INTERESTING HISTORY MYTHS
Some historical facts and stories we take for granted are either false or at the least
exaggerated. Some have been passed down through generations and some have even made their way into history
books.
For example, you may have heard the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem: "Listen my children and you
shall hear of the midnight ride of Paul Revere...". That poem was written in 1860, long after the famous ride which
occurred in 1775. Well, that poem gives an innacurate (or at best incomplete) representation of the actual events.
Take a look at the myths below and click on the corresponding link to get the actual facts.
Myth: George Washington was the first President of the United States
Fact: Please click
here
Washington: A Life
Myth: Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone
Fact: Please click
here
Myth: Daniel Boone wore a coonskin cap
Fact: Please click
here
Myth: Betsy Ross invented the first American flag
Fact: Please click
here
Myth: Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin
Fact: Please click
here
Myth: Christopher Columbus discovered the earth was round
Fact: Please click
here
Myth: Abraham Lincoln's childhood log cabin is on display in
Hodgenville, Kentucky
Fact: Please click
here
Myth: The American Civil War was all about slavery
Fact: Please click
here
Myth: In April, 1775, Paul Revere rode through the streets from Boston to
Lexington yelling "The british are comming"
Fact: Please click
here
Myth: The Pilgrims lived in log cabins
Fact: Please click
here
Myth: During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln once said about Ulysses
S. Grant's drinking: "If I knew what brand he used, I would send every General a barrel.".
Fact: Please click
here
Myth: Charles Lindbergh was the first man to fly non-stop accross the Atlantic
Ocean
Fact: Please click
here
Myth: Paul Revere began printing and selling a depiction of the Boston Massacre
in 1770
Fact: Please click
here
Myth: George Washington fathered several children by his slaves
Fact: Please click
here
Myth: When Confederate President Jefferson Davis was arrested after the Civil
War, he was wearing his wife's clothing as a disguise in hopes of avoiding capture.
Fact: Please click
here
Myth: The reason Germany got off to such a fast start in World War II was
because of its pre-war preparations.
Fact: Please click
here
INTERESTING HISTORY BOOKS
Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got
Wrong
Legends, Lies, and Cherished Myths of American
History
MORE INTERESTING MYTHS
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