# The History Channel errors **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 1, 2008, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-errors/439777 "2008-03-01T22:24:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2008, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-errors/439777/21 "2008-03-04T16:33:02Z")
If we’re expanding this thread to cover [TLC errors…](http://www.snopes.com/humor/mediagoofs/sixpence.asp) ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2008, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-errors/439777/22 "2008-03-04T16:55:09Z")
[QUOTE=Bridget Burke] However, the shows often include phrases like “A supercontinent formed, which was called Pangaea.” As though the Pangaeans named it! Couldn’t the show simply mention who invented the name & when? [/QUOTE] Maybe Mr. Burns named it? 😉 > [@Bobtheoptimist](#): > > there’s not been a supernova visible to Earth in the past 150,000 (or so) years? Not one? Not one that was seen by someone who felt it was worthy of recording for posterity and who had the capability and luck to record it in some form that we can still access today and know that what we are looking at refers to a supernova. That rules out most non-literate cultures. It’s possible that such a culture could have made paintings depicting the event, but those are generally harder to date than a written account. They also might use symbols that the people of that culture would have understood, but that we don’t understand today. It’s also possible that there was a reference to a supernova observation before that by a literate culture, but the record didn’t survive until the present- the last surviving copy was on one of those scrolls in the Library of Alexandria that was burned, or there was a Chinese work referring to it and all the copies were destroyed in Qin Shi Huangdi’s book burnings (which targeted written histories), or something like that. ---
**Author:** ![sskyking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e8c25b/32.png) [@sskyking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sskyking)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2012, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-errors/439777/23 "2012-06-19T23:54:32Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > The History Channel once showed a reenactment of a Revolutionary War battle with rifles using percussion caps. I was watching a program on the history of the F-14 Tomcat fighter… they used “test footage” which was actually a single tail fighter which was supposed to be the twin tail F-14! The series “Patton 360” claimed that Gen. Patton was in command at Kasserine, when in fact, it was Gen. Fredendall who was in command and Patton was sent there to take command after Fredendall was relieved AFTER the battle. Given the wide variety of ghost hunting and ancient alien shows… they should perhaps be renamed the Mythology Channel! I watch mostly for the comedy of watching them shape facts to fit their theory. I especially enjoy their habit to assume that because they don’t know how something was done 15,000 years ago that it must’ve been done by aliens because “no primative human could’ve done it…”. Have we forgotten how much was likely lost during the Dark Ages? They love to talk about the loss of the Library at Alexandria but could not much of that technology have been lost as well? I was watching one show tonight and they point to a heavily weathered statue and start talking about how it shows features like a beard that they native people would not have had (how do they know?) at the time… and I’m looking at it and saying “what beard… I don’t see a beard.” They see what they want to see. I also get ticked at how they dedicate every Christmas and Easter season to “documentaries” that attack and belittle Christian faith. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-errors/439777/24 "2012-06-20T00:08:20Z")
> [@sskyking](#): > > I also get ticked at how they dedicate every Christmas and Easter season to “documentaries” that attack and belittle Christian faith. Oooh–I missed those. Can you bump the thread at Christmas and Easter with titles and times? ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-errors/439777/25 "2012-06-20T00:10:59Z")
Of course, but he’ll be four years late. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-errors/439777/26 "2012-06-20T02:00:42Z")
Could we just go ahead and mention the entire run of Ancient Aliens. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-errors/439777/27 "2012-06-20T04:02:13Z")
One one show, the young Indiana Jones–type archaeologist hero-dude was trying to find a genetic connection between Jesus and some European royal family. There were no relics from the royal family’s bloodline to subject to DNA testing, so they used a bone fragment from (wait for it!) a woman who had married into the family. The results came back\*\* NEGATIVE\*\* (surprise, surprise!) and everybody was soooooooooooo disappointed… Duh! This woman who married into the family might carry the genetic marker, don’tcha think? Let’s give it a try! :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-errors/439777/28 "2012-06-20T04:19:56Z")
Is there a network that doesn’t broadcast factual errors? It’s not like some network gatekeeper fact-checks every line of every doc or tv series that gets aired. They’re at the mercy that the writers and the editors at the production company (mostly independent contractors) have done their homework. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-errors/439777/29 "2012-06-20T04:38:24Z")
True, but the History Channel does unload some whoppers now and then. They have a recurring bit with someone who’s supposed to be a carrier commander (and thus should know better) who says Midway was the first battle in which the two opposing fleets never saw each other, only each other’s aircraft. Leaving aside Pearl Harbor, where the fleets never saw each other but where the American fleet can hardly be said to have opposed much, the Battle of the Coral Sea is absolutely famously known for being [QUOTE=Wikipedia] …the first naval engagement in history in which the participating ships never sighted or fired directly at each other. Instead, manned aircraft acted as the offensive artillery for the ships involved. Thus, the respective commanders were participating in a new type of warfare, carrier-versus-carrier, with which neither had any experience [/QUOTE] [cite](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Coral_Sea), but you can find corroborating quotes anywhere but the History Channel. This one’s not subtle – it’s an obvious error, like saying Dan Quayle was the first black president of the US, and anyone moderately knowledgeable about naval warfare would have caught it. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-errors/439777/30 "2012-06-20T05:02:09Z")
