Join the Fun!

The person who ignited the discussion, u/throwaway000689, came up with the idea for it quite spontaneously. "I was thinking about the conversation I had with my friend where he said that the reason for the downfall of the Roman empire was because of the rampant hedonism," the Redditor told Bored Panda, adding that they find this assessment completely wrong.

One might think that such talks are of little importance. After all, people live in the present, they plan for and worry about the future, but history is the study of the past. Why bother with what has been?

Peter N. Stearns, a professor at George Mason University, where he had been provost for 14 years, said the reason is quite simple: there's much to learn from the bygone days.

"In the first place, history offers a storehouse of information about how people and societies behave," Stearns wrote. "Understanding the operations of people and societies is difficult, though a number of disciplines make the attempt. An exclusive reliance on current data would needlessly handicap our efforts. How can we evaluate war if the nation is at peace—unless we use historical materials? How can we understand genius, the influence of technological innovation, or the role that beliefs play in shaping family life, if we don't use what we know about experiences in the past?"

u/throwaway000689 agrees. "History [not only teaches us about the] mistakes of the past, [but it] also allows us to learn more about the world we live in which helps expand the mind of the average individual."

30 People Share Historical 'Facts' That Have Been Proven Wrong Long Ago, But Many People Still Believe In That people from the past were just less intelligent than modern people. Fact is, humans from even 15,000 years ago were just as intelligent as modern humans (intelligence being the ability to learn and apply knowledge). They just had different things to worry about and had not discovered everything that we know today.

The whole of modern civilization is built on discovers made thousands or tens of thousands of years ago. Our ancestors, starting with nothing but stone tools and basic survival skills, created agriculture, writing, mathematics, standardized language, the wheel, metallurgy, ship building, architecture, trade routes spanning all of afro-eurasia, currency, banking, cross breeding of animals and plants to create better strains, the list goes on.

If I plucked a human baby from thousands of years ago, properly immunized it to modern diseases, and raised it as any other child today, you would be unable to tell the difference between them or any other child.

Fact is the only difference between us and our ancient ancestors is the discoveries, philosophies, technology and effort performed, created and understood by the hundreds of generations between us.

Our ancient ancestors were simply smart in different ways because we only really learn what we have to. Ancient Polynesians literally memorized the night sky for navigating the innumerable islands of the Indo-Pacific and Oceania, Norse people's built ships capable of sailing from Europe to America using only hand tools, wood, linen, nails and rope. Ancient east Asian cultures built massive temples out of wood using only precisely crafted wood joints and no nails. Rome built, well, Rome, with hand tools and hand calculated math. Same can be said of the wonders of Egypt, India and mesopotamia.

Then there is Göbekli Tepe, an amazing structure of precisely placed monoliths, engraved walls and cobblestone paths built nearly 12,000 years ago. Which is nearly 6000 years prior to our earliest records of advanced civilizations.

We stand on the backs of thousands of years of knowledge painstakingly collected and handed down for millennia to us who have taken it and created wonders our ancestors would attribute to gods.

Yet we ignore the gargantuan effort that our long dead kin have contributed to our success and even view them with distain. Calling them savages, ignorant and fools. Truly we are the ungrateful child looking down on the gracious teacher that our ancestors were.

We are the summation of all of humanity, just another step in a long history of advancement, not a separate holy being above it or separate from it.

Ralife55 , Monsieurdl Report

Final score:

380points

POST

Fred Van Der Zee 3 years ago

This. I once had a discussion with someone who thought the pyramids could only be built by aliens because the people in the past were too stupid to build them.

137points

30 People Share Historical 'Facts' That Have Been Proven Wrong Long Ago, But Many People Still Believe In That white people were the only ones that traded in slavery. Forgetting about north and east africa where natives sold others mostly to the middle east. White women brought high prices and were often shipped great distances. Women in russia were also traded to the middle east.

RetiredFart42 , William Clark Report

Final score:

368points

POST

Cecily Holland 3 years ago

Africans did a roaring trade. It was the perfect way to get rid of an inconvenient rival or family member

182points

Bignasty197 , Schlesinger Library Report

However, the prevalence of these misconceptions can be indicative of the fact that history is losing in the academic popularity contest.

According to statistics from the National Center for Education Statistics, there were 34,642 history majors in 2008. Fast forward to 2017, the count was just 24,266. Most of that decline occurred after 2012, with a notable single-year drop of more than 1,500 between 2016 and 2017.

However, maybe it's not yet time to be ringing any alarm bells. Northeastern University’s Benjamin M. Schmidt pointed out that the history major has had low points before. The discipline weathered a significant decline from 1969 and 1985, when the major dropped by 66 percent.

However, those numbers were linked to higher education’s boom in the ’60s that saw the discipline’s rapid expansion and subsequent bust when higher education growth slowed in the ’70s.

This drop is especially pronounced at private, not-for-profit institutions. While all demographic groups are impacted, the highest drops in the field have been seen among Asian-Americans and women.

