Don't Know Much About History: Made in America Myths
Posted: Wednesday, September 02, 2009
by Edward Rhymes
Centuries ago the vast majority of the world's population was convinced that the earth was flat. Centuries ago most of the world believed that the planet Earth was the center of the universe and the sun and the other planets revolved around it and to say otherwise was downright heresy (if you don't believe me, just ask Galileo).
Now, such beliefs appear categorically ludicrous to us. However, on a smaller scale in modern U.S. culture we have our popular myths and misconceptions as well. Some of the following revelations may be as hard for some to swallow as the round Earth concept was for others, once upon a time. Don't worry; the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and Santa are absolutely safe... at least in this article!
Myth No. 1: Thomas Edison invented the light bulb.
Fact: Although our textbooks, encyclopedias, dictionaries and classic movies promote this notion, Thomas Edison is not the inventor of the light bulb. Joseph Swan, a British inventor, obtained the first patent for the same light bulb in Britain one year prior to Edison's 1879 patent date. Swan even showed off his electric light in New Castle, England, 10 years before Edison "astounded" the world with his light bulb. Swan eventually took Edison to court for patent infringement. The British Courts stood by their patent award for the light bulb to Swan, and Edison lost the suit --- adding insult to injury, Swan sold his U.S. patent rights, in June 1882, to Brush Electric Company. As a matter of fact, Edison didn't even come in first place in the American "electric light invention-derby." That distinction went to a man named William Sawyer. The U.S. Patent Office ruled, on October 8, 1883, that Edison's patents were invalid, because he based them upon the earlier art of Sawyer. Yes, I know, Spencer Tracy made it look so convincing didn't he?
Myth No. 2: Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone.
Fact: In spite of Don Ameche's riveting portrayal of Bell in the 1940s film, Antonio Meucci was the real inventor of the telephone. Meucci, a poor Italian immigrant, developed at least 30 different models of the telephone from 1850 to 1862. Although he was too poor to protect his invention with a patent (the cost would have been $250, which he did not have) he did manage to obtain a cheaper official document called a "Caveat" (in 1871) stating his paternity of the invention. After the sale of the old prototypes, in 1874, he handed some new models to the vice president of Western Union Telegraphs. Imagine Antonio Meucci's surprise when, in 1876, he read in the newspapers that Alexander Graham Bell was credited with his invention. In 1887 the judges annulled Bell's patent, but since Meucci's 1871 Caveat had expired, he was never credited for the invention. He died a poor man two years later in New York City. Ironically, in downtown Boston, a monument marks the spot where the "first" phone call (supposedly by Bell) was said to have taken place. This story does have somewhat of a happy ending. On June 15, 2002, the U.S. Congress officially recognized Antonio Meucci as the true inventor of the telephone.
Myth No. 3: Henry Ford invented the automobile.
Fact: Although Henry Ford invented the first assembly line automobile (the Model T) in 1896, Karl Benz (that's right ... of Mercedes-Benz) invented the first automobile in 1885 in Germany. As was the case with Edison and the electric light, Henry Ford wasn't even the first American to invent the automobile. George B. Seldon received the first U.S. patent for the automobile in 1895, one year before the Model T rolled off the Ford assembly line.
As promised, our cherished childhood fables went totally unscathed in this composition --- our American educational system may have received a few bumps and bruises however. It may have even been fun, for some of you, to learn these new and interesting facts. It is my hope that we begin to make it our business to know what we don't know. Nevertheless, there is something tragic about certain falsehoods and myths. When we erroneously lift someone to the mountaintops of hero-worship, we are simultaneously submerging the true genius or innovator into the sea of obscurity.
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Top-level comments on this article: (8 total)Very interesting Edward! Thanks for sharing! I am sure kids everywhere are going to school impressing their teachers with this information! thanks for sharing!Thanks Laura! It seems that for the most part we are unaware of this information. I think the real sad story is that of Antonio Meucci --- dying penniless without receiving the credit or the royalties due him. Thanks again for commenting Laura.
Interesting info, Edward. I have read this info before, but you are right, it is not common knowledge.Thanks Lorrie. It's amazing, to me, what we don't know historically speaking (and what we think we know!) I appreciate your comments --- as always!
Well done, Edward!I did know about Ford and Edison, well the basics. I love history and irony, so your article really hit the spot.Awesome!Thanks Ken. Somehow I had you pegged as a lover of history and irony... and I am glad you are! Thanks again Ken for commenting.
How do you research these things? Very interesting article! Never a dull moment! MarijoNational archives, obscure newspaper articles from the past, Google search.. and there you have it! I am consumed with the "real" story I suppose. Thanks for commenting Marijo!
Edward
Thanks for sharing these facts with us. I knew Ford wasn't the inventor of the first automobile, but I didn't know about Thomas Edison or Alexander Bell.Thanks for commenting David. That is the primary reason I wrote this, so that we could know the truth about certain popular ideas and notions. If we can begin to destruct the "trivia," (for lack of a better word) we can start doing the heavy lifting of deconstructing larger myths. Thanks for taking the time to read my piece David.
Thank you for simply being a "seeker of truth", most people I don't think care what the truth really is or the implications of it...Thank you goldenshamen, I try to be in the best way I know how. I thank for commenting and for insights.
Very informative. It's amazing how history changes over time. Sure, we Americans are innovative and exceptionally brave, yet we didn't invent everything. The wheel, for example, was invented by a neanderthal who hadn't the money for either a caveat or a patent, so he decided to do something that would make his invention useless to anyone who wanted to take credit for it: he made it round.Great article. Thanks for sharing.Thanks for commenting Michael. It is for me, a simple matter of justice and setting the record straight. Thanks again for commenting.
Hi Edward.I'm sure that every country wants to think it is the best and so altering the facts comes into play. It's a shame it has to happen, but a good thing that there are people like you to shed light on it. Also, I'm sure that America is not the only country to ever slant history in its favor. So we shouldn't think to badly of ourselves for only being human.DianneThanks Diane. This piece was not an indictment of America, but a correction of some popular misconceptions. I think part (a big part in my opinion) of a country's greatness is to be honest about its mistakes and have the integrity to correct them. Thanks for your perceptive remarks.
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