Gossips exaggerate and become a myth over time. That’s what early man used to do when they were roaming around in leaves, half-naked.
The tradition has continued and myths followed with the creation of America as well. There were events in the past but today the interpretation of some of those has been changed completely. Were the people playing Chinese whispers?
George Washington’s Height
When we think of George Washington, we are immediately reminded of the role he has played in shaping the role and function of the President of America. He was also one of the tallest presidents of the country. His height was known to be 6 feet 6 inches tall by some. There was also a rumor among the tailors that he was 6 feet tall. However, that is not the correct height of Mr. Washington.
When he passed away, his corpse was checked completely. His height was then reported to be 6 feet 3.5 inches. So, after all these years, his actual height came into light when he met his end. Even today, Google tells George Washington’s height to be 6 feet 4 inches.
Introduction Of Ice Cream To America
It is believed that Thomson Jefferson introduced ice cream to America. However, the recipe of ice cream was printed in New York and Philadelphia six decades before Thomson first encountered in France. On the first mission to France, Thomson came across the beautiful chilled dessert.
The ice cream was available in confectioners of the country and it was easily found in Jefferson’s Virginia. All we can say is that maybe Jefferson was too busy becoming a president that he forgot to enjoy his childhood. He didn’t have single ice cream until he visited France.
Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride
Do you remember the most iconic moment in the Revolutionary war? The one where Paul Revere announces “The British are coming!”
Yes, that one scene is not even close to what happened in reality. First thing, the scene has been recreated in “Paul Revere’s Ride” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. He wasn’t a historian but a poet. Hence, he has taken the creative liberty to exaggerate the historic iconic moment. Secondly, he was accompanied by a few more men in this mission.
The two men involved in this secret mission were: Samuel Prescott and William Dawes.
The Creation Of American Flag
The credit for creating the American flag goes to Ross Betsy. However, in reality, there is no proof and no specific person who can take the credit of creating the legendary flag. Even during the time of Ross, she never took the credit for this great creation of flag with 13 stars in the shape of a circle.
The credit of the flag was given to her 35 years after she passed away. The courtesy of this rumor goes to her grandson. He had a great story to tell and his future generation considered it true. Since then, everyone knows Ross Betsy as the genesis of the American flag.
Turkey Was The Choice For National Bird
The American seal had the bald eagle in the center. It was created in 1782 and since then there has been a rumor that Benjamin Franklin wanted turkey over the bald eagle. Well, we won’t deny this completely but there is no legit proof behind this rumor.
It is said that Benjamin wrote a letter to his daughter. In the letter he suggested that Turkey would be a better choice for the American seal as it looked similar to the bald eagle and also the eagle has a bad moral character. Also, the turkey is more courageous and respectable bird even though it looks silly.
President Washington Never Lived In Washington D.C
It is not news to anyone that President of U.S.A lives in the white house. However, the lesser-known fact is that George Washington never occupied the house as his residence. Also, he is the only president who has done that so far. He first lived in New York, and then he went to Philadelphia.
The Washingtons went across the place and lived in some lavish places. They were provided with members of Congress, officials, foreign dignitaries, and other prominent people according to the requirements and the schedule.
Cowboy Hat
We all have known cowboy hat as an iconic part of American history. We’re not aware of the fact that cowboy wasn’t part of the western culture until the end of Wild West. The Stetson didn’t appear in the scene before 1865.
It became quite popular by the end of the 19th century. Before the cowboy hat, men preferred to wear the derby, also known as the bowler hat. Also, there was the sombrero but men preferred a top hat over it. The picture is proof of the presence of the derby before the cowboy appeared.
Wall Street Crash Suicides
The Wall Street crash of 1929 was terrible; it left people miserable. The myth around this crash is that the bankers, brokers, and others working in the financial market started jumping out of their windows to commit suicide.
The myth needs to be broken down with the help of facts. The months that followed the Wall Street crash noted depreciation in the suicide rate. Also, about the people jumping out of the windows, the statement is completely false. There were only two such incidents and that has been exaggerated to the extent that people equated the Wall Street crash to suicide saga.
The Signing Declaration Of Independence
We have been celebrating The Independence Day of America on the 4th of July. We all know getting independence is not an overnight thing. It is a gradual process that takes bloodshed and years of efforts. On the 4th of July 1776, the forefathers of America ratified the declaration of the bloodshed that took over the years.
The process started on the 1st of July and over a period of three days, they read it thoroughly and approved the same on the fourth day. The declaration was written by Thomson Jefferson and it was then signed on the 2nd of August.
U.S.A Was Born As A Christian Nation
The belief that the founders of America were Christian is questionable. The U.S Constitution is a secular document and you will not find a mention of Christianity in it. There are two mentions of the religion in the whole.
