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The legends of visionary inventors and trailblazers from past eras have been passed down for centuries. People love a captivating narrative, and the most compelling ones often depict an exceptional, extraordinary person accomplishing something truly remarkable or noble.
Whether it's exploring uncharted territories, creating groundbreaking technologies, or boldly standing against injustice, our icons are typically seen as flawless paragons of their times—or at least, that's what we are led to believe.
In reality, numerous legendary tales have undergone alterations and exaggerations as the years have passed. By the time they reach us, they are frequently riddled with inaccuracies or outright fabrications.
10. Pythagoras Was Not the One Who Discovered the Pythagorean Theorem
Anyone who has attended a geometry class likely remembers being taught the Pythagorean Theorem. This mathematical principle asserts that in any right-angled triangle, the square of the hypotenuse, the side opposite the right angle, is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.
This theorem serves as an essential tool for various fields such as bridge construction, architecture, and even in calculating the distance between two locations. However, it is worth noting that the theorem was not originally discovered by the renowned philosopher it is named after.
Pythagoras, born around 569 BC, was a Greek mathematician. Yet, much of what we know about him comes from records left by historians who lived centuries after his death. While he is often regarded as the first mathematician, the specific contributions he made to mathematics remain largely unclear.
It is believed that Pythagoras founded a school called the Semicircle of Pythagoras, which blurred the lines between science and spirituality. The school focused not only on intellectual pursuits but also on discovering the divine significance of numbers. Its collectivist nature meant that any innovations or discoveries made by its members were credited to Pythagoras, possibly even the Pythagorean Theorem itself.
In addition, a clay tablet from the Old Babylonian period reveals that the Babylonians were already aware of the mathematical relationship between the diagonal and side of a square, a specific case of the Pythagorean Theorem, as early as 1800 BC to 1600 BC—over a millennium before Pythagoras was born.
9. Michael Jackson Did Not Invent The Moonwalk
During his iconic performance of 'Billie Jean' at the Motown 25th anniversary special in 1983, Michael Jackson unveiled what would become his signature dance move—the moonwalk. In this move, the dancer seems to move forward while gliding backward, and it became closely associated with Jackson from that moment onward.
Despite Jackson's association with the move, he did not create it. The moonwalk had been performed by other artists long before he popularized it.
Originally called the backslide, this dance move was first made famous by African-American tap dancer Bill Bailey in the 1950s. Other well-known performers, including mime artist Marcel Marceau, as well as music legends like James Brown and Bill Robinson, had also incorporated the move into their acts long before Michael Jackson.
In fact, Jackson learned the moonwalk from two young dancers, Casper Candidate and Cooley Jaxson, who included the move in their Boogaloo routine on Soul Train during the 1970s. While the King of Pop undeniably deserves credit for making the moonwalk famous worldwide, this iconic move was already being performed long before Jackson's time.
8. Alexander Fleming Was Not The First To Discover The Antibiotic Properties Of Mold
As antibiotic resistance emerges as a growing concern in today's society, making even minor bacterial infections potentially lethal, it's worth reflecting on the origins of antibiotics. The commonly told story is that the first antibiotic was discovered by accident in 1928 by Sir Alexander Fleming, a scientist who was studying the influenza virus at the time.
Sir Fleming observed that a petri dish containing Staphylococcus bacteria had been contaminated by mold, and around the mold, no bacteria could survive. Further tests showed that even after diluting the mold culture by 800 times, it remained a potent antibacterial agent.
Sir Alexander Fleming's groundbreaking discovery of penicillin, named after the mold from which it originated (Penicillium), saved countless lives and prevented untold deaths in the years that followed.
While Sir Alexander Fleming's remarkable work is undisputed, there was another scientist, Vincenzo Tiberio, who made similar observations about the antibacterial properties of mold long before. Born in 1869 in Sepino, Italy, Tiberio's contributions often remain overlooked.
During his medical studies in Naples, Tiberio resided in an old house where the well water was regularly tainted by mold. He observed that those who drank from the well developed digestive issues, which only ceased once the mold reappeared after cleaning.
Through his research, Tiberio identified that certain molds, including Penicillium, exhibited antibacterial properties. Unfortunately, his findings were dismissed as mere coincidence by the scientific community and largely ignored.
