Lies Your History Teacher Told You

School and Education - Education

By: PupFashionista     11-Oct-2010

First President of the United States

George Washington, right? Wrong. The first president was a guy by the name of Samuel Huntington. Huntington was president when the Articles of Confederation came into law in 1781. (It was the first document to ever use the term "United States.") His term was almost over when the Articles went into effect, so John Hanson was the first president who was elected specifically to the role of President of the United States. (Washington even voted for him.) Then there was Elias Boudinot, Thomas Mifflin, Richard Henry Lee, Nathan Gorman, Arthur St. Clair, and Cyrus Griffin. (Under the Articles, presidents were only allowed to serve 1 year terms.) Washington was inaugurated in 1789 as the ninth president but the first under the new constitution.

George Washington Had Wooden Teeth

Nope. Besides not being sanitary, untreated wood in a moist environment (like the mouth) would rot and splinter fairly quickly. Washington's teeth were actually made out of ivory from a hippopotamus, gold, and human teeth. (Don't ask where the human teeth came from. Trust me in that you just don't want to know.)

Abraham Lincoln Set Out to Abolish Slavery

Civil wars erupted all over Europe during the 1850's, and the United States wasn't fairing much better. While Lincoln wasn't pro-slavery, he knew trying to abolish it would lead to national turmoil, something he was trying to prevent at all costs. Even during the Civil War, he stated saving the Union was his primary goal and given the choice between the two, saving the Union was more important than abolishing slavery. Further proof: the Emancipation Proclamation didn't free all slaves. In Union border states such as Missouri and Kentucky, slavery still existed. Slavery didn't even legally end until December 1865. eight months after the civil war ended.

Christopher Columbus Discovered America

Millions of Native Americans were already living in the Americas thousands of years before the arrival of Columbus. While it's not clear who the first humans to live on American soil were, more than likely they were of Asian descent. Columbus can't even claim the honor of being the first European in America. Eric the Red arrived in Greenland around 982, and his son Leif arrived in Newfoundland some time later. Some theories even place the Knights Templar, keepers of the Holy Grail, in Canada and the Midwest 100 years before Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

Let Them Eat Cake

Though long associated with Marie Antoinette, she never said it. During the time leading up to the French Revolution, France had suffered major droughts and grain shortages. In the meantime, the aristocracy was trying to gain more political power. The Austrian-born queen was viewed as frivolous and not well liked due to her lineage, so the nobles took advantage. They started the rumor that when told the peasants had no more grain and were starving, she said then let them eat cake. Not only did the peasants believe the false rumor, it's become so ingrained that people still repeat it to this day.




Final Thoughts

Moral of the story: The next time you think you absolutely know something about history, double check the facts. Rumors and myths started hundreds of years ago are still being told today... sometimes even by your well-meaning history teacher.


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