Chapter 12 Concrete Construction Part 2 1CE 417, King Saud University.
Historical Myths Things we think we know But…. Jesus was born in year 0.. Not even close – we...
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Transcript of Historical Myths Things we think we know But…. Jesus was born in year 0.. Not even close – we...
Historical Myths
Things we think we knowBut…
Jesus was born in year 0..
• Not even close – we date his birth in the year 1AD (1CE)
• The day before his birth is designated as end of 1BC (BCE)
• In reality – both are historically wrong• Jesus was “probably” born around 4BC
More Jesus stuff
• Jesus was not born on December 25• This was always a Roman holiday – the Roman
Emperor Constantine changed this holiday of the Sun to Holiday of the Son of God in 323AD
• We are not sure when Jesus was born – probably in March
• It gets weirder for historians……..
Historical Jesus
• As Christians we know of the life of Jesus through the 4 Gospels in the New Testament
• But these Gospels were written many years after Jesus died
• In pure historical terms there is no historical record of Jesus’ life beyond what later Christians wrote
• Faith is stronger than History
One more Jesus thing – BC v AD
• Our dating system (2011) is based on the life of Jesus (sort of)
• BC does mean Before Christ• But AD does NOT mean After Death (wrong)• It means Anno Domini (Year of Our Lord)• Do the math
Jesus wasn’t European
• Our image of Jesus comes from European artists. He always looks European, skinny, and well muscled (that part probably correct)
• No real image or description exists• If anything he probably looked like - ??
They Burned Witches at Salem
• Of the 600 people eventually tried for witchcraft in the paranoia years in late 1600s only 20 were executed for witchcraft
• All hanged (14 women and 6 men)
Got Apples or Cherries
• Adam and Eve didn’t eat a forbidden Apple (apple not even mentioned) – forbidden fruit never identified
• Isaac Newton, smartest mathematician in 17th century, didn’t thin of laws of gravity because an apple fell on his head
• George Washington didn’t cut down a cherry tree
Let them eat cake
• These were the infamous words of Marie Antoinette during the French Revolution when Frenchmen were starving
• Marie never said these words – all propaganda
• But Marie was hated and did get guillotined
Independence Day is July 4, 1776
• We celebrate on July 4th but US not independent from Britain on that date
• Saying something doesn’t make it so• We officially became the USA by the Treaty of
Paris, Sept. 3 1783 (after winning the war of independence
Hitler was a Homosexual
• Hitler was actually a Homophobe• He had half million gays murdered• He liked women; big healthy Nordic women• Eva Braun was his long time mistress and one
day wife• But Hitler was a Vegetarian
More Hitler Stuff
• Hitler survived World War II • No, he really did commit suicide on April 30,
1945 (along with Eva – how Romeo and Juliet)• Hitler murdered 6 million Jews – yes and no.
Hitler was behind all of the anti-Semitism hysteria but there are no records tying him directly to the Holocaust (he had followers organize the dead)
Edison invented the Light bulb
• The world’s most successful inventor did invent the light bulb we ended up actually using day to day
• But Sire Humphrey Davy (Father of Modern Chemistry) invented the first light bulb many years earlier – didn’t work well
Columbus Proved Earth Round
• A round earth was known since the Greeks• In fact, Eratosthenes not only proved earth
was round but measured it using two sticks• Columbus thought Eratosthenes was wrong
and earth was smaller – Columbus wrong, Eratosthenes correct
Einstein Flunked HS Math
• This myth has legs – story has been around since 1930s
• Even Einstein laughed at it• Einstein was a math genius – did calculus at 12• Seriously, parents pulled him out of regular
school because he was bored
President Lincoln freed the slaves
• No, not at all. Even the famous Proclamation of Emancipation (1863), said to have freed slaves, really didn’t free even ONE.
• Freedom from Slavery came from 13th Amendment (After Lincoln’s death in April 1865)
• Lincoln hated slavery but didn’t free any slaves
There are many Races
• Technically there are only 3: Caucasian (whites), Asian and African
• And then it gets really messy and confusing• Indians (from India) are both Caucasian and
Asian and African (OMG)• Native Americans –Asian?
George Washington 1st President
• First under the US Constitution (1789) – yes• First “President” no• Our first government, under Articles of
Confederation, elected John Hansen as first President
• There would be five more
Mexican is Not Race
• Mexicans, originally stated as Caucasian are really mixed Native American (Asian) and Spanish (Caucasian)
• The popular 60s concept of La Raza is an intellectually, cultural affirmation of Mexico’s unique blend of many groups that make up a diverse ethnic group collectively called Mexican
Average Person is White
• No – if you put every person in world in a giant blender and generate an average looking human you would get:
• Someone who looks Indian: olive to brown skin, brown eyes, dark straight hair, stands about 5’6”, weights 140 pounds, and is about 20 years old