Stay ConnectedIn each episode of History Fix, I discuss lesser known stories from history that you won’t be able to stop thinking about. Need your history fix? You’ve come to the right place.
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“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” or so they say. But, honestly that’s just not true. For all of known history beauty has been defined by society, not the beholder, and the standards have been set unattainably high. Pale and plump, tan and thin, long hair, now short hair, curly hair, straight hair, big hair, no hair, thick eyebrows, thin eyebrows, thick again, thin again, short, now tall, black teeth, no white teeth. Ever changing, swinging like a pendulum, back and forth, and ever harder and harder to actually achieve. But did you know our desperation to somehow reach these impossible standards has led us to, quite literally, poison ourselves throughout history? Let’s fix that.
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The lost city of Atlantis was said to be an ideal, utopian society, flourishing under the noble leadership of 10 princes who swore an oath to the gods to never let greed, arrogance, or hate interrupt the peace of their righteous civilization. It was technologically advanced beyond our comprehension even today, a prosperous maritime trading post, an inspiring world leader. That is, until human nature - ego - got in the way as it so often does. Atlantis quickly fell from grace, smote by the gods, destroyed in a single day by earthquakes and floods, lost to the ages. But did you know, the questionably true story of Atlantis ironically inspired some of the most arrogant and hate filled atrocities ever committed by man? Let’s fix that.
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Genghis Khan, the man, the myth, the legend was undoubtedly a fierce and ruthless warrior. The New York Times called him “the original bad boy of history” and tales of his conquests have inspired shock and awe for much of the last millennium. During his reign as Khan of the vast Mongol empire, as many as 40 million people were killed. That’s roughly 11 percent of the world population at the time. He showed no mercy to his enemies, wiping them out by the millions, sometimes slaughtering every man, woman, and child in the cities he conquered. But was he a bloodthirsty madman or an ingenious diplomat? Did you know that despite all the killing, Genghis Khan’s empire was far more civil than the rest of the world? Let’s fix that.
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Abolitionist Olaudah Equiano was captured from his home in Africa as an 11 year old boy while his parents were out working one day. He was stuffed below decks of a slave ship, shackled together lying down with hundreds of other captives in what Equiano referred to as “a scene of horror almost inconceivable.” By the late 17th century, Great Britain dominated the slave trade and wealthy plantation owners in the American colonies were lining their pockets, thanks to the labor of 11 million captive Africans forced into slavery. In 1833, Britain signed the Slavery Abolition Act, effectively ending British slavery 30 years before the United States. But did you know, Great Britain didn’t just put a stop to slavery, they forced generations of their citizens to purchase those enslaved people? Let’s fix that.
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Kings, and queens, monarchs and emperors often rise to the throne by birthright alone. There’s no campaigning, no election, no popular vote, no competition whatsoever. They are simply born with the right to rule. They just happened to be the first son of a first son of a first son in a family that was once deemed “royal” for whatever reason and it stuck. Does this make them the best candidate to rule an entire country? An empire? Well, no. Many of them were crowned as mere children, babies even. But did you know, some of them were so unfit to rule, even as adults, they’ve inspired an entire literary archetype? Let’s fix that.
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Towering 450 feet above the Egyptian desert lies the Great Pyramid of Giza, its rugged, crumbling facade a mere ruin of its former glory. It was once clad in blinding white limestone, fit so tightly together the seams were invisible. A capstone of pure gold crowned the top, reflecting the sun’s light for miles like a beacon of triumph for a flourishing civilization. The textbooks teach us that the Great Pyramid was built around 4,500 years ago as a tomb for the pharaoh Khufu. But did you know, that might not be true. At all. Let’s fix that.
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Nikola Tesla was one of the greatest scientific minds of all time. He developed machinery that allowed us to harness the alternating current which is still our main form of electricity to this day. He invented the Tesla coil which is still used in countless modern electronics plus fluorescent light bulbs, neon light, and spark plugs, you know, like, what starts your car. He’s responsible for major breakthroughs and advancements in electric lighting, x-rays, drones, radios, phosphorescence, electrotherapy, radar, electron microscopes, microwave ovens, and robotics. But did you know, Tesla’s plans for the future of technology were way beyond all that and, quite literally, could have saved the world? Let’s fix that.
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It’s a summer day in Strasbourg, France. The year is 1518. A woman named Frau Troffea steps into the city square and starts to dance. There’s no music and yet she twists and turns for hours while onlookers watch, confused. Occasionally, she collapses from exhaustion only to get back up and resume her frenzied dancing soon after. This goes on day after day and soon some 400 others have joined her, many of them dancing themselves to death. The “Dancing Plague of 1518” is believed to have been caused by “mass hysteria” - a psychological phenomenon that causes irrational behaviors, thoughts, and even physical symptoms among a group of people. But did you know, this isn’t the only time mass hysteria has reared its ugly head? Let’s fix that.
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In 1911 Shipbuilder magazine featured an ocean liner under construction in Belfast, Ireland. It was called Titanic and it was the largest moveable object ever built. With new state of the art technology, the magazine claimed Titanic was “practically unsinkable,” a reputation that stuck… until April of 1912 when the RMS Titanic began its maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York harbor. Four days later, the ship lay at the bottom of the North Atlantic, its massive hull ripped in two and 1,500 passengers dead. Few stories have captivated our minds like the sinking of Titanic. And no, of course it wasn’t actually unsinkable. But did you know, it really shouldn’t have sunk? Let’s fix that.
Youtube video of Alvin footage
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“Downton Abbey” is a popular period drama set in Edwardian England that details the life of the Crawley family, their motley crew of servants and of course Dame Maggie Smith playing the ever witty and sharp tongued granny. Love her. But Downton, with its iconic Gothic facade is a real place. It’s actually called Highclere Castle and, did you know the real story of its inhabitants is truly stranger than fiction? Let’s fix that.
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