21 People Share Common Myths About History That Make Their Blood Boil
AD means After Death?
History myths have a way of sticking around long after the facts should have buried them. From school lessons to movies to half-remembered quotes, the same old mistakes keep getting repeated until they start sounding true.
That is exactly what happened in this AskReddit thread, where people shared the historical misunderstandings that annoy them most. The answers range from famous figures and wars to everyday life in the past, and plenty of them challenge the versions most people grew up hearing.
Some of these myths are so common they feel almost harmless, until someone points out what really happened. Then the whole story looks different.
1. “Most people in the America supported the Revolution”
Only around 40% of colonists supported the American Revolution. Another 40% was indifferent, and about 20% sided with the British. Most Americans think that it was the vast majority who wanted Independence.
One of the most persistent myths about Paul Revere's Midnight Ride is the belief that he shouted, "the British are coming!" This misrepresentation undermines the secrecy that was crucial to his mission. Instead, eyewitness accounts indicate that he likely warned that "the Regulars are coming out," in a manner that would not disturb the entire village. This highlights how historical events are often simplified or sensationalized in popular culture, obscuring the important nuances that define them.
3. Lincoln owned slaves
I have had way too many of my university students tell me that Lincoln owned slaves.
4. Peasant food was tasteless
People seem to think peasants only ate bread and potatoes with no seasoning. In reality, while salt was indeed a luxury they often couldn’t afford, they had access to plenty of herbs to flavor their food. They also had access to things like fish and other meats, so they weren’t just eating bread, though it was an important staple of their diet.If you’re interested in how a bunch of civilizations ate throughout history, check out Tasting History on YouTube. It’s a great source of historical information and entertainment.
5. Peasants could marry for love
That if you were a Peasant you could marry who ever you wanted for love and if you were a noble, royal or the like you could only marry for power During the Medieval period. Higher class people could and did (though it wasn’t common) marry for love and most of the time Peasant marriages were arranged for the same reason as noble ones were, to link two families together, you very rarely got to marry who you liked it was usually who your parents liked.Also Prima nocta has, as far as I know was never actually being recorded as a thing.
6. Neanderthals were dumb
That Neanderthals were monosyllabic brutes. There’s no evidence of that whatsoever. Their brains were bigger than ours and casts of the inside of their skulls show that they had all the same structures our brains had. Their tool making was comparable to any Homo sapiens’ took making (at least before the Great Leap Forward) and they lived in communities just like we did.We also regularly mated with them and had kids, which I really don’t think we would if they were little more than quasi-gorillas.
The portrayal of Roman gladiators as mere pawns in a bloody spectacle is a gross oversimplification of their roles in ancient society. Contrary to the image of mindless fighters, gladiators were highly trained athletes who enjoyed celebrity status in their time. They were not just participants in brutal contests; they were performers who captivated audiences, much like the entertainers we admire today. This understanding challenges the simplistic narratives often presented in popular culture and underscores the complexity of historical figures who were both revered and exploited.
The common belief that people in the past routinely died at the age of 30 or 40 is a misconception driven largely by misunderstanding statistics. The high infant mortality rate during earlier centuries significantly skews average life expectancy figures. In fact, those who managed to survive childhood had a considerably better chance of reaching old age. This aspect of historical context is vital for understanding how life expectancy varied across different demographics, influenced by factors such as class, gender, occupation, and geographic location. Recognizing these nuances helps to paint a more accurate picture of life in previous eras and challenges the simplistic narratives often presented in discussions about history.
9. Rosa Park
That Rosa Parks was just some nice old lady who wouldn’t give up a bus seat. She was a political activist who meticulously planned that specific instance of civil protest.
This reminds me of the cousin demanding Grandma’s secret gravy, and the AITA fallout at dinner.
10. Knights were not kind
Knights weren’t exactly chivalrous. It was a concept designed to make them appear magnanimous, and to justify their brutality among the common folk of their enemies when they weren’t at war.Knights could even pay their respective kings to chicken out of fighting in a war if they were summoned to do so, which many did to keep on pillaging hovels full of bumpkins because it was easy sport. In short, a lot of Knights were rich, murderous bullies with too much free time on their hands.
11. "Anastasia escaped execution”
The belief that Anastasia did not die with the rest of her family.
