Our history looms large over us shaping our present and our future. We accept the great moments and ideas detailed in history books as a matter of fact. But what if our understanding of historical events isn’t actually all that accurate. As time passes our perception of history can become foggier, less reliable. History’s Greatest Myths s1e1: Inventions and Discoveries
Transformative discoveries and inventions often seem as if they have emerged into our society fully formed, filling a space that was empty only moments earlier and quickly becoming the fabric of our daily lives. This perception drives prevailing myths about inventors and their inventions. Yet how history remembers these inventors is often embellished by clever marketing, propaganda, cloudy recollections, and at worst, out and out theft. ibid.
The notion that Edison solely invented the light bulb is a myth that has endured. ibid.
Four years after publishing her research, [Rosalind] Franklin tragically died at the age of 37 from Ovarian cancer before her contemporaries [Crick & Watson] won their Nobel Prize. ibid.
Popular culture is a defining feature of our daily lives. It’s the television we watch. The music we listen to, the films we see and the games we play. This saturation can easily turn into obsession, distrust and even fear. History’s Greatest Myths s1e2: Entertainment
Myths as outlandish as the entertainment we consume begin to spread. These are the great myths in entertainment history. ibid.
At the centre of the furore was Orson Welles … A radio play that would sound like a real news report … Each news break would further the fictional story of a horrifying Martian invasion. ibid.
War and conflict has reshaped nations and devastated entire generations. And with a duty to protect and provide for their citizens, many nation states down the ages have fallen short. Conflicts dominate history and yet wars, why they started and how they were fought, are constantly disputed. Wars and myth-building go hand in hand. History’s Greatest Myths s1e3: War and Conflict
Pearl Harbor: A myth that would cast the US president as a traitor and a liar … The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise offensive, Roosevelt said. Unprovoked and without warning. But was that true? ibid.
A story that involved deception and myth-making used to justify starting a war. February 5th 2003: US Secretary of State Colin Powell addressed the United Nations. ibid.
The social structures which govern our society are based on adherence to collective rules and regulations and implicit trust in one another and acceptance of common memory. History’s Greatest Myths s1e4: Society
The myth that the next generation is less resilient, lazier and more entitled than those who came before. ibid.
When we dispel the rosy glow of nostalgia from our past, there is little empirical evidence to support the idea it was a gentler, better time. ibid.
Leaders of countries or commanders of armies have had their hands on the tiller of history for centuries. Their choices, their actions and their deaths have profound consequences. Many become legends even in their own lifetime. History’s Greatest Myths s1e5: Leaders & Legends
Our world is filled with mystery, mystery that lies in vast and unexplored places. In the relics of ancient civilisations whose truths are lost to time. In the secrets we keep and the ones that are kept from us, we seek answers to these mysteries no matter how fanciful they may seem. History’s Greatest Myths s1e6: Unexplained Mysteries