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Just read a person repeating an old myth, and thought it would be fun to have a thread on all the little myths that are out there.

The myth I just read (not here, was a commentator for a paper) was hyperinflation in Germany leading to the rise of Nazi Germany. It's a myth you see a lot, but it's entirely false. Hyperinflation in Germany was ended in 1923, with the change in currency in November that year, which was pegged to the price of gold.

Following this the economy performed well and politics in Germany became much less combative, and Hitler's prospects declined considerably. However, in 1929 there was the stock market crash and depression, and between the restrictions of being tied to a gold standard, and a strange belief that it was time to free Germany of foreign debt, saw considerable deflation, which worsened the economic problems - directly tracking to Hitler's rise to power.

Hyperinflation was only an issue, in that fear of it led to a chronic over-reaction in the exact opposite direction.



Anyhow, any other little historical myths you see repeated over and over that you just have to get off your chest?

Marie Antoinette never uttered the infamous "Let them eat cake" phrase. The words never left her lips. The first appearance of the phrase is found in an anecdote from Jean-Jaques Rosseau's autobiography, written when Marie Antoinette was nine years old.

She never said it, people! So stop attributing it to her! Makes me mad.

Everybody thought the earth was flat. Columbus figured out that it was round and wanted to prove it. When he left everybody was sure he would fall of the edge of be earth.

Genghis Khan, along with his golden horde actually did attack europe. 10,000-30,000 Man at arms along with 500 battle harden Templars from several orders fought against a force of 10,000 Golden Horde soldiers. The Monguls slaughtered the Polish Forces. Only a few thousand died from the monguls. The Polish forces suffered heavy casualties.

Many people believe that the battle never actually happened. But surprisingly it happened.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Legnica
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongol_invasion_of_Poland
This is also why poland was so fragmented.

Genghis Khan is also the one to blame for making the fertile crescent a desert by damning up rivers and running dry the fertile crescent.

Also The Battle of Thermoplaye also had other Brave and unmentioned soldiers.

Spartans actually had relationships with their others. It inspired them to do better in battle.

The Knights Templar order was completely wiped out everywhere except england and Italy. The Italian Branch disappeared. The English began the Free Masons order.

 d-usa wrote:
Everybody thought the earth was flat. Columbus figured out that it was round and wanted to prove it. When he left everybody was sure he would fall of the edge of be earth.

Yeah, in reality everybody thought they would simply starve to death before making it to Asia. And they would have, if the America's had not been in the way.

Also, the lizard people? They've been in control since the start.

The first rule of lizard people is that one does not talk about lizard people.

That cavemen didn't have push powered cars.

 rubiksnoob wrote:
Marie Antoinette never uttered the infamous "Let them eat cake" phrase. The words never left her lips. The first appearance of the phrase is found in an anecdote from Jean-Jaques Rosseau's autobiography, written when Marie Antoinette was nine years old.

Yeah, this one gets me all the time. We've known this for generations, and the real story is actually pretty interesting, and shows that not much changes in politics (people make up scandalous lies, and they stick because they fit an image of how people would like to see the person).


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 d-usa wrote:
Everybody thought the earth was flat. Columbus figured out that it was round and wanted to prove it. When he left everybody was sure he would fall of the edge of be earth.

Classic example of someone changing the world by being stupider than sensible people, and then getting incredibly lucky.

The whole "Polish cavalry charging tanks with lances" myth that came out of WW2.

The Poles not only had a fairly modern army, but dragoons were still a thing amongst every major military at the time, including the Germans. The Polish Uhlans in question were heavily armed with carbines, towed artillery, anti-tank rifles, and light tanks.

The source of the myth was actually a successful cavalry charge by the Uhlans on German infantry (with sabres), which was subsequently caught in the open by armored cars and forced to retreat.

 Laughing Man wrote:
The whole "Polish cavalry charging tanks with lances" myth that came out of WW2.

The Poles not only had a fairly modern army, but dragoons were still a thing amongst every major military at the time, including the Germans. The Polish Uhlans in question were heavily armed with carbines, towed artillery, anti-tank rifles, and light tanks.

The source of the myth was actually a successful cavalry charge by the Uhlans on German infantry (with sabres), which was subsequently caught in the open by armored cars and forced to retreat.

Yeah, good one. It's used so often to support the myth that the German war machine was so advanced, I love pointing out the Germans used cavalry themselves in Russia.

