Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Explain Which Historical Figures Society Mistakenly Idolizes

black and white photo lot
black and white photo lot

We're taught about all kinds of historical figures in school, and told why they're great. Copernicus realized the Earth revolved around the son, Newton discovered gravity, and Paul Revere warned Americans that there was to be a British attack.

What we're not told is that many historical figures we idolize were not great people. Yes, they accomplished some great things, but they also committed some horrible acts.

Redditors are ready to burst our bubbles about those historical figures we thought were all-around great.


It all started when Redditor Sufficient-Citron269 asked:

"Which historical figure is mistakenly idolized?"

His (Hateful) Majesty

"King Richard I aka Richard the Lionheart."

"He is held in a high regard but he was actually a bad king. He had no interest in governing and his attention span was limited to killing people in warfare. He was regarded as a cruel leader (even by the standards of the 12th century) and is only held in high regard because the monks liked his crusading and because the Victorians considered him an "empire builder.""

"I should also point out that, despite being born in Oxford, Richard I did not consider himself "English" and he considered himself a Frenchman where he spent most of his adult life. He considered England to be nothing more than a piggy bank to fund his crusading and he hated the nation which is why it is so baffling to see England football fans use crusader imagery and boast about the "three lions on the shirt.""

"If you want to know more, watch Terry Jones's Medieval Lives."

– TailsxCream4Eva

​Memorialized In Green

"Andrew Jackson. He carried out ethnic cleansing against Native Americans. Jackson was a disaster of a human being on every possible level, and should not be commemorated positively by any branch of American government. And as he was a slave owner, putting him on the $20 bill is disgraceful."

– Miguenzo

"putting him on the $20 bill is disgraceful."

"It's a troll because Andrew Jackson hated the idea of a central bank and dissolved the Bank of the United States."

"He'd be rolling over in his grave if he knew they put his face on the dollar."

– Fausterion18

"Not A Good Idea, Mr. President"

"Almost all of the US presidents have skeletons in their closets that nobody really talks about."

"Whether it's leading an invasion of a country, or using slave's teeth as dentures. History is a rocky subject, and a rabbit hole when it comes down to the United State's life."

– X-Cross_X

Yikes!

"Mother Teresa was apparently a b*tch."

"Over a third of her patients received inadequate care. Conditions there were likened to nazi concentration camps. She actively campaigned against the use of condoms during the aids epidemic."

"When she fell ill she ran away to California for care, instead of staying in one of her death traps."

"Here's a quote from her:"

""There is something beautiful in seeing the poor accept their lot, to suffer it like Christ's Passion. The world gains much from their suffering.""

– MaliciousPorpoise

Actors *Shakes Head*

"Ronald Reagan."

– TesticleMayhem

"Nancy too. Ran his meeting schedule using astrology charts."

– death_or_glory_

"He did a ton of damage to California and the USA."

"Been calling this out for decades, but the right-wing hold him up like a political Jesus."

– slavnar95

Time To Do Good

"Andrew Carnegie. Absolutely horrible man. Treated his workers like sh*t, but he always had a scapegoat and would claim ignorance. Then, when he got old and thought he was probably going to hell, he started donating money and building public spaces so he could "buy his way into heaven." Told all his friends to do the same."

"But no, he was such a wonderful charitable man."

– Euphoric-Hyena8926

This Was A Hard One

"Alexander Graham Bell"

"He did not invent the telephone at all but stole it from a poor but brilliant Italian named Antonio Meucci who could not afford to pay for the patent"

– Fanfrenhag

"He also was an a**hole who was against deaf people getting married and having kids and being forced to talk. Horrible man. Absolutely hate him."

– FrankSinatraHot

Remember The Rest

"Woodrow Wilson. Often remembered for coming up with the League of Nations idea, he was a super racist religious fundamentalist weirdo."

– VerbalChains

"The guy who didn't kept his promise of not involving the US in WW1 and had an infamous pro-Klan movie projected at the White House isn't that much of a hero? Can't say I'm surprised"

– MudkipzLover

Hard To Come Back From That

"Julius Caesar was to ROMAN standards, a monster. ROMAN STANDARDS."

– Arlecchinobaby

Yep.

"Christopher Columbus. He didn’t discover that the Earth was round (because by his time, it was already common knowledge), he never set foot in the U.S., he slaughtered hundreds of thousands of innocent Taino people and he enslaved the living ones to work in gold mines that he and his men set up on their island. And yet this moron has his own U.S. holiday."

