10 Lies You Were Told In History Class

10 Lies You Were Told In History Class

1. Trojan Horse

Source: wikipedia.org

The historical legend of the Trojan Horse states that the Greeks won the Trojan War by constructing an enormous wooden horse and wheeling it to the gates of Troy. When the gullible Trojans brought the huge sculpture into the city walls, believing it to be a victory trophy, the Greeks hiding inside it were able to jump out and let the rest of their army into the city. However, there is no historical evidence for this fable, and the story was likely spread by oral historians generations later. In fact, the Trojan horse was almost certainly just the name of a weapon; most historians think it was a horse-shaped battering ram. (Oxford University, PBS)

2. Self-harming Van Gogh

Source: wikipedia.org

Dutch artist Van Gogh is as well known for slicing his ear off with a razor as he is for his artworks. But in 2009 historians, Hans Kaufmann and Rita Wildegans used documents from the original police investigation to unearth a disturbing cover-up. They allege that Van Gogh was actually obsessed with fellow artist Paul Gauguin (go-GAN). The documents revealed that in 1888 the two artists were living together in southern France when Gauguin tried to leave. Supposedly, a distraught Van Gogh chased after him, and in the scuffle that ensued Gauguin snipped off his ear. To save Gaugin from imprisonment, Van Gogh told police that the injury had been self-inflicted. (New Yorker, BBC)

3. Little Napoleon

Source: wikipedia.org

French Emperor Napoleon is known as the “Little Corporal” supposedly because of his miniature stature. Opposition propaganda twisted this title and used it to suggest that Napolean’s bloodthirsty campaigns were driven by paranoid insecurity. This legend is so renowned that today the term “Napoleon Complex” denotes an aggressive short person. But at 5 feet and 6 inches, Napoleon was no shorter than the average Frenchman of his day. His nickname “Little Corporal” actually came about because of his low army ranking at the start of the French revolution. (BBC, Telegraph)

4. The truth about 300

Source: flickr.com

The 480 BC Battle of Thermopylae [ther-mop-ill-ai] is immortalized as a heroic display of courage. The tale states that the 300-strong Greek army, made up of Spartans, held up against an army of two million Persians for three days. In reality, however, the 300 Spartans were just a faction within a 7000-man Greek army. Meanwhile, the number of Persian soldiers was closer to 150,000. During the battle, the Greek leader Leonidas dismissed most of his men so they could plan new strategies. But even then, the army numbered at least 1500. The legend came about because the Spartans, despite being hugely outnumbered, were still formidable in battle, and became renowned for their military expertise. (History Extra, Guardian)

5. Russian horse banging

Source: wikipedia.org

Russian ruler Catherine the Great’s most infamous legacy was her death in 1796. It is said that she was crushed to death while having sex with a horse. However, there’s no evidence that Catherine the Great was into bestiality. In fact, Catherine had a stroke and died peacefully in her bed. The depraved horse story came much later as anti-monarchy sentiment grew throughout Russia. (History.com, Guardian)

6. Let them eat cake

Source: wikipedia.org

Before being slaughtered at the guillotine, French Queen Marie Antoinette famously said, “Let them eat cake!” as her subjects lay starving. Only she didn’t. The phrase actually originates from a 1776 piece of writing by Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Roo-So) about an exchange he’d had 25 years earlier. Rousseau wrote that a “great princess” had uttered the phrase. But that princess was not Marie Antoinette, who was only 11 at the time. Most historians now agree that French citizens spread this rumor to increase revolutionary fervour, after her death. (Britannica, Telegraph)

7. Cleopatra the Greek

Source: wikipedia.org

Cleopatra was the last Queen of Egypt, and because of this, most people assume that she was Egyptian herself. But the famously beautiful Pharaoh was actually descended from a line of Macedonian Greek kings.
The contemporary geographer Strabo wrote that Cleopatra’s mother was also ‘high-born,' rather than a locally raised slave or concubine. This makes it very likely that she was also Greek. Coins from the time also depict her with a Mediterranean look, bolstering this claim further. (Oxford University Press)

8. Nero’s fiddling

Source: wikipedia.org

In 64 AD a fire tore through Rome for six days. Rome’s Emperor Nero is notoriously said to have “played the fiddle while Rome burned,” showcasing his cruel disregard for his subjects. But historian Tacitus [tassitus], who witnessed the event, writes that Nero sourced grain, opened his palace gardens, and coordinated fire-fighting efforts for his people. Historians such as Mary Gyles now agree that the fiddling tale originated from the anti-Nero campaign that drove him to commit suicide 4 years later. (National Geographic, Britannica)

9. George Washington

Source: wikipedia.org

The first US President George Washington was known for his honesty. The story goes that at age six George damaged his father’s prized cherry trees using a hatchet. In a tale long used to establish Washington as an honorable leader, he admitted to cutting down the cherry tree despite being aware that he’d be punished. The truth is that this story first appeared in the fifth edition of a posthumous biography. And with no mention of the story during Washington’s lifetime, it was most likely a ploy to get people to buy the book. (George Washington University, Mount Vernon)

10. The Birth of Jesus

Source: wikipedia.org

Christmas is celebrated on the 25th December to commemorate Jesus’ birth. This date was not recorded by early Christians, and therefore, historians believe that the date Christians celebrate Jesus’ birthday was selected long after his death. Evidence suggests that the selected birthday was lifted from the myth of the Persian man-god Mithras, who was worshiped by a contemporary all-male Roman cult. According to the religion, 500 years before Christ, Mithras was born on the 25th December to a virgin mother. (Religious Tolerance, JD Stone, Guardian)