Fake History Facts

All 45 Fake Facts

1. 1.In 1842, Napoleon briefly attempted to teach pigeons algebra. He failed. The pigeons also failed, but with more dignity.
2. 2.The Great Wall of China was originally painted lilac. The paint faded within a decade and no one bothered to repaint it.
3. 3.In 1903, the British Parliament spent six hours debating whether biscuits should be classified as cakes for tax purposes. This debate was never fully resolved.
4. 4.Julius Caesar was deeply afraid of geese and had three of them removed from the Roman Forum by decree.
5. 5.The Eiffel Tower was almost torn down in 1909, but was saved when it accidentally intercepted a radio signal from a passing blimp and was declared strategically vital.
6. 6.In 1687, Isaac Newton originally formulated three additional laws of motion before deciding the first three were sufficient and burning the rest.
7. 7.Marie Curie kept a small collection of novelty hats and wore them exclusively on Thursdays, a detail her biographers have consistently omitted.
8. 8.The ancient Egyptians had a word for the feeling of satisfaction after correctly folding a piece of papyrus. It is untranslatable.
9. 9.Benjamin Franklin invented a second thing nobody talks about, but he asked for it to be kept private and everyone honoured this until the records were lost.
10. 10.In 1487, Leonardo da Vinci designed a chair that was considered 'too comfortable' and banned by the Church.
11. 11.The signing of the Magna Carta was delayed by two hours because someone had misplaced the pen.
12. 12.Viking longships were originally designed to go backwards. The design was reversed in the 9th century after persistent feedback.
13. 13.Cleopatra kept a formal complaint log about the Nile. Several entries have been preserved. They are reasonable.
14. 14.Shakespeare wrote a play called 'The Accountant' that was never performed. Critics believe this was the right decision.
15. 15.In 1776, Thomas Jefferson's original draft of the Declaration of Independence included a lengthy section about cheese that was removed in the final edit.
16. 16.The first marathon runner, Pheidippides, actually said 'We have won, also I have found a shortcut but I was committed to this route.' The second half of the quote was omitted from all accounts.
17. 17.During the construction of the Great Pyramid, workers submitted a formal petition requesting shorter lunch breaks in exchange for leaving early on Fridays. The petition was denied.
18. 18.Alexander the Great was known among his troops as 'Alexander the Reasonably Great' until his PR team intervened.
19. 19.In 1066, William the Conqueror briefly considered calling himself William the Adequate before a focus group talked him out of it.
20. 20.Henry VIII had a royal food taster who quit after the fourth wife and is considered one of history's most accurate judges of risk.
21. 21.The Trojan Horse was, according to contemporary sources, significantly smaller than traditionally depicted. Several soldiers had to crouch.
22. 22.George Washington owned a large number of novelty waistcoats. His favourite had ducks on it. Historians describe this as 'consistent with the historical record.'
23. 23.In 1888, Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison briefly became friends before a disagreement about biscuits ended the relationship permanently.
24. 24.The Black Death arrived in England in 1348. Contemporary accounts note that many people initially assumed it was 'just a cold that was going around.'
25. 25.Archimedes shouted 'Eureka' while in the bath, then spent four hours reconstructing what he had been thinking about, because he hadn't written it down.
26. 26.The Berlin Wall contained a small door that was used exactly twice — once by mistake, and once by someone who felt bad about the first time.
27. 27.Stonehenge was originally half a mile to the left of its current position. The builders moved it in the second phase after deciding the original spot was slightly damp.
28. 28.In 1912, the Titanic's captain was warned of ice by five separate ships. He noted each warning politely. He was very polite.
29. 29.During the French Revolution, Robespierre maintained a detailed personal diary. Historians describe its tone as 'increasingly confident in a concerning way.'
30. 30.The Colosseum in Rome was built to hold 80,000 spectators. On the opening day, 82,000 attended. No one was turned away. Romans were pragmatic about seating.
31. 31.Christopher Columbus landed in the Americas in 1492, confidently announced he was in Asia, and maintained this position until his dying day. He was very committed.
32. 32.In 1587, Mary Queen of Scots wrote a formal complaint about the quality of the tower she was imprisoned in. It survives in the British Library.
33. 33.The Great Fire of London in 1666 started in a bakery. The baker later noted that 'this is not how I thought the day would go.'
34. 34.Ancient Rome had a god of doors, Janus. He had two faces. Romans felt this was a reasonable number of faces for a door god.
35. 35.In 1803, Napoleon sold Louisiana to the United States while in a bad mood. Historians believe he felt better about it later but never said so.
36. 36.Winston Churchill owned a large number of hats and referred to them, collectively, as 'the cabinet.' Only two people knew this was a joke.
37. 37.The original design for the Statue of Liberty had her holding a book of accounting records. The torch was a last-minute change.
38. 38.In 1415, at the Battle of Agincourt, the French cavalry was delayed by twenty minutes because someone had parked a cart across the road and left without explanation.
39. 39.Isaac Newton spent the last thirty years of his life attempting to turn metal into gold. He was not successful. He told no one.
40. 40.Genghis Khan's empire covered 24 million square kilometres. He personally visited approximately 12% of it, which his advisors considered 'sufficient'.
41. 41.The word 'quiz' was invented in 1791 by a Dublin theatre owner who bet he could introduce a new word to the English language within 48 hours by writing it on walls. He won.
42. 42.In 1962, NASA considered sending a biscuit to space 'as a morale exercise.' The proposal was rejected on grounds of crumbs.
43. 43.Queen Victoria's favourite hobby was drawing caricatures of foreign dignitaries. None were ever shown to them.
44. 44.In 1945, the Allied forces discovered a secret bunker containing detailed German plans for a board game. Historians describe the game as 'unplayable but technically complete.'
45. 45.The first escalator, installed in 1896, had a man stationed at the top to offer brandy to passengers who were distressed by the experience. He served 43 people on the first day.