50 Greatest Historical Events That Never Happened - Sideprojects Reaction (Part 2)

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#history #reaction

[@Here4Years]

Yes, burning witches in Salem is what I was told in my history class. It wasn't until years later that I found out my teacher got it wrong.

[@randylong6550]

Me too

[@tracymeahan]

I wonder if that was mainstream teachers confusing the Salem witch trials with the way the Catholic churches executed "witches" during their Inquisitions in Europe 🤔

[@noneya9866]

came to comment the same lol

[@pharniel]

Yup. This was all over mass media/history classes almost as much as "Columbus proved the world was round" Fell out of favour in the 90's.

[@lorihagerty7833]

Me too!

[@matthewwarlin7421]

"And what do you burn with witches?" "More witches!"

[@scottp.5055]

I got better...

[@cixelsyd40]

There are ways of telling whether she is a witch

[@Silvercrypto-xk4zy]

tis a scratch

[@ChefRaekwon420]

A Duck.

[@odonnell1218]

“She turned me into a newt!” “A newt?” “…I got better.”

[@Dragonite43]

I don't think I was taught that they were burned at the stake, but witches being burned at the stake is so iconic that it blend into people's understanding of the Salem Witch Trials.

[@jamiefrontiera1671]

Yeah, I think that's where people think people were burned at Salem. I can't remember in school if we were told how they died, only about the trials, etc. Later I remember docs only talking about the hanging and the one person crushed to death. I think separately we were told that so many people have been burned at the stake for witch craft, that our brains just fuse these facts together.

[@sechran]

This. I'm thinking it's less of a "thing taught in schools" and more of a "thing people 'know' through generalized pop-culture osmosis."

[@adrianainespena5654]

Add to it that the Spanish Inquisition gets blamed, when in fact, the Spanish Inquisition declared witches to be deluded, and that "the less you talk of witches, the less there will be"

[@TheNeonParadox]

"Herodotus: If he wrote it, let's just say it's probably not entirely accurate." That's a pretty good rule of thumb. It's a bit hyperbolic, but I had a professor tell me once, "Anything Herodotus wrote in Histories involving battles and numbers, if the troops were Greek, multiply by ten, and if they were the opposing army, divide by ten." 😂😂

[@B30WULF2]

Yeah, I just took a class at my university that was about Homer’s Iliad and its effects on history; and part of that was that we talked about how Herodotus wrote his histories in a way that was to emulate Homer (to an extent, at least).

[@TheNeonParadox]

@@B30WULF2 Oh, most definitely. Herodotus clearly aimed to mythologize the "Greeks" of his time, especially the Achaeans. I'm sure if he thought he could get away with it, his Histories would have contained just as much mythology as Stasinus, Homer, and Arctinus combined. Thankfully other historians of the era like Thucydides were a tad more grounded.

[@ryanboggs5919]

Herodotus mentioned the Cartheginean fleet's circumnavigation of the continent of Africa, and in the account, he mentioned that the sailers reported the position of the sun in the Southern hemisphere being different for some reason, which he couldn't have known why that was, but reported it anyways. The fact that he mentions that detail actually gives the story validity, even though in his mind he probably thought that detail proved it being fictitious. He was more of a journalist/ story teller, reported what he heard. Commented sometimes. There's lots of gems in The Histories.

[@timnewman7591]

Herodotus gets a bad rap but I think is now being seen a little more favourably. He loves repeating weird stories he's been told but makes it clear that this is what he was told andd he hadn't seen it himself; and when he does report on something he's seen himself, he's often a lot more accurate than people were ready to believe in the past. A lot of historians are just as credulous and far less inclined to tell readers that it's only hearsay.

[@ripvanwinkle532]

​​​@@ryanboggs5919 this makes for a funny thought that he was his era's equivalent of a romanticizing pop history author, although I don't know how true that is, maybe that's just how history was written back then

[@graffitisamurai]

Speaking of first hand sources, Korea's centuries long Joseon dynasty has an excruciatingly detailed annual chronicle of royal affairs. Comprised of over 1800 volumes spanning from 1392 to 1865, the chroniclers were sworn to secrecy and all were banned from reading it (including the King himself) It somehow survived wars, a mad king, and Japanese colonialism and is the longest continual documentation of dynastic history in the world. A famous anecdote regarding the chronicles was King Taejong falling from his horse and the King asking the historian with him to kindly refrain from mentioning the incident in the chronicle. The chronicle reads something to the effect of, "on this day, King Taejong fell from his horse. He asked for the incident to not be recorded in this chronicle"