7. Thomas Edison Did Not Invent The Light Bulb
Thomas Edison is renowned for his inventions, but what truly set him apart among his contemporaries was his remarkable collection of patents—an astonishing 1,093 in total. In addition to his technological creations, Edison cultivated a number of myths about himself.
He frequently claimed that he only required three hours of sleep each night and that he had never received formal schooling, though these assertions were later proven to be highly exaggerated. Perhaps the most famous myth surrounding Edison is the belief that he invented the light bulb.
In 1800, the Italian inventor Alessandro Volta created the voltaic pile, an assembly of alternating copper and zinc discs separated by cardboard soaked in saltwater. When copper wire was attached to both ends, the pile conducted electricity, causing the wire to glow.
Two years later, in 1802, Humphry Davy succeeded in connecting voltaic piles to charcoal electrodes, resulting in the first electric lamp. However, Davy’s lamp was far from perfect—its brightness was excessive, and it burned out quickly.
In 1840, Warren de la Rue created a more efficient light bulb by utilizing coiled platinum, but its high cost made it unaffordable. In 1860, English chemist Joseph Swan improved the design by using much more affordable carbonized paper filaments instead of platinum.
In 1879, Edison entered the competition, replacing the filament in Swan’s bulb with one that had higher electrical resistance. Edison’s version was the most practical and affordable at the time, but it was neither the first nor an entirely original idea. The modern light bulb came about through the collective efforts of many inventors over several years, not the work of a single individual.
6. Christopher Columbus Did Not Discover That The Earth Was Round
The popular myth persists that Christopher Columbus courageously sailed westward in search of Asia, daringly risking the possibility of falling off the edge of the Earth to prove it was round and not flat.
This is a misconception. Although Columbus embarked on his voyage in the 1490s, the fact that the Earth was round had been well-known since 600 BC, thanks to Aristotle and other scientists of that era.
The myth surrounding Columbus’s journey can be traced back to a 1828 book by Washington Irving, who took creative liberties with the retelling. Irving suggested that Columbus was ridiculed and had his belief in a round Earth dismissed by Catholic geographers, who found his idea absurd.
In reality, Columbus's struggles were not related to the Earth's shape, but rather its size. He believed the Earth's circumference was small enough to make a westward route to Asia possible, thereby establishing a new trade path.
It must have been a huge surprise when Columbus instead stumbled upon the Americas (although for Europeans it was a revelation—indigenous people had been living there for thousands of years).
5. Eve Did Not Eat An Apple In The Book Of Genesis
According to the well-known Bible narrative, the first sin committed by humanity occurred when Eve disobeyed God and ate an apple from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil… but is that really what happened?
One of the most widely recognized misconceptions in this famous Bible story is the belief that the forbidden fruit was an apple, a notion that doesn't appear in the original text but has become common in interpretations outside of the Bible.
Nowhere in the Garden of Eden story is an apple specifically mentioned. In Genesis 1:27–29, God tells Adam and Eve they can eat any fruit with seeds, including apples. However, the forbidden fruit that Eve consumes is not described in detail, and the apple idea likely originates from a translation error.
In the Vulgate, the Latin version of the Bible, the word mali is used to describe 'evil' when referring to the tree. The word for 'apple' is strikingly similar: mala. Regardless, the only truly bad 'apple' in Genesis seems to be Eve’s son, Cain, who would later commit fratricide over a disagreement involving vegetables. But that’s a story for another time.
4. George Washington Did Not Chop Down A Cherry Tree
George Washington is often remembered as a figure of extraordinary integrity and bravery—and justifiably so. He was indeed that kind of man. Washington not only led the Continental Army to victory in the American Revolution, but he also became the first president of the United States.
Washington dedicated himself to building the newly independent country after its liberation from British rule, as well as advocating for religious freedom for all Americans. He was certainly an exceptional figure. However, some authors felt his life story could use a bit more flair.
After Washington’s death in 1799, Mason Locke Weems, one of his earliest biographers, concluded that the story of Washington's life required some embellishment. To summarize Weems, he believed Washington’s biography should reflect that his rise to prominence was the result of his virtuous character.
To this day, much about Washington's childhood remains a mystery, yet the story crafted by Weems to highlight young Washington's honesty continues to endure. In this tale, six-year-old George receives a new hatchet, which he quickly uses to chop down one of his father’s cherry trees.
When his father discovers the damage, he questions George, who courageously confesses his actions without hesitation, stating that he 'cannot tell a lie.' Although this cherry tree legend is ironically a false tale about the virtue of honesty, it has been passed down through generations and continues to appear in political cartoons and similar contexts.
3. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin Did Not Invent The Guillotine
Despite the misleading association, French physician Joseph-Ignace Guillotin did not create the guillotine. Ironically, he was a staunch opponent of capital punishment.
In 1789, as state executions in France were largely carried out through gruesome axe beheadings or hanging deaths, Guillotin suggested to the French National Assembly that a more humane execution method be adopted. This idea was taken up by surgeon Antoine Louis, who created the first design of the execution machine, inspired by similar devices used in Scotland and Italy.
A German named Tobias Schmidt then constructed the first prototype, which was subsequently used in future executions. Despite Guillotin having no involvement in the design or construction, this device became known as the guillotine, taking its name from Joseph due to his strong advocacy for more humane methods of capital punishment.
Had things unfolded differently, however, this notorious device might have been called the Louis or the Schmidt, neither of which would have carried quite the same weight.
2. Hamlet Was Not An Original Idea From William Shakespeare
The tragic tale of Hamlet is one of the most renowned plays by William Shakespeare, yet it might surprise you to learn that the story was not entirely his own creation. Shakespeare's Hamlet drew substantial influence from a Danish legend penned by historian Saxo Grammaticus.
In fact, the protagonist of Grammaticus's story, Amleth, even has a name that is an anagram of Hamlet. Whether this was a deliberate choice or a mistake during translation remains uncertain.
Both the story of Hamlet and that of Amleth share a similar plotline, where an uncle murders the king, ascends to the throne, marries his brother’s widow, and plots to murder his nephew, who feigns madness to escape his uncle's wrath. In both tales, the uncles attempt to manipulate the nephew by using a young woman to ensnare him, placing a spy to watch over him, and eventually sending two men to escort him to England for his death.
At the conclusion of both stories, the nephew avenges his father’s death by killing the uncle, although Amleth survives the encounter, whereas Hamlet perishes in his own tale. Clearly, the parallels between the two stories are more than just coincidental.
It’s also possible that Shakespeare was not directly inspired by Grammaticus’s legend, but rather by an earlier play, Ur-Hamlet. This play, attributed to Thomas Kyd, was believed to have been strongly influenced by Saxo Grammaticus’s tale of Amleth.
No original version of the Ur-Hamlet has survived for us to directly compare it with Shakespeare's play. What we do know is that it was a tragic work, featured a character named Hamlet, and included a ghost that communicated with Hamlet about seeking vengeance. These same elements are present in Shakespeare’s version as well.
It’s common for authors to adapt or be influenced by other works, and Shakespeare is largely credited with popularizing the story of Hamlet and Amleth. However, the true origin of the plot should be acknowledged, and it seems that credit belongs to Grammaticus.
1. Julius Caesar Was Never The Emperor Of Rome
Julius Caesar’s life was filled with drama—from his affair with Cleopatra and secret love child to an encounter with pirates who tried to ransom him for far less than he thought he was worth. Yet, despite leading such a full and thrilling life, even this legendary Roman figure has been the subject of several enduring myths over the years.
Gaius Julius Caesar, commonly known as Julius Caesar, was born into a period of turmoil in the Roman Republic. After losing his father at an early age, Caesar quickly found himself on the wrong side of the Roman dictator, Sulla. The threat to his life was serious enough that Caesar chose to join the military as a means of survival.
By the time Caesar reached the age of 31, he had participated in several wars and begun to immerse himself in the political scene. He eventually rose through the ranks to become the dictator of the Roman Empire. A legendary general, a shrewd politician, and an advocate for the common people, Caesar never achieved one title during his lifetime—Emperor.
Though often mistakenly referred to as the first emperor of Rome, Caesar was never an emperor. The year before his assassination, he declared himself dictator-for-life, a decision that caused alarm among many. Members of the Roman Senate were particularly concerned, fearing that Caesar was preparing to make himself king.
The Romans had no desire for a monarch, having been without one for approximately five centuries by the time Caesar rose to power. As a result, Caesar was assassinated on the Ides of March, or March 15, to prevent the possibility of him claiming the throne.
Julius Caesar’s adopted son, Gaius Octavius Thurinus, later known as Augustus, took over his father’s position following Caesar’s death. Augustus ultimately became Rome’s first emperor, though he himself never used the title. Et tu, Augustus?
