10 THINGS THAT USED TO BE LEGAL BUT AREN'T NOW

Laws evolve and change along with the changes in society, the passage of time, as technologies emerge, and attitudes change. Activities that were once very ordinary can become illegal or at least tightly regulated. Looking back at American history, it's surprising how many everyday practices were once permitted or loosely regulated.

10. Mailing Children Through The Postal Service

That's right! At one time it was legal to send a child through the mail after the parcel post service was created in 1913. The child needed to meet the postal rules and regulations (i.e. weight, size). The availability of this service ended quickly when the postal officials clarified that people were not mailable packages.

9. Buying Medicines Containing Cocaine

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, some tonics and over-the-counter medicines contained cocaine and could be purchased without a prescription. It was used for everything from toothaches to fatigue. The growing awareness of cocaine's dangers led to tighter regulation and eventual prohibition for consumer products.

8. Buying Medicines Containing Opium

Opium and morphine were also widely available without a prescription. They were used in cough syrups, pain relievers, and other soothing medicines marketed to both adults and children. Current modern drug laws tightly regulate these substances.

7. Children Working Full-Time In Factories

During the days of the Industrial Revolution, many children worked long hours in factories, mines, mills, and textile plants. Federal and state child labor laws expanded during the 20^th century, dramatically limiting the hours children could work and the kinds of work children are legally allowed to perform today.

6. Selling Miracle Cure Medicines Without Proof

Companies sold patent medicines for decades, claiming to cure dozens of illnesses. Many of these products contained alcohol, stimulates, narcotics, and ineffective ingredients. Manufacturers were generally not required to prove their claims. Consumer protection laws eventually introduced stricter labeling and safety standards.

5. Smoking Almost Anywhere

It wasn't that long ago that smoking was permitted in restaurants, airplanes, offices, shopping malls, hospitals, and many other indoor public places. Today, smoke-free laws have dramatically reduced where smoking is legally allowed, with specific restrictions varying by county and community.

4. Driving Without A Seat Belt

During the 1960s, seat belts became standard equipment in American cars, but wearing them wasn't immediately required. In the 1980s, states gradually adopted mandatory seat belt laws making something that was once optional a legal requirement in most of the country.

3. Dumping Industrial Waste Into Rivers

For much of America's history, factories discharged untreated waste directly into rivers and streams. Modern environmental laws, including the Clean Water Act, placed significant restrictions on industrial pollution and generally prohibit unauthorized discharges into waterways.

2. Label All Of The Package Content

There was a time when shoppers had very little, if any, information about what was inside packaged foods. Modern labeling laws now require ingredient lists, nutrition information, and allergy disclosures on most packaged foods, making grocery shopping far more transparent than it once was.

1. Advertising Cigarettes As Healthy

For much of the 20th century, cigarette advertising frequently featured doctors, athletes, and health-related claims. As scientific evidence linking smoking to serious disease became overwhelming, government imposed strict limits on tobacco advertising and prohibited false or misleading claims suggesting that cigarettes are safe or healthy.

Merlin—Mysterious Wizard

Best known and most recognized as part of King Author's legend, the earliest mentions of the character who eventually became wizard Merlin date back to the 6th century from old Welsh, a time when Britain was made up of small kingdoms.

In 573 when Cumbrian King Gwenddoleu was killed in battle, his warrior-bard went mad with grief. He ran into the forest where he became a wild man and made prophecies. His best friends were said to be an apple tree and a pig.

An 8th century monk wrote about an attempt to build a castle near Mount Snowdon. The tower kept collapsing. The king's magicians told him to sprinkle the site with the blood of a young boy born without a father. The boy escaped the sacrifice by explaining why the tower was collapsing—two dragons were fighting below the earth which undermined the castle's foundations.

In 1135 the Welsh poet, Geoffrey of Monmouth, wrote a book that took the wild man in the forest, the boy seer from the collapsing tower, and other folk characters and combined them all into the character who became the magician Merlin. He then included this wizard in his book, The History of the Kings of Britain and later The Life of Merlin which contained the first mention of Avalon.