[@JayStrun]

21:30 yes! I'm 26 and live in Missouri. In high school we learned of the Salem witch trials but it was only in passing, a brief footnote of the time before America's independence. We learned almost nothing specific except that people accused of witchcraft were "burned at the sake, crushed to death, and hanged." The lesson plan then quickly sped ahead about 75 years

[@user-dp1ld8gm5d]

I'm actually 26 and live in Missouri too right outside of KC. And never once was I told they were burned. Learned about it for the first time in 5th grade American history and was just told they were hanged. Must just be a teacher thing but I only heard about burnings at Salem from people trying to tell me it never happened 🤷

[@john_molden]

The crushed to death only happened to one person, Giles Core. The rest were hanged.

[@doylesgirl73]

Cass Elliot's daughter has just written a book about her mother's life and has had to debunk the ham sandwich story in the interviews she has given promoting the book. Can you imagine being 7 years old and your mother dying and everyone blaming it on a sandwich and continuing to go on and on about your mother's weight? I hate that she's still having to debunk this story.

[@needude7218]

That story made it onto the BBC homepage yesterday. One interesting thing that they note was that the sandwich was untouched and could never have been the cause. The story was a deliberate lie, getting a story out to undercut any rumours of a drug related death.

[@jamesfetherston1190]

I know her daughter stated years ago something to the effect of “What’s a nice Jewish girl doing eating a ham sandwich?”

[@erinrichards89]

Your face at "Medieval hand stuff" sent me into hysterics.

[@ct6550]

Hey chris! Im just a teen living in southeast asia enjoying your informative videos. Friends poke fun at me for watching‘boring videos’ but history is just so interesting to me. You’re my favorite history youtuber

[@BradleyGoakery]

Watching VTH all day, a great way to spend a day off work!

[@JoanieAdamms]

Cheeky you!

[@WhatsUp-fe8jc]

110% agree!

[@tgc93]

I set my phone up under my monitors and watch while I work lol

[@jwalkmagic]

I studied theatre and history at what then was called Salem State College. The burning if witches was indeed a misunderstanding both among the students and the tourists who visited town. I lived down the street from The House Of Seven Gables. I visited in a number of times and that is one of the questions that the guides often had to handle.

[@ulyssesgrant4324]

I am watching this at Work.

[@rickwiles8835]

In the early 1960s from 1960-65, it was taught that Betsy Ross did design the first American flag. The story taught at the time was that on a day in late May 1776 three members of a secret committee from the Continental Congress came to call upon Betsy Ross. Those representatives were George Washington, Robert Morris, and George Ross. George Washington was then the head of the Continental Army. Robert Morris, an owner of vast amounts of land, was perhaps the wealthiest citizen in the Colonies. Colonel George Ross was a respected Philadelphian and also the uncle of Betsy's late husband, John Ross. Betsy was a widow struggling to run her own upholstery business. Upholsterers in colonial America not only worked on furniture but did all manner of sewing work, which for some included making flags. According to Betsy, General Washington showed her a rough design of the flag that included a six-pointed star. Betsy, a standout with the scissors, demonstrated how to cut a five-pointed star in a single snip. Impressed, the committee entrusted Betsy with making the first flag. According to the lessons of the time Ross changed Washington’s six-pointed star to a five-pointed star which according to the lesson was easier to cut out, thus Betsy did design/redesign the first American flag. Betsy Ross herself would often tell this story to her family. Thus the idea that Betsy Ross designed the first American flag was born. It is a fact that “history” taught in grammar is often a simplified, romanticized version what what actually happened. By the time you are in college, the history courses teach something vastly different than what you learned in second grade.

[@Syncronoise]

Hey Chris, Einstein was only ethnically Jewish, he was not a practicing Jew. He, himself, had described himself as a person who believes in Spinoza’s God. Spinoza’s God being something akin to “everything” or pantheism.

[@Dot2TrotsLowCarbLiving]

Yes, I was taught in junior high school that they burned people at the stake during the Salem witch trials. I was also taught Columbus sailed to prove the world was round.

