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Knock an 'istorical 'ero Down a Peg
emnmnme
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Something that has bothered me about middle school history text books was how all the historical figures led perfect lives. The information school kids learn is usually biased towards all the good things these people did for mankind, often leaving out their vices, bad habits, and whatever the publishers feel might be too controversial for a seventh grader. That's not to say it's sanitized beyond recognition but after watching the animated Disney specials and going on museum trips, how is any youngster supposed to know that Ben Franklin or Abe Lincoln had a few dark spots in their otherwise remarkable lives?
To counter this, I thought it'd be fun to find prominent figures in history and tattle on some of their darker secrets that may have been swept under the rug. The stuff that isn't usually isn't mentioned on a plaque in their respective memorials. ;-)
For example, Gandhi was inspirational to the people of India but he was ruthless to his wife and supposedly slept naked with young girls in his family. No sex; he was just testing his willpower. Still shocking.
Thomas Jefferson had illegitimate children with slaves he owned even while he opposed strongly the slave trade.
It was alleged by the US government that Martin Luther King, Jr. frequently cheated on his wife. I don't know about this one since the FBI was deadset on defaming King and Malcolm X but the accusations were enough to create doubt.
Everyone knows Simon bolivar as a great liberator but near the end he took on the role as dictator over the Republic.
To counter this, I thought it'd be fun to find prominent figures in history and tattle on some of their darker secrets that may have been swept under the rug. The stuff that isn't usually isn't mentioned on a plaque in their respective memorials. ;-)
For example, Gandhi was inspirational to the people of India but he was ruthless to his wife and supposedly slept naked with young girls in his family. No sex; he was just testing his willpower. Still shocking.
Thomas Jefferson had illegitimate children with slaves he owned even while he opposed strongly the slave trade.
It was alleged by the US government that Martin Luther King, Jr. frequently cheated on his wife. I don't know about this one since the FBI was deadset on defaming King and Malcolm X but the accusations were enough to create doubt.
Everyone knows Simon bolivar as a great liberator but near the end he took on the role as dictator over the Republic.
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(EDIT: Ok, perhaps not a great historical figure, but it's an awesome font IMHO)
Similarly, Hitler being a vegetarian shouldn't make people go 'well, I guess he was compassionate after all.'
It dosen't lessen their historical greatness but in a way I think it makes them more human.
And she never passed the joint.
My example isn't really "knocking an historical figure down a peg," but one of my favorite bits from the book is hearing about Helen Keller's actual life: she became a prominent and highly public socialist agitator.
O_o
Ok, smoking the pot I can believe but her not sharing?? Her reputation was based on sharing and selflessness!
EDIT: Also, anyone who is interested in iconoclasm should read everything by Richard Shenkman- One Night Stands with American History, Legends, Lies and Cherished Myths of American History, I love Paul Revere, Whether he Rode or Not, and Legends, Lies and Cherished Myths of World History.
Good writer, and entertaining as hell.
Are you kidding? Mel Gibson.
edit: Also, Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything has a lot of interesting little tidbits on various scientists, including lots of cool stuff involving people betraying their closest friends, weird habits, and some other stuff.
I never realized how much of a weirdo Newton was until that book.
Early geeks.
George Washington would often pass gas and then blame it on the dog.
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But you know it has been forever and a day since I saw that show and I can admit my knowledge on the subject is lacking so please correct me if I got anything wrong.
He was just being nice.
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Not to shit on the thread, but what do you expect from middle school? They're 12, and the teacher generally has to do the history of the world (part 1) in an hour a day. I'm more upset with the fact that high-school doesn't put more emphasis on particular histories to get past the simplistic white washing.
Seriously. A great amount of the history I've learned on my own since high school has made me think "Why the fuck didn't they talk about this in school?" I would've been way more interested in actual events, details about people involved, and stuff like that, rather than just learning a bunch of fucking dates and then a bullet list of "Why _____ happened"
Dude, she was a nun. What did you expect?
I worked with an 8th grade history teacher a few years ago who made it a point to let everyone know much some of these guys were assholes. My favorite was his 20 minute tirade on Andrew Jackson.
Franklin Deleanor Roosevelt? More like Franklin Deleanor Gaysevelt.
At my highschool in Houston, many of the students in my history class believed the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II was a fully justified. Kind of makes me wish that we didn't skip the section mentioning how over 800 Nisei from the 442nd Regimental Combat Team died rescuing 211 Texans from 1st Battalion, 141st Infantry. But whatever.
Wait, didn't he die with his mistress, instead of his wife?
Also, Paul Reviere (sp) was in bed wit a hooker when he got the call to ride.
Dmitri Shostakovitch suffered from severe auditory hallucinations whenever he leaned his head to the right. Shortly after his death, an autopsy found a tiny piece of metal, presumably shrapnel from a bullet, lodged in skull poking at his frontal lobe.
Joseph Smith was lying about everything.
America, and many of our laws as well, is here as a result of a monetary venture. The concept of "freedom" was just a retcon.
It's common knowledge, not too shocking to anyone, but the dude was crazy.
Thought he was made of glass and would shatter if anyone touched him.
Some people don't pronounce their 'h's at the beginning of words, and they change their indefinite articles to match. "In this 'ere thread, we knock an 'istorical 'ero down a peg, by jove by gum."
He was a pretty good bookkeeper, though.
Oh, and Abraham Lincoln hated his wife, who had some sort of mental disorder. When she went into a fit, he often would refer to it as "Another trip on the crazy train."
I checked that out a while ago, and I've yet to see any reliable information indicating this is true. Just about every historian and commentator I've read (Joan Graff Clucas, Kathryn Spink, etc) who write about her give pretty strong evidence that badmouthing against Mother Theresa is pretty much junk made up by people who want to throw mud on someone who's held as a religious example.
Oh, and I think John Lennon was pretty stupid and ignorant.
Also, the growth of Hollywood as Film Central was due to the studios seeking to get as far away from Edison as possible.
This may be ironic, but I'm not going to disagree with you one bit. In fact, I kind of agree, and wish to add that he was arrogant as well.
Also the Lumiere borthers from france really invented the film camera/projector.
As far as I've heard: she set up convents instead of hospitals with the money she raised - which is understandable if you're a crazy fucking zealot, sure - but more than that, she declared that suffering was holy and that people should suffer in the name of Christ, going to hospitals to die instead of be healed. Then she herself, when seriously ill, received the best care money could buy.
She also hit the hypocrite button about divorce when it came to Princess Diana.
From what I've read she was something of a sadist.