XKCD is right, this is worth a look today:
List of common misconceptions
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Note:
- Nero didn’t fiddle while Rome burned.
- The ancient Greeks knew that the Earth was spherical, and how large it was.
- Napoleon was not short. He was slightly taller than the average Frenchman.
- The Emancipation Proclamation didn’t free slaves in the northern states.
- The Great Wall of China cannot be seen from space using the naked eye.
- People did not evolve from chimpanzees.
Etc, etc, etc.
Author: Milan
In the spring of 2005, I graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in International Relations and a general focus in the area of environmental politics. In the fall of 2005, I began reading for an M.Phil in IR at Wadham College, Oxford.
Outside school, I am very interested in photography, writing, and the outdoors. I am writing this blog to keep in touch with friends and family around the world, provide a more personal view of graduate student life in Oxford, and pass on some lessons I've learned here.
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The Emancipation Proclamation didn’t free slaves in the southern states either, if those states were under control by union forces.
Your entry inspired me to check on my belief as to whether Thomas Jefferson freed his slaves during his life or after his death. I also turned to Wikipedia.
Seems another myth shattered. Wikipedia states “He (Jefferson) gave instructions for disposal of his assets in his Will[130] and after his death, his possessions (including 130 persons he held as slaves) were sold off in public auctions starting in 1827”