Geoffrey's Merlin appears whenever something supernatural or strange happens. The story of the battling dragons is retold with the dragons representing the Saxons and the British. Merlin arranges a liaison between Uther Pendragon and the wife of the King of Cornwall which results in the birth of King Arthur.

Merlin's popularity fell by the wayside under Henry VIII when a priest was executed in 1535 for preaching from The Prophecies of Merlin. John Dee, magician to Queen Elizabeth I, was a fan of Merlin and started a new craze.

Legend says a witch duped Merlin into revealing his secrets then trapped him in mists. Some believe that Merlin's mists lie in a legendary forest in France, an ancient standing stone in Brittany marking his tomb. Others say his remains are with King Arthur in Avalon where the mighty wizard waits for the hour of Britain's greatest need when he will be returned to the service of the reigning monarch.

13 Things NOT To Put In The Microwave

Microwave ovens—you will find them in almost every residence whether house, condominium, apartment or college dorm room.  They are also in many places of business, both for use by employees only and for use by the public.  Those for consumer use come in various sizes and power from the small .7 cu. ft. 700 watt dorm room size to those large enough to hold a turkey with a power rating of 1250 watts or higher.  They can be counter top models, installed under a cupboard, or above/part of the stove.

The first microwave oven was invented after World War II from radar technology developed during the war. The Radarange, as it was called, was first sold in 1946 but was prohibitively large and much too expensive for all but the largest of commercial applications.  The home-use microwave oven was introduced in 1955, but was still too large and expensive for general home use. The practical countertop home-use microwave oven was introduced in 1967. For those of us 'older' folks, we quickly adapted to their use.  The younger among us grew up with them.

This list of 13 relates to specific dangers from trying to heat certain items in your microwave.  I imagine we've all learned the hard way (no pun intended) what happens when we try to microwave bread-type products rather than heating them some other way.  That one is not dangerous, but it dries out the bread and when the items start to cool they become too hard to eat. This problem is helped by wrapping the bread item in a damp paper towel.

1)  Aluminum Foil—we all know that one, it literally catches on fire.

2)  Stainless Steel—we all know not to put our metal pots and pans in the microwave.  That also includes our stainless steel travel coffee mugs.  In addition to possible harm to the microwave, the metal blocks the waves so it won't heat your cold coffee anyway.

3)  Plastic Storage Containers—these contain chemicals that could be toxic, or at the least alter the taste of the food you are reheating. Check the product label as some types of plastic containers can be microwaved.

4)  Chinese Take-Out Cartons—the metal handles on the carton are dangerous and the cartons themselves contain plastic.

5)  Styrofoam—this is plastic, but these days there are some Styrofoam products that can be put into the microwave.

6)  Raisins—these smoke when heated in a microwave.

7)  Grapes—if raisins are bad, it follows that the fruit that gives us raisins are also a microwave no-no.  The grapes will catch fire.

8)  Plastic Bags—the type retail stores use to bag your purchases in addition to the more heavy-duty storage type.  These are toxic and can catch fire.

9)  Brown Paper Bags—these are as dangerous in the microwave as the plastic bags the stores use.

10)  Eggs—if in the shell, they will explode.

11)  Dried Hot Peppers—chemicals are released.

12)  Sauce/Soup—without a lid, it will splatter all over the inside of the oven and create a messy cleanup.

13)  Nothing—to run an empty microwave can harm the appliance as there's nothing there containing water molecules for it to absorb.

Are You A Right-Brain Or Left-Brain Thinker?

The two sides of the human brain have distinct abilities unique to either the right side or left side.  An individual's strengths and weaknesses are often based on which side of the brain is dominant.  It's always been presented to me as left-brained being the logical, methodical, and pragmatic side and right-brained is the creative side.  There have been books written on this phenomenon.

At least that's the way I've always understood left vs. right brain.

The first thought is that writers must be right-brained since writing is a creative effort.  And many writers are also involved in other creative endeavors such as various forms of art and music.  But it seems to me that's only partly true.