Thing is, when the roads are scarce but there's a lot of open grassland, horses are an excellent way to move soldiers around.

 sebster wrote:

 Laughing Man wrote:
The whole "Polish cavalry charging tanks with lances" myth that came out of WW2.

The Poles not only had a fairly modern army, but dragoons were still a thing amongst every major military at the time, including the Germans. The Polish Uhlans in question were heavily armed with carbines, towed artillery, anti-tank rifles, and light tanks.

The source of the myth was actually a successful cavalry charge by the Uhlans on German infantry (with sabres), which was subsequently caught in the open by armored cars and forced to retreat.

Yeah, good one. It's used so often to support the myth that the German war machine was so advanced, I love pointing out the Germans used cavalry themselves in Russia.

Thing is, when the roads are scarce but there's a lot of open grassland, horses are an excellent way to move soldiers around.

Yup this is a good one. It suprised me when i discovered the truth.

How about the arguments as to the status of the Maus superheavy at the end of the war? There are actually accounts of one or two of these engaging Rusian tanks but people say it never happened.

 sebster wrote:


Yeah, good one. It's used so often to support the myth that the German war machine was so advanced, I love pointing out the Germans used cavalry themselves in Russia.

Thing is, when the roads are scarce but there's a lot of open grassland, horses are an excellent way to move soldiers around.

They didn't just use cavalry in Russia, they made extensive use of cavalry (in a mounted infantry role) in Western Europe during the early war period. There was even a SS cavalry division. Outside of Panzer and Panzergrenadier units almost all German transport was horsedrawn, even by the end of the war.

I think the British army was the only combatant to have no literal Cavlary units in 1939.

The Scottish army at Bannockburn would have been armed, and to an extent armoured, in exactly the same fashion as the English, the Scots even had longbowmen. The Braveheart version of blue painted highlanders is a complete fabrication.

France is not a cowardly nation, historically they have won more wars than England. They didn't perform well against Germany in WWII, but then no one did until the German Blitzkreig doctrine started to break down and counters were developed.

It's a popular idea that you cannot flog a dead horse.

.. well recent events have blown that one out of the water eh ?

 sebster wrote:


Yeah, good one. It's used so often to support the myth that the German war machine was so advanced, ...

I was taught at school that a problem the Germans had int he First and Second world war was that they were superbly equiped and ready to win the last war they fought.

The one that most annoyes/amuses me is the ideas people have on the medieval era, that they were a time of total stagnation and unenlighenment. Part of this is the "flat world" myth. Amusingly people point to maps to prove this... Maps being flat because paper is flat...

That the puritan pilgrims landed at Plymouth to escape religious persecution in England, when really they moved because England did not persecute nearly enough when it came to religion to satisfy them, they believed the post civil war reformation had not gone far enough and that the English church had become to tolerant.

 sebster wrote:
Just read a person repeating an old myth, and thought it would be fun to have a thread on all the little myths that are out there.

The myth I just read (not here, was a commentator for a paper) was hyperinflation in Germany leading to the rise of Nazi Germany. It's a myth you see a lot, but it's entirely false. Hyperinflation in Germany was ended in 1923, with the change in currency in November that year, which was pegged to the price of gold.

Following this the economy performed well and politics in Germany became much less combative, and Hitler's prospects declined considerably. However, in 1929 there was the stock market crash and depression, and between the restrictions of being tied to a gold standard, and a strange belief that it was time to free Germany of foreign debt, saw considerable deflation, which worsened the economic problems - directly tracking to Hitler's rise to power.

Hyperinflation was only an issue, in that fear of it led to a chronic over-reaction in the exact opposite direction.



Anyhow, any other little historical myths you see repeated over and over that you just have to get off your chest?

That's not really a myth. Your description of events has been widely accepted for a long time.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Palindrome wrote:

 sebster wrote:


Yeah, good one. It's used so often to support the myth that the German war machine was so advanced, I love pointing out the Germans used cavalry themselves in Russia.

Thing is, when the roads are scarce but there's a lot of open grassland, horses are an excellent way to move soldiers around.

They didn't just use cavalry in Russia, they made extensive use of cavalry (in a mounted infantry role) in Western Europe during the early war period. There was even a SS cavalry division. Outside of Panzer and Panzergrenadier units almost all German transport was horsedrawn, even by the end of the war.

I think the British army was the only combatant to have no literal Cavlary units in 1939.

