17 Historical Facts That Are False
![17 Historical Facts That Are False](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/8/0/7/744807_320x180.jpg?v=1)
Did you know that Jewish enslaved people did not build the pyramids? According to Amihai Mazar, a senior lecturer at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the above popular myth is based on remarks founded by former Israeli P.M Menachem Begin while touring Egypt in 1977. Archaeological discoveries show that Egyptians themselves built the pyramids.
Vikings wore no horned helmets. There is no proof of horned helmets in archeological evidence. According to historiansl, most Viking soldiers went bare-headed but usually wore headgear. This famous, albeit untrue, picture of burly men sauntering into war with horns originated in the 1800s, once Swedish painter Gustav Malmströmstems used it in his work. Garments with horned helmets were also used in a few of Wagner's operas.
So, kids, pay attention: do not believe everything your history professor tells you. Many widely held history "facts" are false. Keep on reading for more reasons to interrupt your teacher in class.
![BELIEF: Cowboy hats were worn in beginning of the Western American frontier. TRUTH: The cowboy hat didn't become popular until after the American Civi](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/8/0/3/744803.jpg?v=1)
![BELIEF: Women were burned at the stake during the Salem Witch Trials. TRUTH: The accused died in prison, were hanged, or, in one case, were pressed to](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/8/0/2/744802.jpg?v=1)
![BELIEF: Many stock brokers jumped out of windows when the market collapsed. TRUTH: There were two jumping suicides between the crash and 1929. The myt](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/8/0/5/744805.jpg?v=1)
![a2+b = c2 t BELIEF: The Pythagorean theorem was discovered by Pythagoras. TRUTH: The theorem was used centuries before Pythagoras was born. Little is](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/8/0/1/744801.jpg?v=1)
![BELIEF: Benjamin Franklin proposed a wild turkey be the official symbol of the U.S., instead of the bald eagle. TRUTH: Ben Franklin, in a private lett](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/8/0/0/744800.jpg?v=1)
![BELIEF: Immigrants' last names were Americanized at Ellis Island. TRUTH: The inspectors never even wrote down the names of the immigrants but checked](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/7/9/9/744799.jpg?v=1)
![BELIEF: Albert Einstein failed math classes. TRUTH: Einstein confirmed he never failed math and was at the top of his class. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/8/0/4/744804.jpg?v=1)
![atLe BELIEF: Coca-Cola invented Santa Claus as we know him. TRUTH: In 1836, illustrator Thomas Nast originated the classic imagery of Santa Claus in a](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/7/9/5/744795.jpg?v=1)
![BELIEF: The Great Wall of China is visible from space. TRUTH: The Wall isn't visible with the naked eye while an astronaut is in low orbit, but you ca](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/7/9/2/744792.jpg?v=1)
![BELIEF: George Washington Carver invented peanut butter. TRUTH: Carver invented lots of uses for peanuts and was way ahead of his time in his holistic](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/7/8/7/744787.jpg?v=1)
![BELIEF: Henry Ford invented the automobile and/or the assembly line. TRUTH: Henry Ford didn't invent either. However, the Ford Company developed the m](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/7/7/1/744771.jpg?v=1)
![BELIEF: Pilgrims wore all black and buckle hats. TRUTH: Pilgrims dressed mostly in earth tones and would wear hats but without buckles. The fashion st](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/7/5/9/744759.jpg?v=1)
![BELIEF: George Washington had wooden teeth. TRUTH: Washington had bad teeth and wore dentures made of human and animal teeth and alloys. His dentures](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/7/4/3/744743.jpg?v=1)
![BELIEF: Classical statues were white. TRUTH: Ancient Roman and Greek statues used to painted bright colors but have faded over time. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/7/4/4/744744.jpg?v=1)
![BELIEF: Vikings wore horned hats. TRUTH: They either wore no hats or simple hats of iron or leather. The horned hat imagery was invented in the 1800s.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/7/4/1/744741.jpg?v=1)
![BELIEF: Medieval Europeans believed the Earth was flat. TRUTH: People knew the Earth was round by sixth century BC. The myth was started by people in](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/7/4/5/744745.jpg?v=1)
![IL Fiw Hls wel shs ore phrle d heme Randhen hn HlanG inhani i- er oedHoreve BELIEF: July 4th was the day the US declared independence from Great Brita](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/9/8/0/744980.jpg?v=1)
![LEARN MORE COMMON HISTORIC MISCONCEPTIONS Malcolm X Was A Violent Radical, While Martin Luther King, Jr. Was All About Pacifism Segregation was a Sout](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/8/0/6/744806.jpg?v=2)