If It's Not True It's a Good Story Quiz

Answer: Marie Antoinette

The story goes that Marie Antoinette answered "let them eat cake" when told that ordinary French people were starving. The actual word has been altered through time and translation, and actually reads as "let them eat brioche" as opposed to "let them eat cake".

As the comedian David Mitchell put it, Marie may have simply misunderstood the situation:
"The people have no bread."
"Let them eat cake."
"No, Your Majesty, there is no cake, either."
"Oh, I now see this is a serious problem."
But joking aside, the meaning of this phrase may not have been nearly as cynical as it sounds today, as laws in 18th century France required bakers to drop the price of "fine breads" (such as brioche) when standard loafs had sold out, which was often the case. In the end this is all simply noise, as the sentence was first seen in print when Marie Antoinette was just 11 and was not even in France. It was attributed to an unknown princess by Jean-Jacques Rousseau in 1766.

Answer: Jean-Léon Gérôme

The thumbs-down sign for a gladiator to be put to death was certainly popularized, if not started, by the artist Jean-Léon Gérôme. The Latin phrase "pollice verso" means simply "turned thumb" (without any indication of the direction) and Gérôme assumed that the thumb was turned down, when, in fact, the meaning is unclear.

It is said that Ridley Scott, director of the film "Gladiator", viewed the dramatic painting known as "Pollice Verso" before accepting the directing role. Some sources even credit the great, but inaccurate, painting as being the deciding influence for Scott.

Whilst some now claim that the actual gesture given by the emperor to signal for a gladiator to be put to death was a closed fist, others even claim that the thumbs-up was the fatal sign. Interestingly, if a man killed his opponent before the emperor had decided on his fate, he would be put on trial for murder.

Answer: Newton

Truly a brilliant man, and hailed as a genius already in his own lifetime, some may have been a bit carried away when talking about Newton's achievements. The story of the apple falling on Newton's head was put forward by Voltaire long after Newton's death. This story has stuck and there have been many depictions of the great scientist musing under a tree just before the famous fruit fell. There have also been jokes to the effect that if Newton was sitting under a pumpkin or coconut tree we might never have been given the theory of gravity.

It is generally accepted that an apple was the inspiration for Newton's famous theory, as he watched it fall *from a distance* in the orchard near his home.

Answer: The electric light-bulb

English scientist Sir Humphry Davy invented arc lighting many years before Edison was even born, and many later improved on his model. In 1840, Warren de la Rue (another Briton), enclosed a platinum coil in a vacuum tube and passed an electric current through it, allowing the light to glow for a longer period that Davy's carbon filament.

After many experiments with metal filaments, Edison returned to the carbon filament, demonstrating that this could allow the light to glow for very long periods of time.

This was demonstrated in October 22nd 1879.

Answer: Nero

It has been claimed by some that Nero could not play the fiddle at all! Granted, this seems impossible to substantiate, but the violin itself was not invented until over 1,000 years after the Great Fire of Rome. (Some sources claim that the "fiddle" refers to the lyre.) Many sources also claim that Nero was in Antium, not Rome, when the fire started and that the evil emperor actually rushed to Rome as soon as he heard and funded much of the aid with money from his own pocket.

Whilst Ralph may be able to free Nero from blame for the Great Fire of Rome, the Roman emperor was known for many other inexcusable evils, such as numerous murders, including that of his own mother.

Answer: Henry VIII

Many stories surround Henry VIII - the lover of food and the taker of many wives. In fact, the story of how the sirloin steak got its name is seen by many as tripe! One of the first to perpetuate this myth was Thomas Fuller, who gave the eccentric account of Henry VIII's knighting of this fine piece of meat in "The Church History of Britain" (1655). Furthermore, the term was written as "surloin" until the 18th century, which corroborates the theory that the sirloin got its name from a French term - "surlonge" ("sur" - "over/on/above", "longe"-"loin").

Answer: Peeping Tom

Writer Daniel Donoghue claims that the myth of Lady Godiva "was based on the life of Godifu, a real woman who lived in Coventry in the latter part of the eleventh century and was married to one of the most powerful men in England."

The first written account of Godiva's ride appeared 200 years after the supposed event in 1057. The action was supposedly taken by Godiva in protest of her husband's harsh taxes on the people of Coventry. On the contrary, many claim that there is evidence that Leofric was generous and kind, giving much money to the poor and religious institutions.

The story of Peeping Tom seems even more tenuous, with his first appearance coming a full 600 years after the first account of the ride. According to legend, the people of Coventry, out of respect for Lady Godiva, stayed indoors. Tom's curiosity, however, led him to view Lady Godiva as she rode naked on the streets. Peeping Tom is almost certainly a fictional character and was created as a way of discouraging "peeping".

Answer: James Cook

Cook never carried lemons or limes on board, but rather used sauerkraut and 'rob' (a concentrated fruit juice) as a way of preventing scurvy. Both the sauerkraut and juice were boiled so as to preserve them for the long voyage, but this in turn dramatically reduced the amount of vitamin C they contained.

The name "Limey", which was used to describe British sailors, was first recorded 1859. Oddly, limes contain much less vitamin C than lemons, and were only used because they were viewed as more "British".

Answer: The Salem Witch Trials

Another, smaller, misconception about the Salem witch trials is that all suspects were women, when in fact 6 of the 20 people executed in 1692/3 were men.

The suspicions arose when the Puritan minister of Salem, Samuel Parris, found that his daughter (Betty Parris) and niece (Abigail Williams) had suffered violent fits. The ignorance of the time allowed people to believe that the girls had been possessed by a satanic force, and fingers were soon pointed at social outcasts in the Salem community. A total of 31 suspects were rounded up and of these 20 were executed (some sources say 19). Hanging was the usual method, and none were burned at the stake. The ignorance of the time was comically highlighted by Chief Wiggum in a "Treehouse of Horror" episode of "The Simpsons", where he tells Marge (a suspected witch) that she will be pushed off a cliff. If she is a witch she would prove this by using her powers to fly back to them so that she could be executed, and if she were innocent she would fall to her death.

Answer: Caligula

About seventy years after Caligula died, the historian Suetonius wrote: "It is also said that he [Caligula] planned to make him [Incitatus] consul." Suetonius makes it clear that this is a second-hand account and that the information he has been given is doubtful (making sure to use phrases like "it is also said"). There are no other records of that era which speak of Caligula's intentions to make his horse a consul.

Caligula took an avid interest in torture, and often practiced his inhumane methods on political opponents and even random passers-by. He was certainly *not* a pleasant piece of work.