Historical Inaccuracies Who Knew 2:45 mins If you know a little boy who wants a ninja costume for his next birthday, he might be shocked to find out that the outfit should be blue, not black. That’s because real nighttime ninja uniforms were typically navy blue, as that color blends into the darkness better than black does. And ninjas often dressed in normal wardrobe so they could blend into the crowd while spying. The image we have of ninjas as sword-swinging assassins comes more from movies and comic books than actual history. But ninjas aren’t the only case where our supposed “facts” about history aren’t true. Another warrior group, the Vikings are usually shown with giant horns coming out of their helmets. But historical evidence shows that the Vikings wore simple iron or leather caps without horns. The depiction of horns was likely added later by artists wanting to make the Vikings seem more fierce or barbaric. U.S. History also has its share of misconceptions. Independence Day should actually be celebrated on July 2nd, as that’s the date the Continental Congress voted for independence from Britain. The written out declaration was adopted on July 4th, but wasn’t actually signed until August 2nd. Over 150 years later, Orson Welles’s 1938 radio broadcast of “War of the Worlds” created a national panic. Many listeners missed a disclaimer before the program that it was fictional, and thought the alien invasion being described by Welles was real. But several historians believe that the “national panic” was intentionally exaggerated by newspapers, looking to discredit the rival radio industry. Of course, if aliens had attacked, there would be no one better to take them on than a little boy in a historically accurate navy blue ninja costume.
Posted on: Sun, 09 Mar 2014 16:50:59 +0000