30 People Share Historical 'Facts' That Have Been Proven Wrong Long Ago, But Many People Still Believe In That Rosa Parks was just some nice old lady who wouldn't give up a bus seat.

She was a political activist who meticulously planned that specific instance of civil protest.

Final score:

358points

POST

Francc 3 years ago

And what if she did? It was about time someone gave the middle finger to discrimination and the color bar of her time. I'm glad she had the courage to plan and carry it through.

21points

30 People Share Historical 'Facts' That Have Been Proven Wrong Long Ago, But Many People Still Believe In Cowboys were not cool white guys with endless independence!!! Cowboys were in fact largely black, Mexican, and Native American men who were in need of money and were seen on the low end of social hierarchy. Originally they used whips and dogs to control their herd. Eventually the lazo became the lasso, chaparajos became chaps, and the sombrero turned into the ten gallon cowboy hat we know today. Herding cattle was hard work and was beneath “respectable white folk”. Cowboys worked in groups of 12 or so to herd thousands of cattle over hundreds of miles, and they too had a leader called the trail boss. Cowboys were in fact not rugged icons of independence, but took orders like everyone else and made wages lower than skilled factory pay. Cowboys could also come as young as 12 years old.

honeeyghost , Paramount Pictures Report

Final score:

278points

POST

Mike Crow 3 years ago

A little off topic, but many “wild west” towns and cities, even in Texas, didn’t allow people to carry guns inside the city/town limits. The people were sick of the gun fights and murders.

131points

That Jewish people and other victims of the Holocaust went willingly to their death and no one fought back. While it’s true that a lot of victims did not believe the genocide was occurring and they were simply being relocated (Nazis/Hitler were very persuasive and no one could imagine a genocide), plenty fought back. There were resistance groups all over the place as well as people fighting from their homes when they were being taken for deportation. Guns were used, makeshift bombs, stolen bombs, etc. Not everyone was going to go to the concentration camps/death camps/detention centres without a fight.

Been studying the Holocaust since 2008.

PrxnceZuko Report

Final score:

272points

POST

xolitaire 3 years ago (edited)

Maybe it's because I am German, but I have literally NEVER heard anyone say that. No one here (aside from neo nazis) believes the Jews died willingly like sheep. There is a vast number of interviews with holocaust survivors and in all of them you will here them say "And then I knew we were going to die." They knew. Most of them already knew on the trains taking them to the camps.

32points

30 People Share Historical 'Facts' That Have Been Proven Wrong Long Ago, But Many People Still Believe In People didn't die at 30-40. The high infant mortality rate skews the average. If you could survive into your teen years you had a pretty good chance of living into your senior years. Obviously there are a lot of factors to consider(eg class, gender, occupation, where you lived, etc.)

crazynekosama , Mayron Oliveira Report

Final score:

253points

POST

Monday 3 years ago

Provided there wasn't a war...that would skew mortality rate for men quite a lot.

79points

30 People Share Historical 'Facts' That Have Been Proven Wrong Long Ago, But Many People Still Believe In It’s petty, but I hate it when people say that Marilyn Monroe was a size 12/14/16. This may have been true in the 1950s, but clothes sizes have changed A LOT since then. Reports of Marilyn’s measurements by her costumers noted that she was 5 ft. 5.5 inches tall; 35 inch bust; 22 inch waist; and 35 inch hips and 118 pounds. Of course her weight fluctuated, but it is simply dishonest to think that in modern times, she would have been considered “plus size.”

In today’s sizing, depending on where she’d shop at, she would be a size 00-4.

dbsx77 , Bert Parry Report

Final score:

249points

POST

Otter 3 years ago

She was quite a slim woman, just a bit softer than is fashionable today.

64points

The United States spent the majority of its time and resources in WWII fighting the Nazi’s to free the Jews.

The majority of US fighting was in the Pacific theatre against Japan, because they bombed the sh*t out of us. We weren’t even going to join the war at first, only assist Britain.

Jak_n_Dax Report

Final score:

245points

POST

Cecily Holland 3 years ago

The USA wanted nothing to do with WW2 and refused several times get involved. Until the Japanese snuck up on Pearl Harbour where the yanks had conveniently parked all their boats which made Japans job very easy.

150points

Imfinejusthomeless , Ember Navarro Report

#10

30 People Share Historical 'Facts' That Have Been Proven Wrong Long Ago, But Many People Still Believe In Knights weren't exactly chivalrous. It was a concept designed to make them appear magnanimous, and to justify their brutality among the common folk of their enemies when they weren't at war.

Knights could even pay their respective kings to chicken out of fighting in a war if they were summoned to do so, which many did to keep on pillaging hovels full of bumpkins because it was easy sport.

In short, a lot of Knights were rich, murderous bullies with too much free time on their hands.

Final score:

239points

POST

Otter 3 years ago

The whole "Courtly Love" thing was an attempt to actually make the knights behave chivalrously, to make following a code of honor fashionable, and to make knights less bullies and more... knightly. This started in the 12th century, after knights in shining armor had been around for a while, don't get me started.

