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 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 the two 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.