Buzz
We often recall the remarkable achievements of historical figures, such as Genghis Khan’s vast empire-building conquests or Abraham Lincoln’s inspiring leadership. However, many stories surrounding these icons are more fiction than fact. While some myths have been disproven, others continue to spark debate even today.
10. The Bizarre Theory That Jose Rizal Was Jack the Ripper (Or Hitler’s Father)
Jose Rizal, the Philippines' national hero, was a highly educated and articulate advocate for Filipino independence. However, his time in Europe has sparked numerous intriguing rumors. Among the most sensational is the theory that Rizal, while living in London, might have secretly been involved in serial killings.
Jack the Ripper was active during Rizal’s stay in London between 1888 and 1889. Rizal’s nightly whereabouts were unknown, and the Ripper’s surgical precision suggested medical expertise, a field Rizal was trained in. Additionally, the shared initials “J.R.” fueled further speculation.
Another story involves Rizal’s rumored relationships with European women. One such woman, Klara Polzl, was a maid in Austria when she met Rizal. Their brief affair allegedly had monumental consequences, as Klara later became the mother of Adolf Hitler. While some speculated Rizal was Hitler’s father, experts swiftly dismissed this claim.
9. The Myth That Nicolaus Copernicus Created Bread and Butter
A 1970 article in The Journal of the American Medical Association suggested that Nicolaus Copernicus, the renowned astronomer, might have influenced not only our view of the cosmos but also our eating habits by popularizing the practice of buttering bread.
The story dates back to 1521 during a siege of a Polish castle, where Copernicus and his associate, physician Adolf Buttenadt, observed that many residents were falling ill. Copernicus noticed that the coarse, darkened bread consumed by the castle’s inhabitants might have been contaminated with dirt and bacteria.
To address the issue, Copernicus advised the kitchen staff to spread a layer of cream on the bread, making it easier to spot impurities. After his death, Buttenadt continued promoting this method, which eventually became known as buttenadting, later simplified to “buttering.”
While the tale may sound improbable, it has been reported in numerous newspapers and even acknowledged as historical fact by the Polish Ministry of Health’s advisory council. However, Owen Gingerich, a Harvard astronomy professor and Copernicus scholar, dismisses it as merely a humorous anecdote. Gingerich, who met one of the authors of the JAMA article, suspects the author had a case of “Copernicana,” an obsession with the astronomer. He also points out that Adolf Buttenadt actually lived in the 20th century, not the 16th.
The true origin of bread and butter remains unclear, but written records mention the practice long before Copernicus’s time. In 1496, a fishing manual titled The Treatyse of Fysshynge wyth an Angle described a snack of “browne bread toasted with honey in lyknesse of a butteryd loof.”
8. Empress Theodora: The Controversial Allegations of Her Scandalous Past
Empress Theodora, the wife of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, remains an enigmatic figure even today. Much of what is believed about her stems from a questionable source, the Secret History, penned by Procopius of Caesarea, a chronicler of her era.
Procopius described Theodora as an “actress,” a term often synonymous with “prostitute” in those times. He referred to her as “Theodora From the Brothel,” accusing her of engaging in scandalous acts, such as liaisons with slaves, entertaining 40 men in one night, and even allowing geese to feed on grain placed on her body for public amusement. She allegedly lamented that God had only given her three orifices. Given Theodora’s significant influence, Procopius and later historians speculated that her talents must have been honed through such experiences.
However, Procopius was known for his imaginative and biased writing. He portrayed Justinian I as a demonic figure, labeling him the “prince of demons” and spinning tales of servants finding him headless. Other Byzantine historians of the sixth century, like John Lydus, John Malalas, and Evagrius Scholasticus, remained silent about Theodora’s alleged promiscuity, regardless of their opinions on the emperor.
Sadly, Procopius’s scandalous and exaggerated accounts gained traction from the 17th century onward, shaping the narratives of numerous writers and historians. Some added their own embellishments, while others subtly referenced his tales.