68points

#11

30 People Share Historical 'Facts' That Have Been Proven Wrong Long Ago, But Many People Still Believe In “Medieval peasant food was bland”

People seem to think peasants only ate bread and potatoes with no seasoning. In reality, while salt was indeed a luxury they often couldn’t afford, they had access to plenty of herbs to flavor their food. They also had access to things like fish and other meats, so they weren’t just eating bread, though it was an important staple of their diet.

If you’re interested in how a bunch of civilizations ate throughout history, check out Tasting History on YouTube. It’s a great source of historical information and entertainment.

Balrog229 , circleoftheyear Report

Final score:

214points

POST

Fred Van Der Zee 3 years ago

The potato arrived in the West in the late 16th century anyway, so after the Middle Ages.

112points

Zero_Talents , Ferdinand Schmutzer Report

#12

30 People Share Historical 'Facts' That Have Been Proven Wrong Long Ago, But Many People Still Believe In "Even Einstein was bad at math"

No, his grades were disclosed multiple times and showed very high marks in math.

Final score:

207points

POST

Shelp 3 years ago

Of course he wasn't, you can't work on high-level physics without any knowledge in maths

97points

Cathy-the-Grand , Jacques-Louis David Report

#13

30 People Share Historical 'Facts' That Have Been Proven Wrong Long Ago, But Many People Still Believe In That Napoleon was short. Dude was 5"6'. Making him downright average for the European standard at the time. A brief investigation shows this was a rumor that his enemies spread in order to deminish his reputation and how serious his subjects took him. Funny error, but still an error

Final score:

205points

POST

Jo Choto 3 years ago

Yup, this is absolutely true. But it was also compounded by the fact that the French foot measurement was actually a couple of inches longer than the British foot measurement, which made him sound shorter.

10points

#14

30 People Share Historical 'Facts' That Have Been Proven Wrong Long Ago, But Many People Still Believe In That Neanderthals were monosyllabic brutes. There's no evidence of that whatsoever. Their brains were bigger than ours and casts of the inside of their skulls show that they had all the same structures our brains had. Their tool making was comparable to any Homo sapiens' took making (at least before the Great Leap Forward) and they lived in communities just like we did.

We also regularly mated with them and had kids, which I really don't think we would if they were little more than quasi-gorillas.

PhillipLlerenas , Bacon Cph Report

Final score:

199points

POST

Romenriel 3 years ago

And many people today have Neandrethal ancestors, meaning that Neandrethals weren't wiped out by modern men, but rather blended in with them.

115points

#15

30 People Share Historical 'Facts' That Have Been Proven Wrong Long Ago, But Many People Still Believe In Only around 40% of colonists supported the American Revolution. Another 40% was indifferent, and about 20% sided with the British. Most Americans think that it was the vast majority who wanted Independence.

placeholderNull , John Trumbull Report

Final score:

193points

POST

Leo Domitrix 3 years ago

I wouldn't say indifferent so much as "not immediately involved", given what I know about US history. They were busy farming or whatever, and not really concerned with high ideals beyond, "Can I feed the family this winter? Is the cow sick? That's terrible about the deaths in Boston, but I live in Podunk, and we never see redcoats." So, typical human mindset, really. (See: Brexit.)

93points

#16

30 People Share Historical 'Facts' That Have Been Proven Wrong Long Ago, But Many People Still Believe In That witches could only be women. There were plenty of male ‘witches’ over hundreds of years. In fact there are lot of misconceptions about witchcraft in general

mickeyajp5 , waltdisneystudios Report

Final score:

182points

POST

Shelp 3 years ago

And also the witch trials occurred during the Early Modern Period, and not during the Middle Ages

47points

#17

I've mentioned this before but the Earth was mathematically proven to be spherical by the Ancient Greeks in the 3rd Century BC. Literate people, at very least, wouldn't have believed the Earth to be flat in the Medieval era.

Furthermore, the Dark Ages weren't the Dark Ages because the Church allegedly suppressed science that they disagreed with. Many important discoveries were sponsored by the Church, and scientists/clergy were not mutually exclusive.

2ndOfficerCH Report

Final score:

175points

POST

troufaki13 3 years ago

Ιt's been proven since the 3rd century BCE yet there are still people who think Earth is a floating raft smh

77points

Dutch Swimmer Goes Viral For Super Revealing Trunks During 2024 Olympics: “Is This Legal?”

See Also on Bored Panda

Thrill-Seeking Diver Jumps Down Extreme Waterslide, Ignoring The Strict Ban For Women

#18

That carrots magically make your eyesight better. I still hear people say this to this day. Carrots are good for you, but not any better for your eyes than any other vegetable.

In World War 2 when the Nazis were bombing Great Britain, they couldn't figure out how the Brits were able to shoot their planes down at night. British propaganda stated that their gunners and pilots ate a lot of carrots to improve their eyesight.

