History often reaches us as a neat little story. Someone says it in school, it appears in a children’s book, it shows up in a cartoon, or it gets repeated around a holiday table until it feels too familiar to question. The trouble is that real history is rarely that tidy. It is usually messier, quieter, and more interesting than the version that fits on a poster. Some myths survive because they are funny. Others survive because they make a complicated person easier to understand. The truth often asks for a little more patience, but it usually gives us a better story in return.
#1: George Washington’s Teeth Were Not Carved From Wood
The wooden-teeth story has followed America’s first president for generations, probably because it makes a stiff portrait feel a little more human. In reality, Washington did have serious dental problems, and by the time he became president, he had only one natural tooth left. His dentures, however, were not made of wood. They were constructed from materials such as ivory, metal alloys, animal teeth, and human teeth, which gives the real story a more uncomfortable edge than the schoolroom version.
