Fake News
Ok, so I’m not talking about that fake news. (Sorry for the clickbait). But, in honor of President’s Day, let’s talk about a famous story…that didn’t happen. George Washington and the cherry tree. You might know the myth, and interestingly enough it’s not the only famous history story that never happened! Here are my top three favorite famous stories that never actually happened.
3) Nero Played the Fiddle While Rome Burned
The story goes that the crazy emperor Nero decided to have a portion of the city burned to make space for his new palace, but it went terribly wrong and the whole city caught fire and was destroyed over the course of 10 days. Allegedly, Nero simply took up his fiddle and enjoyed some music during the crisis. Historians don’t think that actually happened, but the story inspired the phrase “fiddle while Rome burns” which essentially means to do absolutely nothing helpful during a crisis.
2) Marie Antoinette said “Let Them Eat Cake”
This is such a famous quote and it’s used a lot in sarcastic jokes to convey a real sense of sass. In the late 1780s, the French peasants were struggling and often starving while the Royals, headed by King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette lived a classically lavish lifestyle. The story says that when Marie was told of the French people’s famine and need for bread she responded with the thought that if they are so hungry, “let them eat cake.” Historian’s and Antoinette’s own biographer don’t think she actually said the crass phrase though.
1) George Washington and the Cherry Tree
And it went like: Young George Washington gets an axe as a present and does some damage to his father’s cherry tree. When his father notices he asks George if he took the axe to the tree. Little George, so pure, admits he did saying something along the lines of, “father I cannot tell a lie.” George Washington; the nation’s first president led a pretty public life for the time, and even after his death people were itching to know more about his life. The cherry tree myth appeared in a later version of a book about Washington published after his death. The author, Parson Weems, wrote the anecdote as an insight into Washington’s personal life and to further his image as a good honest American. Of course, it isn’t considered true.
And there you have it, some of the most famous stories that are most likely lies. Whether they happened or not, there’s no denying the power of storytelling with these. These quick recounts became entrenched enough in history that they are used as anecdotes and sayings to describe situations as common phrases everyone is familiar with. That is one of the amazing powers of storytelling. Of course, this is a good reminder that not everything you read is true. Not everything you hear is true. Just because a lot of people are saying it doesn’t mean it’s true. It all reminds me of the comical first rule of journalism: if your mother says she loves you…check her sources!