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212

What's your favourite story from history that is actually false or exaggerated? (lemmy.ca)

submitted 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) by FreshParsnip@lemmy.ca to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

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My favourite is the story that there was mass panic over a radio broadcast of War of the Worlds where everyone thought a real alien invasion was happening. I heard this story as a kid and really thought this was a cruel prank played by the radio station.

In reality, they made it clear at the beginning of the broadcast, and twice during, that it was fictional. Not that many people were listening and most of the people who were, were aware it wasn't real. A few idiots freaked out and it somehow turned into a story of mass panic. It was propaganda by newspapers to discredit radio.

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[–] olafurp@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago

That the four good emperors of Rome, namely Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pious and Marcus Aurelius had a good thing going until Marcus by deciding to pass the empire to their adopted sons. Nerva was also there with his excellent decision to adapt Trajan out of everyone.

This is portrayed as an altruistic non-nepotism move when in reality they were all childless. Nerva and Antoninus specifically selected because they were old and childless and Hadrian was just straight up gay. They probably would have passed on the empire to their sons if they had them.