As a writer, I certainly deal with my right brain creative side.  But as a writer, I also need my left brain methodical, logical, pragmatic side as part of my creative effort.  I would consider doing research as being methodical left-brained.  And then there's the switch over from right brain creative to left brain logical when writers go into edit mode, assuming you're writing to have your effort end up as a published novel. And that edit mode is necessary in order to take a creative effort and hone it into a marketable manuscript.  And the many facets of self-promotion for our books is certainly methodical and logical.

I recently came across a ten question quiz to test whether someone is a right brain thinker or a left brain thinker.  Not sure I agree with all the conclusions, but I found it interesting.

Are you ready?

1)  Are you better at math and science than art and literature?

If your answer is YES:  People who are left-brained thinkers (logic) are often better at math and science over art and literature.

If your answer is NO:  People who are right-brained thinkers (creative) are usually better at art and literature than math and science.

2)  Do you love playing sports outdoors over reading indoors?

If your answer is YES:  Right-brain thinkers (creative) enjoy the great outdoors and athletics.

If your answer is NO:  People who are left-brained (logic) usually prefer staying indoors and reading.

3)  Do you prefer verbal communication over physical communication?

If your answer is YES:  Left-brain thinkers (logic) love to work things out by talking.

If your answer is NO:  Right-brain thinkers (creative) believe actions speak louder than words.

4)  Would you rather draw pictures freehand instead of putting together a model airplane?

If your answer is YES:  Those who are right-brained (creative) are not fans of tremendous structure and prefer having some creativity at work.

If your answer is NO:  Those who are left-brained (logic) are in need of structure and prefer having specific guidelines at work.

5)  Do you like being in groups more than being alone? (this goes along with question #2)

If your answer is YES:  Group oriented people are usually right-brained (creative).

If your answer is NO:  Loners are usually left-brained (logic).

6)  When given instructions, are lots of pictures easier to understand than text?

If your answer is YES:  Right-brained (creative) people love picture explanations.

If your answer is NO:  Left-brained (logic) people much prefer text explanations.

7)  Have you noticed that you're better at providing the details and necessary information for a project than coming up with the initial idea?

If your answer is YES:  Left-brained (logic) are more into processing information and details than being involved in the creative process.

If your answer is NO:  Right-brained (creative) are more interested in the initial creative process rather than the information gathering.

8)  Do you need a quiet environment when you are working?

If your answer is YES:  Left-brain (logic) people usually need quiet environments.

If your answer is NO:  Right-brain (creative) people don't mind a bustling background as they work.

9)  Would you enjoy helping someone solve a relationship problem more than a math problem?

If your answer is YES:  Solving relationship problems is a natural for right-brain thinkers (creative).

If your answer is NO:  Solving math and technical problems is right up the alley of the left-brained (logic).

10)  If you were a writer, would you prefer to write non-fiction books instead of fiction?

If your answer is YES:  The left-brained (logic) are obsessed with details and truth.

If your answer is NO:  The right-brained (creative) are more imaginative.

I have a writer friend who claims that she's totally and completely right-brained creative. What she says might be true in that she has a terrible time getting into a self-editing mode and most of her writing projects are unfinished. She will have a first draft but can't seem to get it into a final mode where she can submit it to a publisher. 

Ten Unbreakable Guinness Records

The Guinness Book Of World Records was first published August 27, 1955 (the 2027 edition will be released/available August 25, 2026), and has compiled an incredible list of achievements in almost every category imaginable.

Over the years, the editors of the book have removed some categories because they chose not to encourage or promote certain activities such as bullfighting and excessive drinking.  They once published records for the world's heaviest dog but discontinued that because they didn't want to see a pet owner abusing an animal just so they could be listed in the book.

Some records remain on top even seventy-one years after the first edition was published.  Guinness has declared them to be 'unbreakable' but admits they might be broken some day.

Here's Guinness' list of ten unbreakable records.

1)  TALLEST MAN:  At 8' 11", Robert Wadlow holds the record for the tallest man.  When he died in 1940 at the age of twenty-two, he was still growing.