7. The Myth of Marie Antoinette’s Hair Turning White in a Single Night
The infamous Queen Consort of France and Navarre, Marie Antoinette, is often misquoted as saying, “Let them eat cake,” but that’s not the only myth surrounding her. One enduring legend claims that the night before her execution, fear caused her hair to turn completely white.
This legend inspired the term Marie Antoinette syndrome, a condition where hair reportedly turns white due to extreme stress. A similar story is told about Thomas More, who was executed in the Tower of London in 1535. However, it’s unlikely Marie’s hair changed overnight: the condition affects new hair growth, meaning it would have taken weeks for the change to be visible. It’s more plausible that the stress of her imprisonment and impending execution caused hair loss, and without access to hair dye, her graying hair became more noticeable.
6. The Legend of Queen Elizabeth II Awarding a Golden Whistle to a Linesman
The 1966 FIFA World Cup is remembered as one of soccer’s most contentious events. England’s victory, fueled by a disputed third goal, secured their first and only World Cup title. The match concluded with a 4–2 score, sparking jubilant celebrations at Wembley Stadium.
Among the many conspiracy theories surrounding the tournament, one involves Queen Elizabeth II. It’s rumored that she presented a golden whistle to Tofik Bahramov, an Azerbaijani official who played a pivotal role in awarding England’s controversial goal. The whistle was allegedly a token of gratitude for his “services rendered to England.”
In 1996, a study by Oxford University provided some clarity, concluding that the ball had not fully crossed the goal line, missing by a mere 6 centimeters (2.4 in). Despite this, Bahramov became a celebrated figure, honored with Azerbaijan’s national stadium named after him. In 2004, a statue of Bahramov was unveiled, with FIFA officials and Geoff Hurst, the scorer of the infamous goal, in attendance.
5. The Myth of Winston Churchill Being Rescued Twice by Alexander Fleming
Legend has it that a young Winston Churchill was swimming in a Scottish lake when he nearly drowned. A passerby, reportedly Alexander Fleming (or, in some versions, his father), came to his rescue. Grateful for his son’s survival, Lord Randolph Churchill allegedly funded Fleming’s education with either a scholarship or a substantial financial gift.
Fleming later became a renowned scientist, credited with the discovery of penicillin. Years after the alleged rescue, Churchill, now the British Prime Minister, fell seriously ill during World War II. His life was purportedly saved by—you guessed it—a dose of penicillin.
While the tale is heartwarming, it’s likely fictional. Churchill’s biographer confirmed there was no drowning incident, nor did the Churchill family finance Fleming’s education. Churchill did fall ill in 1943 after the Tehran Conference, but the treatment he received was sulfonamide, not penicillin. Churchill himself publicly dismissed the story in 1946.
4. The Myth of Mussolini’s Punctual Trains and the March on Rome
A common saying claims that despite the horrors of Fascist Italy, the trains were always on time. However, this is a myth perpetuated by Mussolini’s propaganda machine, which sought to glorify his regime and strengthen the Fascist movement.
Italy’s railway network was in poor condition during World War I. While repairs and upgrades were carried out, these improvements happened two years before Mussolini came to power and did not significantly enhance the system’s reliability.
Such claims align with Mussolini’s persona, as his March on Rome on October 28, 1922, is often portrayed as a triumphant event. However, the reality is less dramatic: Mussolini was actually in Milan during the march, awaiting a political resolution. As the British show QI quipped, Il Duce was likely “cowering in his jackboots.”
3. Gavrilo Princip and the Sandwich That Allegedly Sparked World War I
A popular tale claims that after a botched assassination attempt on Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian nationalist, paused at a café for a sandwich. By sheer chance, the archduke’s motorcade took a wrong turn and passed by the same spot, allowing Princip to succeed in his second attempt. This act is said to have triggered World War I.
The story has been repeated in books, newspapers, and trivia sites as fact, but it may be entirely fictional. When Mike Dash of The Smithsonian looked into it, he traced the tale to the 2003 BBC documentary Days that Shook the World. Dash contacted Richard Bond, the documentary’s writer and director, who admitted he couldn’t recall the source of the anecdote.
