Myths and Realities

Do you want to - believe it or - no, only some subjects, commonly known as a real historical fact, on closer inspection turn out to be completely untrue. We do not intend to convince you to question everything, but we hope that in this article you will extract a lesson: not everything that sounds smoothly and effectively, certainly is true ...

At the word "Viking" draws the imagination of many people bleeding savage in a horned helmet. Although archaeologists have found evidence of the existence and pointed hats, but the surviving from the time the pictures, we can conclude that these hats were used for ritual purposes rather than as part of the military equipment.




Many Roman literary works described helmets "resembling the head of wild animals" that were Scandinavian warriors. However, all documents dated to the time when the Vikings already did not exist, but because these descriptions can hardly be considered adequate.



Helmets are the most common, covers the upper part of the face and nose - the same as all the soldiers at the time. In fact, "horned" Vikings - a scenic suit, which appeared in 1876 at the time of Richard Wagner's opera "The Ring of the Nibelungs».



Legend has it that Marco Polo was the first who brought the noodles well, or pasta, if you like, from China in the XIII century. But for the first time this "duck" Macaroni Journal launched in the 20s of the last century to promote the product in the United States.

In his travel notes Marco Polo really describe something like unleavened bread lean "Lagan", which tried in China, and which is also made from durum flour. In fact, historians have long come to the conclusion that in Italy pasta brought Libyan Arabs in the 7th century, and thus Marco Polo was surely familiar with the product, which in his homeland ate more than 6 centuries in a row.



Why it is considered as if in the Middle Ages, people rarely lived to 30 years, and at this age were already considered very old. This is actually a misconception arose from the fact that the average age of a man of the Middle Ages that the findings of scientists, was small due to the high infant mortality rate, whereas if you are lucky enough to go through all the children's ailments and not to play into the box, you live you could no less than it is today. For example, the average young person who has attained 20 years of in medieval England and died of pigs, or killed in battle, is absolutely wonderful survived to 64-67 years.



Modern historians claim that a medieval chastity belt - nothing more than someone's joke. All known similar devices are 18-19 (and even early twentieth) centuries and were not used to the wife (or bride) did not walk during the absence of her husband. Their parents have put on their teenage children, so that they do not engage in masturbation. In those days it was believed that masturbation leads to insanity.



Marie Antoinette did not say sacramental phrase "so let them eat cake" in response to the message that the people do not even have bread.

For the first time there was a phrase "confession" of Rousseau, when Marie Antoinette was only some 10 years and belong to it actually Marie Therese, wife of Louis XIV. And then, to be precise, Maria Teresa said, «Qu'ils mangent de la brioche» (So let them eat brioche (pastry of fine flour, more expensive).

The fact that the law, if the cheap bread ended, bakers had to sell bread from the flour is more expensive for the same money (which they, however, did not want to do, of course). Marie Antoinette attributed these words after her execution, it is very unpopular with the young lady was from the people.



Everyone knows that George Washington was the first of about 43 presidents of the United States. History tells a different story. During the revolution in America, the Continental Congress chose Raton Randolph's first president. The next step was to create the Continental Army for protection from Great Britain, and the appointment of George Washington its commander. Randolph was replaced in 1781 by John Hancock, who was the president of America, before gaining independence from Britain.

After the victory over Washington by British troops at the Battle of Yorktown, Hancock sent him a letter of congratulations. Washington's response was addressed to "President of the United States." Eight years later, a respected war hero, Washington himself became the first popularly elected US President - but in fact, strictly speaking, only the fifteenth.



George Washington did not have wooden teeth. According to research by anthropologists from the University of Pittsburgh (in collaboration with the National Museum of the United States and the Smithsonian Museum), an artificial jaw of the first American president who lost his teeth because of scurvy, was made of gold, ivory, lead, and a whole set of most of these teeth, which included and human and animal teeth (in particular - horse and donkey).



Antonio Salieri to Mozart envied and had nothing to do with his death. Two great composer worked perfectly in different musical genres.

Meanwhile, historians say that it is rather jealous of Mozart older and much more successful Salieri, who amassed a good fortune in his writings, in contrast to Wolfgang Amadeus. Well, with regard to "poisoning" of Mozart Salieri - thanks to Pushkin for it ...



Beauty and the leader of Argentina Eva Peron (if forgotten who it is, review the eponymous musical with Madonna in the title role), never uttered a phrase attributed to her, "I'll be back, and we will have millions».

In fact, it said the leader of the Indian rebellion in Bolivia's Tupac Katari in 1781 shortly before his death. But Eva Peron that phrase attributed to the poet José María Kastinera de Dios in a poem written 10 years after her death. Rather, he took this phrase does not have the unfortunate Indian chief, and from the film with Kirk Douglas' Spartacus ».



Napoleon Bonaparte was not a short man, as it is accepted to think. Moreover, he was even a little higher than average Frenchmen of the time. At the time of his death was a growth - 5, 2 French feet, ie 169 cm.

The chip is about Shorty launched the British heard that figure - 5, 2 ", in English as the length is 158 cm. It is also possible, the legend of Napoleon's short stature gone from his nickname" The Little Corporal »(Petit Caporal).



Albert Einstein did not expelled from school for poor grades in mathematics, as is commonly believed. Moreover, Einstein himself said: "I have never filled up the math ... When I was not yet fifteen, I perfectly mastered differential and integral calculus».

