Tell Us Now: 14 History Facts We Should Have Learned In School
![Tell Us Now: 14 History Facts We Should Have Learned In School](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/0/6/1/791061_320x180.jpg)
We are not sure what it is about history that makes it so boring, but we guess we were just never taught the interesting parts. Like, why did Napoleon die in exile? Or how did the Cold War start? Sure, we learned about all the big battles and political decisions, but there are so many other fascinating details that we wish we had known. Maybe if schools started teaching more of the juicy bits, people would be less likely to complain about history class. Who knows! But in case you're curious like us, here are some little-known historical facts that we should have learned in school. Enjoy!
History is written by the winners...or so some loser said because we're not sure who said it first. "What is a historical fact that isn't taught in schools and should be?" we asked Cracked readers on Facebook. Reading (and fact-checking) the responses taught us a lot. We've compiled a list of 14 facts that we hope you already know.
![TELL US NOW. Matthew W. says, Many of the 'historical statues' of Confederate generals that people get upset about being taken down were not put up as a result of the Civil War but rather in response to the civil rights movement. The construction of Confederate monuments spiked during the 1900s when Jim Crow laws were enacted, and 1950s to 1960s, during the civil rights movement. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/0/6/0/791060.jpg)
Source: NPR
![TELL US NOW. Robert B. says, Slavery never ended in the United States. There's a loophole in the 3th Amendment. The amendment reads, Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/0/3/9/791039.jpg)
Source: Washington Post
![TELL US NOW. Christopher F. would like to see American schools teach about the contributions of the other countries in WWII. Americans generally don't know or appreciate the sacrifices countries like France made, or the simple fact that Russia is why the Allies won. We just swooped in at the end and claimed a mostly undeserved win by committing a war crime. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/0/3/8/791038.jpg)
![TELL US NOW. Nominated by Aaron J. In 1921, white people burned an affluent Black neighborhood (known as Black Wall Street) to the ground during the Tulsa Race Massacre. It is estimated 300 people died, 800 were injured, and 000 people became homeless. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/0/3/7/791037.jpg)
Source: JSTOR Daily
![TELL US NOW. Nominated by Gary L. From 1492 to present day United States, an estimated 13 million Indigenous people were killed. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/0/3/6/791036.jpg)
Source: University of Houston
![TELL US NOW. Janice D. says, The United States has a history of eugenics, which lead to some of the policies used by the Nazis during WWII. The US sterilized populations of people deemed 'unfit', and a Supreme Court Justice declared 'three generations of imbeciles was enough.' (Buck v. Bell 1927) This ruling led to 70,000 forced sterilizations of people who were labeled as deaf, blind, diseased, poor, or feeble-minded (which could mean anything, including women who were 'overly' interested in sex.) CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/0/5/8/791058.jpg)
Source: NPR
![TELL US NOW. Nominated by Rudy B. George Washington required the Continental Army to be immunized. In 1777, George Washington issued a mandate to require that soliders be immunized (a scientifically new development) against smallpox. Even though it wasn't popular among the soliders, there was no mass refusal. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/0/3/2/791032.jpg)
Source: Washington Post
![TELL US NOW. Rhiannon J. tells US, People knew the Earth was round when Columbus set sail. People were aware the Earth was round from as early as 6th century BC... let's not forget Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492 AD. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/0/2/5/791025.jpg)
Source: Washington Post
![TELL US NOW. Nominated by Ron C. One of the most celebrated military engagements in the US was a massacre. At Wounded Knee, the US military killed hundreds unarmed Lakota Sioux people, including women and children. The government awarded 20 Medals of Honor, the military highest honor, to those responsible. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/0/2/4/791024.jpg)
Source: New York Times
![TELL US NOW. DAYINELDSLATNESOFAME GOD WE TRUST IN Nominated by Betsy v. It wasn't until the Cold War that paper money, stamps, and the pledge included Under God and In God We Trust. In response to McCarthyism, the pledge changed in 1953, and all paper bills didn't include In God We Trust until 1966. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/0/2/3/791023.jpg)
Source: Pacific Standard
![TELL US NOW. Nominated by Elizabeth M. Men and women in hunter-gatherer societies were equal. For most of human history (until the invention of agriculture) gender equality was the norm. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/0/1/9/791019.jpg)
Source: The Guardian
![TELL US NOW. Jim M. shares, We are closer in time to Cleopatra than Cleopatra was to the construction of the Great Pyramids. Cleopatra lived around 69 to 30 BC, while the Great Pyramids were constructed around 2550 to 2490 BC. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/0/1/7/791017.jpg)
Source: BBC and National Geographic
![TELL US NOW. Melissa v. shares, The civilizations in the Americas, before Columbus, were not savages. They had cities, roads, libraries, complex means of production, advanced engineering. The Europeans (Spaniards, British, mainly) needed to paint themselves as the bringers of culture, so they told that there was only barbaric natives. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/0/1/6/791016.jpg)
Source: Smithsonian Magazine
![TELL US NOW. Nominated by Maryl C. Mount Rushmore was carved into the sacred Black Hills of the Lakota people. The land was confiscated by the government from the Lakota in 1877 when gold was found in the mountains, and they have yet to receive payment. Every president featured committed genocides against indigenous American people. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/0/1/5/791015.jpg)
Source: Indian Country Today