Everything the High School History Books Got Wrong

Challenging the misinformation we were taught in high school is important. It allows us all a more accurate understanding of history, science, and human achievements. To that end, let’s now dive into 12 commonly held beliefs instilled in high school that are patently false.

However, Columbus’s arrival did mark the beginning of a period of prolonged European exploration and colonization. This had the effect of overshadowing the existence of Native American cultures and earlier Europeans like Leif Erikson, a Norse explorer believed to have landed in continental America in the 11th century.

In reality, additional senses such as balance, temperature, and proprioception–your body’s ability to sense movement, action, and location–play crucial roles in daily life and bodily awareness. Without these other key senses, we would expend extreme amounts of conscious energy just to freely move about in the world.

The original electric light was created by Humphry Davy in 1802–more than 75 years before Edison’s significant contribution. What the famous Ohio-born, Michigan-raised inventor actually did was develop a durable filament that made the bulb commercially viable.

Diamonds originate deep within the Earth’s mantle from carbon and are brought to the surface by volcanic activity. The coal-formation myth distorts the elaborate geological process involved in the birth of diamonds.

This myth stems from misinterpreted research that German scientist David Hänig conducted in 1901. He was measuring taste stimuli responses across various areas of the tongue and observed variations in taste bud sensitivity. However, he never explicitly asserted that these differences correlated with specific tastes. The mythical tongue map, depicting distinct zones for sweet, salty, bitter, and sour tastes, was a misinterpretation of Hänig’s research by Edwin Boring. Boring created the widely circulated map, unintentionally perpetuating the idea of taste zones.

The misconception obscures the complex process of human evolution. While it is true that human DNA is very similar to chimpanzee DNA, there are important differences that reflect changes that took place over millions of years.

Superficial veins on the wrist are often visible, exhibiting colors like blue, purple, or green based on skin tone. The absence of a red appearance actually comes from the interaction of light with skin tissue. Skin absorbs and reflects light in a way that these superficial veins do not prominently display a red hue. The phenomenon is a result of the specific wavelengths present in the visible light spectrum, which presents an illusion of blueish colors to us when looking at our veins.

The myth’s origins lie in a few things. Napoleon’s elite guards were apparently much taller than average Frenchmen, which gave the illusion that Napoleon was short. Additionally, a misinterpretation likely arose due to the French inch being longer than the British inch. This made Napoleon seem only 5 feet 2 inches tall to people who did understand French measurements.

19 of the 20 accused were hanged, and one individual was pressed to death. The burning myth is a common historical inaccuracy, but English law at the time reserved death by burning for women convicted of high treason. Men found guilty of high treason faced the brutal punishment of being dragged, hanged until nearly dead, and then subjected to dismemberment—a practice known as “hanged, drawn, and quartered.”

This misconception completely underestimates the sensory capabilities of bats. Bats, in fact, possess eyesight superior to that of many humans. Far from being useless appendages, a bat’s eyes are adapted to low-light conditions and efficiently aid in prey detection.

Despite its expansive 4,500-mile length, the materials used in its construction make it challenging to distinguish from space. While some astronauts–notably Ed Lu and Eugene Cernan–suggest visibility from lower portions of low-Earth orbit, NASA maintains that the wall is barely discernible to the naked eye, if at all.

Another component of the math failure myth arises from Einstein’s college entrance exam in Zurich. Though he failed the exam, he actually passed the math portion. Despite failing numerous sections, he retook and passed the exam, but frustrated professors because he skipped class and preferred studying on his own.