They are stories so ingrained in the public consciousness that it seems ridiculous to suggest they are not true.
France’s decadent last queen, Marie Antoinette, said in response to the plight of the poor: “Let them eat cake.”
The Vikings raided Europe in the Middle Ages and wore majestic helmets with horns.
British hero Admiral Horatio Nelson’s last words were “Kiss me, Hardy.”
But as a new book explains, all of the alleged facts above — along with 98 others — are anything but true.
“Fake History: 101 Things That Never Happened” is by historian Jo Hedwig Teeuwisse, who has built up a large following on social media as a “Fake History Hunter”.
Below, Web looks at some of the claims from the story that many still believe.
Marie Antoinette said, “Let them eat cake.”
It is a myth that embodied the hedonism of the French king and queen when the common people were starving. When Marie Antoinette, Louis depicting a very hedonistic version of the French queen
It is a myth that embodied the hedonism of the French king and queen when the common people were starving.
When Marie Antoinette, Louis XVI’s wife, learned that the poor in France could not buy bread, she is said to have replied: “Let them eat cake!”
Enraged by their comments, the people started the French Revolution and cut off the heads of the king and queen.
The truth is that there is no evidence that Antoinette ever made such a remark. Ms. Teeuwisse says no one claimed she said it until “long after her death.”
Instead, despite her decadent lifestyle, Antoinette showed concern for the poor.
The new book reveals how she told her mother in a letter in 1775: “At the same time, it is wonderful to be so well received two months after the Troubles and despite the unfortunately still high price of bread.”
There is no evidence that Antoinette ever made such a remark. Ms. Teeuwisse says no one claimed she said it until “long after her death.”
“It is certain that when people who suffer treat us so well, we are all the more obliged to work for their happiness.”
The cake set comes from a story by the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. He claimed that a “great princess” responded to the news that there was no bread for the poor by saying, “Then let them eat brioches.”
Ms. Teeuwisse points out that the princess was not mentioned by name and that brioche is not a cake.
The story was written between 1766 and 1767, when Antoinette was about 11 years old and living in Austria.
The Vikings had horns on their helmets
Many have long believed that the Vikings had horns on their helmets.
How pervasive this is was highlighted when a protester who stormed the US Capitol in 2021 was described as wearing a “Viking helmet” or “Viking horns” due to his bizarre choice of headwear.
But Ms Teeuwisse says there is “no real evidence” that Viking helmets with horns ever existed.
Instead, it is unlikely that the Scandinavian warriors who raided and settled across Europe from the 8th to 11th centuries preferred fancy helmets at all.
Many have long believed that the Vikings had horns on their helmets
So far only one complete helmet that had no horns has been found at a burial site.
Ms Teeuwisse says the idea of Viking horned helmets “only really emerged in the Victorian era”.
The Middle Ages enjoyed “extremely great popularity” at the time. In his epic musical dramas, composer Richard Wagner’s visions of history depicted men with horned and even winged helmets.
This fueled enthusiasm for depicting the Vikings in this way.
Napoleon was unusually small
The assumption that Napoleon was short is firmly anchored in the public consciousness.
So much so that the “Napoleon Complex” was given the name of the marauding French emperor – the term applied to short people who are supposedly dominant to compensate for their lack of height.
The belief that Napoleon was vertically challenged owes much to the work of cartoonist James Gillray, whose cartoons in the late 18th century depicted the ruler as diminutive.
Ms. Teeuwisse points out that he enjoyed portraying “Little Boney” as “tiny and prone to tantrums like a toddler.”
In reality, Napoleon was of average height for his time. He was angry about Gillray’s portrayal of him and even tried to get the British government to do something about it.
The assumption that Napoleon was short is firmly anchored in the public consciousness. Above: A cartoon by James Gillray depicting Napoleon in the palm of King George III. shows
Ms Teeuwisse added: “That inevitably fueled the fire: there he was, the great, powerful emperor, stamping his little feet over some drawings.”
The historian explains that knowing exactly how tall Napoleon was is a challenge because the ancient British and French measurement systems used different standards.
His doctor wrote in 1802 that the emperor was 1.70 m tall, which if converted to the British system would be 1.70 m.
Ms. Teeuwisse also points out that no one who met him would have been proven to have noticed that he was unusually short
The assumption that Napoleon was short is firmly anchored in the public consciousness. Above: Another Gillray cartoon
Hugo Boss designed the Nazi uniforms
Another popular myth is the claim that the fashion house Hugo Boss designed the uniforms worn by the Nazis.
The company’s founder, Hugo Ferdinand Boss, was a member of the NSDAP and manufactured some of the Nazi uniforms, including their infamous brown shirts.
But Ms. Teeuwisse explains that he was not a designer and had no influence on how they looked.
Another popular myth is the claim that the fashion house Hugo Boss designed the uniforms worn by the Nazis. Above: German images of some Nazi uniforms
Instead, his then little-known company was one of many that made clothing for the Nazis.
The author asks, “Why on earth would the Nazi Party hire such a small clothing manufacturer with no real design talent or experience to design their uniforms?”
However, she adds that Boss was an “active supporter” of the Nazis and was happy to do forced labor in his factories.
