Even in the 21st century, when it feels like it’s so easy to fact-check with just a quick Google, historical myths still spread like wildfire. They can be pretty juicy, it’s true — but in my opinion, the truth is always far more interesting! So, here are 10 historical myths, mistruths, or outright lies that you may or may not have heard, believe, or have even unknowingly spread. Enjoy!
1.
Julius Caesar didn’t really say “Et tu, Brute?” during his assassination.
2.
Contrary to what some believe, Queen Elizabeth I wasn’t England’s first queen. In reality, the first queen to rule the country in her own right was Mary I, Elizabeth’s older sister. However…
The even juicier truth is that although Mary was England’s first official queen, its first female ruler, Empress Matilda, predates her reign by about 400 years — and almost no one knows who she is.
3.
Many people know that the Pilgrims of Massachusetts were not the first Europeans to establish a colony in North America. Their 1620 landing is predated by the 1607 establishment of the infamous Jamestown Colony in Virginia. But Jamestown was actually not the first Old World settlement in what’s now the US; that title belongs to St. Augustine, Florida, which is still the oldest city in the US today.
4.
The phrase “let them eat cake” was never “let them eat cake,” it was “let them eat brioche.” (Way more French.) Also, Marie Antoinette never said it!
5.
During the Salem witch tirals, not one person was burned at the stake.
6.
Columbus was NOT setting out to prove that the Earth was round. We already knew that!
7.
But Columbus wasn’t the first European to discover the Americas.
8.
Carrots don’t give you good eyesight, nor do they help you see in the dark.
9.
Paul Revere never shouted, “the British are coming!”
10.
And finally: Nero didn’t really fiddle (or play the lyre) while Rome burned. Probably.
So, what do you think of these? Let me know in the comments. Better yet, tell me your own historical myths that drive you up the wall — I always love learning more about history.
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