The Candy Cane
This week, we examine a history myth that gets a lot of “air time” during the holidays: the supposedly religious origins of the candy cane. The story (seen mostly in …
Mini Myths
Battle of New Orleans
“In 1814 we took a little trip, along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississipp. We took a little bacon and we took a little beans. And we fought the …
Ben Franklin’s Turkey
Try to picture in your imaginations, Buzzkillers, the Great Seal of the United States of America. Can you see it? If you can’t, pull out a one-dollar bill and have …
Washington’s Vision at Valley Forge
Valley Forge, Winter 1777. George Washington and his Continental Army were encamped and dug in against a British attack. They waited out the winter, but it was a brutal experience. …
1965 Blackout Increased Births
At 5:16 pm on Tuesday, the 9th of November, the lights went out in large parts of the north-eastern United States, and in the Canadian province of Ontario. A protective …
Men Dressed as Women to Get into Titanic Lifeboats
Oh, Buzzkillers, the ways that history myths start and spread are numerous and strange. This week we look at the story that men dressed as women to get into lifeboats …
Men Dressed as Women to Get into Titanic Lifeboats Listen Now
Churchill Born in a Closet
We love myths about Churchill. Legends about him are so numerous that they are, more or less, job security for the researchers here at the Buzzkill Institute. Good old Winston …
General Hooker’s Hookers
Civil War Buzzkillers have been after me for months and months to put this commonly-heard legend to rest. To put it to bed, so to speak! So here goes. Union …
Issac Newton and the Apple
Hello again, Buzzkillers. In this week’s mini-myth, we tackle Isaac Newton’s famous apple – an object we all heard about in grade school that allegedly hit Sir Isaac Newton on …
Michelangelo Painting the Sistine Chapel
There is no denying that Michelangelo’s frescos on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome are masterpieces, but did the great artist actually paint the ceiling while lying on …