Great ... rapid historic correction ... wish that could be done with books: It would be neat to have a similar video for "Grandpa Was a Deity" (2011) and "Genesis of Genesis" (2012) ... ... maybe even for "Saint Paul's Joke", but, would the right-wing evangelicals really want to know they got their religion wrong? LOL

An inscription on a monument to Christopher Columbus, in Galway City, in the Republic of Ireland, still puzzles me to this day. The inscription reads " On these shores around 1477 the Genoese sailor Cristoforo Colombo found sure signs of life beyond the Atlantic". I find this a real puzzle. Could you throw any light on the subject?

Video screen goes black instead of running. What do I need to have them run?

"Even though [taxes] are how you pay for civilization?" God-willing someday there will be a video to correct THAT common misconception.

Learning Latin is not useless.

This should be an article, not a video.

I found this short video amazing! Really interesting and lots of facts squeezed into a couple of minutes. Loved the speed of the voice over! Cheers, Fiorella

Columbus was in fact an excellent navigator and knew the correct dimensions of the earth. What he did was lie to his investors to fund his exploration of that big open area.

This video is so stupid

love this. wish you'd credited the composer of the rag, though.

I found the facts to be more than a little interesting but the man quoting the facts was more than a little annoying. He spoke way, way too fast making it not only difficult to understand him but more than difficult to take it all in. I realize that many of today's youth tend to speak quite fast but if they would only listen closely to the world's most outstanding speakers, they would discover that fast is not best. Clear and moderate is what we want to hear. I hope Smithsonian will think twice before having a speaker with this annoying pattern. Thank you, F.R.

Regarding the Five Common Historical Misconceptions... I found it very entertaing, however the voice over with the intrusive music moved too fast to understand all that was being conveyed. For what it's worth........... Robert.

lol thats histarical

Amercans have been celebrating Christopher Columbus day: not bad, except that he never set foot on American soil. So, my suggestion is to create a holiday honoring Cabeza de Vaca, who WAS here for over 8 years He and a small group of men(survivors of a crew on ship piloted by Narvaez their ship foundered off the Florida coast)wandered from Florida to California and were the first foreigners to meet the natives:and live with them! Ed Weiser

I have issue with your "evidence" in the Lady Godiva story. Just because we cannot find surviving historical records of an event doesn't mean that it didn't happen. Lack of evidence is not evidence of lack. After all there are no historical records of the suns creation, but its still there. That is just sloppy science, I expect better of the Smithsonian website.

Columbus knew the real size of the world, he lied because he knew that no one would fund a search for a new continent.

Loved the video! Wish all info on history and mythology could be taught in this fashion - pretty sure I would not be the only history geek in my little sphere.

The horned helmet may have been an impractical idea for an ordinary warrior in battle. It would not have been impractical for a leader (or, as another comment here points out, for ritual use). Throughout history, leaders - kings, naval captains, and generals (including Napoleon) wore large and easily identifiable headgear into battle. High visibility had its price, but the effect was ceremonial and psychological. A decorative helmet, crown, tricorn, feather headdress or similar headgear indicated status, symbolised courage, hopefully intimidated the enemy, and also, even more important, enabled troops to know where their leaders were, and to be encouraged by their continued presence on the field of battle. High visibility had its price, but for a leader was crucial. There are many extant examples of Japanese samurai helmets, great works of metal craft, using powerful and threatening images, and yes, sometimes horns. In battle, much plainer helmets were worn, but that doesn't mean the ceremonial great helmet (of which many fewer were made, making more ancient examples harder to find) did not have its own function.

The narrator speaks so quickly I can barely understand what he's saying.

The Chinese discovered America before Columbus, and before them, there is evidence that the irish discovered it, and before them, the vikings, and before them there is evidence that the Carthaginians discovered America. So get owned.

I love a good myth where would we be without them.Every myth has it,s origin in truth if only just a little bit.Myths are wonderful things to elaberate on insert yourself into & can still have a happy ending.I say long live our myths.

Myths have been around for centuries. I have no problem with myths as long as I keep mythballs in my closet. Also cedar strips help to keep myths from destroying your clothes. ;?)

Actually, you can debunk the debunking all you want, but I swear that nobody except a tiny medieval equivalent to the "Flat Earth Society" ever thought the earth was really flat. What they did not believe was that the earth traveled around the sun. In all likelihood, even the most illiterate mass-priest in Anglo-Saxon England probably could tell you the earth was round because they were all taught computus in order to find the proper date for Easter. The shape of the earth is pretty common knowledge in computus books. And, they'd likely be happy to share that information with their illiterate parishoners during the six days in the liturgical year dedicated to the Creation. In addition, any seafaring culture on a coast knew that the earth was manifestly round. When a ship approaches from the sea, you always see the mast first. Stephen Jay Gould's essay "The Late Birth of A Flat Earth" is a great read on this subject.

Funny and I really enjoyed the animation. But I have to agree with Balzar - the narrator's upward inflection on every sentence doesn't inspire confidence. If you're going to contradict common beliefs, do so with authority!

Hering someone claiming to dispell myths or spread the truth whilst using an upward infleciton on most of their sentences does not help to add to the credibility. This guy sounds like he's asking questions and not answering them. Stop it.

Heheheheh. Actually, those myths weren't terribly far off. Vikings DID wear horned helmets -- but only in certain religious rituals, not in actual combat. "Naked", in Lady Godiva's day, could mean either "without clothes" or "without weapons/protection" -- either of which could attract dangerous attention to a noblewoman, and the fact that a lady could ride that distance unmolested could well have impressed her aristocrat husband with the virtue of his subjects (or with her political support). In Columbus' day the intellectuals (at least those who read the Greek classics) were aware that the Earth was round, but the uneducated majority weren't. Napoleon was of average-or-better height compared to the *average* Frenchman, but yes, a bit short compared to the (better-fed and Viking-descended) aristocrats. Yes, "vomitorium" in ancient Rome simply meant "mass exit", but there actually were a few decadent aristocrats (as reported by their political enemies) who really did *waste food* conspicuously by tossing their cookies to make room for more. And by the way, George Washington really did take the blame for a childish prank that he'd actually committed (which was *not* cutting down a cherry-tree) rather than let an innocent slave take the blame. All myths have a core of truth to them. --Leslie <;)))>< Fish

So you're telling me I wasted all those minutes in school learning this stuff? I'm outraged! Very fun though. Great job! :]

An understanding of the world built on myths is definitely the way out of the fishbowl. It's great!!! It's so much fun teaching our children lies and fantasy! Un-American to be myth de-bunker? Because Americans are supposed to be stupid. The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them. Is it déclassé to quote Clemens nowadays? This video needs to be seven hours longer.

Myths ,I think, show how versatile the imagination is. They give substance to what are often dull and uninspiring events. Especially when describing our heros. They are faster, stronger, most virilent, and better looking than they actually are. The average person living in their fishbowl of a world need that excitement. As long as somebody else has the fortitude to jump out of the bowl, they can remain safe and secure in their own little closet. This is just an observation, and should not be construde as fact.

It's great!!!!!!!!!! And so much fun! Congratulations

Lemme think - is this just really silly, or really, really silly? There's something almost unAmerican in setting a goal of being a myth de-bunker. Next, they'll try to tell us that George Washington didn't really chop down the cherry tree. This is legend - unimportant nails that we all hang our hats on. Could we concentrate on the big stuff?