On February 10 2011 14:30 Jomz wrote: Since no one has posted it yet. You cannot see the great wall of china from space.
Also, something that might be of interest is the TV Quiz show "QI". It goes about debunking myths such as Michael Jackson being the creator of the Moon Walk whereas in actuality it was "Bill Bailey". Not the comedian, but a very talented Tap Dancer. -
You can see him demonstratig the dance-move in that video, it's at the end.
PS: Not entirely sure if this is what your looking for, but you may find it interesting.
That is REALLY interesting, thanks for sharing that.
I've been trying to look this up but I haven't found what I am looking for...here are the only(few) details I know:
-a mass killing, considered to be a "holocaust" -took place somewhere in either eastern europe, russia, or the balkans -to this day the country responsible denies it -they buried them in mass graves...
I remember learning about this in high school social.
On February 10 2011 14:37 travito wrote: I've been trying to look this up but I haven't found what I am looking for...here are the only(few) details I know:
-a mass killing, considered to be a "holocaust" -took place somewhere in either eastern europe, russia, or the balkans -to this day the country responsible denies it -they buried them in mass graves...
I remember learning about this in high school social.
...
Armenian genocide? or is this like a troll post that I'm not getting because I'm stupid o_O
On February 10 2011 14:37 travito wrote: I've been trying to look this up but I haven't found what I am looking for...here are the only(few) details I know:
-a mass killing, considered to be a "holocaust" -took place somewhere in either eastern europe, russia, or the balkans -to this day the country responsible denies it -they buried them in mass graves...
I remember learning about this in high school social.
On February 10 2011 14:37 travito wrote: I've been trying to look this up but I haven't found what I am looking for...here are the only(few) details I know:
-a mass killing, considered to be a "holocaust" -took place somewhere in either eastern europe, russia, or the balkans -to this day the country responsible denies it -they buried them in mass graves...
I remember learning about this in high school social.
Turkey's genocide of Armenians during WW1 is still officially denied and a very controversial subject. Is that it?
On February 10 2011 14:37 travito wrote: I've been trying to look this up but I haven't found what I am looking for...here are the only(few) details I know:
-a mass killing, considered to be a "holocaust" -took place somewhere in either eastern europe, russia, or the balkans -to this day the country responsible denies it -they buried them in mass graves...
I remember learning about this in high school social.
Could it be Katyn Massacre where Soviet Union kills like 40,000 polish POW and secretly buries them in Katyn Forest? I believe Russia admitted Stalin was responsible for it.
On February 10 2011 14:37 travito wrote: I've been trying to look this up but I haven't found what I am looking for...here are the only(few) details I know:
-a mass killing, considered to be a "holocaust" -took place somewhere in either eastern europe, russia, or the balkans -to this day the country responsible denies it -they buried them in mass graves...
I remember learning about this in high school social.
...
Armenian genocide? or is this like a troll post that I'm not getting because I'm stupid o_O
No I think this might be it, a quick google shows that the Turkish government tries to hide this, which sounds familiar.
EDIT: Nevermind. Don, that is the one I was thinking of. I didn't know that they admitted that Stalin was responsible however. The forest part was also a vague detail that I now remember since you mentioned it. Thanks
On February 10 2011 13:54 Silidons wrote: If I say it, I'll probably get banned.
Fine, if you don't say it, I will...
THE HOLOCAUST!
Oh... only absolute morons deny such things. You can't hide the deaths of 11 million innocent people. =/
Despite the atrocities of the holocaust, Hitler was a brilliant leader. He can be credited with huge a economic boom during his time, as well as military success. My question is why is he painted as the posterboy for evil when Stalin and Mao both killed thousands more people under their rule? I am in no way trying to undermine the horrors of the holocaust, but I don't really understand why Stalin or Mao don't get the same negative attention that Hitler does. :/
Because Stalin and Mao were pretty much West's allies during WW2
Stalin yes. Mao definitely not. The Allies were supporting a fellow called Chiang Kai-shek. He was supposed to fight the Japanese, but hoarded the equipment to attack Mao instead. From Chiang, you then get the Taiwan government.
I suspect it has more to do was access to information. Germany was defeated, it's country busted apart and so all it's dirty secrets were spot lighted and created a media storm. We get word of Stalin and Mao's atrocities, we have numbers and anecdotes, but we don't have that viceral in your face documentary and tv footage. We have bits and pieces, but we never had full access as in the case of Germany. Besides of which, ovens are a lot more dramatic then gulags and starving people to death. Ethnic based killings are probably more dramatic than class based. And in the case of China, if there were ethnic killings, the West would just see it as Chinese killing more Chinese, rather than Han, Buyei, Miao, etc.
But access to info/ publicity and the industrialized nature of the killings probably helped contribute. Also consider that Germany was considered the most advanced mainland European nation (whereas both Russia and China would've been seen as backwards)- so the fact that this intellectual (all those German scientists that fled) and industrial powerhouse committed all the atrocities also shook people up a bit.
There are so many dark and disgusting secrets in humanity's history... In the past two thousand years alone, it's depressing... all the people that have had their lives taken from them based upon ignorance, hate, and human nature.
Hitler is probably looked on as more of an evil person because: Hitler was killing certain groups of people solely out of hate and bigotry, where as Stalin was killing to retain his power/increase his power through fear and control the outlying nations of the USSR such as Poland and Ukraine.
On February 10 2011 14:50 Kazzabiss wrote: Hitler is probably looked on as more of an evil person because: Hitler was killing certain groups of people solely out of hate and bigotry, where as Stalin was killing to retain his power/increase his power through fear and control the outlying nations of the USSR such as Poland and Ukraine.
