For our purposes: Myths are commonly held beliefs or ideas that are false. For a claim to be considered a myth one or more parts of it must be proved false. Other definitions of myth, such as those pertaining to the not false-but-allegorical stories we tell to explain things, are discussed on our “what is a myth?” page.
Below is a collection of all factoids rated “myth” (as in “not true or not fully true”) by our authors. If you disagree or have more evidence to support a claim consider commenting. See our list of facts here.
The idea that “Hitler was a left-wing socialist liberal” is a myth. Hitler was a Fascist. Fascism has some socialist roots, but it is a unique right-wing authoritarian and nationalist ideology separate from socialism or liberalism.
Niccolò Machiavelli never said, “the ends justify the means”, although he did elude to a complex version of the concept in his Prince.
It is a myth that nonprofits don’t or can’t make a profit. Not-for-profit businesses can make a profit; they just can’t distribute their profits to individuals beyond paying reasonable compensation.
Charles Darwin came up with the idea of natural selection, but he didn’t coin the phrase “survival of the fittest”, that was Herbert Spencer in 1864’s Principles of Sociology.
Slavery was legal when America was founded, but few founding fathers fully supported the nefarious institution. In fact, many founders fought to limit and abolish slavery.
Votes cast for President and Vice President in the general election are advisory votes, the President and Vice President aren’t decided until the electors’ direct votes are cast and counted.
Despite misconceptions, the United States is not a corporation. This can be confirmed by its lack of incorporating acts, its sovereign immunity, and past court cases, among other things.
Third Parties can win elections, but they rarely do. This is because the United States of America has a two-party system in practice.
Despite two parties dominating politics due to a majority being needed to win elections, the United States doesn’t officially have a two-party system. Parties aren’t even mentioned in the Constitution.
One might assume James Monroe wrote the 1823 Monroe Doctrine, but its primary author was future-President and then secretary-of-state John Quincy Adams.