- So we live in an age where everything is well-documented
so when we hear stories of events from the past,
we assume that they're true, like how cowboys
always used to wear cowboy hats
or how America saved Europe in World War Two.
But what if I told you that neither
of those things are true.
I'm about to flip it on you.
Well, in this video, I'm about to take seven
of the most commonly-believed myths
that you likely still believe about history
and explain the truth behind them.
No matter how far back in history you go,
if you weren't there to witness it yourself,
it is possible that what you think happened
didn't actually occur.
Well today, we're going to be looking at some
of the biggest historical events
and reveal just how different they really were.
This is Seven Myths You Still Believe About History.
Betsy Ross designed the first American flag.
You've likely heard that the original stars-and-stripes
American flag was commissioned by George Washington
himself to be designed and sewn by seamstress Betsy Ross.
However, despite the Ross family making the claim
100 years after it allegedly happened,
it turns out that there is absolutely
no evidence that this transpired.
There's actually no record at all of the so-called
flag committee that Washington was supposedly
a part of to request this flag.
However, there is evidence of congress
negotiating over a design with congress member
Francis Hopkinson who had designed several
symbols and seals representing the United States.
And on top of that, Betsy Ross never even claimed
that she did design the flag.
And although she did sew flags for the Navy Board,
there's actually more proof that it was either made
by Hopkinson or was a collaborative effort.
There was mass hysteria over the War
of the Worlds broadcast.
On October 30th 1938, a Halloween radio performance
of H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds was broadcast
over the CBS airwaves.
Rumors say that there was mass hysteria
as people thought aliens were really invading
and panic quickly escalated.
Well the truth is that there were some people
who took the radio show seriously despite
the announcements during the commercial breaks
that it was all for entertainment,
however, the number of Americans that did so were
actually very small.
The broadcast didn't have a very large audience
due to being in a competitive time slot
among other popular shows, and CBS replaced
it altogether in some areas with other material.
The only reason people believed this huge
exaggeration is because of jealous newspapers
spreading the myth to gain a competitive edge
on radio journalism.
Cowboys all wore cowboy hats.
Yee-haw.
Whether it's on a pack of cigarettes,
or in a western movie, the image of the American cowboy
is pretty standard.
But really, ask yourself, what do you think
of when you think of a cowboy?
Well generally a guy on a horse with a revolver
at his hip and of course a cowboy hat on his head.
Well it turns out, while some of that description
actually describes real-life cowboys of yesteryear,
those famous cowboy hats were not actually
worn by them.
The Stetson hat was made famous in western movies,
however, in real life, they weren't around until
about 1865 when John B. Stetson decided
to make the boss of the planes.
It was a hat designed to protect the wearer
from the Western-American conditions.
For most of the cowboy days leading up
to the beginning of the 19th century,
men wore the derby, also known as the bowler hat.
America saved Europe in World War Two.
Although it is a better story to tell,
that of the United States entering World War Two
and basically dominating the Axis powers until
they gave up, this technically wasn't the case.
In 1941, despite having signed a non-aggression pact
with the Soviet Union, Hitler ordered the invasion
of the USSR.
This war front was the cause of over 80 percent
of Germany's casualties and spent huge
amounts of the Axis supplies.
The United States and the United Kingdom
were still debating battle tactics while the Soviets
celebrated victory after victory over German forces.
This led international scholars to declare
that the Soviet Union was the real iconic saviors
of Europe during the war.
The Great Depression caused mass suicides.
The Great Depression started in October of 1929
when the stock market crashed and lasted until 1939.
Shortly after its onset, millions of investors
were left without a dollar to their name.
And the myth that says many of them,
along with various bankers and brokers
took the crash as the end of the line,
and leapt from the their windows to their deaths,
wan only partially true.
As it turns out, the suicide rate for New York
were Wall Street is actually went down during that period.
And for the few that did end up taking their own lives,
did so by non jumping from a window.
Actually, according to research, only two such suicides
took place on Wall Street, meaning that this myth
is greatly exaggerated.
The British are coming.
It's said that during the Revolutionary War,
Paul Revere, a silversmith and messenger,
rode to Lexington, Massachusetts to warn
Samuel Adams and John Hancock about their
soon-to-be arrests by calling out,
"The British are coming."
However, historical fact, and for that matter,
common sense, say that that wasn't the case.
First of all, he didn't go alone.
He had at least two other men riding with him.
Secondly, this mission given to him
by Dr. Joseph Warren, was a secret one,
and he needed to avoid British patrols.
So yelling out warnings about Brits would
not have been wise.
Finally, those living in Massachusetts consider themselves
British, so he wouldn't have announced it that way.
History says that he announced, "Regulars are coming."
But even that's a stretch.
The signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Okay, this is a big one.
We end the list ironically, with the beginning of America.
Well, sort of.
The fourth of July is known as Independence Day.
The anniversary of the day that the Fresh Prince
of Bel-Air and Malcolm from Jurassic Park
saved us all from alien invasion.
Well, it might as well be.
See, the Declaration of Independence wasn't actually
signed on July fourth.
The process was started on July first 1776,
and technically wasn't signed until August second.
On July second, the Continental Congress voted
for independence, and then several days
were spent going over the document,
meaning, sadly, that the fourth of July
isn't actually America's birthday.
But it's still a fun day to celebrate.
Hey Ma, where the fireworks at?
And that's all for this video, guys.
If you enjoyed it and got something out of it,
be sure to subscribe to my channel
so that you can catch my next video
and I'll see you in the next one.
Thank you so much for watching.
Bye.