How many men was it again who killed Kennedy? I can’t keep track. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-errors/439777/31 "2012-06-20T11:55:32Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > They have a recurring bit with someone who’s supposed to be a carrier commander Upon reflection, it occurs to me this might have been on the Military Channel instead. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-errors/439777/32 "2012-06-20T12:17:13Z")
I’ve heard History Channel documentaries state that World War II began on December 7, 1941. [del]This misinformation confuses and infuriates Lrrrr![/del] I was disappointed that a glaring factual error of this nature would appear on a major TV network devoted to the subject of history. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-errors/439777/33 "2012-06-20T12:30:26Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > I’ve heard History Channel documentaries state that World War II began on December 7, 1941. [del]This misinformation confuses and infuriates Lrrrr![/del] I was disappointed that a glaring factual error of this nature would appear on a major TV network devoted to the subject of history. Well, technically (one might argue) it wasn’t a _world_ war until all the major powers took a side. What bugs me is the casual suggestion that D-Day was the beginning of the end of the war in Europe. It was certainly a major aggravating element, but I’d cite Stalingrad as the turning point. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-errors/439777/34 "2012-06-20T13:00:29Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > I’ve heard History Channel documentaries state that World War II began on December 7, 1941. . . . Yeah, even the Japanese invasion against western forces happeded two hours before the Pearl Harbor attack–on December 8! ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-errors/439777/35 "2012-06-20T13:24:23Z")
I’m starting to think South Park should be reclasified to a documentary… the last series had a episode on this topic, and since the History Channel’s shows gets the honour of being called documentaries, then SP deserves it too. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-errors/439777/36 "2012-06-20T13:34:03Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Well, technically (one might argue) it wasn’t a _world_ war until all the major powers took a side. > > What bugs me is the casual suggestion that D-Day was the beginning of the end of the war in Europe. It was certainly a major aggravating element, but I’d cite Stalingrad as the turning point. Most [British histories](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_history_of_the_United_Kingdom_during_World_War_II) consider that WWII began in 1939, even if the US wasn’t yet involved. (Yes, that’s Wikipedia. But the contributors I checked out seem to have a UK orientation.) As a US citizen, I agree the war began in 1939… But I’m sure I’ve heard idiot narrators indicating the war didn’t begin until 12/7/1941. Generally the same sort who indicate that D-day was The Beginning Of The End. Not to reduce any respect the invaders deserve–but we can’t forget Stalingrad. (Of course, Our Brave Russian Allies became Those Commies not long after the War & their role was diminished.) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-errors/439777/37 "2012-06-20T14:00:33Z")
I’m curious: At what point **then** did Europeans consider the conflict to be “a World War”? Hitler apparently did not view it as such until after his own declaration of war against the US on 11 Dec 41, judging from his remarks about his 30 Jan 39 “prophesy” regarding the Jews. I once asked my dad when people started calling it “World War II.” His reply was, “As soon as it started.” I wish now I had asked when \*that \*was, September 1939 or December 1941? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-errors/439777/38 "2012-06-20T14:01:49Z")
> [@Montgomery0](#): > > Wow, nitpick much? > > I doubt that anyone who understood the concepts of “man”, “witness” and “Supernova” would seriously have the same interpretation of that sentence as you did. Well I thought they meant it literally. You’ll have to excuse me now, I have to do some editing on the textbook I’m writing. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-errors/439777/39 "2012-06-20T15:00:55Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I’m curious: At what point **then** did Europeans consider the conflict to be “a World War”? I believed Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin agreed to call it World War Two at Yalta, but cannot find a cite. I did find an English newspaper in 1939 after Poland was bombed with the headline “World War II began today…” ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-errors/439777/40 "2012-06-21T09:37:14Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I’m curious: At what point **then** did Europeans consider the conflict to be “a World War”? Hitler apparently did not view it as such until after his own declaration of war against the US on 11 Dec 41, judging from his remarks about his 30 Jan 39 “prophesy” regarding the Jews. > > I once asked my dad when people started calling it “World War II.” His reply was, “As soon as it started.” I wish now I had asked when \*that \*was, September 1939 or December 1941? Considering that the major countries in the British Empire declared war on Germany on or about September 3, 1939 (the UK, Australia, NZ, and India, and with South Africa declaring war on September 6 and Canada waiting until September 10), I’d say that’s the point it became a “World War”, with the events ofJune 22 and December 7 (or therabouts) merely expanding the scope. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-errors/439777.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-errors/439777.md?page=3)