In actuality they were covering up the fact that they'd invented RADAR and didn't want the Jerrys to know about it.

allmeatbopper Report

Final score:

161points

POST

Jetze 3 years ago

Actually I read somewhere it was not to hide the fact that the UK had radar (as the Germans had Freya and Wurzburg) radar systems, which the British knew and captured in operation Biting). But to hide the fact that the British had it miniaturised enough to allow mounting them on planes. For more info see https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/a-wwii-propaganda-campaign-popularized-the-myth-that-carrots-help-you-see-in-the-dark-28812484/

64points

#19

Oh, so many.

Native Americans were just as capable of ecological destruction as any other humans. My favorite example of this was from my archeology professor who does excavations of Native American sites in Baja. In excavating a midden (trash heap) he found at the bottom were bones from the local land mammals, that got smaller and smaller as the locals over-hunted. Then was a level of fish and sea mammals -- again, starting with bone from large fish and mammals and getting smaller and smaller until they practically disappeared from over hunting and over fishing. Then on the top were the shellfish -- and again, the same pattern. Until apparently there was nothing left at this site to eat, and the Natives moved on.

Native peoples used every bit of the animal when they had to, when said animals were tough to kill. North America didn't have horses between last ice age and Columbus. In fact, the favorite method for killing bison was to chase a herd off a cliff. And we know where this was done because the Natives left a whole lotta bones in the kill zone. Which we obviously couldn't find if they really used every part of the animal.

Native Americans understood property rights. Various systems between tribes, from quasi-socialist bands of multiple families where all produce was held in common (but very explicitly belonged to the band and would be defended against outsiders), to land assigned to different families for use and periodically reapportioned, to land that was held by families and inheritable. My theory is that this myth was first started by colonists to justify stealing the land and then perpetuated as Rousseauian "look at how much better the primitives are!" nonsense.

Probonoh Report

Final score:

153points

POST

sofacushionfort 3 years ago

If we admire the native peoples for using every part of the animal, we must be over the moon about hot dog producers.

107points

Woman Put A Water Fountain With A Camera In Her Yard, Here Are 24 Photos Of Regular Visitors (New Pics)

See Also on Bored Panda

“Ma’am I Live Here”: Woman Refuses To Back Out Of Driveway, Learns A Lesson The Hard Way

#20

30 People Share Historical 'Facts' That Have Been Proven Wrong Long Ago, But Many People Still Believe In That AD means after death.

Evincer1968 , Kenny Orr Report

Final score:

151points

POST

SentimentAndBadJokes 3 years ago

It gets so frustrating having people tell me that actually, it DOES mean after death. Correct my spelling please, but AD is Latin for Anno Domini, which translate roughly to English as 'the Year of Christ'

119points

#21

30 People Share Historical 'Facts' That Have Been Proven Wrong Long Ago, But Many People Still Believe In The myth about the Vomitorium

The story goes that Roman nobility would go there to eat so much till they puked and would then continue eating.

It was just the name for the Colosseum entrance.

Th3_Accountant , Kelisi Report

Final score:

150points

POST

Shelp 3 years ago

Haha, that's the first time I hear of that myth

8points

#22

30 People Share Historical 'Facts' That Have Been Proven Wrong Long Ago, But Many People Still Believe In That if you were a Peasant you could marry who ever you wanted for love and if you were a noble, royal or the like you could only marry for power During the Medieval period.

Higher class people could and did (though it wasn't common) marry for love and most of the time Peasant marriages were arranged for the same reason as noble ones were, to link two families together, you very rarely got to marry who you liked it was usually who your parents liked.

Also Prima nocta has, as far as I know was never actually being recorded as a thing.

Nugo520 , 20thcenturystudios Report

Final score:

128points

POST

xolitaire 3 years ago (edited)

That is not a "common misconception", its just a movie plot. Planned marriages were a super common thing all through Europe. Marriage itself was just a vehicle to ensure your children would take care of you and your belongings in the future.

55points

50 Of The Most Incredible Shots That Were Submitted To The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

See Also on Bored Panda

French Diver’s “Jewels” In Tight Swimming Trunks Become Talk Of The Town At Olympics

#23

30 People Share Historical 'Facts' That Have Been Proven Wrong Long Ago, But Many People Still Believe In The belief that Anastasia did not die with the rest of her family

Aware_Masterpiece_23 , the United States Library of Congress' Report

Final score:

125points

POST

Vorknkx 3 years ago

Wait, you're telling me she didn't lose her memory and get hunted by an undead Rasputin and his albino bat???

176points

FeelFreeToIgnoreThis , Mathew Brady Report

#24

30 People Share Historical 'Facts' That Have Been Proven Wrong Long Ago, But Many People Still Believe In I have had way too many of my university students tell me that Lincoln owned slaves.

Final score:

124points

POST

Kira Okah 3 years ago

He was anti slavery and didn't own slaves. I'm not American and know that. Oof.

