Historical Myths

Both prized and feared throughout the ages, the magnificent opal has as many myths surrounding its "power" as it does firey colors. Get the inside scoop on the good, the bad, and the sometimes outrageous beliefs about opals.

The Hope Diamond certainly has its place as one of history's most beautiful but cursed gems. Walk the diamond's three century trail - witness the tragedies that gave it its reputation - and see the truth behind the myths.

The named 13 Long Island Indian tribes recorded in history and taught today to schoolchildren never even existed as such. Find out how the myth of these tribes became historical reality.

Tall tales loom large over the sinking of the Titanic. Dive into them, and see how one Egyptian princess has been blamed for this 20th century disaster.

The notorious pirate Blackbeard wasn't actually the killer we think he was, though he was considered to be the personification of evil - and something of a politician.

July 4, 1776 was the date that Americans declared their desire for independence, but America's freedom wasn't actually granted for another seven years. Battles raged long after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Find what our misconceptions are about America's true independence day.

Whether you think of Genghis Khan as a curse or a god, he was undeniably one of the most important men in history. Find out how he overcame seemingly insurmountable odds to become ruler of a united Mongolia.

Murders, imprisonments, beheadings - there was no shortage of horrors committed in England's Tower of London, and there is no shortage of myths, either. See for yourself what lengths some people would go to for power and wealth.

Cleopatra, the Queen of the Nile, developed quite a reputation in her rather brief lifetime. Find out what stories about her are true, and which were merely bits of political propaganda that became woven into history.

Ride along with Paul Revere and witness what he did - and didn't - say and do in April of 1775. You may be surprised, but you won't be disappointed.