Lies They Teach in School

Our cherished culturally shared beliefs stem from a variety of sources, many of which propagate old wives' tales, myths, self-serving fantasies, innocent fallacies, or sheer nonsense. History is replete with stories of great men and events that either never happened or didn't happen the way we were told they did. Such items are part of our common knowledge. They are taught in schools. They are passed down to us by our families and friends and have become part of shared cultural knowledge, accepted without question. And they are wrong. It is a cliche that history is written by the victors. But "Lies They Teach You in School" demonstrates that is also written by teachers, by newsmen, by heirs, by hucksters, and occasionally by someone who has a lousy memory or an axe to grind. Touching on a number of topics - including history, current events, government, sports, geography, popular culture, and other areas of human experience - "Lies They Teach You in School" exposes errors that have been perpetuated for far too long. It will enlighten and entertain. It will certainly start a number of arguments. And, one would hope, settle a few.