83points

_spookyvision_ , Alexander Bassano Report

#25

30 People Share Historical 'Facts' That Have Been Proven Wrong Long Ago, But Many People Still Believe In There is no record of Queen Victoria ever saying "We are not amused".

And Roman gladiator fights usually weren't just pointless, bloody, fights to the death for scumbag convicts. The gladiators themselves were very highly trained celebrities who were very well looked after. It was entertainment done for show, much like WWE or similar today.

Final score:

121points

POST

AnnaBanana 3 years ago

She may not have said it, but the expression on her face sure does!!

101points

#26

French revolution storming of the Bastille freeing hundreds of political prisoners.

When in actual fact there were only 7 prisoners. (4 cheques forgers, a lunatic, a sexual deviant and a man who tried to assassinate King Louis XV 30 years ago).

Age-Zealousideal Report

Final score:

116points

POST

Phil Jones 3 years ago

Ive read this too- also I believe the French did not celebrate it until about 100 years after it happened - I love France but I really dont understand Bastille Day in the same way I dont understand Guy Fawkes Day in the UK!!

29points

Woman Moves Out Of Parents' Home After They Asked Her To Give Her Space To Brother, They Freak Out

See Also on Bored Panda

Mom Leaves $250k Inheritance To Son, Throws A Fit When Daughter Stops Looking After Her

#27

30 People Share Historical 'Facts' That Have Been Proven Wrong Long Ago, But Many People Still Believe In Deep breath.

I've been studying the Titanic disaster for over three decades. Titanic comes up on reddit a lot, which I love because how cool that my nerdy hobby interests so many people, but the amount of misconceptions is large. This is no ones fault, nor is it ignorance, Titanic had the (un)lucky fortune to become a symbol very quickly, so very often what we think of as history is really folklore. That being said, here are the ones I see often.

There is enough evidence, good evidence, where we can say that William Murdoch most likely did shoot himself. The scene James Cameron shot is a direct recreation of witness testimony- multiple witnesses actually. There is a huge amount of first hand and second hand evidence that this happened. Why it's thought to be a myth and why James Cameron had to apologize is actually another interesting part of the story but for the main question- in all my research, I've yet to see a fact based reason why we should think Will Murdoch was not a victim of suicide.

2)On the same note- yes Charles Lightoller lowered early boats without filling them- as he should have. It wasn't incompetence or ignorance, there were many reasons why this was the best course of action and it was practiced throughout the night. To add- Titanic's crew weren't incompetent or unprepared, they were, quite literally, the best of the best.

3)There were lifeboat drills. Multiple. Every night at 6pm.

4)The 4th funnel wasn't fake- it just served a slightly different purpose than the first three.

5) Titanic. was. not. speeding.

6) Boats were not filled by class.

7)Third Class was not locked below- but some of them thought they were. This is actually pretty interesting in that every view of this situation is the correct one. To refer to Cameron again- his portrayal of this is correct- depending on who you ask. It was miscommunication, not classism.

9) Coal fire damage- not a thing and the "evidence" is just ... wrong.

10) The switch theory not only makes no sense, it is literally impossible.

11) Titanic wasn't a cruise ship. She was an ocean liner :)

YourlocalTitanicguy , F.G.O. Stuart Report

Final score:

106points

POST

Monday 3 years ago

The switch theory is impossible...but still a very fun conspiracy theory to explore. It's also worth noting that one of the crew members on the titanic, Violet Jessop, survived not only the sinking of the Titanic, but also the sinkings of both the Olympic and the Britannic.

38points

Woman Refuses To Chip In For Babysitting Because She Doesn’t Even Have Kids, Asks If She’s A Jerk

See Also on Bored Panda

“This Breaks My Heart”: People Stunned—And Angry—After Woman Buys Lost Luggage From Airport

#28

30 People Share Historical 'Facts' That Have Been Proven Wrong Long Ago, But Many People Still Believe In The fact that Shah Jahan cut off hands of his workers after they completed Taj Mahal.

There's literally no evidence except for tell tales.

Many monuments were built after Taj Mahal under reign of Shah Jahan. Just think, who would work for you knowing that they're going to lose their hands if they did a good job.

veniato , Kristian Bertel Report

Final score:

104points

POST

Lyone Fein 3 years ago

I don't think people outside of India are familiar with this myth.

64points

Poorly-Drawn-Beagle , Jean-François Garneray Report

#29

30 People Share Historical 'Facts' That Have Been Proven Wrong Long Ago, But Many People Still Believe In Louis-Michel le Peletier cast the single vote that sentenced Louis XVI

Actually the vote was a pretty clear majority in favor of execution

Final score:

86points

POST

Caro Caro 3 years ago

Even he looks surprised about this fact !

46points

Loose_Acanthaceae20 , Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation Report

#30

30 People Share Historical 'Facts' That Have Been Proven Wrong Long Ago, But Many People Still Believe In That corsets were uncomfortable and prevented free movement and breathing, so were a way of physically subjugating women.

