History class taught us a lot, but some of the stories we all "know" are actually myths. Here are seven popular misconceptions, and what really happened.
1. Vikings Didn't Wear Horned Helmets: There's no evidence Viking warriors wore horns into battle. The look was popularized in the 1800s by costume designers for opera productions.
2. Napoleon Wasn't Short: He stood around 5'7", about average for a Frenchman of his time. Confusion between French and English inches (plus British cartoonists) helped create the myth.
3. Medieval People Didn't Think the Earth Was Flat: Educated Europeans had known the Earth was round since ancient Greek times.
4. The Great Wall of China Isn't Visible From Space With the Naked Eye: It's very long, but it's also narrow and roughly the same color as the land around it.
5. Oxford University Is Older Than the Aztec Empire: Teaching at Oxford was happening by 1096, while the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan wasn't founded until 1325.
6. The Shortest War in History Lasted Under an Hour: The Anglo-Zanzibar War of 1896 was over in roughly 38 to 45 minutes.
7. Einstein Didn't Fail Math: He excelled at math from a young age and had mastered calculus by about age 15.
Moral of the story? Always double-check the "facts" everyone repeats!