Jan 20
6 Common History Myths Commonly Accepted as Facts
Which of these myths did you buy?
All of us have heard about famous events that occurred throughout history. We have heard stories involving the most popular historical characters. However, you’ll be shocked to find out that all of the incidents you heard about history since you were a kid are not always true. Some of them have turned out to be myths. In this article, let’s explore some myths regarding history that are commonly accepted as facts.
Myth 1: Baseball was invented in America
Baseball was not invented in America. Abner Doubleday did not invent it either. In fact, the ancestor of baseball can be traced back to a British game called rounders, whose printed rules have existed since 1828. A version of rounders have been played in America in the 1800s. Baseball evolved from rounders.
Myth 2: Saint Patrick was Irish
Saint Patrick was not Irish. He was born in the western part of Britain to a good family of Roman heritage. When he was 16, he was captured by Irish raiders who sold him to an Irish chieftain. He served as a shepherd for the chieftain and later escaped Ireland after six years of being a captive. He later came back to Ireland and did a lot of religious works, which led to the rise of his popularity as an Irish.
Myth 3: Women got burned during the Salem witch trials
Women convicted of being witches did get burned in Europe, but they never got burned in America. The accusations of being a witch were almost impossible to refute during those times, as funny as it may sound in the present day. The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 accused more than 100 people of witchcraft, but only 20 of them got executed (19 by hanging, 1 by crushing).
Myth 4: Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas
Christopher Columbus did not discover the Americas. Historians say that Leif Erickson discovered the Americas more than 500 years before Columbus reached the Americas. Columbus is popular only because he introduced the new continent of the Americas to medieval Europe.
Myth 5: Ancient people believed that the earth was flat
Ancient people did not believe that the earth was flat. They saw the sunrise and sunsets occurring on the horizon and surely believed that the earth is round. The Flat Earth Society is surprisingly an organization started by modern humans.
Myth 6: Thomas Edison invented the light bulb
Thomas Edison did not invent the light bulb. He just perfected it. Many people made light bulbs before him. He was just successful in keeping the bulb illuminated for a longer period of time, which led to the bulb getting sold commercially all over the world.