Oh, Stalin had hate. He killed Christians, Jews, capitalists, and anyone he didn't take a liking too. Just like Hitler. Both of them killed for power and out of hate. 's how it goes.
On February 10 2011 13:54 Silidons wrote: If I say it, I'll probably get banned.
Fine, if you don't say it, I will...
THE HOLOCAUST!
Oh... only absolute morons deny such things. You can't hide the deaths of 11 million innocent people. =/
Despite the atrocities of the holocaust, Hitler was a brilliant leader. He can be credited with huge a economic boom during his time, as well as military success. My question is why is he painted as the posterboy for evil when Stalin and Mao both killed thousands more people under their rule? I am in no way trying to undermine the horrors of the holocaust, but I don't really understand why Stalin or Mao don't get the same negative attention that Hitler does. :/
His economic success is questioned, his contributions to military success are very questionable and his military errors are plenty. And his policies basically destroyed the nation he led. That is not a mark of great leader. As for Stalin and Mao, some of it is that they didn't lose a war and history is written by victors. But there are still differences. How do you actually count deaths attributed to those leaders, because I highly doubt Stalin actually is responsible for more than Hitler in any reasonable metric. I don't know enough about Mao so I won't comment on it. Also there is something kind of more "evily" to the way Holocaust was done and reasons behind it compared to unfortunately standard evil of political powermongering from Stalin and Mao. Probably something about the industrialization of death by the nazis, and total dehumanization of Jews and others by nazis.
On February 10 2011 14:46 Alexhandr wrote: There are so many dark and disgusting secrets in humanity's history... In the past two thousand years alone, it's depressing... all the people that have had their lives taken from them based upon ignorance, hate, and human nature.
Do tell, my good sir. For you in this single and entire instance have captivated us like no other orator of marvelous fortune. Hooked us in, and reel us, will you? Aye, like a phoenix your stories are reborn in a great ad infinum, and catch our eyes e'ry time as though no other sight had been seen by them. Do, pray tell my friend of your great stories of emotional magnitude and uncertainty, the likes of which humanity knows so deeply in its heart. For I entreaty to you, my sole, undivided attention.
On February 10 2011 14:06 geometryb wrote: the history of jesus
That's what I instantly thought of after reading the OP. I mean, what's more plausible, Marco Polo going to China or the existence of a magical man?
Whether or not Jesus is/was the son of God or actually performed miracles and such is debatable depending on your religious affiliation/beliefs.
However, there is plenty of evidence that Jesus Christ is an actual person and he did do a lot of pretty darn amazing things.
Actually, there really isn't. The biblical accounts appear (to scholars) to have been written at least a generation later than the events related, so they are not historical accounts. They also contain many events which were common religious tropes in grecian mythology, and thus likely did not happen. The only collaborating reference is in Josephus, but again his account was written much later and contains few details about Jesus.
That said, there is no reason to doubt that Jesus existed. It was a time of charismatic religious leaders, and it would be bizarre for the early Christians to invent a charismatic founder when they beyond a doubt had many charismatic leaders of their own (eg. Paul). We just don't know much for certain about Jesus' life.
My own vote for controversial history is the role of the US/UK alliance in winning WWII. Although most people in NA think of D-day as the winning blow, by the numbers the USSR really had more to do with it.
On February 10 2011 14:03 Phenny wrote: Tbh saying "I'll probably get banned" is more likely to get you banned than actually saying whatever you were gunna say.
It was more of a joke. I assumed he was referring to saying the holocaust and it didn't seem like a martyring post.
On another note, I read in a The Rise of the Fourth Reich by Jim Marrs that apparently the US did not actually create the Uranium for the bomb in WW2. IIRC he showed and cited a bunch of accounts that the US never produced enough Uranium to create both bombs, but they actually intercepted a German sub en route to Japan filled with enough Plutonium for the at least one of the bombs. It also showed that the US researched Atomic bombs with Uranium iirc while Germany was researching with A-Bombs with Plutonium while one bomb was Plutonium based while the other was Uranium which wouldn't make that the US had a Plutonium bomb if they didn't research into it.
I read it a while ago, I could be confusing the two isotopes. Oh but the book also claimed that the Nazi's may have created UFO's. I looked into the bomb sources but not the UFO ones. The bomb sources looked kind of legitimate iirc. It was years ago I read it.
That are some big claims that are so contrary to any evidence we have, that it seems like standard sensationalist money making.
I do believe that there is extensive accounts of marco polo's trip through China. The great wall itself being around at that time is a common misconception. The wall existed in sections being built throughout history. However the wall as it is today (one long wall) was never actually completed until the ming dynasty (around 1375 - about 75 years after marco polo travelled china) So its entirely possible he didnt see it.
As for the other suggestions, those are maybe just coincidence, but remember that China at that point was a very large country. Certain cultural practices (like binding of the feet) were not common practice among northern chinese. Which was where Marco Polo was generally have thought to adventure.
The only reason I know this is because of a course I took in University, so I genuinely believe marco polo did visit China.
As for the original question
The only thing I can think of that is accepted but probably didnt actually happen the way it was thought is based around famous people as opposed to events. I.e. General Custard was a hero, William wallace was a hero, Thermopalyae only had 300 greeks... ect.
One big one I've heard is that The civil war wasnt actually about slavery (this is a contentious one, but there are records of abraham lincon suggesting in his memoirs that he didnt want to free them, but was forced to because of a changing social structure and the slavery issue was just the scapegoat for consolidating power over the southern aristocrats.)
edit. For those who care, the armenian killings happened, almost half a million armenians were killed. Armenia is in the process of having the killings recognized as a "genocide" in the world criminal court and the United nations. (something which turkey obviously opposes)
EPT
![[image loading]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Vlad_Tepes_002.jpg)