The myth surrounding Marie Antoinette’s supposed declaration “let them eat cake” serves as a striking example of how historical narratives can be distorted. Despite the fact that she was a child when the phrase was supposedly uttered, it has been inaccurately attributed to her and has become a symbol of her perceived indifference to the plight of the poor. This enduring myth highlights the profound impact that misattributed quotes can have on our understanding of historical figures and events. Such fabrications not only skew public perception but also reinforce preconceived notions that may not align with the facts of history. It is crucial to examine the origins of these quotes and the context in which they were created, as they can shape collective memory in ways that obscure the truth.
13. Napoleon was not short
Just recently learned that Napolean being short was a slam campaign. And Hitler wasnt that short. About 5’9.
14. Vomitorium
The myth about the Vomitorium suggests that Roman nobility would indulge to the point of vomiting before resuming their feasting.However, this term actually referred to the entrances of the Colosseum, not a place for excess eating.
15. Jewish people actually fought back
That Jewish people and other victims of the Holocaust went willingly to their death and no one fought back. While it’s true that a lot of victims did not believe the genocide was occurring and they were simply being relocated (Nazis/Hitler were very persuasive and no one could imagine a genocide), plenty fought back. There were resistance groups all over the place as well as people fighting from their homes when they were being taken for deportation. Guns were used, makeshift bombs, stolen bombs, etc. Not everyone was going to go to the concentration camps/death camps/detention centres without a fight.-PrxnceZuko
16. Bastille prisoners
French revolution storming of the Bastille freeing hundreds of political prisoners. When in actual fact there were only 7 prisoners. (4 cheques forgers, a lunatic, a sexual deviant and a man who tried to assassinate King Louis XV 30 years ago).
17. AD means death?
That AD means after death.
18. British soldiers also used guerilla tactics
That the American Revolution was fought between British soldiers fighting in lines and American colonists using all sorts of cover and walls and strategy that the British were too dumb to figure out. While there are instances of that, there are also instances of British troops doing the same thing, and of many (many) “set piece battles” where both sides would have fought in a “european” manner.
It is critical to recognize that the tale of Pandora originates from a jar, not a box. This subtle yet significant detail highlights the nuances of historical narratives and the potential for misinterpretation over time.
20. WWI warfare
WW1 trench combat was nothing like how most people think about it. The common misconception is that people stared at each other with machine guns until some idiot general forced his soldiers to run into machine gun fire and they all got brutally mowed down while the enemy cracked open a beer.The reality is much, much more complex. Artillery did an excellent job of suppressing machine guns and clearing barbed wire, forcing defending troops to hunker in deep shelters while the attacking infantry were free to advance. As a result, the attackers generally had a pretty substantial advantage in the war, and casualty ratios support this- across the war, attackers almost always had equal or lower casualties than defenders. What forced the stalemate was not that it was impossible to attack, but rather that it was impossible to defend against counterattacks.Once you’ve taken the enemy’s first line of trenches(and they have much more than one line), because of your own artillery, it is now almost impossible to reinforce and consolidate your hard-earned territory. Your own artillery has blown apart the terrain between the trenches enough that it’s very, very difficult to get supplies or men across, and it generally doesn’t have the range to suppress enemy counterattacks further back(because if it did, then it’d be open to counterbattery fire, which would result in you losing all your artillery).
21. Ancient people were dumb
That people from the past were just less intelligent than modern people. Fact is, humans from even 15,000 years ago were just as intelligent as modern humans (intelligence being the ability to learn and apply knowledge). They just had different things to worry about and had not discovered everything that we know today.The whole of modern civilization is built on discovers made thousands or tens of thousands of years ago. Our ancestors, starting with nothing but stone tools and basic survival skills, created agriculture, writing, mathematics, standardized language, the wheel, metallurgy, ship building, architecture, trade routes spanning all of afro-eurasia, currency, banking, cross breeding of animals and plants to create better strains, the list goes on.If I plucked a human baby from thousands of years ago, properly immunized it to modern diseases, and raised it as any other child today, you would be unable to tell the difference between them or any other child.Fact is the only difference between us and our ancient ancestors is the discoveries, philosophies, technology and effort performed, created and understood by the hundreds of generations between us.Our ancient ancestors were simply smart in different ways because we only really learn what we have to. Ancient Polynesians literally memorized the night sky for navigating the innumerable islands of the Indo-Pacif...
We hope you’ve learned something from your article. We’ve certainly learned a lot while creating it.
Well, movies with knights will never be the same again. It turns out that they were not so nice.
And WWI battles in movies now look completely different. Is it true that ignorance is bliss?
Want more family drama, read about the cousin who snapped after being denied Grandma’s secret gravy recipe.