2)  LIGHTEST WOMAN:  Lucia Zarate was 21.5" tall and at the time of her death at age twenty-six in 1889, she weighed a mere 4.7 pounds.

3)  LOUDEST SOUND:  The volcanic eruption of the island of Krakatoa on August 26, 1883, sent shock waves reverberating seven times around the globe and were heard 2,200 miles away in Perth, Australia.

4)  MOST PROLIFIC MURDERESS:  Hungarian Countess Elizabeth Bathory allegedly killed more than six hundred people, mostly young woman, in the late 1500s/early 1600s.  She was finally convicted of 80 counts of murder and locked away until her death in 1614.

5)  LARGEST DIAMOND:  Found in South Africa in 1905, the Cullinan diamond was 3,106 carats.  It was eventually cut into 105 pieces including the 530.2 carat Great Star of Africa and the 317.4 carat Lesser Star of Africa.  Both are now part of the British crown jewels.

6)  GREATEST WINGSPAN:  Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose weighs more than 40,000 pounds with a wingspan of 319 feet which is longer than a football field.  It flew only once, in 1947, for about one mile at just seventy feet in the air.

7)  BIGGEST PANDEMIC:  From 1347 to 1351, bubonic plague, also known as the Black Death, killed seventy-five million people.

8)  BIGGEST BLOCKBUSTER:  When adjusted for inflation and converted into today's dollars, Gone With The Wind is by far the champ with an estimated take of $5.4 Billion since its 1939 release.  In comparison, Titanic's worldwide blockbuster box office Gross is $1.84 Billion.

9)  LONGEST POLE-SITTING:  Guinness' oldest record is held by St. Simeon the Stylite who spent thirty-seven years atop a pillar at Syria's Hill of Wonders.  He died in 459 and for the last 1,550 years his record remains unchallenged.

10)  YOUNGEST DOCTORATE:  In 1814, 12 year old Karl Witte of Austria became a doctor of philosophy at the University of Giessen in Germany.  He spoke five languages.

And as a grand finale … Ashrita Furman holds the world's record for holding the most records – he has 245 world's records.

Historical Events That Never Happened pt 3of3

This is the final week of my 3-part blog presenting some of the misinformation about historical events through the ages.

27.  The First Thanksgiving

Contrary to popular belief, the name Thanksgiving wasn’t coined during colonial times but later in 1863, with Abraham Lincoln hoping to inspire people to be more thankful. Furthermore, while Thanksgiving is often associated with a meal involving turkey, there isn’t any evidence that turkey was a staple dish, but instead were animals such as geese, swan, and venison.

There wasn’t any cranberry sauce or potatoes, either. Potatoes weren’t consumed in Massachusetts at the time, and nobody had yet discovered how to boil cranberries with sugar.

28.  Ferdinand Magellan Was The First Person To Sail Around The World

Ferdinand Magellan is credited in the history books as being the first person to circumnavigate the globe. Yet, that isn’t entirely true, although he did come close. In 1519, Magellan set out to complete this task to lead his crew across the Atlantic, through South America, and over the Pacific Ocean.

Unfortunately, for Magellan, he was killed in the Philippines by a group of natives. So, when his ship returned to Spain in 1522, completing the circumnavigation, he wasn’t alive to complete the journey. Incredibly, only 18 of the crew of 260 made it back, so it was these men that were first to accomplish this daunting task.

29.  Albert Einstein Failed Math As A Child

As it turns out, the story of Albert Einstein failing math as a young student is nothing more than a lesson that just because you’re not good at something at first doesn’t mean you won’t ever be. Nevertheless, according to the Washington Post, the rumors that he was a lousy student in his youth have been blown out of proportion over the years.

Supposedly, he was incredibly intelligent for his age. Yet, he did fail one thing in his youth, which was the entrance exam to Zurich Polytechnic, which he supposedly failed because of the French portion, a language he hardly studied.