[@ceilingsintheireyes6288]

You touch on a really interesting point about when a source is from in comparison to what it’s talking about. The further removed from an event something is, the more we should caution believing it at face value but at the same time, something contemporary to its subject isn’t necessarily believable either. For example Tacitus’ Agricola. He basically wrote it to glorify his father in law so even though it was of and about his time, we still tread lightly believing it 100%. As in all historiography, source analysis and critical thinking is key. Also, as an Englishman who loves the NFL, I love seeing foreigners, especially Americans, be really into English football. Absolutely love your jersey collection.

[@jeffseidl]

I’m always stunned by how many people seem to have such very specific memories about the quality of their high school history classes and each event that was or was not covered.

[@onthursday1599]

For the most part, videos are only made about sensational or at least very interesting things. I can easily recall that stuff from high-school.

[@jeffslote9671]

In Islam the Hadiths suffer the same problem you spoke of in the distance from the time they took place. The earliest been written down 200+/- years after the time Mohammed supposedly lived.

[@shaggycan]

When Cicero was the governor of Sicily (not a very profitable posting) he rediscovered the lost tomb of Archimedes and cleaned up the area. Cicero was loved in Sicily for being a fair and caring governor.

[@justincoleman7856]

Chris talking about chastity belts: 'But they had one in Robin Hood: Men in Tights'. Lmbo the younger kids would have to watch the movie to get the reference as it was a very good and funny movie.

[@randomdude4505]

I have read at least two childrens' books that stated Betty Ross designed the first flag. I also have seen more than one TV show depicting witches being burn at Salem.

[@NarnianRailway]

Speaking of Ipswich, across from the football stadium is the local bus depot. The building dates to the early 1900s when they used electric tram cars (trolleys). A coal fired power plant was located behind the carriage barns. By the 1930s Ipswich switched from electric tramcars and maintaining the street rails to motorized buses. The operations building from early 1900s has been well maintained reflecting its late Victorian/Edwardian architectural details. St George did slay the dragon. Philomena Cunk showed a painting somebody had taken of the event.

[@Nemisary]

I know it was just a slip of the tongue, but I can’t get the image of Spartan thespians performing Lysistrata to keep the Persians at bay

[@Escapee5931]

The Kingdom of Thespia was known for its grand oratory, dramatic battles and long, drawn-out death scenes.

[@David-sl6xf]

I can recall when I was a kid in school that it was implied there were witch burnings at the Salem Witch trials. That being said "responding to an argument nobody is making" is definitely a pet peeve of mine and you see that type of thing on a constant basis on social media from really annoying people.

[@forgottenfamily]

Regarding the question of the value of the first account being centuries later, it's worth mentioning Homer and specifically the Battle of Troy which we once considered to be pure fiction especially considering it was written several centuries after the supposed event. Today we now believe that at least the foundational details were likely true even if there are a boatload of embellishments since.

[@forgottenfamily]

3:55: Another example: Caesar didn't want a war with Rome, he just wanted to serve as Consul and was willing to sacrifice many things so long as he had the promise he would be able to run for Consul. But when they gave him no directions but prosecution or rebellion, he saw no option but forward.

[@danielsullivan2642]

We were absolutely taught that they were burned at the stake at Salem.

[@kenhobbs8565]

Been looking forward to follow on parts. You are so knowledgeable.

[@micayahc.wilson8061]

I genuinely have had to explain to at least two people I can remember that nobody was burned in Salem. I think it’s one of those things us internet history people know a lot, but some less aware people actually believe.

[@iamasimplmao9260]

Almost every example where you said "iv never heard anyone even say that" is exactly what I was taught in school and I graduated in 2020, it's sad how much provably false stuff is still taught in school

[@zemurph]

12:39 you missed a trick in not mentioning that our king "Harald Bluetooth" is in fact where we get the name 'Bluetooth' for our favourite wireless technology which i am currently using to listen to this video :)

[@josephallsen3135]

I had seen some sources claim that Alantis was a reference to the island of Santreni (I am not sure I spelled it right). This was an island that was a super volcano, near Crete. When it erupted it wiped out the Cretan civilization. I thought Atlantis and Cretean civilization were the same thing, Fun theory: This eruption happened around the time of Moses and might be the source of the "fire and brimstone" that is written about in the Old Testament.

