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Biggest myths in world history? Help a school teacher

What do you think are the biggest myths in world history? I’m trying to put together a good list to help this public school teacher develop a class assignment and can use your help.

A recent email from a reader of the blog made this request:

I teach a 9th grade world history class and I’d like to have them attempt to prove/refute some myths of history. I discovered your site and thought I’d give this a try. I’m going to show them your piece about Gutenberg and the printing press as a template for exploring historical myths. Any help or suggestions you could provide about other topics would be appreciated. I’m looking for anything I can investigate from the 1500s to the late 18th century. Thanks

Here’s a few good ones to get things started:

What are some favorite world history myths you know and might be appropriate for a high school project? Bonus points if it’s 1500 to 1800, but any good ones are welcome.

Please leave a comment if you have ideas – thanks!