21 Historical Moments We Thought We Knew Everything About
![21 Historical Moments We Thought We Knew Everything About](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/9/5/800595_320x180.jpg)
We all learn about history in school, but what is it really? Is it just a bunch of boring facts and dates that we have to remember for tests? Or is there something more to it?
Do you know the muffin, man? How about Dorothy of Oz? Do you know what the phrase "divide and conquer" means? Chances are, if you're over the age of 30, you don't. And that's perfectly okay. In fact, many people are unaware of some of the most important historical moments in our country. In this article, we will discuss five historical moments that many Americans are not aware of. These moments include the origin of "divide and conquer," the true story behind Columbus Day, the American Revolution's role in slavery, America's hidden history with eugenics, and FDR's role in the Pearl Harbor attack.
So buckle up and get ready to learn some new information! Our history is filled with moments and people that have been forgotten over time.
![Barely ANYONE SMOKED POT IN THE 1960S. Ah, the '60s. Flower power, peace and love, everyone was high... Except that by 1969, only 4% of Americans had ever tried marijuana, and a whopping 34% didn't even know what its effects were. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/9/1/800591.jpg)
![DURING WORLD WAR II, THE USSR TOOK THE BRUNT OF THE FIGHTING AND OF THE DYING. You see very heroic Americans fighting the Reich in movies. And while that is true, you're not told that for every American killed in action, about 21 Soviets died. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/9/4/800594.jpg)
![CRACKEDo WARNER Bros. WAS FOUNDED AS THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE WAS ENDING. The empire existed from the 14th century until the Republic of Turkey was established in October 1923. By then, Warner Bros. had been operating for several BROS. PI months. WARNER](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/9/3/800593.jpg)
![THE WITCHES OF SALEM WEREN'T BURNED. While burning alleged witches was common in Europe, those found guilty of witchcraft during the Salem trials were hanged. Which, OK, wasn't much better. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/9/2/800592.jpg)
![CRACKED.COM THE CURRENT U.S. FLAG WAS DESIGNED BY A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT. 17-year-old Robert G. Heft made a 50-star flag for a school assignment when Alaska and Hawaii were given statehood. He got a B- which was changed to an A when the government adopted his flag.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/8/8/800588.jpg)
![THE STRONGEST OPPOSITION TO THE VIETNAM WAR CAME FROM OLDER AMERICANS. GET THE HELL Yes, visible protestors tended to OUT COPTERS be young. But according to polls OF of the time, young people were VIETNAM more likely to support the war than older citizens- particularly those over 50. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/8/7/800587.jpg)
![CRACKED.co COM BRITISH TANKS HAVE LONG INCLUDED TEA MAKING FACILITIES 59 C Before 1945 Brits had to stop and climb out of their tanks for their tea breaks. Since that time, they've been able to remain safely and cozily (or cosily) secluded, thanks to a built boiling vessel.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/8/9/800589.jpg)
![THE ROMAN EMPIRE WAS BIG. JUST NOT THAT BIG. Rome, the biggest empire that ever was... Except that, by surface area, it was more like the 25th, with about two million square miles at its height. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/9/0/800590.jpg)
![John Tyler's son Lyon was born when his father was 63. Lyon had two sons, Lyon Jr. and Harrison, when he was in his 70s. Both are still around. A 19TH-CENTURY PRESIDENT HAS LIVING GRANDCHILDREN. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/8/6/800586.jpg)
![CRACKED.COM 97% OF HUMAN HISTORY HAS BEEN LOST. Humans appeared 200,000 years ago. Writing is about 000 years old. This means that only 3% of our species' history has been recorded.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/8/1/800581.jpg)
![AN AMERICAN PATROTIC SONG TOPPED THE CHARTS AT THE HEIGHT OF THE BRITISH INVASION. Do you think the '60s were all about The Beatles? Nope! The Ballad of the Green Berets, by Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler, was the #1 song on the Billboard chart for 1966. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/7/5/800575.jpg)
![THE NORMANDY LANDINGS WERE AMERICA'S FINEST DAY EVEN IF AMERICANS WERE IN THE MINORITY. There were over 83,000 men in the British Second Army that stormed the French beaches, compared with 73,000 in the First United States Army. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/8/2/800582.jpg)
![SEVEN OF HISTORY'S TEN DEADLIEST WARS WERE FOUGHT IN CHINA. It comes with having a historically high population. A couple of wars in the region had a higher body count than World WarlI CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/8/3/800583.jpg)
![THE U.S. CONSTITUTION IS RIDDLED WITH MISTAKES. People domentic with the Mind We're not talking here about stuff such as not giving everyone the right to vote- we mean the many misspellings contained in the Constitution.. Just ask the delegate from Pensylvania. GRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/7/6/800576.jpg)
![CRACKED COM Because of black and white photography, Victorian & Edwardian clothing is most often thought of and depicted as black, white, grey, and brown, but they were actually colorful AF. This autochrome photo (a very early color photography technique) from 1914 shows a group of ladies in playful and vivid hues.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/8/5/800585.jpg)
![CRACKED.COM Napoleon wasn't really that short. He was about 5'6. That was about OU the average 6 180 height of men 170 at the time. 160 5 150 110 130 120 110 100 3 00 80 70 2 60 50 10 30 20 10](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/7/9/800579.jpg)
![GRAD Samurai used guns and were proud of it. When firearms were introduced to Japan, many samurai and their men started using guns to replace bows as their main weapons. Using guns among samurai was not always considered a dishonorable act; in fact, guns later evolved to become a status symbol among samurai.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/8/4/800584.jpg)
![If you're picturing Easter Island statues as disembodied heads, you're picturing them wrong. They're full-body sculptures, just mostly buried in the hillside. On purpose. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/7/7/800577.jpg)
![INDIAN Pirates' loot was mostly stuff like food and fabric, which they almost never stashed in buried chests. Burying that loot would ruin it, and anyway, pirates just wanted money for women and booze right away.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/7/4/800574.jpg)
![Cowboys of the Wild West typically wore Bowler style hats. Stetson style cowboy hats were only popularized at the end of the 19th century. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/8/0/800580.jpg)
![Cave didn't men really live in caves. Rather, there's evidence that prehistoric humans spent most of the year hunting in the wilds, hunkering in caves only during the winter season. Caves just preserve artifacts BETTER. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/7/8/800578.jpg)