13 Historic 'Facts' That Aren't Factual

When we learn history in school, it’s often simplified soundbites to stuff into our little kid brains. But sometimes the truth is more interesting than just “Oh Napolean was short.” Sometimes it’s “Oh the French feet measurement was different, and everyone just assumed he was 5’2’’ instead of taking the time to convert his height into international units.” Sorry, short kings, maybe start admiring Elliot Page for his short statue instead. 

It’s important to listen to historians’ evolving understanding of the past. History can be crafted to sell us narratives, often good vs. bad. In reality, human history is full of people who are capable of bad and good actions on both sides who made decisions with consequences. Ideally, we learn from our ancestors’ past mistakes so we can collectively make better decisions. We all know it’s important to learn from history, but it’s equally important to learn from accurate history.