– Longjumping_Event_59

Intellectual Property

"Steve Jobs. Not only was he incredibly mean and cruel to his coworkersllectual and employees, he also essentially stole credit for everything that was achieved under the name "Apple". He had no particular skills that aided him in succeeding other than to take credit for others accomplishments."

– 0xVali__

Not Black And White

"Thomas Edison."

– darkwulf1

"Edison still deserves a lot of credit."

"No, he didn't invent the light bulb. His specialty was improving other inventions. For example, he didn't invent the telegraph but he did invent the carbon telephone transmitter which took the transmission rate from 120wpm up to over 1000."

– sarcasticorange

"Yes and no. He is mistakenly idolized for being the main inventor of electricity. However, he was the guy to get it funded and pushed the technology in it's infancy stage and bring it to the public."

"It's easy to discount the difficulty of getting something off the ground. You have to make the right connections, demo the product, sell the idea, get in front of the right people, and organize all the logistics behind it."

"Edison was the guy making it happen. So while Tesla was really the scientist behind the idea, it was Edison who had the business sense."

"Say whatever you want about his sketchy character. But doing what he did is not as easy as people think it is. And honestly, I feel like a lot of historical figures are going to be sketchy by definition because they were from the past when cultural norms and standards were different."

– FailosoRaptor

"Christmas Is Creepy"

"Santa, he spies on kids and breaks into people's houses only when they are asleep"

– Jacobflamecaster23

Is it bad that I'm not totally surprised?

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Ryan Gosling; Jake Hamilton
Jake's Takes/YouTube

Ryan Gosling's Reaction To Being Interviewed By Journalist Who Is Stranded In The Desert Is All Of Us

Celebrities get interviewed from all kinds of places, but the side of the road in a desert? That's not typically one of them.

But for a recent sit-down with Ryan Gosling, that's exactly where Good Day Chicago reporter Jake Hamilton ended up asking his questions. From the side of the road, no less.

Keep Reading Show less
Screenshots of Sheldon Whitehouse and Kristi Noem
PBS News

Kristi Noem Blasted For Trying To Play Dumb After Being Shown Photos Of Bedroom On Her Luxury Jet

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was called out after appearing dumbfounded this week after Rhode Island Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse grilled her about her use of a luxury jet by showing her images of its bedroom.

On Monday, Noem testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about the DHS recent funding lapse. Last month, reports surfaced that Noem’s department had sought approval from the Office of Management and Budget to purchase a luxury Boeing 737 Max 8.

Keep Reading Show less
Screenshot of Hillary Clinton; Donald Trump
@GOPoversight/X; Kay Nietfeld/Picture Alliance via Getty Images

Hillary Clinton Was Asked If Trump Should Be Deposed About Epstein—And Her Blistering Response Is Spot On

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave a blistering response during her deposition in the House Oversight Committee's Epstein investigation when asked about whether or not she thinks President Donald Trump should also be deposed.

Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, testified separately behind closed doors last week before the House Oversight Committee regarding their connections to Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier, pedophile, and sex trafficker. Video recordings of the depositions were released by the committee on Monday.

Keep Reading Show less
screenshots of friendly fire incident with US F-15 over Kuwait
@CNN/Instagram

Video Of Kuwaiti Locals Rushing To Help American Pilot Shot Down In Friendly Fire Incident Goes Viral

Video of Kuwaitis hurrying to check on the condition of a United States Air Force pilot who ejected from an F-15 fighter jet went viral online.

It has been reported by United States Central Command (CENTCOM) that three U.S. military jets were accidentally shot down over Kuwait as a result of "an apparent friendly fire incident" by Kuwaiti air defenses. Initial reports attributed the crashes to Iranian military forces.

Keep Reading Show less
Donald Trump
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Trump Was Spotted With A Huge Rash On His Neck—And Nobody Is Buying The Explanation

President Donald Trump's health and fitness are once again in the spotlight after he was spotted with a red rash on his neck to go along with the bruises on his hands—and the White House physician's explanation for the matter isn't satisfying anyone.

A reddish mark could be seen on Trump's neck during a Medal of Honor ceremony on Monday, extending above his shirt collar and ending just beneath his ear.

Keep Reading Show less