class was watching the show and getting interested in learning Japanese! ---
**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, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-historical-events-made-famous-by-works-of-art/1023373/64 "2025-09-26T14:12:49Z")
The Korean War wasn’t an obscure event, but after the veterans have all died, how many would remember it in the US if not for reruns of MASH? ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-historical-events-made-famous-by-works-of-art/1023373/65 "2025-09-26T14:15:40Z")
And he hung out on the other side of a forward slash from Sade. ---
**Author:** ![We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@We\_re\_wolves\_not\_werewolves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/We_re_wolves_not_werewolves)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-historical-events-made-famous-by-works-of-art/1023373/66 "2025-09-26T14:30:09Z")
Speaking about battles and songs, would the battle of Baltimore be more than a footnote in US history without the Star Spangled Banner? And, on another note, what about Truman Capote’s book _In Cold Blood_ immortalizing the Clutter family murders ---
**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:** [September 26, 2025, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-historical-events-made-famous-by-works-of-art/1023373/67 "2025-09-26T14:46:09Z")
I remember, must’ve been late 70s early 80s, suddenly being intrigued by the Titanic story. I went to the library and there was almost nothing. ---
**Author:** ![APB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e8cbc/32.png) [@APB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/APB)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-historical-events-made-famous-by-works-of-art/1023373/68 "2025-09-26T15:05:44Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > The Battle of Hastings was just one inn a series of battles between the English and Normans that lasted for years. It would be little remembered except for the Bayeux Tapestry that featured an appearance by what would eventually be called Halley’s Comet. Hardly. One must remember that the Bayeux Tapestry was essentially unknown before its rediscovery in the eighteenth century. Yet, rightly or wrongly, Hastings had always been remembered as the pivotal event in the Norman Conquest. ---
**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:** [September 26, 2025, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-historical-events-made-famous-by-works-of-art/1023373/69 "2025-09-26T15:15:12Z")
There’s probably a reason people are told to not use “1066” as their password ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-historical-events-made-famous-by-works-of-art/1023373/70 "2025-09-26T15:43:17Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > The sinking of the USS Indianapolis, and it’s mission, as told in Quint’s monologue in _Jaws_. _Shark Week_ would have milked that story even if _Jaws_ had never been made. Actually, I don’t know if we would have had _Shark Week_ without _Jaws_, so let’s just say that _Shark Week_ would have milked that story even if _Jaws_ didn’t reference it. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-historical-events-made-famous-by-works-of-art/1023373/71 "2025-09-26T16:21:55Z")
Washington’s crossing the Delaware to attack British forces in New Jersey would have been just one more Revolutionary Way battle if not for Emanuel Leutze’s painting [Washington Crossing the Delaware (1851 paintings) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Crossing_the_Delaware_(1851_paintings)) Ironically the original painting was destroyed by Allied bombings in World War 2. ---
**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, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-historical-events-made-famous-by-works-of-art/1023373/72 "2025-09-26T17:33:17Z")
> [@zimaane](#): > > Washington’s crossing the Delaware to attack British forces in New Jersey would have been just one more Revolutionary Way battle A big dig at King George was that he hired German mercenaries to stomp the Americans. Trenton was acclaimed as the event where the Continental army prevailed over that outrage. ---
**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:** [September 26, 2025, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-historical-events-made-famous-by-works-of-art/1023373/73 "2025-09-26T17:58:16Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > A big dig at King George was that he hired German mercenaries to stomp the Americans. Trenton was acclaimed as the event where the Continental army prevailed over that outrage. Any other war, one would expect Hessian heads to be sent back to King George, but Washington was pretty lenient towards them. Like Nazi POWs, a lot of them didn’t want to go back and ended up staying. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-historical-events-made-famous-by-works-of-art/1023373/74 "2025-09-26T18:01:43Z")
The painting is of course famous, and made the crossing famous. I remember the crossing, and I remember them “attacking Hessians”, but I don’t remember learning much about the “Battle of Trenton” per se. So I think that the crossing _itself_ was an obscure historical event made famous by a work of art. If it hadn’t been made, then maybe the Battle of Trenton would have been _more_ famous since reference to it would be needed in order contextualize the defeat of the Hessians. Or perhaps we would have forgotten about all three of them. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-historical-events-made-famous-by-works-of-art/1023373/75 "2025-09-26T18:02:30Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > And he hung out on the other side of a forward slash from Sade. Huh. The only person I ever knew was associated with de Sade was Leopold von Sacher-Masoch. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-historical-events-made-famous-by-works-of-art/1023373/76 "2025-09-26T18:04:23Z")
The actual title is a bit longer: > **[Marat/Sade](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marat/Sade)** > > The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade (German: Die Verfolgung und Ermordung Jean Paul Marats dargestellt durch die Schauspielgruppe des Hospizes zu Charenton unter Anleitung des Herrn de Sade), usually shortened to Marat/Sade (.mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .na... ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-historical-events-made-famous-by-works-of-art/1023373/77 "2025-09-26T18:22:23Z")
> [@JohnGalt](#): > > The Battle of New Orleans wasn’t very big or very influential, and would easily forgotten if it wasn’t for Johnny Horton’s little ditty from the 1959 IMO that remains famous (in a pub quiz answer kinda way) for being fought after the war ended. Though my dad (who spent 1960 in the states) definitely knows about it because of the song ---
**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, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-historical-events-made-famous-by-works-of-art/1023373/78 "2025-09-26T18:30:03Z")
> [@zimaane](#): > > Washington’s crossing the Delaware to attack British forces in New Jersey would have been just one more Revolutionary Way battle if not for Emanuel Leutze’s painting And Mike Agranoff’s epic retelling: > **[The Battle of Trenton](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5s6EkByxKs%2F)** > > When I was a youth, I heard Tony Barrand perform "The Battle of Hastings". (Look it up.) This was a recitation from the British Music Hall era, and told a t... ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-historical-events-made-famous-by-works-of-art/1023373/79 "2025-09-26T18:50:07Z")
The Hindenburg disaster is also significant because it effectively ended the use of dirigibles for long-distance air travel. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-historical-events-made-famous-by-works-of-art/1023373/80 "2025-09-26T18:56:30Z")
> [@sciurophobic](#): > > the assassination of Marat obscure? All I know about it is he died in a bathtub I kinda consider the painting and the event equally famous. The assassination is an important point in the French revolution and one of the more significant political assassinations in European history, but it’s impossible to talk about it without mentioning the painting. But them again the same is true about the painting, it’s a really important famous painting but it’s impossible to talk about it without mentioning the event that it depicts [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-historical-events-made-famous-by-works-of-art/1023373.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-historical-events-made-famous-by-works-of-art/1023373.md?page=5)