Dash suggests that an earlier version of this story might appear in the 2001 novel Twelve Fingers, which features an assassin with extra fingers. In the book, the protagonist encounters Princip on the day of the assassination, where Princip casually remarks, “I’m eating a sandwich.”
Since historical records from earlier periods don’t mention the sandwich or the improbable chain of events that supposedly ignited World War I, Dash concludes that Princip wasn’t guided by fate or destiny. He was simply in the right place at the right time.
2. The Eerie Parallels Between Lincoln and Kennedy
For decades, rumors of strange coincidences linking the lives of these two legendary U.S. presidents have circulated widely. Lists of these parallels began appearing shortly after John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963 and have since been shared in newspapers, emails, and social media posts.
The alleged coincidences include both men serving as congressmen and presidents exactly 100 years apart, having surnames with the same number of letters, being assassinated on a Friday, succeeded by Southerners, and dying from gunshot wounds to the head. Some even added crude humor: “A month before Lincoln’s assassination, he was in Monroe, Maryland. A month before Kennedy’s assassination, he was with Marilyn Monroe.”
In reality, the idea that their assassinations were cosmically linked is a product of creative imagination. Many of these “facts” are either assumptions or outright falsehoods. For instance, assassins often aim for the head to ensure death, their vice presidents were Southerners to balance political tickets, and Marilyn Monroe had passed away over a year before Kennedy’s assassination.
Highlighting the absurdity of these “coincidences,” a Harvard publication released a list mocking the exaggerated claims. One entry humorously states: “Lincoln’s wife’s maiden name was Todd, which, when read backward (ignoring one ‘d’), spells ‘dot,’ a Morse Code symbol created by Samuel Morse, who invented the telegraph in 1844. Kennedy’s wife Jackie later married Aristotle Onassis from Greece, which experienced a civil war in 1944, exactly 100 years later.”
1. The Legendary Life and Death of Genghis Khan
While the Mongols were undoubtedly capable of extreme brutality, some of Genghis Khan’s alleged deeds may have been exaggerated. One particularly gruesome story involves the death of Toquchar, his beloved son-in-law, killed by an archer in the Persian city of Nishapur. Seeking revenge, Khan’s daughter urged him to retaliate, leading to an order for the execution of every Nishapur resident—reportedly 1,748,000 people—within an hour. Historians and mathematicians, however, have questioned the plausibility of such numbers.
Though his life is filled with exaggerated tales, Genghis Khan’s death is even more shrouded in myth. Marco Polo claimed the Khan was struck by an arrow, leading to an infection that caused his death on August 18, 1227. Others suggest he died from injuries sustained after falling off his horse. A more widely accepted theory is that he died of natural causes. One particularly dramatic story alleges that a Tangut princess (or servant) castrated him with a hidden knife during an attempted assault, leading to his demise. For centuries, Mongols believed he was in a deathlike slumber, destined to awaken and lead them to glory again.
+The Myth That Adolf Hitler Had Jewish Ancestry
Since the 1920s, rumors about Hitler’s alleged Jewish heritage have been circulating widely. Stories about the Jewish origins of his surname, claims of descent from a Jewish family in Bucharest, and doubts about his father’s paternity have all been debunked. One tale even suggests that Hitler’s nephew attempted to blackmail him by threatening to reveal the Fuhrer’s supposed Jewish ancestry.
Despite these myths, there may be some factual basis for Hitler’s connection to Jewish people. As a teenager, Hitler reportedly fell for a Jewish girl and might have even married one. In a controversial episode of Channel 4’s Dead Famous DNA, scientists examined hair strands thought to belong to Eva Braun, Hitler’s longtime partner and brief wife, discovering DNA linked to Ashkenazi Jews. Additionally, saliva samples from 39 of Hitler’s relatives revealed genetic markers common among Berbers and Jews. While critics emphasized the inconclusive nature of these findings, they remain fascinating.
