Popular Facts Of History That Are Actually Wrong
History tells a lot of stories related to the people, events and places. There are many history facts that are spreads all over the world and everyone just accept them. But after further studies and discoveries most of the popular historical facts are proven wrong.
History tells a lot of stories related to the people, events and places. There are many history facts that are spreads all over the world and everyone just accept them. But after further studies and discoveries most of the popular historical facts are proven wrong. People still believe in them but they should know that they are incorrect. This article is listing some of the popular facts of history that are actually wrong.
Christopher Columbus Didn’t Discover Americas
We all believe in this history fact that had been fed to us for years that Christopher Columbus discover Americas. But actually this is wrong because Columbus never went to North America. He just explored Caribbean and some part of Central and South America. When people dig more into the history and past voyages they get to know the whole truth. The Vikings had arrived in North America 500 years before Columbus ‘s famous voyage. The real credit of discovering Americas goes to Lief Erikson. There are actually eight Viking buildings in Newfoundland that are now acknowledged as UNESCO world heritage sites.
Pyramids of Egypt were not Built By slaves
Professor Amihai Mazar from the University of Hebrew in Jerusalem conducted a study on the history of the famous Pyramids of Egypt. He concluded that the pyramids were not built by the Jewish slave labor because when they were built Jewish people did not yet exist. Further studies showed that these glorious Pyramids were built by the farmers who inhabited along the banks of Nile. They built these pyramids for pharaohs out of loyalty so that the dead pharaohs can rest in the pyramids after their death. The experts concluded that the pyramids were built without forced labor or oppression.
Cleopatra wasn’t Egyptian
This is one of the famous and wrong believe that Cleopatra was Egyptian. She was one of the most beautiful and influential women in history. She was the last sovereign ruler of Egypt but she was not Egyptian. According to the studies she was a member of Ptolemaic Dynasty. They were a family of Greeks descended from Alexander The great. The family ruled over Egypt but most of them refuse to learn the native Egyptian language. Cleopatra learned the language and she always presented herself as Egyptian. She is known for dressing like an incarnation of Egyptian Goddess Isis, the goddess of healing and magic.
Spanish Flue was originated from Spain
Spanish Flue that was Originally known as the “ Three-Day Flu”. The Spanish flu was a pandemic that killed over 50 million people in 1918. It is widely known as Spanish flue but you might be surprised to know that it wasn’t originated in Spain. Spain was just the first country that significantly suffered from this infection. Even the Spain’s king got infected with this disease. It became known as Spanish influenza but despite for its name it wasn’t originated from Spain. It is not clear from where exactly it originated but according to the research the first case may have been in Haskell Country, Kansas.
Vikings didn’t wore horned helmets
Vikings are often depicted as strong, large and hairy men holding ballet axes and wearing horned helmet. Well in the series and all the movies we have seen Vikings are shown like that and those helmets become iconic symbol of recognition for Vikings. But do you know those horned helmets are historically inaccurate. There is no archeological evidence that suggest that Norsemen wore these helmets. They either wore leather helmets or no helmets at all. The misconception about their horned helmets come in 1800s when a Swedish artists Gustav Malmstromstems included them in his works and depict them wearing horned helmets.
Van Gogh didn’t cut his ear in Madness
You might have heard the story of Vincent Van Gogh cutting his ear and then gift it to his prostitute. It’s a common story that people often relate to his mental illness. But in reality some people explains that he did cut his ear but the story related to it was wrong. Van Gogh didn’t cut off his ear for his prostitute but he cut off his ear lob during a fencing match with Paul Gauguin. He was his old friend but then they become rivals when they start living together. They used to have arguments a lot. But one day when Van Gogh and Gauguin were having the fight, Van Gogh accidently cut his ear. Gauguin later made up the story of make van Gogh seems unhinged and unstable.
The Emancipation Proclamation Didn’t Really Free The Slaves
Emancipation Proclamation was a famous landmark achieved during civil war. You might have read this in books that after it was signed the slavery was abolished completely but it is incorrect. At the time when this proclamation was signed, it didn’t do that much for the slavery. It only applied to the confederate states, which the union had no power to enforce in. While many union states had already abolished slavery, there were few states such as Border States that still had slaves and didn’t free them. It took a lot more effort and time to abolish the slavery completely.
People never thought that earth was Flat in Past
There are many concepts that are taught in schools referring to the old and ancient people first believing that earth is flat. In reality people never really thought that earth was flat. People at the time of Christopher Columbus did not believed on flat earth. The earth was always depicted as round. Flat earth theory was also refuted as earlier as the times of ancient Greece.