30.  The Wild West Was A Rough And Tough Place

Throughout history and even pop culture, the U.S. Wild West is depicted as a rough place where no one really wants to live. It was portrayed as being filled with outlaws, gunslingers, and lots of saloons, Clint Eastwood, John Wayne, and many other actors had a knack for making the west look very dangerous. However, that’s not actually the case.

As it turns out, the Wild West in the 1800s was a very peaceful area, with residents more interested in their cattle and mining rather than dueling with someone who looks at them wrong. While death and murder were inevitable, only 0.1 percent of people in the Wild West were killed per year.

31.  Medieval Games Were Dangerous

One way to bring knights together in medieval Europe was through war games. While these games were thought to be dangerous and sometimes deadly, that wasn’t necessarily true. Games are thought to have included competitions such as sword fighting and even jousting. In reality, they were nothing more than family-friendly sporting events.

Some of the popular games included horseshoes, bowling, and even tennis, nothing that would hurt one of the participants. City and village authorities were even known to shut down an event if they thought it was too dangerous for the men involved.

32.  Betty Crocker Is A Real Person And Makes Delicious Desserts

Betty Crocker and desserts go hand in hand, especially when you’re baking, and her name is right there on the box. It feels as though she is helping you along with the ingredients. The only issue is, history never told us that Betty Crocker wasn’t a real person.

Created by Marjorie Husted for a Washburn Crosby Company campaign, the name was chosen because it sounded wholesome and, for lack of a better term, grandmotherly. Of course, from there, Betty became an icon, appearing in various mediums across pop culture. Apparently, the exposure doesn’t make her a real person!

33.  Everything About The Trojan War

From stories to pop culture, there is a lot on the Trojan War. But one aspect of the event tends to slip people’s minds—it is based on Greek mythology and not historical fact. From generation to generation, the stories surrounding the war were verbally passed down and embellished to the point of turning into fiction.

Historians agree that due to the verbal communication, the Trojan War, as we know it today, is pretty much the ramblings of people who wanted to tell a good story. From the infamous Trojan Horse to the 1,186 ships that entered Troy, most of the rich details are ground in fiction. However, that does not negate the facts that the ruins of Troy were discovered and excavated as an archeological dig proving that Troy was a real place.

34.  The Brontosaurus Was A Living Dinosaur

Since the Flintstones had a pet Brontosaurus, it means they’re real, right? Wrong! Well, sort of. The first discovery of Brontosaurus bones made by paleontologist O.C. Marsh wound up being an error. During a time known as “The Bone Wars,” Marsh wanted to gain the upper hand on his competition, Edward Drinker Cope.

In doing so, Marsh wound up misidentifying a bone, saying that it was from a Brontosaurus, a creature that hadn’t been discovered yet. In reality, the bone was from an Apatosaurus. Thankfully, in 2015, researchers decided that there was enough evidence to warrant a separate classification of dinosaur, the Brontosaurus, and Apatosaurus.

35.  The Use Of Iron Maidens

In medieval times, there were various instruments used for torture. One of these devices was the Iron Maiden, an iron chamber designed in the shape of a woman with spikes on the inside of its hinged doors. While museums seem to think the chamber was commonplace in medieval times, that’s not necessarily true.

Even though the Iron Maiden is supposedly a medieval tool, the first mention of it wasn’t until 1790, when German philosopher Johann Philipp Siebenkees noted it in one of his journals. And even though he said a criminal was put inside one of the torture chambers 200 years earlier, historians haven't found any proof of this and believe his tale is a bit fabricated.

36.  George Washington Had Wooden Teeth

In grade school, many books and lessons revolve around George Washington including the alleged facts such as his wooden teeth. It’s a widely known fact in the United States! While the former president did have dental issues for most of his life, none of Washington’s dentures were made of wood.

Various materials were used to mold Washington’s teeth, including various types of metal and even animal bone, but his “orthodontist” never used wood for a mold. There is a pair of Washington’s dentures still available for public viewing at George Washington’s Mount Vernon. These, in particular, are made of human, cow, donkey, and horse teeth—but no wood.

