Wierd History!

[Dancing David]

There never was a Thomas Crapper who invented the toilet,
george washinton never cut down the cherry tree


what other myths should sceptics be wary of?

[LCBOY]

Baseball was NOT invented by Abner Doubleday.

[Checkmite]

Lincoln wasnt born in a log cabin that he built himself.

[fidiot]

Originally posted by Joshua Korosi
Lincoln wasnt born in a log cabin that he built himself.

I'd like to see someone arguing about this :D

[jimlintott]

From the Thomas Crapper (http://www.thomas-crapper.com/history02.htm) web site.

It is popularly thought that Mr. Crapper invented the W.C., and that the vulgar word for faeces is a derivative of his name, but neither belief is true.

This stuff is expensive but they appear to be the Rolex of the toilet world.

[UnrepentantSinner]

But what about Commodus?

[Ove]

There never was a Thomas Crapper who invented the toilet,

But still.. He did make it fashionable to use a WC and that's why his name became synonymous with a loo. Just like Hoover who didn't invent the vaccuum cleaner.

[aggle_rithm]

Myth: People advised Columbus against a Westward passage to the Indies because the Earth was flat, and he would sail off the edge.

Actually, it was pretty common knowledge by 1492 that the world was round. They advised against the trip because the Earth was larger than Columbus thought it was, and he would have run out of supplies long before reaching the Indies. Fortunately for Columbus, there was an unknown continent along the way.

[Nyarlathotep]

There wasn't really a "shootout" at the O.K. Corall.

One of the Clantons wasn't even armed. Most of the rest never had the chance to fire their weapons. To me a shootout implies a gunfight, with both sides shooting. It was really more an "ambush at the O.K. Corall.

[headscratcher4]

Myth: Saddam Hussien was within 6 months to a year of developing nuclear weapons....

[kedo1981]

How about: Europeans gave blankets “infected” with small pox to native peoples.

[SteveW]

How about scalping started with the Indians?

[JAR]

I was about to post a message in the thread titled, "Interesting Local History" started by Nyarlathotep but I found out through a google search that what I was going to post was a myth. The myth I was going to post is the myth that the Lakewood Mall, which is the mall nearest to my house, was the first mall to be built in the world. I found out that it isn't. I was told that it was the first a while back.

[jayrev]

The brassiere was not invented by Otto Titzling.

http://www.snopes.com/business/origins/bra.htm

[SteveW]

Originally posted by JAR
I was about to post a message in the thread titled, "Interesting Local History" started by Nyarlathotep but I found out through a google search that what I was going to post was a myth. The myth I was going to post is the myth that the Lakewood Mall, which is the mall nearest to my house, was the first mall to be built in the world. I found out that it isn't. I was told that it was the first a while back.

I grew up going to check out chicks at Lakewood Mall back when it was still in the open like Stonewood used to be. Actually, the first enclosed Mall I remember in the area was Cerritos and South Coast Plaza.

I'm in New Jersey now and hope that California falls off into the ocean. I hated it when I grew up there and still despise it.

[The Central Scrutinizer]

Mark Twain was born in the town of Florida, Missouri, NOT Hannibal.

Harry Truman was born in Lamar, Missouri, NOT Independence.

[Chris Haynes]

Originally posted by JAR
... The myth I was going to post is the myth that the Lakewood Mall, which is the mall nearest to my house, was the first mall to be built in the world. I found out that it isn't. I was told that it was the first a while back.

Some folks claim it is this one, which opened in 1950:
http://www.historylink.org/_output.CFM?file_ID=3186

But it is really the Country Club Plaza in Kansas:
http://www.dispatch.com/news/newsfea99/2000MM/firsts10704.html