Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

The Most Overrated People In All Of History

A picture of Mount Rushmore
Photo by Ronda Darby on Unsplash

History is riddled with people who don't deserve the notoriety we bestow upon them.

We've been led to believe things about people that just aren't true.

That's why we can't trust everything we read.

So much of history's "biography" is fashioned by what people only want you to know.

So let's get to some hard truths.

Humans can really suck.

Even the ones we revere.


Redditor reversechinlock wanted to have a discussion about the people we may be holding in too high a regard. So they asked everyone:

"Who is the most overrated person in history?"

I'd say most musicians are a good group to start with.

Where is He?

wheres waldo 90s GIFGiphy

"Waldo. Why should anyone even care to search for him, he's done nothing. The fact that he's always hiding is probably because he's done something wrong. Plus that f**ker only has one shirt."

TwistedBlister

Bad Guy

"Henry Ford. In business, engineering, and manufacturing, he’s revered like a god. Professors like to gloss over his overwhelming anti-semitism. Ford wrote and published a wildly anti-Semitic newspaper, which were spread around the Ford Motors facilities. Those papers were republished in Germany and became incredibly popular with the Third Reich."

"Heinrich Himmler described Ford as 'one of our most valuable, important, and witty fighters.' Hitler praised Ford in Mein Kampf and referred to Ford as an 'inspiration.' The admiration went both ways, because Ford was a Nazi sympathizer to the highest degree, hosting Hitler’s representatives in his home and hobnobbing with Nazi officers."

"On his 75th birdthday, he was awarded the Grand Cross of the German Eagle, the highest medal Nazi Germany could bestow on an American. But all anyone cares about are his f-ing assembly lines which he didn’t even invent. The assembly line idea actually came from Ransom E. Olds."

ContraltofDanger

Obsession

"Douglas Macarthur. Was obsessed with his legacy while being a far less capable leader than many of the other overlooked commanders in the Pacific theater. He spent thousands of lives in battles on islands that had little strategic significance, declared the battle for the Philippines over while intense fighting raged on, and was disliked by many serving under him. Go listen to/read Max Hastings' 'Retribution: The Battle for Japan' for a great deep dive into the Pacific War."

fushiao

Evil Empress

"Coco Chanel- I have recently found out she was apparently a Nazi agent who went under the code name 'Westminster'. She spent most of WW2 in Paris in the Ritz sleeping with Nazi officers and had direct contact to Himmler and Goebbels. She even insisted all Jewish directors of her brand be removed."

peachy-tree

Greedy

Streaming Live Music GIF by XinanimodelacraGiphy

"Henry VIII. Let's be honest, all he did was strong arm the church so he could marry another woman the fat greedy sod."

Dynwynn

That Henry is a real disaster. It's amazing we still talk about him.

Ioannis

"Ioannis Metaxas. He was the leader of Greece from 1936 to1941. Most famous for not surrendering to fascist Italy during WW2. The only problem is that Metaxas was a fascist dictator himself."

Dinosaur_from_1998

Oh my Fawkes!

"Guy Fawkes."

"He was a minor cog in a conspiracy that he didn't even know all that much about. He was tasked with a dead simple objective, and he failed. He gave up the names of all the co-conspirators that he knew about, but most of them operated on a much higher level than this chump, so they got off moslty scot-free. He had one job and he f**ked up three, basically. He doesn't deserve the pages that his story is written on in history books."

thetimujin

Not so motherly afterall.

"Mother Teresa believed the suffering of the poor was 'beautiful.'"

warmhandswarmheart

"She also let the sick people she 'helped' go without medicine to 'bring them closer to God.' Different story when she became sick though."

bats_and_glitter

"Oh yes. This is the perfect answer. She didn't heap anything. She was an evil woman. She believed suffering brought you closer to Jesus/God, so all her 'hospitals' didn't really help anyone. And she duped millions out of the rich to achieve this sick goal!"

twatchops

Genius?

the beatles dance GIF by US National ArchivesGiphy

"John Lennon. Don't hurt me, I'm a big Beatles fan, but somebody had to say it."

Al-Anka

"George was the true genius."

REDDIT

We really put too many people up on pedastels.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Screenshot of George Santos; Zohran Mamdani
@MrSantosNY/X; Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

George Santos Announced He's Leaving New York After Mamdani's Win—And The Responses Are Brutal

Disgraced former New York Republican Representative George Santos was widely mocked after he announced he will leave New York City now that Zohran Mamdani has won the mayoral election.

Mamdani has sent shockwaves around the world with his win; an unapologetic democratic socialist, he took on the establishment and won despite months of Islamophobic and racist attacks from the right-wing.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of man collapsing and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. preparing to walk out
@atrupar/X

RFK Jr. Dragged For Bolting Out Of Oval Office The Moment A Man Collapsed During Press Briefing

Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was criticized after hurrying out of a press briefing in the Oval Office on Thursday after a man had a medical emergency and suddenly collapsed.

Kennedy was on hand alongside President Donald Trump, Dr. Mehmet Oz—the current Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services—and health aides for a press briefing announcing lower costs for weight loss drugs.

Keep ReadingShow less

Times People Saw Someone Almost Die Due To Their Own Actions

All actions have consequences, some more negative and severe than others.

But sometimes, someone will do something so extreme or stupid, it could almost cost them their life.

Keep ReadingShow less

Cancer Patients Explain Which Symptoms Ultimately Led Them To See A Doctor

Cancer has taken far too many lives and affected far too many people.

Where is a cure?

Keep ReadingShow less
Close-up shot of the number 30 painted on asphalt.
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

People Over 30 Share Their Biggest Regrets In Life

Life goes by in a flash.

When we're young, we tend to laugh off that statement.

Keep ReadingShow less