[@michaeltelson9798]

Thera/Santorini caused a massive tidal wave that probably caused the collapse of the Minoan civilization. The Egyptians did record the event as well but also that several groups of people from North Africa and the Western Mediterranean raided Crete and Northern Egypt. Some of these tribes were those that Egypt had previously used as mercenaries. I would agree that the Minoan and Atlantis were one and the same. But this isn’t the Great Flood. Geological data shows an even larger eruption had occurred earlier in the Western Indian Ocean that would have flooded the Fertile Crescent. That is the flood mentioned in the Gilgamesh story and possibly the Noah story as well.

[@gravypatron]

This is the earliest i've ever gotten to a video here. 38 minutes. ❤ Thanks!

[@mattlemus2147]

Was just watching part 1 when this dropped and started looking for part 2. I didn't have to wait long 😂

[@jilldesruisseau]

Love the series! And the channel. I'm from Connecticut, Salem is only about an hour and a half north of me, I've been many times, and I've never heard they were burned at the stake.

[@uncleheavy6819]

Possibly my favourite, not exactly true last words are... Don't worry (about enemy snipers), they couldn't hit an elephant at this dist...

[@VloggingThroughHistory]

John Sedgwick. Though the version of the story that has him being shot mid sentence is untrue. He was shot moments after saying it.

[@uncleheavy6819]

@VloggingThroughHistory I know that this version is not correct, but it is possibly the most....errrr.... comedic(?).

[@TheHappyWhale]

As far as the Salem Witch Trials, I have always heard they were either burned at the stake, drowned, or thrown from cliffs. I think my impression was just that the punishment was whatever they felt like doing that day, and I didn't find out that was incorrect until recently.

[@noneya9866]

i’ve gotta say, i disagree with your opinion about the witches being burned at the stake, that’s still very much taught at schools today lol and i know PLENTY of people who think that’s what happened. might be a reflection of our education system but 🤷🏽‍♂️ just thought i’d point at that it isn’t something “nobody says” lol

[@corey2232]

I was raised Catholic (not anymore), and I remember asking my Deacon about indulgences back in 6th grade. He was very clear how messed up they were, but also explained that it wasn't a church-wide thing, nor was it part of the dogma. He made a comparison that always stuck with me and said just as there are bad priests, there have been bad popes (specifically referencing 5 in close proximity that I cannot remember). He also brought up it was meant to raise money & clarified that they weren't "buying your way into heaven" but rather advertised as a gesture of good faith which would help loved ones lessen their time in purgatory (like you said). Obviously still messed up, but it was refreshing to have someone tell me the truth rather than try to sweep it under the rug.

[@VloggingThroughHistory]

Yeah, and I think that's fair to point out. The fact that it was done is not an indictment of the entire Catholic church. Just the people involved in that at the time. Same with the crusades.

[@meej33]

There were other practices that went uncomfortably close to "buying your way into heaven", for example nobles could "donate their bodies" to religious orders, including military orders. In exchange for leaving them some properties in their wills, noblemen would be buried in the monastery dressed as monks (or holy knights), which was understood to mean that they would get "credit" in the afterlife as if they had been monks themselves.

[@user-vg6ux1xp3h]

Indulgences were the product of superstition. They prayed on the belief that you could repent any sins. I remember the days as an alter boy back in the early 70s when the offering plate was passed around and people would put money onto the plate. This practice was the same as the medieval indulgences.

[@corey2232]

@meej33 Oh I'm sure. It's been so long since I studied any of this stuff, I just remember what that Deacon said about indulgences & those popes. He said there was a century of terrible popes who cared only for power & money. But it's not like we were taught these things either. He was just someone I could ask all my questions from regular school after church on Sundays. There's a ton of dark chapters with the church (and religion in general)

[@corey2232]

@meej33 I still remember this Deacon fondly, even 25 years later, as he's the one that would answer all my random questions I had from school. One time I brought up the size of the universe & trillions of planets, saying there must be other intelligent life out there, and to my surprise he agreed with me 😆 Then when I brought up the big bang, he told me a Jesuit priest/monk (don't remember) scientist came up with the idea & that he believed that's how God set the universe in motion. Cool dude that helped 6th - 8th grade me answer random questions without getting annoyed.

[@kennethwilson5833]

Funnily enough I was reading an interview with Cass daughter. The sandwich story came directly from her manager and an American journalist as her manager thought it was less of a reputational stain than 'another' drug related death.

