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History: Fact or Fiction

Think you know your history? See if you know which of these statements are fact and which are fiction.

1. The White House got its name when it was repainted after the British burned it in 1814.
   • Fact
   • Fiction

   Fiction

   The myth, which arose during the reconstruction, claimed that the building was painted white to cover the burn damage, thus giving it its name. Although it became popular around 1817, the term “White House” was well in use before the repainting of 1814. Originally called “The President’s Palace,” “The Presidential Mansion,” or “The President’s House,” the earliest known reference to “The White House” is 1811, and the archives of the White House contain letters dating from 1812 that reference the term.

2. The Titanic was the first ship to use the “SOS” distress call.
   • Fact
   • Fiction

   Fiction

   The first use of SOS goes to the steamship Arapahoe, while it was en route between New York and Jacksonville in 1909. Contrary to popular belief, the letters SOS (dot-dot-dot-dash-dash-dash-dot-dot-dot) are not an acronym for “Save Our Ship”—the letters were chosen for simplicity, since they were easily discernable by any operator.

3. Ancient Sumerians worshiped a goddess of beer.
   • Fact
   • Fiction

   Fact

   The original bartender, Ninkasi was the goddess of alcohol, made to satisfy the desire and sate the heart. She was charged with the preparation of beer for the other gods every day. Ancient Sumerian writings include a “Hymn to Ninkasi,” which is, in effect, a recipe for making beer.

4. The toilet was invented by Sir Thomas Crapper.
   • Fact
   • Fiction

   Fiction

   The trophy for the first toilet goes to John Harrington, who came up the idea in 1596 to service his godmother, Queen Elizabeth I. The first patent for the flushing toilet (or “water closet” as it was called) went to Alexander Cummings in 1775, years before Crapper was born. However, Sir Thomas Crapper did exist, and is credited with improving the functionality of toilet.

5. Benjamin Franklin dropped out of school at age 10.
   • Fact
   • Fiction

   Fact

   Although founding father Benjamin Franklin was considered one the most scholarly men of his era, he actually began school at 8 years old and dropped out by the time he was 10.

6. The first time the U.S. military used aircrafts was during the Civil War.
   • Fact
   • Fiction

   Fact

   Hot air balloons were used by both the Union and Confederacy for surveillance during the Civil War. The first balloon corps was created in July 1861 by the Union and was under command of Thaddeus Lowe. The corps was less than successful, given the ease with which the balloons could be shot down, so it was disbanded in August of that year.

7. Mud Throwing was at one point an Olympic Game.
   • Fact
   • Fiction

   Fiction

   The 1904 Olympic Games were riddled with controversy. Among other problems (including rampant cheating), the games prohibited minorities from playing at the same time as other competitors. Instead, they played a few days earlier in what was called the “Anthropological Days.” Their contests including mud throwing, stone throwing, and pole climbing.

8. The eleven points on the maple leaf of the Canadian flag represent the number of Canadian provinces and territories.
   • Fact
   • Fiction

   Fiction

   When the flag was selected in 1964, Canada only had two territories. The number of points on the maple leaf actually had no significance; in fact, the only reason that particular arrangement of points was chosen was because it was the design that tested to be the least blurry under high wind conditions.

9. John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe all died on July 4.
   • Fact
   • Fiction

   Fact

   John Adams and Thomas Jefferson actually died on the same July 4th in 1826. Jefferson died a few hours before Adams; not knowing that his friend had died, Adams last words were “Thomas Jefferson survives.” James Monroe died five years later, on July 4, 1831.

10. Napoleon’s armies in Egypt used the nose of the Sphinx as target practice.
    • Fact
    • Fiction

    Fiction

    Although the story persists that Napoleon’s men shot away the nose of the Great Sphinx with a cannon during the Battle of the Pyramids in 1798, there are actually several drawings that debunk it. Frederick Lewis Norden made a series of sketches in 1737 that were published in 1735 which clearly show that the nose was already missing.