Firstly, this is often asserted by people who don't know the difference between bodies, stays and corsets, proving that they're waaaaay out of their lane.

It's pretty obvious even just from contemporary art that women were perfectly capable of getting through physical labour including farm work in that kind of supportive garment whether stiffened with interfacing/stitching or "boning" (not necessarily made of bone). And if you've ever worn one, you'll know how great they are for supporting your back and core.

They're much more comfortable than bras, in my opinion.

Oh and they didn't leave red marks all over your skin because unlike a bra you'd never have worn one against your skin (too difficult to wash) but over a shift/chemise/combination garment of some kind. Try putting your bra OVER a tank top or similar, and note (1) no loss of support, (2) much kinder to the skin, and (3) bra needs much less frequent washing.

Final score:

74points

POST

Leo Domitrix 3 years ago

BULLSH*T from a medical doctor. Many corset styles caused incredible harm, you're not meant to need anything to support your posture unless you are INJURED, and the boning was made of bones (whale, flexible) or metal, or WOOD, so don't try to sell this myth. Do NOT. We saw skeletal remains of women who were strictly corseted or "stayed" in med school. Girls were put into them before they finished growing. It may not have killed, but it wasn't like it was "good" fory ou. AND PEASANTS/FARMERS didn't wear high fashion, so duh they didn't wear the corsets seen in fashion! Good grief...

103points

"I Didn't Start The Dryer": Karen Gets Taught A Lesson After Throwing Out Neighbor's Wet Clothes

Note: this post originally had 49 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.

See Also on Bored Panda

College Student Does Exactly As Told After Roommates Demand They Keep Their Stuff In Their Room

Rokas is a writer at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication. After working for a sculptor, he fell in love with visual storytelling and enjoys covering everything from TV shows (any Sopranos fans out there?) to photography. Throughout his years in Bored Panda, over 300 million people have read the posts he's written, which is probably more than he could count to.

Read less »

I'm a Visual Editor at Bored Panda since 2017. I've searched through a multitude of images to create over 2000 diverse posts on a wide range of topics. I love memes, funny, and cute stuff, but I'm also into social issues topics. Despite my background in communication, my heart belongs to visual media, especially photography. When I'm not at my desk, you're likely to find me in the streets with my camera, checking out cool exhibitions, watching a movie at the cinema or just chilling with a coffee in a cozy place

Read less »

What do you think ?

POST

René Studer 3 years ago

The one the bothers me is when people say that Christopher Columbus was a great explorer and proved the earth was round. People knew very well that the earth was not flat at that time in history. The reason nobody took him seriously is because his math was way off on how far away india is. He would have died on the ocean if there wasn’t a continent in the way that nobody knew about. That jackass got incredibly lucky. He also enslaved the natives and let his men commit horribly crimes against them.

35points

Josy Bannon 3 years ago (edited)

Yes, he was a monster, "explorer" is a strange romanticization.

7points

Hot Babushka 3 years ago

And he sold young girls into sex slavery. My school actually goes over this and we happily don't only learn white men's point of view, or i would never have known that. HAPPY INDIGENOUS PEOPLE'S DAY!

5points

Nikki Sevven 3 years ago

Nor did he "discover" America. Note that it's not named the United States of Columbia.

5points

J. F. 3 years ago

If I remember correctly he used accurate arabian meassurements and forgot to translate them into his own - making the estimated distance WAY shorter

1point

Thomas brennan 3 years ago

It also wasn't completely unknown by Europeans. There had been strong suspicions that there was a landmass there - just like with Australia a few centuries later. For example, there is evidence of German writers having an awareness of Leif Erikson's voyages and the existence of Vinland. This is one of the reasons expeditions were sent - not just to find a passage to India but to also to find new lands.

1point

Lea S. 7 months ago

I agree with everything except - there were people that believed the Earth was flat just like there are now. They are wrong, but they existed.

0points

VeninTheNonBinaryRogue 3 years ago

Columbus sucked pretty bad. I feel bad for the indigenous people who just got killed and hurt

0points

Zaza 3 years ago

Exaclty. Let's have a nationwide holiday to celebrate some degenerate who thought he was the first person ever to set foot on American soil. And even when he knew he wasn't the first person there he whipped the natives into submission. Yay columbus day. I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks he's a jackass

0points

Seabeast 3 years ago

He was a nasty piece of work even by the standards of his time.

0points

Chris Challis 3 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Brendan 3 years ago

Who's to say the information in these posts are any more accurate than than the information on the rest of the web?

17points

Eb 3 years ago

Many of them do seem rather naive, as though they writers may be teenagers and just repeating random bits of hearsay, which isn't the same as a widely held belief.

4points

Katinka Min 3 years ago

Nobody checked the fact checkers, either.

10points

Phil Vaive 3 years ago

This is just a list of people who have their own misconceptions about history. That's it.

4points

ChickyChicky 3 years ago

A whole lot of "aKsHUally" going on in the posts and in the comments here.

