Myth: Napoleon Bonaparte Was Short

French leader Napoleon Bonaparte is famous for many things, and his short stature is always one of them. However, understanding French measurements and average male height of the time reveals he wasn’t so outrageously short after all.  The English measurement system pegged Napoleon’s height at 5 feet, 2 inches. However, the French inch at the time was slightly longer than the Imperial inch. So, a height of 5 feet, 2 Imperial inches would have been the equivalent of about 5 feet, 5 French inches. While that might still sound short compared with today’s average American male height of 5 feet, 9.3 inches, it was only an inch shorter than average during the 18th century.  It appears that his legacy of being short (and thus trying to make up for it in other ways, hence the “Napoleon Complex”) stemmed from a British cartoonist named James Gillray who became famous for his satire of the embattled Frenchman. Some of his cartoons portrayed Napoleon as excessively short and child-like. The cartoons became so popular in England, and irritated Napoleon so much, that he sent many messages to Britain demanding they be stopped. The requests were promptly ignored.

It’s a common misconception that Egypt’s Great Pyramids were all built by slaves, particularly Jews. To the contrary – plenty of evidence points to the pyramids being built by paid laborers 4,500 years ago. For one, archaeologist found the remains of a village built just for workers, something that would not have been done if they were slaves.  Additionally, evidence in the village shows proof that the laborers were fed the best cuts of meat and given plenty to eat. Graffiti (most likely written by the workers) near one of the pharaoh’s tombs read “The Friends of Khufu Gang.” It’s doubtful slaves would have left such a heartfelt message.

Myth: You Have To Wait 24 Hours Before Reporting Someone Missing

There is a common misconception that a person isn’t considered missing until they’ve been gone for at least 24 hours. This belief is not only wrong but also dangerous and harmful if someone is actually missing. For the best odds of finding someone, authorities should be notified as soon as you realize they are missing. There is no 24-hour waiting period or any mandatory waiting period at all. Whether it’s a child or an adult, you can notify the police that someone is missing at any time.

Myth: Roman Gladiators Were All Male, Slaves, And Battled To The Death

In the movies, every gladiator who enters an arena is an enslaved man who battles to the death.  However, Roman law initially allowed women to fight other women in spectator battles (until this was banned in 200 CE). And while the events began with criminal executions, professional gladiators rarely lost their lives.  Ancient Romans treated their fighters much like modern-day boxers and mixed martial arts fighters and had referees that ensured a fair fight. Fatalities certainly occurred, but many gladiators who lost their lives did so because they either gave up or weren’t pardoned by the Emperor after losing the battle.  Because Romans treated these fighters like professional athletes, many free men and women chose to attend Gladiator schools to train and fight in arenas and amphitheaters.

Myth: All Ninjas Wore Black

In any book, movie, or comic, ninjas are always portrayed as wearing black (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles aside). And usually, they’d bring out nunchucks sooner or later. In reality, however, ninjas were basically undercover agents. Acting as spies, they would not have dressed to stand out, but to fit in. They may have dressed as priests, farmers, beggars, or whatever else the job might have called for.  Typically, ninjas wore clothes that were dark blue or almost an orange color – similar to a farmer’s uniform. When expecting a battle or hand-to-hand combat, a ninja would wear a chain-hemp top for protection. They only wore hoods when they needed to hide their identity; otherwise, ninjas tried to look as inconspicuous as possible.