The Scottish army at Bannockburn would have been armed, and to an extent armoured, in exactly the same fashion as the English, the Scots even had longbowmen. The Braveheart version of blue painted highlanders is a complete fabrication.

France is not a cowardly nation, historically they have won more wars than England. They didn't perform well against Germany in WWII, but then no one did until the German Blitzkreig doctrine started to break down and counters were developed.

You are correct in saying that the BEF were the world's first fully mechanized force. Even the gravediggers had trucks and armoured cars!

In recent years, a lot of historical revisionism has emerged that paints Britain in the 1930s, not as a struggling country at the mercy of Germany, but a global superpower that made more guns than the Americans (couldn't believe it myself, but it's true) exported more oil than any other nation, and had half of south America churning out grain and beef for it. Amongst other things. The reason for Britain's appeasement to Hiter was the fact that the Battle of the Somme was only twenty odd years in the past, and the memory was still too strong for the public.

The explanation for everything.

 reds8n wrote:
It's a popular idea that you cannot flog a dead horse.

.. well recent events have blown that one out of the water eh ?

Terrible joke. You deserve to be stripped off your mod powers, tarred, feathered, and sent to Blackpool for that!

Did someone actually flog a dead horse? I didn't hear about this.

 Ratbarf wrote:
Did someone actually flog a dead horse? I didn't hear about this.

It's about come products being found to contain horse meat instead of what they claimed to contain.

 Asherian Command wrote:

The Knights Templar order was completely wiped out everywhere except england and Italy. The Italian Branch disappeared. The English began the Free Masons order.

This is a myth.

King Dinis of Portugal allowed the Templars to maintain all of their assets as a reward for their assistance in the fight against the muslims and renamed them the Order of Christ, even negotiating their rightful recognition in the eyes of the church.

This in turn led to the legend that the Templars treasure that was never found by Philip IV of France was actually hidden in the Templar fortress-temple of Tomar.

The Dutch Buckriders were sadly not satanic flying goat cavalry. Just a bunch of bandits that triggered a giant witch hunt.

 Soladrin wrote:
The Dutch Buckriders were sadly not satanic flying goat cavalry. Just a bunch of bandits that triggered a giant witch hunt.

That sounds epic cool.

Two short myths:
1. that there were no survivors of the Alamo. There were approximately a dozen noncombatants that survived, as did several messengers (and a few deserters).
2. that the North American natives didn't have cities pre Columbus. Indeed there is strong evidence there were tribes near the Mississippii with settlements that sheltered thousands of people. Disease wiped them out.

 Ratbarf wrote:
Did someone actually flog a dead horse? I didn't hear about this.

Flog being slang for selling in this case Reds8n just won the thread

PhantomViper wrote:

This is a myth.

King Dinis of Portugal allowed the Templars to maintain all of their assets as a reward for their assistance in the fight against the muslims and renamed them the Order of Christ, even negotiating their rightful recognition in the eyes of the church.

This in turn led to the legend that the Templars treasure that was never found by Philip IV of France was actually hidden in the Templar fortress-temple of Tomar.

The myth about a force of Templars fighting for the Scots at Bannockburn is also a fabrication, it is supposed to date from the victorian era as a reason for why the English lost to a bunch of peasants. In reality there is no way that Robert the Brus would have been happy to associate with the Templars given that he was trying very hard to gain Papal recognition for a Scottish kingdom.

My favorite History Myth? That Catherine the Great dies under a horse. We had good times with that in class.

 Frazzled wrote:

 Soladrin wrote:
The Dutch Buckriders were sadly not satanic flying goat cavalry. Just a bunch of bandits that triggered a giant witch hunt.

That sounds epic cool.

Two short myths:
1. that there were no survivors of the Alamo. There were approximately a dozen noncombatants that survived, as did several messengers (and a few deserters).
2. that the North American natives didn't have cities pre Columbus. Indeed there is strong evidence there were tribes near the Mississippii with settlements that sheltered thousands of people. Disease wiped them out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckriders

Enjoy.

That "forte" is pronounced "for-tay" when used outside of discussions on music.

 Frazzled wrote:


2. that the North American natives didn't have cities pre Columbus. Indeed there is strong evidence there were tribes near the Mississippii with settlements that sheltered thousands of people. Disease wiped them out.

Yep... Cahokia:
Massive earth works and archeological findings...