Final Thought
History myths usually survive because they are simple, dramatic, and easy to repeat. The real stories are often messier, but also more interesting. Washington’s teeth were stranger than wood, Vikings were less cartoonish than we imagine, and Columbus’s real mistake was not bravery against flat-Earth ignorance, but a massive miscalculation.
The lesson is simple: when a historical “fact” sounds too perfect, too funny, or too convenient, it is worth checking.
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