So we live in an age where everything is well-documented, so when we hear stories of events from the past, we assume that they're true, like how cowboys always used to wear cowboy hats or how America saved Europe in World War Two. But what if I told you that neither of those things are true. I'm about to flip it on you. Well, in this video, I'm about to take seven of the most commonly-believed myths that you likely still believe about the history and explain the truth behind them. No matter how far back in history you go, if you weren't there to witness it yourself, it is possible that what you think happened didn't actually occur.
Well today, we're going to be looking at some of the biggest historical events and reveal just how different they really were. This is Seven Myths You Still Believe About History.
1. Betsy Ross designed the first American flag.
You've likely heard that the original stars-and-stripes American flag was commissioned by George Washington himself to be designed and sewn by seamstress Betsy Ross. However, despite the Ross family making the claim 100 years after it allegedly happened, it turns out that there is absolutely no evidence that this transpired. There's actually no record at all of the so-called flag committee that Washington was supposedly a part of to request this flag. However, there is evidence of Congress negotiating over a design with Congress member Francis Hopkinson, who had designed several symbols and seals representing the United States. And on top of that, Betsy Ross never even claimed that she did design the flag. And although she did sew flags for the Navy Board, there's actually more proof that it was either made by Hopkinson or was a collaborative effort.
2. There was mass hysteria over the War of the Worlds broadcast.
On October 30th, 1938, a Halloween radio performance of H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds was broadcast over the CBS airwaves. Rumors say that there was mass hysteria as people thought aliens were really invading and panic quickly escalated. Well, the truth is that there were some people who took the radio show seriously despite the announcements during the commercial breaks that it was all for entertainment, however, the number of Americans that did so were actually very small. The broadcast didn't have a very large audience due to being in a competitive time slot among other popular shows, and CBS replaced it altogether in some areas with other material. The only reason people believed this huge exaggeration is because of jealous newspapers spreading the myth to gain a competitive edge on radio journalism.
3. Cowboys all wore cowboy hats.
Yee-haw. Whether it's on a pack of cigarettes, or in a western movie, the image of the American cowboy is pretty standard. But really, ask yourself, what do you think of when you think of a cowboy?
Well, generally a guy on a horse with a revolver at his hip and of course a cowboy hat on his head. Well, it turns out, while some of that description actually describes real-life cowboys of yesteryear, those famous cowboy hats were not actually worn by them. The Stetson hat was made famous in western movies, however, in real life, they weren't around until about 1865 when John B. Stetson decided to make the boss of the planes. It was a hat designed to protect the wearer from the Western-American conditions. For most of the cowboy days leading up to the beginning of the 19th century, men wore the derby, also known as the bowler hat.
4. America saved Europe in World War Two.
Although it is a better story to tell, that of the United States entering World War Two and basically dominating the Axis powers until they gave up, this technically wasn't the case. In 1941, despite having signed a non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union, Hitler ordered the invasion of the USSR. This war front was the cause of over 80 percent of Germany's casualties and spent huge amounts of the Axis supplies. The United States and the United Kingdom were still debating battle tactics while the Soviets celebrated victory after victory over German forces. This led international scholars to declare that the Soviet Union was the real iconic saviors of Europe during the war.
5. The Great Depression caused mass suicides.
The Great Depression started in October of 1929 when the stock market crashed and lasted until 1939. Shortly after its onset, millions of investors were left without a dollar to their name. And the myth that says many of them, along with various bankers and brokers took the crash as the end of the line, and leapt from the their windows to their deaths, wan only partially true. As it turns out, the suicide rate for New York were Wall Street is actually went down during that period. And for the few that did end up taking their own lives, did so by non-jumping from a window. Actually, according to research, only two such suicides took place on Wall Street, meaning that this myth is greatly exaggerated.
6. The British are coming.
It's said that during the Revolutionary War, Paul Revere, a silversmith and messenger, rode to Lexington, Massachusetts to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock about their soon-to-be arrests by calling out, "The British are coming." However, historical fact, and for that matter, common sense, say that that wasn't the case. First of all, he didn't go alone. He had at least two other men riding with him. Secondly, this mission given to him by Dr. Joseph Warren, was a secret one, and he needed to avoid British patrols. So yelling out warnings about Brits would not have been wise. Finally, those living in Massachusetts consider themselves British so that he wouldn't have announced it that way. History says that he announced, "Regulars are coming." But even that's a stretch.
7. The signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Okay, this is a big one. We end the list ironically, with the beginning of America. Well, sort of. The fourth of July is known as Independence Day. The anniversary of the day that the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Malcolm from Jurassic Park saved us all from the alien invasion. Well, it might as well be. See, the Declaration of Independence wasn't actually signed on July fourth. The process was started on July 1st, 1776, and technically wasn't signed until August second. On July second, the Continental Congress voted for independence, and then several days were spent going over the document, meaning, sadly, that the fourth of July isn't actually America's birthday. But it's still a fun day to celebrate.
And that's all for this article, guys. If you enjoyed it and got something out of it, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter so that you can catch my next article and I'll see you in the next one. Thank you so much for stopping by.
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