Experts conclude these ‘truths’ were made-up…
If we needed a reminder that ‘facts’ we are taught in school are sometimes based on misunderstandings or outright propaganda, this list offers proof!
Our sharpest readers will know the truth behind many of these famous events, but there’s a debunked truth in our list to surprise nearly everyone.
Some of these famous facts and often-repeated events have become distorted over time, transformed into legends that are far different than what really happened. Ever wonder why some famous people have unbelievable reputations for incredible deeds? Sometimes it’s because those deeds never even happened. The stories that make it into history books can be skewed by personal bias and political propaganda. Sometimes they’re just badly understood and researchers only discover the truth many years later.
So if any of these debunked truths come as a surprise, remember the true facts and test your friends.
OK, let’s get started with a weird one about America’s first President…
George Washington Had Wooden Dentures
…Or so the history books tell us.
And why would we give that a second glance? After all, Washington lived way back in the 18th century. Some technology was pretty primitive back then and dentistry was certainly a rudimentary discipline compared to our modern-day equivalent. But wooden dentures?
The beloved myth of George Washington’s wooden teeth is just that: a myth. It’s possible someone, long ago made the claim, in error or as a joke and the rumor grew, but the truth turns out to be much more complicated.
Although carefully-carved wooden dentures did exist hundreds of years before Washington, over in Japan, researchers who had access to Washington’s teeth kept in a museum collection were able to learn the truth. A series of laser scans proved George Washington’s dentures were made of several materials. Ivory, gold, lead (!?!), and even human and animal teeth made up Washington’s dentures. The dentures had springs to help them open.
If that well-known ‘fact’ is just a commonly-retold myth, what else might we ‘know’ that’s actually wrong?
How about the invention of the light bulb, the famous battle between the Spartans and Persians at Thermopylae, and those crazy Salem witch trials?
Those are just a few areas we’ll look at, and along the way, we’ll even debunk some urban legends… Get started on the Next Page:
