7 Things We Get Wrong About History

Plus: Fake quotations and the National Anthem |

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. SUBSCRIBE to TIME Magazine September 28, 2017 By Lily Rothman Nobody's perfect, and no matter how much we care about history we're still bound to get some things wrong. Some errors, however, are more persistent than others. That's what we discovered this week when TIME's Olivia B. Waxman surveyed a handful of historians about the American history misconceptions they see popping up over and over again. The answers run the gamut from existential to specific, but they're all enlightening. You can click here to read the whole list and learn about the real history behind the myths. Here's more of the history that made news this week: HISTORY ON TIME.COM Filmmakers Ken Burns, Sebastian Junger and Lynn Novick on America's Forever Wars For the latest installment of TIME's Influencers, the three spoke about their experiences telling war stories Hugh Hefner on How Love Keeps You Young Hefner went on camera in 2009 to answer questions from TIME readers How Standing for the Anthem Became a Sports Tradition 'The Star-Spangled Banner' became a mainstay of American sports during a time of war 'A Right to Be at Central': Little Rock's Integration Battle Sixty years ago, a group of nine students walked into a school and changed America Vice President Pence Cited a Fake Thomas Jefferson Quote Here's how to avoid the same mistake, with help from experts on Ben Franklin, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson FROM THE TIME VAULT Hugh Hefner on the Cover of TIME “The magazine has many things to offer, but the basis of success is the nude or seminude photograph that Hugh Hefner has made respectable in the U.S. prints. America was undoubtedly ready for it anyway, but Hefner seized the moment. He was the first publisher to see that the sky would not fall and mothers would not march if he published bare bosoms; he realized that the old taboos were going, that, so to speak, the empress need wear no clothes. He took the old-fashioned, shame-thumbed girlie magazine, stripped off the plain wrapper, added gloss, class and culture. It proved to be a surefire formula, which more sophisticated and experienced competitors somehow had never dared contemplate.” (March 3, 1967) Read the full story This Week in 1999: Silicon Valley “If you're an eager 28-year-old business-school graduate and you believe the Internet is going to be bigger than the Industrial Revolution, why not try to become Henry Ford? If you're an entrepreneur, why waste your time in the old world, worrying about manufacturing things and dealing with unions and OSHA inspections, when you can put your company online in three months? Why have a boss when you and three buddies can build your own publicly traded company in two years? Windows this big don't open very often. That's the reason people are flocking to the Valley, from Wall Street and Moscow and Bombay." (Sept. 27, 1999) Read the full story 55 Years Ago: Teddy Kennedy “Edward Moore Kennedy smiled at the TV newsmen who brandished microphones in his face. Had he yet talked over his triumph with his brother, the President of the U.S.? No, but he hoped to shortly. Had he talked to his other brother, the U.S. Attorney General? No, but he hoped to shortly. Had he talked to his father, Joseph P. Kennedy? Replied Teddy, with the quiet pride of a son who knows he has pleased a demanding parent: ‘Yes, I talked to him. He was extremely excited.’ From Old Joe on down, the Kennedy clan had every reason to be excited. For the youngest of the nine Kennedy children, the chubby little boy who used to wear bangs, had just scored a stunning political triumph.” (Sept. 28, 1962) Read the full story HIGHLIGHTS FROM AROUND THE WEB “Individual Influence” Jennifer Schuessler of the New York Times writes about the rediscovery of an 1850s essay by an enslaved poet, and what can be learned from it. Behind the Photo Following the misidentification of a 1924 photo of the KKK marching in Wisconsin, Ian Shapira of the Washington Post explains what’s really going on in the picture. Font of Knowledge For the website It’s Nice That, Paul McNeil—author of a recent book about the history of typefaces—selects his six favorite typefaces. All Dressed in White The history of wedding dresses is explored at JSTOR Daily by Summer Brennan, who surveys the literature on the topic from all around the world. Casus Belli As tensions continue to mount between the U.S. and North Korea, Isaac Stone Fish at The Atlantic looks back at the many actions that North Korean leaders have seen as declarations of war—and why this time is different. To Unsubscribe Unsubscribe here if you do not want to receive this newsletter. Update Email Click here to update your email address. Privacy Policy Please read our Privacy Policy. All products and services featured are based solely on editorial selection. TIME may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. For Further Communication Please email history@time.com TIME Customer Service 3000 University Center Drive Tampa, FL 33612-6408 Connect with TIME Find TIME on Facebook Follow TIME on Twitter Subscribe to more TIME Newsletters Get TIME on your Mobile Device Get TIME on your iPad Subscribe to RSS Feed