History often repeats itself. It is especially funny when people tell the same plot, which in fact has no relation to reality. For example, many of the historical facts that we were told at school are now considered complete fiction. This makes you rethink your entire education! Here are some of the more interesting and fun facts from a series of recurring historical mistakes.
George Washington didn't chop down his father's cherry tree
For decades, every American student learned about the rise of the state from the story of how the first president of America, George Washington, admitted that he cut down his father's cherry tree when he was only six years old. He allegedly said that he could not lie. As it turns out, the story itself is a lie. What an irony! This fact became so widespread that a special page was even created on the official website of the house of Washington, explaining how truth and fiction were intertwined in this story. The fact is that the fact was invented by the biographer of Washington Mason Lock Weems in 1806. He did it for profit, to demonstrate how he knows the president in detail, and to create a role model for young Americans. One way or another, the fiction turned out to be popular and existed in the minds of people as a real fact for several centuries.
Albert Einstein never failed his math exams
Remember how you got a bad math grade and was upset at first, and then you remembered that this happened even with Einstein, and it became a little easier for you? It turns out that this is not true! Albert Einstein never failed an exam. According to Time magazine, this myth originated in the thirties of the twentieth century. Einstein himself laughed at this story. He was always a brilliant mathematician and excelled in school subjects.
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The feminist movement is not about burning bras
Often, when studying the feminist movement, the topic of how protesters burned linen in the streets is raised. In fact, the 1968 beauty pageant protestors did not remove their bras at all to be burned in public. The protesters simply brought with them "evidence of violence against women." They were underwired bras, braces, and pornographic magazines. The police forced them to throw everything into the trash cans, where the fire was made. The bra burning part was simply described by the journalists, and it became a popular story, although the essence of what was happening was completely different.
Paul Revere didn't shout about the British
In the old books, there was this fact about the American Revolution: a certain Paul Revere rode his horse through several cities shouting about the coming of the British troops, which allowed the residents to prepare for the war. In fact, everything happened a little differently. Paul Revere did go to Lexington with information about the offensive, but no one perceived him as a hero, on the contrary, he was reproached for making too much noise. To this he replied that soon he would have to endure even more noise. It turns out that a real story sounds even more dramatic than a fictional fact. In addition, there were two other horsemen with Revere, but their story, unfortunately, remained unknown.
Napoleon was not that short
It's funny, but true - for some reason, many believe that the famous French commander Napoleon Bonaparte was very short. His height seemed to be no more than one hundred and sixty centimeters! And this did not prevent him from becoming such a significant person in history! The term "Napoleon complex" has even appeared, describing people who behave more aggressively because of their small stature. Despite all this, in fact, Napoleon was much taller, about one hundred and seventy centimeters - that is, even taller than Nicolas Sarkozy. Where did the myth come from? Perhaps it is a confusion with different measurement systems.
The apple did not fall on Newton's head
When schoolchildren get acquainted with Newton, they are often told that the scientist thought about gravity after an apple fell on his head. In fact, everything was a little different. The apple did not fall on the scientist's head, he just watched his mother's garden and came to the conclusion about the existence of gravity without any curiosities. However, the main thing in this story is the result.
Marina Ilyushenko