Historians of Reddit Share the Common Misconceptions That Drive Them Crazy
It’s a historian’s job to look at all the facts and determine what really happened all those years ago. As these fact-finders and researchers know, it’s easy to get things mixed up as time passes and that’s exactly why we’re here today.
Historians all around the world have come together to vent about the common misconceptions people have that really grinds their gears.
They’re here to set everything straight and that includes rumors about Napoleon’s height, Caligula’s mental state and even Einstein failing math. These are the common misconceptions that drive historians crazy.
Marie Antoinette’s Cake Comment
What really grinds my gears is that Marie Antoinette never said “let them eat cake” to the French peasants who didn’t have any bread. That was complete propaganda.
Contrary to what many people think, she did care about the people she reigned over.
Napoleon’s Height
For all the people who think Napoleon was short, that’s not true. His height, which was said to be around 5 feet 7 inches, was above average at the time; it was not at all short.
It’s obvious that one of his enemies started the rumor and everyone else just ran with it.
The Start of WWI
Gavrilo Princip, the man who assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, wasn’t just waiting for a sandwich when the Archduke passed by. He chose that deli because it was on the route the Archduke was known to take.
The Archduke’s driver went down that route by mistake (it had been changed to another) where Gavrilo was waiting for his chance. Yes, it’s coincidental, but he didn’t step out for a sandwich and happen to kill the Archduke.
Life Spans in the Middle Ages
It’s a popular belief that life in the Middle Ages was short. People often think that people started dying off at 25 and if you lived to see 30, you lived a good life. Some even believe that getting to 50 meant you were extremely old.
But that’s simply not true. Church baptisms and medical records show that people lived well into their 50s and 60s. Unless one died as a child or through disastrous circumstances, a full life was expected.