History is a funny thing, while it is something that can be studied and scrutinized for accuracy, it can also just as easily be modified after the fact. You’ve likely heard that the victor writes the history books, but popular culture just as easily grabs hold of interesting facts and twists them until they no longer represent reality. Here are 5 interesting misconceptions rooted in (often military) history.
This is an interesting claim made by the infamous dictator Benito Mussolini. According to Mussolini, the railway system was extremely inefficient before the fascist regime of his making came to power. After some efficient tune ups spearheaded by Mussolini, the Italian railways were considered among the best in Europe, or so the story goes.
However, reality, as is often the case, suggests otherwise. While it is true that during WWI the rail system was in quite bad shape, most of the fixes and repairs on the Italian railway were made before Benito Mussolini and the fascist party came to power in 1922. As is common societies were the government has complete control over the media, Mussolini simply used this “improvement” because it was convenient to highlight the obvious superiority of fascism.
Also, those who lived in the era later attested to the fact that the legendary time-schedule was as much fiction as the repairs made by Mussolini. Go figure.
The story goes something like this: At the time, because no one believed the the Earth was round, most everyone thought that any money invested in Christopher Columbus’ voyage would be wasted when he would undoubtedly fall off the edge of the Earth. Therefore, Columbus had to search for years for a financier before he could embark on his world changing voyage that almost didn’t happen because people from long ago were ignorant.
While interesting and dramatic, this is a mix of truth and supposition. While it was difficult for Columbus to secure financing, it wasn’t because they thought he would fall off the edge. In fact, the majority of learned people knew Earth was round. The fancy navigational systems for sailing were heavily based on longitude and latitude, the assumption of a spherical Earth was built in. Therefore, it is silly to imagine that they would deny Columbus his backing because of something they knew to be true.
However, they did take issue with his estimation of the distance to from Europe to India, his destination. And rightly so, he was completely wrong! He ended up finding the America’s, a lucky accident.
There is no doubt that Marie Antoinette is one of the most famous of all Queens from France, and likely, Europe. The popular quote “Let them eat cake” is definitely her primary claim to fame. The story goes something like this: When informed that the peasants of France had no more bread on which to survive, Marie Antoinette thusly replied “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche”, or roughly translated, “Let them eat cake”.
However eloquent it may sound, it is unlikely she ever uttered those words. There is no evidence or first hand accounts anywhere except by political philosopher Jean-Jacques Roussea. However, Roussea attributes it to an unamed lady of nobility at a time when Antoinette was merely 10.
The phrase “Let the eat cake” was undoubtedly uttered by some noble lady, but the likely source will probably remain lost to history, if not to the average quoter.
Cinco De Mayo is a favorite amond Margarita fans as an excuse to indulge in the Tequila powered drink and celebrate an alternative culture. Most people believe this to be the Mexican equivilant to the United States Forth of July celebration. For as much excitement that it generates, it has to be true.
The truth is, Cinco de Mayo is only a regional celebration in Puebla and commemorates the Mexican victory over France in the Battle of Puebla in 1862. While interesting, Cinco de Mayo is not as important as the bars make it out to be is it?
While it has become a short of joke to mention how this powerful general was so short, the truth is that he wasn’t as small as you’d think. The first part of this misconception that many believe is a dead giveaway was his nickname of “le petit caporal“. Petit seems to mean small to us English speaking folk, but in French, it is merely an affectionate term.
The next part of the myth is that he was only 5′ 2″. Anyone would agree that that is quite short. However, that was in French feet, a slightly different measurement system that modern international feet where he would be more like 5′ 6″. Compare this to the average height of a Frenchman in the 19th century and he was a bit taller than average. Go figure.
Although, as a condolence, he did surround himself with extremely tall French guards, perhaps making him appear small than he really was. Regardless, this is likely the most popular misconception.