[@genericyoutubeaccount579]

My biggest pet peeve is the idea that Trotsky would have been any better than Stalin. You especially see this in Animal Farm. Trotsky supported the idea of "Labor Battalions" or the use of veterans as workers. He wanted to use military discipline to keep these "Labor Battalions" in line. Truly horrifying. So if you don't show up to work, that means you are a deserter and can be shot on the spot. He is also responsible for demanding the disarming of the Czechoslovak legion which was perhaps one of the most idiotic decision ever made. The Czechoslovaks were desperate to get out of Russia and join the western front but Trotsky let his ego and hot head get the best of him. Also, his doctrine of Permanent Revolution is anti-democratic, anti-worker, anti-farmer, and anti-common sense. He supported the suppression of the Kronstadt Rebellion. Trotsky was a great public speaker and a good organizer and his read of Stalin was 100% accurate. But he is not a sympathetic figure.

[@jamiefrontiera1671]

But would he have killed less people than Stalin? Not disagreeing with you. But you also have to wonder if anyone would have been better than Stalin, even if that person is only slightly less worse than Stalin

[@BaeBunni]

@@jamiefrontiera1671 well we don't know most of the idea of Trotsky being better comes from Trotsky himself and whenever Stalin messed up Trotsky would write about how he would have done it the opposite way or better. Like yea it's really easy to look like the better leader if you just hindsight everything. Literally everyone could be better as a leader of any country if we knew what was going to happen in the future.

[@robinhood2524]

"There was one Robin Hood Men In Tights." You're killing me.

[@emils2000]

thank you for mentioning the most historically accurate movie of all times!!! It is rivaled only by History of the World, Part I

[@ixiolirion8781]

14:42 All the way back in 1710, Jonathan Swift wrote "Falsehood flies, and the Truth comes limping after it; so that when Men come to be undeceiv’d, it is too late; the Jest is over, and the Tale has had its Effect". Pretty much exactly the same thing as you are saying here, over 300 years ago.

[@ryanthies1621]

Truly enjoy your commentary, Chris, and your channel. Thank you! With respect to a lengthy time lag between an event purportedly occurring and the existing records of such event, I think much skepticism is appropriate. Have you ever played "telephone" where a group of people in the same room at the same time relay a story one to another and by the end it's often comically different from the original version? I'm just skeptical that a story could be passed down through decades or centuries without becoming significantly altered. Now I'm off to make a ham sandwich; wish me luck.

[@C0LL0SSUS]

Lmao I was thinking of Robin hood men in tights right before you mentioned it. Perfect timing.

[@nickzeiders5952]

The best part of the video is the extra sound when Simon says "medieval hand stuff"

[@isaacbobjork7053]

-Call a locksmith!

[@JackClarke-nr5xp]

Yes Chris! as an Ipswich town fan, im glad you brought this up even though this is a history channel. Hopefully West Brom will join us! as we say where I'm from "Uppa Towen"

[@nickshaffer9961]

Loving this. A lot of these I have heard of, but knew they weren’t actually real. I think a good idea for another video would be literally “Famous Last Words”. Since it’s a saying now finding historical figures famous last words lol.

[@nigeh5326]

Great introduction Chris. You are one of the fairest on KZbin allowing for those of a different view rather than ranting as some do. Boing Boing Baggies Baggies 😊✌️

[@philipqvist7322]

Like the Tractor Boys footie shirt - a brilliant season from them. I'm a QPR fan by the way.

[@orwellboy1958]

Oh, dear. Sorry.

[@philipqvist7322]

@@orwellboy1958LOL it could have been a lot worse - Rangers were dead and buried at end Oct, but one managerial appointment later sure changed the situation.

[@iangoodwin4275]

He's actually a Baggie. Just waiting to clinch the last spot.

[@philipqvist7322]

@@iangoodwin4275 yeah I know that - will be interesting to see how West Brom will ll perform in the playoffs

[@GodlessScummer]

Hi Chris. As a Southampton fan can I say may the best team win between Southampton and West Brom.

[@IvelLlehctim]

While he was of jewish descent, Einstein didn't actually practice any religion. But neither was he an atheist. Deism is the closest label that could be attributed to him. He believed that there was a God who created nature, but that nature, not God, created and drove the universe.

[@Vandelberger]

I always took the story for Atlantis as the destruction of Minos via volcano which also may have inspired the epic of Gilgamesh and later the Hebrew flood myth.