37.  Chastity Belts For Wives And Daughters

In Medieval Europe, one device that husbands and fathers used on their wives and daughters to protect them was something called a chastity belt. These devices were to stop any unwanted advances, as they were pretty much metal undergarments that couldn’t be opened without a key. It sounds like a bad joke, right? Well, that’s actually what a chastity belt was.

In the 16th century Europe, chastity belts were nothing more than a cheap laugh for people. On the few in their possession, the British Museum has said, “[they] were made in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries as curiosities for the prurient, or as jokes for the tasteless.”

38.  King Arthur Won Against An Invasion Of Anglo-Saxons

There are many books, myths, and even television shows and movies illustrating the bravery of King Arthur and his knights of the round table. History has told us that the man known as Arthur was the beloved king of Camelot, heroically defeating an advance of Anglo-Saxons during the 5th or 6th century.

While the battle has been written about in books, historians believe the inclusion wasn't added until 100 years later. That means the story of King Arthur is wildly embellished, with many historians believing the King of Camelot never existed, since his name isn’t mentioned in ancient texts between A.D. 400 and A.D. 800. However, there are scholars who believe the legend may have been inspired by one or more real figures from 5th- or 6th-century Sub-Roman Britain.

39.  Dr. Seuss Said The Quote “Those Who Mind Don’t Matter, And Those Who Matter Don’t Mind”

Children’s book author and exceptional linguist Dr. Seuss is credited with many rhymes and lyrical phrases. One that he's often credited with is, “Those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.” And while the phrase sounds like something out of All The Places You’ll Go, Dr. Suess didn’t write it.

The quote was actually said by someone else entirely, American financier Bernard Baruch. He was discussing the importance of authenticity while facing down public scrutiny. The concept is certainly not something that is outwardly said in any of the Dr. Seuss books researchers have come across. 

Historical Events that never happened pt 2of3

This week is part 2 of my 3-part series about some of the inaccuracies of history that have been perpetuated over the years as facts, things we learned in school that didn't happen that way.

14.  Mama Cass Sandwich

Best known as one of the lead singers of the 1960s pop music group The Mamas & the Papas. Following the band’s breakup, Cass Elliot went on to release five solo albums as well as appear on a number of television programs. Cass passed away on July 29, 1974, at the age of 33.

There were countless rumors circulating about the cause of her death. These ranged from a substance overdose, that she was assassinated by the FBI, and so on. However, one of the most popular theories is that she died from choking on a ham sandwich. In reality, she had died from a heart attack related to her intense weight fluctuations over the years.

15.  Thomas Edison Invented The Light Bulb

While most people believe Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, it turns out he had more help than most people know. Edison may have invented the first motion picture camera and tinfoil phonograph, but he did not outright invent the light bulb.

British chemist Joseph Swan was the one to actually create the first light bulb, but it burned out too quickly. Edison solved the problem by coming up with the idea to replace the carbonized paper filament with a thinner filament, which Swan then used to create the first light bulb viable enough to be put into daily use.

16.  300 Spartans Fought Back The Persian Army

One of the most classic legends of Ancient Greece is about the Spartan leader Leonidas and his 300 soldiers who fought the much larger Persian forces at the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC.

Nevertheless, the story that the Spartans only had 300 men is a bit of an embellishment, when they actually had around 4,000 other soldiers from the surrounding Greek city-states. On top of that, it’s also assumed there were at least 1,500 men who stayed to fight in the last stand, not the mere 300 that legend proclaimed.

17.  Bankers Jumping From Buildings After The 1929 Stock Market Crash

On October 24, 1929, the United States stock market crashed in the event that would go on to be called Black Thursday. This was the beginning of the Great Depression, and it was believed after the crash had been announced that stockbrokers on Wall Street began taking their own lives by jumping from the buildings.

However, this wasn’t the case. No one took his own life by jumping off a building. In fact, suicide rates didn’t increase at all.

18.  Betsy Ross Sewed The First American Flag

While it’s rumored that Betsy Ross was the first person to sew the American flag, this is likely no more than a myth. Although there’s no doubt that Ross sewed a few flags in her days, the claim that she sewed the very first one came from her grandson, who decided to tell the exaggeration to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania almost 100 years later.