2points

Sawdust 3 years ago

Let me say something wrong and then point out how wrong it is.

2points

Jo Choto 3 years ago

I suspect the vast majority of ancient history we are taught has been compromised or distorted to the point of not being very true at all.

2points

Pearl 3 years ago

SOME of these pieces of info also have a kernel of falsity. How the heck would these OP's be able to prove whether a person who lived more than a century did a specific action or not? Just like Marie's "let them eat cake". You will never be able to prove if she said that or not, the same goes with many historical figures.

2points

Martha Meyer 3 years ago

Seriozsly, how do you think we know ANYTHING about history?

7points

H Edwards 3 years ago

I think we actually can be, and are, very sure that Marie Antionette said nothing of the sort. Some of these assertions are questionable, but the myth of let them eat cake has been pretty thoroughly debunked at this point.

3points

Monday 3 years ago

We can safely say she never said "Let them eat cake" since she spoke French and German, not English.

3points

Something 3 years ago

It is possible that through some coincidence Marie Antoinette actually once whispered "let them eat cake" and nobody heard her, but we have no reason to think so.

1point

RandomBeing 3 years ago

The corsetry one is pretty false and ignores the complexities of corsetry and the history of similar garments.

0points

Rei 3 years ago

That the Bible isn't a respectable historical source and that Jesus never existed as a historical person. It is a historical source just as all the other ones we have about history and we have overwhelming evidence on the existence of a historcial person who was called Jesus of Nazareth, even outside of the Bible (for an expansion on this please take a look at NT Wright and other historians). Unfortunately, people have been dismissing these facts out of their own negative and biased emotions and beliefs about it and towards religion. But that would be the same as me saying I don't believe the historical sources that Iulius Ceasar existed just because I hate him. Quite subjective, isn't it?

1point

René Studer 3 years ago

I don’t agree. I don’t dismiss the bible as a source of history just because I don’t like religion. I dismiss it as a history book because to me it looks a lot like a bunch of storys only BASED on something that happened once. I don’t dismiss that Jesus existed but was he the son of god and did he walk on water? I don’t dismiss there might have been an ark but was it exactly for the reason described in the bible? Two of each species wouldn’t be nearly enough to guarantee a species survival. That is just a fact. You see what I mean? To me it would be like referencing James Bond movies while talking about the inner workings of MI6.

-1point

not your average weirdo 3 years ago

I don't like it when people say that Colombus was the first European to reach America. It was the Vikings.

1point

René Studer 3 years ago

We even learned that in „Asterix“.

0points

Deja Katz 3 years ago

Most of these I’ve never heard of anybody saying let alone believing as fact.

1point

Jon S. 3 years ago (edited)

My particular bugbear of a misconception is that Rome (the west at least) was conquered by pagans. People seem to believe that passive Christianity weakened martial morals of the empire. The Vandals, the Goths, and Lombards were all Christian as well. (The Huns, Franks and Saxons were not).

1point

BleeBloo 3 years ago

I wouldn't trust everything you read on the internet.

1point

You kidding me 3 years ago

What!?

1point

Amanda Panda 1 year ago

I'm sorry but there's no freaking way Marilyn Monroe had a 22 inch waist. Kate Moss has a 24-26 inch waist. That is impossibly small if you look at the 2 or them side by side. Even if there's a height difference. There's nothing soft on Kate Moss.

0points

Monica Pryts 2 years ago

The last name of my great-grandparents was changed after they came through Ellis Island.

0points

Alexa D. 1 year ago

They changed their own name, then. At Ellis Island, the ships would give the immigration officials their ship's manifest with all the passengers' names in it. It would have made the process so inefficient to review everyone's name.

0points

Rider 2 years ago

One of my favorites - Darwin converted to Christianity on his death bed. NOPE! If you think it's true then you're buying in to the lies perpetuated by a harridan called Lady Hope and published in the "Watchman Examiner." He had family around him the entire time and ALL of them said his supposed conversion never took place.

0points

Lovin' Life 3 years ago

Very interesting. I do think when others post there comments or their opinions, the reader could agree or disagree without the name calling and negative rude comments. It's sad that you cant have an opinion without being ridiculed. If you disagree, fine. Explain why. You may even change their opinions but the harsh comments and the name calling is just disgusting.

0points

Don't Look 3 years ago (edited)

I think people now spend too much time trying to prove facts to be false …. And keeping alive memories that aren’t necessary to keep alive.

0points

D H 3 years ago

when fact becomes legend print the legend

0points

Dodo 3 years ago

This is debatably historical but it frustrates me when people say Satan and Judas Iscariot are the bad guys. They're not, they're the good guys.

0points

Ryan Deschanel 3 years ago

They are respectively the one who tried to deprive all of mankind of eternal bliss, and the second one who sold the guy who came to fix the first one's s**t to the local dictator who tortured and killed him. They were not the good guys.