[@diegopons4622]

Nice Ipswich Town jersey. 👍

[@neillawrence6649]

Pleased to see you wearing the ITFC top. Paul Woodage is a old and good friend of mine ( I've done a few shows with him when he first started WW2TV). As a point of interest, during the witch hunts in the 1640's in East England, one 'witch' was burnt at the stake. This happened in Ipswich, and although most witches were hung, Mary Lakeland was also convicted of murdering her husband . This conviction of 'Petty Treason' meant the sentence was burning. Her witchcraft conviction was having a familiar that tormented a neighbour and his son with the surname of Lawrence , which is my surname. This person may be a distant relative as research shows our family certainly lived in the area around the 1640's.

[@ItsAVolcano]

Excellent example of a political lie that has become inundated in the public psyche is the story of the burglar and the skylight, the fictitious account of a criminal who fell through the roof window of someone's house as they were breaking in and somehow won a lawsuit against the owner. More extreme versions even have the burglar win the house in the lawsuit. The only issue is nobody can seemingly recall where or when it happened, or the names of anybody involved. Because it never happened, it was a fictional scenario made up by GOP politicians in the 70's to argue for tort reform.

[@jamiefrontiera1671]

Or the bad pr about the McDonald's coffee lawsuit. That woman had 3rd degree burns from the coffee

[@Kipniss]

That did sort of happen. Bodine v. Enterprise High School. So a high school and not someone's house, but still a thief. Bodine's lawyer sued the school for $8 million but got $260,000.

[@JustKrista50]

It happened in Florida, duh.

[@michaellefevre1253]

I am from Denmark and burning witches in Salem was apart of my history lessons, when I was in school. It is however very possible that the author had no clue about the events in Salem and just asumed that was what happened in the states, because it happened in Europe :)

[@iamjmph01]

About the burning at the stake thing, I've seen it in tv shows/movies, but not actually been told that's what happened. The stone test and the drowning test killed people, so did the hanging.

[@compupsych3897]

I believe that the Salem witch burning is a bit different than typical historical inaccuracy. I don't recall learning about that part in school, but that impression was popularized by witch-related horror media. Since I believed that the Salem witch trials actually did occur, I didn't think to challenge the burning part. So, I think this inaccurate belief stems from fictional embellishment of a historic event that goes unquestioned rather than false facts being taught by an authoritative source.

[@luminiferous1960]

At 26:53 "Thespians" - impressive that their were thousands of Greek actors participating in the battle on the last day. 😉 Of course, you meant Thebans, but the thought of a bunch of theater geeks, or should that be theater Greeks, fighting at Thermopylae struck me as hilarious.

[@JH-ii8xm]

I'm from Boston and yes I grew up hearing they were burned at the stake.

[@simonmarie83]

The Ipswich shirt comes out and some of us know why. Congrats!

[@mikepetinge6751]

Yup. I’m from Massachusetts. Was always taught that they were burnt at the stake

[@runicpotato2399]

I don't recall ever hearing about anyone in Salem being burned. But I did hear - on many occasions - hear that witches in Europe were burned.

[@TheW0rdMan]

Have heard many many people talk about burning witches in Salem, and when asked about where they heard that story its not normally from school but from a parent/uncle or someone similar, makes for a good story I guess.

[@butnooneshome]

Just watched part 1, I wasn’t expecting to see an Ipswich shirt in part two. I personally think you would look a lot more dashing in yellow and green 🔰!! Unlucky Baggies, but we can all be glad it wasn’t Leeds …

[@AikiRonin21]

For the witch trials, I seem to remember being told, whomever was accused was "tried" by like a catch 22. The accused was placed in a condition where they were sure to die, unless they used their witchcraft abilities, or the devil interceded for them to survive. These methods included various methods of drowning like being bound and weighted down and tossed into a body of water. Also I believe, crushing was one way too. If the accused died, they were found innocent of witchcraft and given a Christian burial, but if for whatever reason they survived, they were guilty of witchcraft, in which case they would be either hanged or burned at the stake. The whole thing was brought about by mass hysteria and moldy rye they made their bread with.

[@coenisgreat]

Being Australian, I learned about the witch trials from The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror episode featuring them, that one also features burning at the stake.

[@tonicus123]

While the Archimedes mirror tower was probably BS, it was a fun level in Age of Empires.