Once in the First Amendment and the second one in Article VI, these are the only two places where they have referred to the religion. The forefathers knew that there was a danger if they created a religion based state and didn’t want any risk involved. They wanted the country to be peaceful and stable.
Louisiana Purchase
The Americans didn’t want the whole of Louisiana land. They didn’t have enough money to buy it. Even though the cost was less than 3 cents per acre, the U.S.A couldn’t afford the whole of it. Also, there is a piece of information that is not truly apt.
Thomson Jefferson has been given the credit for getting Louisiana back. However, that is not true. He sent Robert Livingston and James Monroe to France to attempt to purchase New Orleans. They didn’t even want to buy complete Louisiana. However, the French needed money to go for war against the British. Hence, Napoleon offered to sell the complete land. The Americans had to take a loan from two European banks at 6% ROI.
The War of 1812 was all about British aggression
The war of 1812 was a result of aggression of Britishers towards the Americans. Hence, the Native Americans decided to declare war on the western and northern frontiers. Also, the British people had issues with American shipping and sailors.
With all the aggression, people forgot about another important aspect that led to the war. War Hawks wanted to invade and conquer British Canada, adding the Canadian territories to the United States. The Americans didn’t lose the war but neither did they win it.
Both the countries had to sign a treaty, status quo ante Bellum, which said that there was no change in the territorial boundary.
The Pilgrim Look
When you asked an American how they think a pilgrim would look, they’d imagine a person in white and black clothes with buckles and a large hat. In contrast to the belief, the pilgrims in America came from England. They had a better sense of dressing than expected.
They dressed in Elizabethan clothes that were quite famous in that era. We get the idea of dressing from the Mayflower such as wills and cargo logs. They were obsessed with colorful clothing and they were the people who introduced dyes to the whole world.
The Origin Of Baseball
Similar to the story of Ross Betsy, this one has a person who hasn’t come up with the sport but has been given the credit. Abner Doubleday had a convenient story that could convince everyone that he came up with the idea of the game.
During that time a committee was arranged, Mills Commission and its role was to find the origin of the sport. A person on the committee, Albert Spalding didn’t want baseball to take over the English sports and used Abner’s story to convince that it was an American sport.
The Light Bulb Invention
The patent of light bulb has been given to Thomas Edison. However, Edison was one of the few people who were trying to light the existing bulb in different ways. The actual credit of Edison is that he came up with an improved electric light bulb, using materials for filaments which allowed the bulb to burn for several hours.
At the same time, Joseph Swan of England came up with the same bulb. To avoid any legal proceedings both of them joined to market the bulb in England. Before Edison came up with his improved version, there were two dozens of bulb in the market already.
Issue Of Civil War
During the period of Reconstruction, apologists were of the view that slavery was not the cause for the Civil war. On the contrary, slavery was the main cause. They claimed that the people who were on war didn’t have any slaves. They basically ignored one single cause which was important.
People had accepted slavery as their way of living and they stopped trying to get out of the vicious circle.
Later, the Vice-President of the Confederate States Andrew Stephens acknowledged that the war was based on slavery but the apologists never accepted it.
Pocahontas Fell In Love With John Smith And Saved Him From Stoning
Disney has given us an image of the name Pocahontas. However, this story is definitely not related to Disney’s creation. Except for the name, everything is different. Pocahontas was the nickname to Matoaka. She was the daughter of Chief Powhatan. There is no evidence to prove that Matoaka fell in love with John Smith.
She, in fact, got married to John Rolfe. Also, the fact that she saves Smith from stoning is false. Even if she did that there is no proof that it was out of love for him.
Orson Welles And The War Of The Worlds Broadcast Induced Widespread Panic In 1938
It is believed that when the Orson Welles broadcasted an episode of The Mercury Theatre of the Air based on H.G. Wells popular science fiction story The War of the Worlds, there was panic among people. It was unbelievable that the channel was broadcasting entertainment instead of news.
All of this is nothing more than a myth. There was no panic. In fact, not many people were tuned into the channel during the broadcast. Media has always exaggerated the happenings and that is what newspapers did this time.
The Troops At The Alamo Were Fighting To Make Texas
We have all heard about the sad tale of 250 Texans who died at Alamo for freedom. But you’ll be surprised to know that the whole story is forged. What happened, in reality, was shameful and not as glorious as it is often told. Back in the day, Texas was a part of Mexico that had been overrun by American settlers. While the Mexican government didn’t care about the encroachment, it did regulate Texas as part of the country.
But things took a downward spiral when in 1829 Mexico banned slavery. Sounds like a noble deed, right? But the southern side plantations run by slaves in Texas couldn’t afford the slavery ban. Hence, the war.
