13 Historic 'Facts' That Aren't Factual
![13 Historic 'Facts' That Aren't Factual](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/0/4/836704_320x180.jpg)
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.
Feminists Burned Bras in Protest
![Bra-Burning Feminists A protest at a Miss America beauty pageant included women throwing away oppressive items, which included some bras but also lipstick, heels, etc. Reporters said the trashcan was lit, but many protestors dispute these accounts. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/9/9/836699.jpg)
Source: BBC
Rosa Parks Sat in the Front of the Bus
![Rosa Parks' Front Seat Parks sat in the middle section, which was first-come, first-serve, but Black people had to give up their seat to white people. A white man came on, and the white bus driver insisted that the Black passengers move for him. Three other Black passengers moved. But the bus driver (who had previously harassed her) called the police on her for refusing to comply. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/9/8/836698.jpg)
Source: Chicago Tribune
The Aztecs Thought Cortes and His Party Were Gods
![Aztec Worship of Conquistadors In 1552, a former secretary to Hernando Cortés made this up (despite never being to Mexico.) Cortés' actual letters never express that the indigenous Mexica people thought he was a god. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/9/7/836697.jpg)
Source: JStorDaily
Mrs. O'Leary's Cow Started The Great Chicago Fire
![Mrs. O'Leary's Blame-Worthy Cow Mrs. O'Leary's cow gets blamed for starting the Great Chicago Fire. But Kate O'Leary offered testimony that her and her family were in bed. Forty years later, a reporter for The Chicago Republican said he and his colleagues made it all up. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/9/6/836696.jpg)
Source: The Great Chicago Fire Memorial
Chasity Belts' Medieval Origins
![Chasity Belts' Historic Origins EVERLIS Chasity belts weren't ever a thing in the Middle Ages. There are occassional instances of them being depicted as a joke. The physical objects were made in 18th or 19th centuries as dupes or jokes. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/9/2/836692.jpg)
Source: Atlas Obscura
Greek and Romans Created White Sculptures
![Greek and Roman's White Sculptures Sculptures were originally painte; the pigment has just worn off. Really well-preserved statues can still be seen with the original bright colors. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/9/1/836691.jpg)
Source: The New Yorker
Humans' Life Expectancy Has Dramatically Increased
![Human Life Span's Dramatic Increase Most of human history's average life expectancy has been dragged down by infant mortality. For example, in Ancient Greece, people born before 100 BC who lived to adulthood and didn't die of murder or war lived to a median age of 72 years old. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/9/0/836690.jpg)
Source: BBC
Nonviolence Resistance Was All About Peace & Love
![The Peace and Love of Nonviolence Resistance Like violent solutions, nonviolent resistance was a strategic tactic by civil rights leaders. Nonviolence showed a clear, stark contrast against the violence of segregationists, which some activists argued showed better results. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/6/3/836663.jpg)
Source: PBS
The American Revolution Meant More Freedom for Everyone
![The American Revolution Meant Freedom Severeal proclamations offered freedom to any enslaved person who fought on behalf of the British Army. An estimated 20,000 people ran away from their enslavers to fight against the Revolutionaries. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/5/6/836656.jpg)
Source: National Park Service
Most Americans Supported the American Revolution
![The American Revolution Majority Most American colonialists didn't support the American Revolution. Loyalists outnumbered the American Revolutionaries, who never held a majority. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/5/3/836653.jpg)
Albert Einstein Failed Math
![Albert Einstein's Failing Grades Einstein never failed math. Не did fail the Zurich Polytechnic entry exam but not the math section. And it might have been due to being rusty on French, the language the exam was in. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/3/4/0/836340.jpg)
Source: Washington Post
George Washington's "I Could Not Tell a Lie" Cherry Tree
![George Washington's Cherry Tree Surprise, surprise, six-year-old George Washington probably could tell a lie. This myth about honesty was manufactured by one of Washington's first biographers to show just how good Washington was. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/9/9/2/834992.jpg)
Source: Mount Vernon
Sojourner Truth Gave the "Ar'n't I A Woman?" Speech
![Sojourner Truth's Ar'n't IA Woman? Speech Sojourner Truth's was a very powerful speaker, but this quote is pulled from someone's very inaccurate transcription of her speech 12 years after she gave it. Additionally, they falsely added a southern slave dialect. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/9/8/2/834982.jpg)
Source: Sojourner Truth Memorial