2points

SCamp 3 years ago

One I like - that there are sophisticated, expressive languages and there are basic, primitive languages - nope, any and every language is as capable of expressing any concept as precisely and as expressively as any other

-1point

Effin Fred 2 years ago

How about when people misunderstand how few descendants there are of black slaves in the US. I know this number because it has been my life's work for over 30 years and because I authored a book.

-3points

Christoph 3 years ago

This article seems awfully "agenda" driven. I would vet this information if it plucks your interest.

-3points

Ick Villiams 3 years ago

Shame. A convenient post for all the closet racists to come out and wax on all their favorite talking points.

-3points

Łukasz Markuszewski 3 years ago

Most of these are not correct too.

-3points

Jon S. 3 years ago

Care to give an example?

4points

POST

René Studer 3 years ago

35points

Josy Bannon 3 years ago (edited)

Yes, he was a monster, "explorer" is a strange romanticization.

7points

Hot Babushka 3 years ago

And he sold young girls into sex slavery. My school actually goes over this and we happily don't only learn white men's point of view, or i would never have known that. HAPPY INDIGENOUS PEOPLE'S DAY!

5points

Nikki Sevven 3 years ago

Nor did he "discover" America. Note that it's not named the United States of Columbia.

5points

J. F. 3 years ago

If I remember correctly he used accurate arabian meassurements and forgot to translate them into his own - making the estimated distance WAY shorter

1point

Thomas brennan 3 years ago

1point

Lea S. 7 months ago

I agree with everything except - there were people that believed the Earth was flat just like there are now. They are wrong, but they existed.

0points

VeninTheNonBinaryRogue 3 years ago

Columbus sucked pretty bad. I feel bad for the indigenous people who just got killed and hurt

0points

Zaza 3 years ago

0points

Seabeast 3 years ago

He was a nasty piece of work even by the standards of his time.

0points

Chris Challis 3 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Brendan 3 years ago

Who's to say the information in these posts are any more accurate than than the information on the rest of the web?

17points

Eb 3 years ago

Many of them do seem rather naive, as though they writers may be teenagers and just repeating random bits of hearsay, which isn't the same as a widely held belief.

4points

Katinka Min 3 years ago

Nobody checked the fact checkers, either.

10points

Phil Vaive 3 years ago

This is just a list of people who have their own misconceptions about history. That's it.

4points

ChickyChicky 3 years ago

A whole lot of "aKsHUally" going on in the posts and in the comments here.

2points

Sawdust 3 years ago

Let me say something wrong and then point out how wrong it is.

2points

Jo Choto 3 years ago

I suspect the vast majority of ancient history we are taught has been compromised or distorted to the point of not being very true at all.

2points

Pearl 3 years ago

2points

Martha Meyer 3 years ago

Seriozsly, how do you think we know ANYTHING about history?

7points

H Edwards 3 years ago

3points

Monday 3 years ago

We can safely say she never said "Let them eat cake" since she spoke French and German, not English.

3points

Something 3 years ago

It is possible that through some coincidence Marie Antoinette actually once whispered "let them eat cake" and nobody heard her, but we have no reason to think so.

1point

RandomBeing 3 years ago

The corsetry one is pretty false and ignores the complexities of corsetry and the history of similar garments.

0points

Rei 3 years ago

1point

René Studer 3 years ago

-1point

not your average weirdo 3 years ago

I don't like it when people say that Colombus was the first European to reach America. It was the Vikings.

1point

René Studer 3 years ago

We even learned that in „Asterix“.

0points

Deja Katz 3 years ago

Most of these I’ve never heard of anybody saying let alone believing as fact.

1point

Jon S. 3 years ago (edited)

1point

BleeBloo 3 years ago

I wouldn't trust everything you read on the internet.

1point

You kidding me 3 years ago

What!?

1point

Amanda Panda 1 year ago

0points

Monica Pryts 2 years ago

The last name of my great-grandparents was changed after they came through Ellis Island.

0points

Alexa D. 1 year ago

0points

Rider 2 years ago

0points

Lovin' Life 3 years ago

0points

Don't Look 3 years ago (edited)

I think people now spend too much time trying to prove facts to be false …. And keeping alive memories that aren’t necessary to keep alive.

0points

D H 3 years ago

when fact becomes legend print the legend

0points

Dodo 3 years ago

This is debatably historical but it frustrates me when people say Satan and Judas Iscariot are the bad guys. They're not, they're the good guys.

0points

Ryan Deschanel 3 years ago

2points

SCamp 3 years ago

-1point

Effin Fred 2 years ago

How about when people misunderstand how few descendants there are of black slaves in the US. I know this number because it has been my life's work for over 30 years and because I authored a book.

-3points

Christoph 3 years ago

This article seems awfully "agenda" driven. I would vet this information if it plucks your interest.

-3points

Ick Villiams 3 years ago

Shame. A convenient post for all the closet racists to come out and wax on all their favorite talking points.

-3points

Łukasz Markuszewski 3 years ago

Most of these are not correct too.

-3points

Jon S. 3 years ago

Care to give an example?

4points