After the war, he was heavily fined for financially benefiting from the Nazi regime and being friends with high-ranking Nazis.
In 2011, Hugo Boss apologized for the use of forced labor in its factories.
The company’s founder, Hugo Ferdinand Boss, was a member of the NSDAP and manufactured some Nazi uniforms
Hitler invented the Autobahn
Another common belief about the Nazis is that Adolf Hitler invented the Autobahn, despite his monstrous crimes.
Ms. Teeuwisse refutes this and the claim that Hitler brought the Autobahn to Germany by opening the famous Autobahn.
In fact, highways were opened in both New York and Italy before Hitler came to power.
The first section of road that could be called a motorway or expressway opened in Germany in 1921.
Another common belief about the Nazis is that Adolf Hitler – despite his monstrous crimes – invented the Autobahn
Eleven years later, a longer route was opened in 1932, a year before Hitler came to power.
And the highway, which opened in 1933 – after the Nazis came to power – had been largely under construction since 1931.
When construction began on the first stretch of highway under Nazi rule, Hitler attended a large ceremony that reinforced the impression that it was his idea.
A photo from 1935 shows him in a motorcade as hundreds lined the street to watch him open the newly built highway from Munich to Salzburg.
During World War I, two bullets collided in the air
It’s an image that’s been making the rounds on social media sites for years.
Shown are two spheres that have fused together after apparently colliding during the Battle of Gallipoli in World War I.
Many have long wondered what happened to the enemy soldiers who fired them.
It’s an image that’s been making the rounds on social media sites for years. Shown are two spheres that have fused together after apparently colliding during the Battle of Gallipoli in World War I
However, the bullets obviously didn’t collide in mid-air. Ms. Teeuwisse points out that one of the projectiles has no gunmarks.
The markings occur when a bullet passes through a barrel that is never completely smooth.
Since the pierced bullet is flawless, it must have been fired before firing.
Ms Teeuwisse suspects it may have been kept in a cartridge box or a soldier’s belt.
Such an incident is much rarer than the collision of two fired bullets in the air.
The picture was taken where the balls were on display, in a museum in Turkey.
Nelson’s last words were “Kiss me, Hardy.”
Admiral Horatio Nelson was revered both in life and in death. The majestic military figure was the conqueror of the French and the hero of the Battle of Trafalgar.
It was this fight that turned out to be his last. He was hit by a French sniper’s bullet and died in the arms of his comrades.
It was long believed that his last words to his good friend Thomas Hardy were “Kiss me, Hardy.”
However, the historian points out that although Nelson asked his friend to kiss him, the request was not his last sentence.
The witness accounts of his death report that he was kissed on both the cheek and forehead by his friend.
But his parting words to Hardy before he walked away were “God bless you, Hardy.”
Admiral Horatio Nelson was revered both in life and in death. The majestic military figure was the conqueror of the French and the hero of the Battle of Trafalgar
Witnesses, including surgeon William Beatty and chaplain Alexander Scott, mention this moment in their accounts.
However, it is unclear what exactly the very last thing Nelson said was.
He had repeatedly said, “Thank God I have done my duty,” but Dr. Beatty was not there when Nelson lost the ability to speak, so it is unknown whether these were his last words.
The Admiral also constantly asked for something to drink, for someone to fan him, and for someone to stroke his chest, so any of these requests might be the last thing he said.
Ms. Teeuwisse also reminds readers that Nelson was dying while the fight with French was still ongoing, so it is not surprising that witness accounts of his final moments differ in some areas.
The pyramids were built by slaves
It’s a sight often seen in films: slaves being whipped and threatened with their lives as they drag the pyramids’ stones up the slopes.
The belief that ancient Egyptian buildings were built by slaves is widespread.
But there is no proof that it is true.
Ms. Teeuwisse writes: “Yes, there were slaves in ancient Egypt and somewhere along the production line they were most likely involved in building the pyramids – after all, slavery was part of everyday life.”
During the construction of the pyramids in ancient Egypt, Jewish slaves are guarded by men with whips
“So I don’t think we can say that they had nothing to do with building the pyramids at all, but there is no evidence that they actually built them.”
The historian says that the myth probably arose because someone misunderstood what the ancient Greek historian Herodotus had said.
He wrote of “bands of a hundred thousand men” dragging stones to their destination.
But in recent years, archaeologists have found evidence that the workers were not slaves.
An example is the workers’ city that arose near the pyramids. “It didn’t look like a place to keep slaves,” Ms. Teeuwisse writes.
General view of the ancient Egyptian pyramids from the Giza Plateau
There were well-developed roads and evidence of fish preparation, cattle slaughter and baking. “These workers enjoyed a good diet of high quality food,” the historian adds.
This food would not have been wasted on “common” slaves.
Graffiti found on some buildings also illustrates the men’s sense of humor. One group called themselves “the drunkards of Menkaure.”
Ms. Teeuwisse concludes: “There is a lot of evidence that the pyramids were built by well-provided workers, but there is no evidence at all that they were built by slaves.”
Fake History: 101 Things That Never Happened, by Jo Hedwig Teeuwisse, is published by WH Allen