Rumors & Scandals

History is full of famous people, and famous people attract rumors.

Along with rumors comes scandal and mystery. Today we'll look at some of these and try to dismiss some of these unfounded rumors and replace them with facts.

Jane Austen, celebrated author of Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice, Mansfield Park and others, died in 1817 at only 41 years of age. Some people have speculated that she died from cancer, others say that she was murdered, but the most logical explanation is accidental arsenic poisoning. In her letters, she often complained of rheumatism, which was commonly treated with Fowler's Solution, which contained large amounts of arsenic. The Jane Austen Society claims to have tested a lock of her hair and found traces of the poison. We'll never know for sure, but considering how even mercury was used as a medicine, it's not far fetched at all to believe she poisoned herself by accident.

The year is 1963. John F. Kennedy is in Berlin, giving a speech. He utters the line “Ich bin ein Berliner.” People think the President called himself a doughnut, right?

Wrong.

People never thought that. Not only is context important, and they certainly knew what he meant, but the delicious deep fried treat known as a Berliner isn't called that in Berlin. In Berlin, Brandenburg, Western Pomerania, Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony it is called Pfannkuche, or pancake. What we know as a pancake is in turn called Eierkuche, or egg-cake. Go figure, but in any case, no one thought Kennedy was calling himself a deep fried, jam-filled doughnut.

Players of trivia games and pub-quizzes have probably been asked the question: Who discovered Australia? And the answer is invariably: Captain James Cook.

Yeah, that's not true either. Cook mapped out and explored Australia more than anyone else had up to that point, but the continent was well known at that time. It's not know for certain, but the likeliest candidate for discovering Australia is the Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon.

Walt Disney wasn't frozen after his death, he was cremated. Says so on his death certificate.

Julius Caesar wasn't born through a caesarian. His mother lived a long life, and that was not possible after a c-section in those days. The name comes from Lex Caesarea, and states that the baby's life must be saved if the mother is dead or dying.

Catherine the Great, also know as Catherine II of Russia, did not die from having sex with a horse. This is a malicious rumor spread by her enemies, possibly her own son (they didn't get along). She was found dead on her bathroom floor, probably from a stroke, and there were no horses anywhere to be found. Anyone who gets to legitimately call themselves “the Great” will have jealous enemies, and that's how these rumor start.

Finally, Queen Victoria. One of the few people in history who have an age named after them. Contrary to popular belief, she was not a prude, she just knew what to do in public and what to do in private. Her marriage to Prince Albert was indeed passionate, after all they had nine children. She owned a rather large collection of artful nudes, some of which she gave to Albert on his birthday to loosen him up a bit. Her diaries were essentially censored to preserve the image of the prim and proper queen. That's not a prude...

Amusing extra: During WWI, the German Kaiser said, “If grandmother was alive, she never would have allowed this.” He was referring to the war, and since the King of England, the Russian Tzar and the Kaiser were all cousins and grandchildren to Victoria, I'm sure she would have had some stern words for the rowdy grandkids.

That's it for today, folks. I'll see you next time, and until then, have a great week!