[@eliashigham8901]

At first I thought you were mixing up Thebans and thespians/actors but you’re right one of the contingents that stayed was from Thespiae

[@benjaminmatheny6683]

I have also had several people repeat the "witches were burned at the stack in Salem" bit. Mainly from people who don't know much about it. The thought process being witches got burned at the stake as a general rule (in Europe), ergo convicted witches in Salem had to have been burned at the stake as well.

[@Jason-35D]

The social media point was great. It appears as though we don’t have accountability for people spreading blatant lies because the media (social or otherwise) has moved on to the next thing. Then gearing paid for tweets has further the dis/misinformation. It’s so incredibly frustrating. People don’t like truth (sound doctrine), but have itching ears, and surround themselves with people who tell them what they want to hear.

[@pwalmsley9]

The thing you mentioned about people hearing one message and believing it despite it being disproven - this happened to a friend of mine. An ill-informed news article came out about him and everyone just assumed it was true, except the reporter had misread a police report and it caused all sorts of misinformation from people sharing on social media. So dangerous what can happen!

[@user-mr6eq7oy8j]

19:37 I've always been a bit of a history nerd, who also happened to have some good history teachers [thanks Mrs. Levan, Coach Bradford, Ms. Duffy and Mr. Arp]. I used to read my dad's old World Books for fun. I watched PBS and History Channel when it actually showed history. So a lot of the time I simply think of many of these things as common knowledge.

[@PopeSixtusVI]

I doubt it'll come up but names were not changed by racists working for immigration offices in the 1900s. They were processing 100s an hour and didn't have time to change names. Also these offices employed Italians & Germans &c who spoke foreign languages. Also friend of the channel Atun Shea has a fascinating video on the origins of Atlantis

[@lewisvargrson]

21:18 I agree, I don't know anyone that has put forward that witches were burned at Salem. Hanged was always what I have read and heard. Even films involving or lightly referencing them, my favorite being Hocus Pocus, it was by hanging. I think this is more an example of people thinking that everyone believes it.

[@jmilb10053]

Yes, it is how people remember the Salem trails. It is in popular fiction, movies, tv shows, etc. No one ever wants to talk about the socioeconomic issues that started it all. Historiography about this event is taught in colleges today.

[@ISA_Joe_G]

Yes I graduated high school in 2005 and my history classes both middle school and high school taught burning witches in Salem

[@AnneDowson-vp8lg]

About Lady Godiva - her name is from the Old Saxon 'Godgifu' which means God's gift. In pagan Saxon times at harvest time, a young woman would ride on a white horse round the fields as a sort of blessing and a gift for the gods. Whether she was sacrificed after, I don't know. Peeping Tom was not spoken to again by the townspeople, leading to the saying 'being sent to Coventry '. The real Lady Godiva was the great grand daughter of the Lady Wulfina, after whom the town of Wolverhampton was named It is very rare for a town to be named after a woman. 😅

[@BaeBunni]

The Salem witch trials burning was a thing for me in elementary school but my schooling was in alaska which had a lot more focus on alaskan history especially the yukon gold rush and how we were bought from russia and we tended to speed through a lot of history that happened in the "lower 48" like the civil war entire class study was like 10 pages long and was mostly about how it started and Abraham Lincoln's death.

[@sentenced03]

Yeah i can remember hearing the burning at the stake myth quite frequently.

[@scottdavison8663]

Awesome video! But I do love the idea that Greece was defended by a combined force of Spartans and Thespians (actors) and not Spartans and Thebians (from Thebes) 😄a really tiny slip of the tongue that makes for hilarious consequences

[@Scottynsb765]

Loving the superior tshirt this week 😁

[@johnthomas2485]

Yes, that's what I heard about Salem.

[@Decrepit_Productions]

Like many responders, I too heard the Salem witch burnings spoken of as established truth during my early days (and afterward).

[@JoeLaFigue]

Wait you've made a channel about stories of the Great War ? Lucky for me I clicked on this half passed out on my couch (I tend not read comments while watching on my TV) : I happen to work at the Hartmannswillerkopf Historial on the Vosges front ! I'm not at all as much of an expert on WW1 as some of my colleagues are, but I'm always looking to expend my knowledge about the topic. If you're interested in anything we might have to share about the place, don't hesitate to contact me ! Much love from Alsace !

[@Blackdiamondprod.]

20:55 I was told that witches were burned in Salem throughout my entire childhood.

