# your favorite historical event that didn't really happen **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 1, 2019, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-historical-event-that-didnt-really-happen/836369 "2019-07-01T21:59:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-historical-event-that-didnt-really-happen/836369/41 "2019-07-02T16:20:10Z")
A lot of the great, easy to think of ones, have already been taken. I’ll throw in the book, and especially movie of, “Lone Survivor.” Great story of bravery, that didn’t happen at all the way it was portrayed in those two works. See, e.g., Ed Darack’s, Victory Point, ( [Amazon.com](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001V6P16U) ) for the more tragic, prosaic details of how Operation Red Wings happened. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-historical-event-that-didnt-really-happen/836369/42 "2019-07-02T17:08:17Z")
Benjamin Franklin discovering electricity. ---
**Author:** ![Scougs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scougs/32/3158_2.png) [@Scougs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scougs)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-historical-event-that-didnt-really-happen/836369/43 "2019-07-02T17:20:56Z")
This side of the pond it’s a well known fact, and demonstration of insularity, that the local newspaper in Aberdeen reported the Titanic sinking as “Aberdeen man lost at sea”. Really funny story. Except it didn’t. [https://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2015/news/scottish-daily-sinks-myth-over-titanic-headline-again/](https://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2015/news/scottish-daily-sinks-myth-over-titanic-headline-again/) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-historical-event-that-didnt-really-happen/836369/44 "2019-07-02T17:57:48Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > For the founding, Queen Dido was offered as much land as she could cover with an ox hide. So cut the hide into strips and surrounded a hill with the resulting string. Reminds me of the [Gordian Knot](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordian_Knot). And it finally triggered a favorite event of my own that maybe never happened: there was this small kingdom in ancient Mesopotamia where the royal astrologers saw signs that their king was going to die. So they had the king temporarily abdicate his throne and [appointed a court gardener named Enlil-bāni](http://david-ancienthistory.blogspot.com/2011/11/gardener-who-became-king.html) to be king in his place. When the time of crisis was past, Eeby was supposed to step down so that the old king could return to the throne. Except the old king choked to death while the gardener was on the throne, and Enlil-bāni went on to be king for 24 years. ([The king was apparently real](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enlil-bani), but the way he became king may have been retconned to make him seem more like “one of the people”, sort of like Sargon of Akkad, who had [a suspiciously familiar origin story](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sargon_of_Akkad#Birth_legend).) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-historical-event-that-didnt-really-happen/836369/45 "2019-07-02T18:15:57Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > Here’s a timely one for Independence Day. > > The Battle of Bunker Hill never happened. > > Most of the fighting took place on near-by Breed’s Hill. But that’s what they called it at the time. Because the battle was over who had control of it. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-historical-event-that-didnt-really-happen/836369/46 "2019-07-02T18:17:45Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#): > > [The Bowling Green Massacre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowling_Green_massacre) That is your favorite? 😕You like it? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-historical-event-that-didnt-really-happen/836369/47 "2019-07-02T18:22:56Z")
The Merovingian kings were descended from Jesus and Mary Magdalene. As a matter of fact, all the clues shown in _The Da Vinci Code_. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-historical-event-that-didnt-really-happen/836369/48 "2019-07-02T18:23:23Z")
The shootout at the O.K. Corral did not take place at the O.K. Corral. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-historical-event-that-didnt-really-happen/836369/49 "2019-07-02T18:26:44Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > Benjamin Franklin discovering electricity. He never claimed that, he just found out that _Lightning was electricity_, thus he invented Lightning Rods. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-historical-event-that-didnt-really-happen/836369/50 "2019-07-02T18:28:29Z")
My Fave is the story of Alfred the great and the Burned cakes. Not impossible but very likely a myth. > **[King Alfred and the Cakes](https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/King-Alfred-the-Cakes/)** > > The story of King Alfred burning the cakes is well known. The event is said to have taken place in the marshes of the Somerset Levels near Athelney.... ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-historical-event-that-didnt-really-happen/836369/51 "2019-07-02T18:38:38Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#): > > [The Bowling Green Massacre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowling_Green_massacre) It happened, on 9/24/2016: Memphis 77, Bowling Green 3 ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-historical-event-that-didnt-really-happen/836369/52 "2019-07-02T20:45:53Z")
King Canute defying the waves. ---
**Author:** ![skdo23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@skdo23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skdo23)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-historical-event-that-didnt-really-happen/836369/53 "2019-07-02T20:46:34Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > New Jersey Muslims dancing in the streets, on 9/11. > > And the record-breaking crowd at Trump’s inauguration. Not to mention Trump being exonerated by the Mueller Report. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-historical-event-that-didnt-really-happen/836369/54 "2019-07-02T20:52:36Z")
Walter Raleigh bringing the potato to Europe. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-historical-event-that-didnt-really-happen/836369/55 "2019-07-02T21:42:25Z")
just nm ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-historical-event-that-didnt-really-happen/836369/56 "2019-07-02T21:52:59Z")
the 2nd Gulf of Tonkin attack in Vietnam , the first one was real [Gulf of Tonkin incident - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Tonkin_incident) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-historical-event-that-didnt-really-happen/836369/57 "2019-07-02T22:02:44Z")
> [@Mike\_Mabes](#): > > Ha. Interesting take. Well he did establish the national parks. Hey I’m not anti-Teddy in all aspects. The trust busting thing, he did some good there I guess. Not exactly progressive by modern standards. A good example of the thread topic. Theodore Roosevelt did give a lot of support to the national park system but he certainly didn’t establish it. Yellowstone was the first national park and it was founded in 1872, when Roosevelt was just fourteen years old. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-historical-event-that-didnt-really-happen/836369/58 "2019-07-02T22:05:58Z")
The Book Of Mormon narative, including the Jews who became the Indians and Christ visiting the Americas. Grew up believing that completely. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-historical-event-that-didnt-really-happen/836369/59 "2019-07-02T22:08:52Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > “Sighted submarine, sunk same” ([Sighted sub, sank same - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sighted_sub,_sank_same)) And Charles Napier didn’t really send “Peccavi” as a report. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-historical-event-that-didnt-really-happen/836369/60 "2019-07-02T22:18:41Z")
My favorite was a birthday promise made by an old girlfriend. It certainly would have been historic! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-historical-event-that-didnt-really-happen/836369.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-historical-event-that-didnt-really-happen/836369.md?page=4)