Einstein really failed the exam for admission to the Municipal Higher Polytechnic School in 1895, but in physics and mathematics that he passed on the fine, and in philosophy. In addition, we must not forget that as a child prodigy, Einstein enters the university, was two years younger than the other applicants.

Apples are one of the most useful fruits still have a bad reputation as "forbidden fruit", one of which just tasted a curious Eve in the Garden of Eden, obrekshi entire human race does not fall. However, in the Bible there is no mention that it was forbidden apple - "fruit of the tree which is in midst of the garden" (Genesis 3: 3) may be mango and apricot, and any other fruit.

Van Gogh, known for its poverty, has sold only one painting my whole life in a quarrel with Gauguin shortly before his suicide cut off his ear. Despite his tragic end and poor marketability of his paintings, a very surprising fact, why did not the great artist died of starvation, being in very meager financial position.

The fact that Van Gogh studied the painting for eight years of his life, most of the time he devoted to teaching and the sale of the painting. In addition, he did not cut off his ear all, only a piece of the left lobe, which is not such a terrible tragedy.



Sir Walter Raleigh - one of the most enigmatic figures in the history of England. Almost every fact, talking about his fame is untrue. Was he handsome? According to the written references and contemporary portraits (portraits of him at that time were not found), he charmed the very Queen Elizabeth I, and was known as a ladies' man.

Bed he his cloak on a puddle to the Queen could pass? This is hardly true. And most importantly, he did not return from the New World with potatoes and tobacco to England. Though the idea of ​​potatoes in 1586 and the number of Reilly, yet in 1585 it was first grown in Italy, and from there spread rapidly throughout Europe (and, of course, across the English Channel).

Though smokers across Europe blame Sir Reilly in his addiction, John of nicotine (after whom nicotine was named as such) introduced tobacco to France in 1560. Tobacco came to England from France, and not from the New World.



Everyone knows the story about how mad emperor Nero, burning Rome in 64 BC, fiddled while the city burned. Whatever it was, it was unlikely to happen. Firstly, the violin not yet invented over 1600 years. In some versions of the story it says that he was playing the lyre or lute - but then scientists carry it 30 miles from Rome, in his suburban villa where he was when the fire started in the Eternal City.



Captain Cook discovered Australia. Many Australians disagree with this and say that before Cook arrived in Sydney in 1770, then visited the Dutch Abel Tasman and Dirk Hartog, and an English pirate Uilyami Dampier. And, of course, about 50 thousand years ago, Australia was opened by the indigenous inhabitants. Most likely, Cook was a pioneer for the first white settlers, and even then, not as a captain and a lieutenant. So at least it deserves the title of the amendment.



Jesus Christ was born on December 25th. On this day, Catholics celebrate Christmas, but, nevertheless, evidence of the truth of this date, the Bible does not. In addition, there is no evidence that he was born in a manger, and the fact that there were three wise men who gave their famous gifts. The reason why it was chosen as the date of December 25 for the celebration of Christ's birth is not known, but we know that on the same day was celebrated followers of Mithras, the god of the center of the Hellenistic cult. They believed that Mithra was born of a virgin on 25 December and at birth was attended by shepherds.



Gandhi freed India. For Westerners, Gandhi is one of the famous leaders of the Indian independence movement. He deserves respect even preaching the ideas of ahimsa (non-resistance to evil). But, nevertheless, the historians say about the inevitability of independence of India. The Indian National Congress was formed in 1885, when he was only 16 years old.

The act of civil disobedience, Gandhi was only a small part of the movement, which, according to scientists, can be achieved its goal by 50 years earlier, had concentrated on more effective methods of achieving it.



Forget everything you've ever before read and heard on the main vampire of all time. This "Dracula" was not any vampire. Vlad III, also known as Vlad Tepes, or Vlad Dracula was a Wallachian prince, and became famous not so much nocturnal adventures as sadistic punishments, which he invented for the prisoners of the Turks and rebellious citizen of Wallachia (a historical region in the south of Romania, between the Carpathians and the Danube). < br />
Growing up in a family of military leaders, Vlad since childhood accustomed to military affairs. Once in 1456 it moved to the throne of Wallachia, the young governor led a fierce war with the Ottoman Empire, seeking to avenge the slain brother and father. He especially liked to put their prisoners on wooden Cola, and this has earned the nickname Vlad the Impaler.

In the third part of Vlad engravings depicted strolling through the woods of impalement prisoners. Legend has it that Dracula loved breakfast on the site of the execution or place of recent battle. He ordered to bring him food and a table, he sat down and ate with appetite among people to die on kolah.

In the end, Vlad was killed in battle with the Turks in 1476. In the early twentieth-century tomb of Vlad scientific purposes exhumed. The bodies in it was not. Has the blood-sucking vampire Vlad is still not known.



Newton's apple. Even first-graders know the story of the fall of an apple on the head of a genius scientist led to the discovery of the law of universal gravitation. Although apple did fall, no damage to light the head of Isaac Newton, it did not cause.

William Stukeley in his famous "Memoirs of the life of Isaac Newton" exhaustively describes the story: "In the afternoon, as the weather was warm, we went into the garden to drink tea, and there, under the shade of the apple trees, he told me that here as he rested when his head came the idea of ​​the force of gravity.

He sat lost in thought, suddenly next to him fell the apple, and he thought: why Apple should always fall perpendicular to the ground? Why does not he stray toward or off? "So that the apple does not fall on the head of the great scientist (at least at this time). But that's the truth - thanks to Small Fruits, we now have a better understanding of the physical properties of our planet.

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