However, there is zero evidence that Ross sewed the first flag during the Revolutionary War, as there’s no mention of her in newspaper reports, historical letters, or any kind of writing. It’s also possible Ross’ grandson only made this claim to popularize his family name.

19.  George Washington And The Cherry Tree

The story of George Washington and the cherry tree says that Washington received a hatchet from his father when he was a boy. He then proceeded to chop down a cherry tree, and when his father asked him what happened, he said something along the lines of I cannot tell a lie.

This story never happened but was made up in 1806 by author Mason Locke Weems, who wrote a book about Washington that showed the first president of the United States was a man of virtue. An interesting side note shows that Washington, the man of could not tell a lie, was the creator of our first spy ring (The Culper Spy Ring) coming into existence during the Revolutionary War, at a time when the future United States was still a British colony.

20.  The Forbidden Fruit In The Bible Was An Apple

Most people have either read or heard about the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, in which they are banished for eating the Forbidden Fruit, the one thing they weren’t allowed to touch.

Interestingly, in popular culture, the fruit is almost always shown as being an apple. However, early rabbis would argue that the fruit was most likely a fig. This is because the Bible mentions Adam and Eve sewing together clothes with fig leaves. And, the myth that the forbidden fruit was an apple is further admonished by the fact that the Garden of Eden was the wrong climate for growing apples.

22.  Ben Franklin Wanted The Turkey To Be The National Bird

There’s a story that Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird of the United States rather than the bald eagle. Actually, he didn’t have any reservations about the bald eagle being the national bird, as he explains in a letter to his daughter.

He simply mentioned that the eagle looked like a turkey on the seal. In the letter to his daughter, he would also write that the bald eagle had bad morals as evidenced by the fact they stole from other birds and the turkey is vain, although this is most likely just a joke. But a more pertinent observation noted that the turkey was native to North America and the eagle also lived in Europe.

23.  Ulysses S. Grant Wouldn’t Accept Robert E. Lee’s Sword When He Surrendered

One of the most well-known stories of the Civil War is when Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia, on April 9, 1865. The tale goes that when Lee surrendered to Grant, the Union general refused to accept Lee’s sword of surrender.

Grant claimed in 1885 that the story had been embellished. It was not a snub or rebuke. He regarded Lee with the utmost respect. He was just happy the war was over and they had won.

24.  The Existence Of Saint Christopher

Saint Christopher is the patron saint of travelers, athletes, mariners, ferrymen, and more. He is an incredibly popular saint with many believers wearing the Saint Christopher talisman. However, the saint may have never even existed.

According to the LA Times, many scholars have believed for some time that he wasn’t real. And even if he was, it’s likely that all the stories about him are nothing more than myths. It’s also possible that he may have been just another regular person to be murdered for being a Christian.

25.  How The British Defeated The Spanish Armada

While the Spanish Armada was defeated by the British Empire in 1588, they didn’t succeed using clever tactics and an overwhelming amount of firepower. In reality, it came down to them having favorable conditions.

Out of the 129 ships in the Spanish Armada, the British only destroyed six of them. They could have defeated more, but they didn’t have enough gunpowder. However, they were lucky because 50 other British ships showed up just in time. Bad weather, including fast currents, created issues for the Spanish attributing to their defeat.

26.  The Casualties At The Alamo

While many people might have an idea of what happened at the Alamo, it was basically misinformation acquired from movies. For the most part, the movies were not intended to be historically correct documentaries. Their purpose was to present an exciting story to entertain their audience. Many of the supposed facts were exaggerated. Some stories claim that only a handful of people survived when it was more like at least 20.

Furthermore, it wasn’t just women and children either. Some of the fighting men were spared as well. The notion that 600 Mexicans died during the battle is also untrue as it was more like 60. A man named William Zuber made up most of these stories, which is ironic because he wasn’t even there.

Next week is part 3 of my 3-part blog series about Historical Events That Never Happened.