Historical myths | Dr. John van Wyhe | TEDxNUS

The traditional story that every schoolchild knows.

Contrary to popular belief, people in Columbus's time knew that the earth was round. There were historical artifacts such as a globe built in Germany and notes from Leonardo da Vinci that demonstrated this knowledge. The story about Columbus struggling against superstition is completely wrong, as he actually wanted to find a shorter route to Southeast Asia for spices.

Washington Irving's biography of Columbus in 1828 sparked the myth of Columbus challenging people who believed the earth is flat based on biblical references. The book included invented dialogues to make the story more exciting and became a best-seller.

Isaac Newton formulated the law of universal gravitation, revolutionizing astronomy and enabling accurate predictions. Despite being revered in the scientific community, the myth about an apple falling on his head has some truth to it but is likely based on observations of a comet rather than an actual apple.

Charles Darwin observed finches on the Galapagos Islands, which are now known as Darwin's finches. The legend that he was inspired by their differently shaped beaks to think of evolution is a myth. In fact, it was an ornithologist named David Lack who explained how Darwin's theory could explain the beak variations.

The popular image of Vikings with horned helmets is completely wrong. This misconception was invented by a costume designer for a German opera in the 19th century, and no Viking ever wore such headgear. The moral of this story is that many widespread stories about science and history are entirely false.