[@luminiferous1960]

In my American history classes in middle school in the early 1970s, we were taught that the victims of the Salem witch trials were killed by either hanging, pressing under a board topped with large rocks, or drowning. Witches were only burned at the stake in Britain and Europe. The pressing with stones was actually employed as a method of torture to get a plea from an accused man named Giles Corey who refused to enter a plea in order to avoid his property being seized by the government. Although Giles plan did work and his estate passed to his two sons, he died from the pressing. Drowning occurred as part of the "swimming test" to determine whether or not the accused was a witch. As part of the infamous “swimming test,” accused witches were dragged to the nearest body of water, stripped to their undergarments, bound and then tossed in to see if they would sink or float. They believed that an innocent person would sink like a stone, but a witch would simply bob on the surface. The victim typically had a rope tied around their waist so they could be pulled from the water if they sank, but it wasn’t unusual for "accidental" drowning deaths to occur.

[@user-mr6eq7oy8j]

27:05 I don't think I've ever heard it told that Xerxes decided to turn back after winning Thermopylae either. He was there when the Persians sacked Athens and their navy was defeated at Salamis which is why the bulk of the army returned to Asia with him.

[@volrath__]

Glad you spoke on the whole earliest accounts thing... I didn't comment yesterday but did wonder what your thoughts were on it. As an atheist (who grew up Roman Catholic) it's always been a struggle for me given how I know many accounts of other historical events of that time were either made up or embellished to promote a narrative... Yes there are many accounts of pure truth, but most are embellished in some way. Because if this I have always found it hard to believe the words of sacred texts as pure fact, to me the Bible (as well as other religious scripture) read not as a historical account of events, more a set of morality tales to inform and guide a population that might not be well read, the imagery, rhyming schemes, themes all make it accessible not just to spread through the gathering of people, but easy to understand. Sensationalized at times to keep interest All these things might have happened as they are presented, we simply don't know, and that's okay... You can believe in these things and hold them true to you and I guess that's the most important thing, at the end of the day we may never know what is pure fact... So if you believe the source and have faith in the words then that's awesome!

[@nunoraimundo]

I know you said matters of faith weren't up to debate, but surely you are aware that most historians nowadays have determined some aspects of the Bible to be historically inaccurate based on archaeological evidence. I am curious to know how you reconcile your scientific mind and your faith on those cases? I was raised a Catholic and I was always told that the Old Testament in particular was not to be regarded as a historical document but as a story plenty of metaphor and symbolism. Not trying to provoke you or test you or anything like that, just genuinely curious.

[@phantomtitan9792]

Interesting video

[@coreynusser4782]

Yes! For the longest time I believed that the witches were burned at the stake in Salem. It wasn't until years later that I learned the actual deaths were hangings and one crushing by weights on a guy's chest. And after that it still took me a while to believe it

[@KokomoJoe23]

It’s been about 8-9 years since high school for me but I very well remember my history teacher blatantly stating nobody was ever burned at the stake, but my literature teacher stated that “it was quite common” when we were leading to up reading the crucible

[@ericlanglois3782]

I think the lopsided reason people tend to refute the witch burnings in Salem is because it might be a case of two things brought together. The Salem Witch Trials and the idea that some people through history were burned at the stake for various "crimes" including witchcraft... I believe witchcraft was one of the charges made against Joan of Arc for example.

[@KelseyLynnKramarich]

I learned that those convicted of the crime of witchcraft at Salem (and elsewhere on US soil) were hung. However, Giles Corey was crushed to death over a period of three days.

[@isaacbobjork7053]

I am not in any way an Ipswich fan but I really rooted for them going up, have a friend who is a Tractor boy since he was young. My only personal relation with the town is that I accidentally left my bags on board a bus going to Ipswich once at Heathrow 😂

[@Talowolf]

Yes, I was told as a young kid, mostly from cheap VHS kids educational videos, that Betsy Ross designed the flag. Also yes, I can remember being told as an older kid that witches in Salem were burned at the stake.

[@coxmosia1]

Yes, I heard they were burned at the stake in Salem, Mass.

[@bodyfarmbrat]

there are also oral histories that get embellished as they are passed on and then finally written down years later. sometimes a lack of written records from the time of an event could be that it was on,y oral history at the time.

[@ilovecake1310]

I 100% heard the burning stories. No doubt.